Veggie Validation

I usually try hard not to be preachy about vegetarianism. Live and let live and all that good stuff. However, every now and again I run into a story that makes me want to shout from the hilltops about the wonders of going veggie. Check out this interesting article from today's Huffington Post. It seems I'm doing more for the planet by not consuming chicken and meat than I am driving my Prius.

Around the Keys

Here are some shots from around the Keys.

We had lunch in Key West and explored the old town a bit. I found our lunch spot, Blue Heaven, based on a review in a travel guide. Although he admitted the food was excellent, Craig was flabbergast to discover the name has to do with a connection to Chapel Hill, where the head chef relocated from. Go Heels! :)

While at Cheeca Lodge, we were visited by a six-toed cat, called a Hemingway cat in homage to the author who is credited with bringing them to the keys.

We also spent a great afternoon snorkeling and sightseeing at Bahia Honda State Park. There are great views from the old railway bridge that once ran along the keys and first brought development in the 1800s. We also got to see some sharks swimming in the channel and this cool iguana hanging out in a tree.

You can view some more of our photos here. Enjoy!

Islamorada

Islamorada (in the Florida Keys) and the Cheeca Lodge were a nice change of pace after the craziness of Miami Beach and my family. We loved the views, the beach, the beautiful rooms, and the relaxed environment. I especially loved the turn-down service, which included chocolate truffles. :)

We were also really impressed by the lodge's commitment to the environment. It's too bad more places in the Keys don't follow their example. While we loved the warm weather, beautiful beaches, and snorkeling opportunities, the development all along the Keys was staggering. It made me pine for my beloved Ocracoke... in the Spring, of course.

Craig's First Bat Mitzvah

Craig attended his first ever Bat Mitzvah this past weekend. We went to Miami Beach to see my cousin, Stefany, undertake this important Jewish ritual. I think I did an OK job prepping Craig for the service itself… other than a brief panic when called to the bimah for an aliyah (witness to the reading of the Torah) with Howard, Maya, and me, he seemed comfortable and rather enjoyed getting a taste of a different culture.

On the other hand, he was somehow under the impression that the reception would be a small, Confirmation-like party and was a bit blown away by the lavish affair. It was held at Parrot Jungle Island, in their treetop ballroom, and was complete with live parrots.

It didn't take him long to get into the swing of things. He even danced his first horah and gave out many a "Mazel Tov." His favorite part of the day, though, was photographing my brother with the parrots. It would appear that hilarious facial expressions run in my family. :)

Blogworthy

We're two weeks into 2007 and I still haven't had anything blogworthy happen. The dogs have already had four posts on their blog, while I'm struggling to find anything to report. I almost knocked myself unconscious when I tripped over a root and got airborne during the Little River Trail Run yesterday, but I miraculously missed the tree and landed in a pile of pine needles. While I was happy to trot away unscathed, I must confess that the loss of a potential blog entry did occur to me.

Pretty much, I've spent 2007 obsessing about how to spend my WeightWatchers points, attempting to sleep through Phoebe waking me up to play every 2-3 hours during the night, and counting the days until we leave for our Miami/Keys vacation (4 more days). Oh well, at least next week there will be trip photos to report. For now, I'll leave it to the dogs to entertain you. :)