Frank Lazcos

Tropical Storm Fay has made its pass through the keys and left everything relatively unscathed. The most damage has come to the keys business owners due to the mandatory evacuation of tourist. The keys have had it good for a while now. We have not had a direct hit from a hurricane since 1999 when Hurricane Irene's eye passed over Key West at 8 A.M. and continued on towards Cape Sable where it hit the mainland and continued its path through south Florida.

In the last three years we have'nt had any bad storms at all. Since I have been living in the keys (1999) I have not had to deal with any damage from storms including Irene. The most damage I have had to incur was the water level rising after the storm and damaging what ever I had on the floor of my storage room downstairs. Fortunately my home is up on pilings and no where near the water. Many of my neighbors are not so fortunate. Their homes were built prior to the FEMA regulations which require homes to be built above the flood plain. Thank fully Fay has not brought any flooding.

Although preparing for a storm is a bit frustrating, I must say I would much rather be doing this with time to prepare than dealing with tornadoes or earthquakes not knowing when they will hit. It really is not that bad. I enjoy being outside under my home seeing the rath of mother nature whip the palm trees and the clouds fly by. Fay was a very light storm that actually cleaned up the trees and shrubs pretty good. I am sure we will have more storms to come and damage to deal with. However everything has a price and paradise is not free. Insure it right, be safe, protect the important items and have fun. What else can you do but this?

Oh! Be thankful you made it through in good health!

Key Largo is a small town of about 20,000 year round residents which grows to 50,000 residents in the winter months. We are the first island after you leave the south end of mainland Florida. Also known as part of the Florida Keys and many times confused with Key West which is 100 miles further south. Key West and Key Largo are like night and day. We share the same county but that is where it ends. People visit Key Largo to go diving and fishing mostly.

What I love the most is the friendly people that live here. Everyone here has the same ideas about life. There is no speed or fast lane here; we all take it one day at a time, we value our friendships and enjoy the great weather.

I moved here for the water (Ocean) so I can fish and dive as much as I wanted to. I am on the water every weekend and sometimes during the week. There are many local bars that I visit on Wednesdays and Thursday by boat. I usually go to CJ's (Cactus Jacks) on Wednesday where Michele makes her home made casserole for the locals at a much reduced price. I usually walk over to the Big Chill which is our new superstar restaurant / bar that has an excellent outdoor sunset bar with a pool.

Then on weekends I either go fishing or visit the local beaches that can only be reached by boat. Usually meet a group of friends there and hangout. Because I live here many of my mainland friends like to come and visit. Usually about once a month I have visitors stay with me. One of my favorite things I love about living here is there are no lines anywhere and never any traffic. That in itself is priceless. I rarely deal with stress and when I feel a little coming on I go outside and realize how lucky I am to live here and it is gone.

We have all the comforts of a big town and none of the problems. If I want big malls and stores I can take a 40 minute ride and I have whatever I need. Where else can you have all this and 2 oceans within walking distance. My home is on the bayside (Gulf) and if I walk ¼ mile I am on the Atlantic. I have the Everglades within a 5 minute boat ride and John Pennekamp state park within a 5 minute drive. This is North America's only underwater park that has the largest living reef in the western hemisphere.

This is a special place. Key Largo is my home and I plan on keeping it that way. If you are interested in any local info, write or call me. I am always looking for new friends.

Saturday the 15th was the Key Largo St. Patricks day parade. Along with excellent weather and lots of great people the fun was on. The float I am on is a boat trailer converted to a deck trailer. The trailer belongs to video Dave and was decorated by our club Pirates On The Water. We spent Thursday afternoon putting it together and having a great time. It was a great success and it was attended by many families and lots of kids. I was pulling the float with my truck while it was full of Pirates throwing candy to the kids.

The highlight of the parade was the Bubba Rogers dragster. What an impressive machine, loud and full of horsepower. These things are like rockets on wheels. I asked if I could drive but as I expected NO! was the answer. The parade lasted about 40 minutes and ended with lots of food and drinks. The day turned out to be perfect although by noon it was hot and muggy, time to head for the water. The greatest thing about Key Largo, if you want to jump in the water it is usually walking distance from anywhere.

Who is Video Dave you ask. Well I will tell you how he got his name. He is a fanatic about big screen TV. He has the largest screen in Monroe County. 13 Feet from corner to corner. He usually sets it up for club meetings and sporting events. The biggest one has been 35Ft diagonally. He is a great person and is full of laughs. VD how some of us call him was the fearless leader of our group of pirates on this day. I am sure we will have many more good times with Mr. VD. Another great Key Largo community event.

Finally the day ended out on the boat with some friends looking at the sun come down. Although this appears to be an incredible sunset, they are actually quite common. The day may have ended but the night was just beginning.