By the time I got all my chores done and got ready to head out on the water the wind had picked up and the temperature dropped, undaunted, I jumped aboard my dinghy and went the short distance to Channel Key. This is a curious little mangrove key that has a narrow channel that winds though the center of it. It is sort of like being in Jungleland at Disneyland, you wind through the key with the mangroves reaching out and over you making you feel like you are traveling the Amazon or something like it anyway. All that with the big plus of no alligators, big snakes, or piranha lurking around every bend in the river.
It is a very peaceful place that you can raise the motor and let the boat just drift as you sip your rum and let your imagination take over. The perfect place, the mangroves filter out the wind and allow the sun to warm my skin as I drift along taking pictures and sipping my rum. The stream is full of small and medium size fish, they are fun to watch as the seemingly just scurry around under and around the boat. It is like watching people on the sidewalk from a upper story perch, they just go in random directions, each on their own mission.
I begin to realize that I do live in a very special place when I get out on my little journeys all within a five or six mile radius of home. I have the peaceful solitude of places like Channel Key or Mud Key to let all of the concerns float away as I drift along. The Smith and Cross Rum was the perfect selection for this day with it's cool and brisk air. Takes the chill off and soothes the soul like no other. That big bold pot still flavor and the naval strength makes it perfect for an old guy drifting through the mangroves and chilling in a big way.
Maybe next Monday will be less windy and I will be able to go further to the West and visit Boca Grand, or maybe even the Marquesas Keys. It really doesn't matter, because the close in keys are really fun and relaxing too. ;o)
