THE FLORIDA KEYS
Relaxing at Little Torch Key and beyond

Music is Bobby McLarren's Don't Worry, Be Happy

It's easy to relax in the Keys - with tropical breezes blowing, a slow paced lifestyle, you can't help but enjoy yourself. We relaxed at our rental cottage at Dolphin Marina, read books, sat on the porch and looked at the scenery and then, for a little diversion, we made a few side trips to Bahia Honda State Park and Key West.

Bahia Honda State Park was just up the road, easy to get to for a day of swimming at the beach. The first year it was breezy and a little too chilly for the beach but we wandered around the park and enjoyed the scenery. The girls splashed in the surf and one of them found a unique way to get a little refreshment by using her pocket as a cupholder.

   

The kids posed in front of some seagrape trees the first year and we found that same setting the next year so we could take another picture to see how they'd changed. I'm not sure what happened that second year, the two little ones look a little pained!

   

We did the same thing while walking on the Bahia Honda bridge, took a picture the first year then another the second so we could compare. The first year was breezy, the second year we got smart and sat down to escape the wind! Our hair stayed in place a little better that second year. I also had my older step-daughter pose in a tropical setting near the bridge - doesn't she look like the poster child for The Florida Keys Tourism Bureau?

   

The second year was hotter and we escaped to the beach at Bahia Honda. The girls enjoyed being in the water and making sand castles, or maybe that was sand ditches? Either way, they had fun.

   

Key West is only about 30 miles away from Little Torch, so one night we headed down there, to the southernmost spot in the USA. We wandered around and did all the things tourists do ... watched the sunset at Mallory Square, cruised the shops, and the girls posed with some colorful tropical birds.

Key West is a party town but, as you'll see on the next page, we spent several of our evenings partying in Little Torch! After all, this was a tropical vacation, and what better place to let loose and have a lot of fun than in the Keys?