Christmas in the Keys - December 2012

Christmas Eve: A sudden snowstorm closed the roads. After huge disappointment about missing the traditional extended family Christmas Eve party, we rallied our spirits for a small, festive celebration. Having cleared perishables out of the house in preparation for the upcoming trip, we employed innovation, good spirits, and the spice cabinet.  Out of the pantry and a nearly empty fridge, we whipped up an incredible feast.

Then we built a snowman six feet tall, and packed for Key Largo.

Splash! The sound of the first morning dive into the salty lagoon announced for sure it was Christmas in the Keys. The holiday was replete with pelican statues in Santa hats, warm air and brilliant tropical fish, kayaking the mangroves, and snorkeling the reef with my family.

We sailed out into the New Year from the dock of a tiki hut. The kayaks carried us, a corked bottle of champagne, only the classiest of mismatched plastic cups, local truffles, and safety gear. Red/white headlamps heralded our presence to other boats making merry in the moonlight. We paddled about the lagoon, shouted and heard jovial holiday greetings, and sang to the stroke of midnight under a tropical sky.  

Unexpectedly, Texas

December 2012: Family and a job interview call me to Texas for the first time.

Maryland - Fall 2012

Herons and bitterns, songbirds and osprey, jumping fish and turning leaves all ring in the fall foliage at Piney Run Park. Maryland is beautiful this time of year, and there's no better place to see it than from the seat of a boat.

From his perch in the front hatch of my kayak, my dog agrees.