We abandoned ship in Key West and took to the sky. "Two if by sea," three if by air? Legends of sunken treasure and pirates brought us to the isolated outpost and the fort is now a national park. We circled the fort, landed in the water and beached the plane. Then we set out on foot to explore the fort before getting out fins wet diving the coral reef.
The evening was almost a total wash due to the storms. I had planned dining waterside and having cocktails beforehand. Instead, I ended up securing plants and lanterns that might have become a projectile because of the severe winds at 70 MPH.
Like most everybody, I have been watching with horror as the events in the Gulf of Mexico have been unfolding over the last 50 days. Lately I have been using technology to make the most sense of what is actually going on out there. In case anybody has missed it, Google has a crisis response page for the oil spill located at http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/oilspill/. You can get the latest maps and Google Earth layers as well as watch YouTube videos and get the latest news.
The heat is blazing under the Florida sun and I'm hiding under any cover I can find. Yesterday after most people were back at the office I hopped out on the water for a late sunset cruise and fishing spot. Next, I baited my line with a scaled sardine through the nose where it doesn't hurt them. That is, until they become dinner for a bigger fish!
As the oil monster continues to toil through the depths of the Gulf of Mexico I take snapshots along my route.
What the heck are we supposed to think of the fish now? NOAA closed 19% of the Gulf of Mexico to fishing. The gulf is the only known spawning ground for Atlantic bluefin tuna.
I love this time of year with the weather dipping cooler and the opening of Stone Crab season. Those highly anticipated, succulent claws brought to shore fresh daily from the waters, soon will be dripping in real melted butter or scampi sauce made with pressed garlic and a little white wine quickly consumed by visitors and locals alike.
The two day spiny lobster sport season is always the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July. It begins at 12:01 am on the last Wednesday in July and ends at 12:00 midnight on the last Thursday in July. The bag limits are 6 per person per day for Monroe County and Biscayne National Park, and 12 per person per day for the rest of Florida. The possession limit on the water is equal to the daily bag limit, and off the water is equal to the daily bag limit on the first day, and double the daily bag limit on the second day. Possession limits are enforced on and off the water.
