Yesterday we had breakfast at a little place that has been here since 1964. It was opened by a couple who had run a cafe for 14 years in Sigourney, Iowa, before coming to Marathon. Since opening, it has changed owners twice, but very little has changed in what it offers. The most amazing thing was that I was asked what I wanted for my toast – grape, strawberry, orange marmalade, or apple butter. I asked for orange marmalade and this is how it was served –
The marmalade was quite good!
After breakfast we checked out Sunset Park. Apparently a group of people bring a boom box every night and play the 1812 Overture so it coincides with the sun’s disappearance.
There are a lot of park benchs here and they all have plaques on them in memory or in honor of someone. The one under the thatched roof shelter was in memory of the best dog ever and there was a water faucet and a dog bowl with water in it right there.
Later in the day, back at our marina, Rich noticed a nurse shark in the water by one of the fishing boats. I grabbed my phone and was able to get a picture.
Today we saw a shark, but I wasn’t able to get a photo. We did, however, see all these tarpon by one of the fishing boats.
Today we went to Pigeon Key, a small island (just under 5 acres) which is just a couple of miles west of here. It was used as a work camp from 1908-1912 when Henry Flagler built the Overseas Railroad which connected mainland Florida to Key West. Several of the original buildings are still standing and are now used for housing school groups that come for several days. The ferry to the island docks at the fuel dock by our boat so we’ve been able to watch several groups of elementary age kids headed out and back.
We watched this group of kids board the ferry yesterday – today they were learning to snorkel and learn about marine life.
The workers who stayed on Pigeon Key were involved in building the original 7 mile bridge, which was a railroad bridge.
The bridge on the left is the original bridge – the bridge in the background is the new bridge, which opened in 1982. The old railroad bridge was converted to a vehicular bridge in 1935, but because it was built for the width of a train, it was a very narrow bridge – just 22 feet wide. It was referred to as the mirror bridge, because if you didn’t pull your mirrors in before crossing it, they would get knocked off as you passed cars.This is the underside of the original bridge, showing how it was “widened” for auto traffic.This building was sleeping quarters for 64 men. It was raised to allow better air flow, had a pitched roof, so heat would rise above the sleeping area, had large overhangs to block direct sunlight from getting inside, and had screened openings all along the top of the side walls. Flagler brought in laundresses once a week to strip all the beds, boil all the sheets, and put clean sheets back on all the beds.The floors were made of Dade County pine. It was so popular that all the trees were cut down and there is no “new” Dade County pine. Over the years it hardens and apparently you would now need a steel drill bit to put a hole in this floor.This is a gumbo-limbo tree, nicknamed the tourist tree because its bark is red and peeling. The building that is up against it was several feet away until Hurricane Irma knocked it off its foundation and pushed it up against the tree.Pigeon Key, as seen from the ferry as we headed back
Tonight we had dinner at a place on the water (amazing how easy it is to find a place to eat on the water when you’re on a narrow island!). The sunset was once again beautiful.
Going…and goneWe ate at the bar and I noticed this after the sun had set and they turned on lights. It reminded me of legs that used to hang out of a second story window above Hoopdee Scoodee in Saugatuck.One of the specialties at Burdine’s is their fried key lime pie. The pie is frozen, cut into pieces and wrapped in a pie crust, and frozen before they deep fry it. There’s a creamy, very limey, cinnamon topping drizzled over the top – and we ate the whole thing! (Note the takeout box in the background – I had a huge portion of tuna poke and decided to forego finishing all of it then so I could have dessert – my dessert side had plenty of room in it).
