Sharon's Souvenirs

Monday, November 23, 2020

Flovember: Seashells and Sunshine

Day 18

“Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone.” –Anonymous

Day 19

Day 20

Remember, do not keep live shells.

Day 21

Day 22

Day 23

Sammy, (rhymes with tram) the tame squirrel. He's still begging for food at the tram stop on Lover's Key. Two years ago, I was breaking out my bag of nuts to feed myself, and the darn thing crawled onto my lap.

Day 24

“Isn’t it strange, the way time moves? I could stand here and watch the sea crash beneath me for hours and it would feel like only minutes had passed.” –Sjana Elise Earp

This week, I drank dark and stormies instead of weathering them.(rum and ginger beer) Tropical Storm Eta passed. The week's highlights include: reading The Silent Companions on heavenly beaches and peaceful trails, (a delightfully gothic and spooky book) and writing the first chapter of my third novel novel, The Savannah Book of Spells. I went to the Fort Myers Beach farmer's market for my favorite Black Mangrove honey. Score! One of the venders laughed at my homemade mask, with its long string-ties hanging down my neck. I could cut them off, but maybe I'll start a new fashion trend. I was reunited with Sammy the squirrel. Nuff said.

Stay tuned for one more week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Monday, November 16, 2020

Flovember: Post Storm

Day 10

“At the beach, life is different. Time doesn’t move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides, and follow the sun.” –Sandy Gringas

Day 11

Day 12

The storm!

We didn't go out on Wednesday.

Day 13

After the storm, I found a tervis glass on the beach!

Day 14

Day 15

Day 16

An osprey slept on the balcony next door.

Day 17

“We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch – we are going back from whence we came.” –John F. Kennedy

On Monday, the storm moved through like a wandering bear cub. On Wednesday, it came back like a curious fox. A rabid fox, but definitely not a lion. We stayed inside. I ate more Grace and Shelly's cupcakes. I drank Flor de Cana rum and coconut water, and made my famous squash ravioli with proscuito, pecans and cream sauce. Now, the skies are warm, the beaches are calling. The tide is low. Meanwhile, the coronavirus has infected eleven million people. And another hurricane is looming over Central America. Life is always full of yin and yang. Next week, I'll post more yin on Lover's Key.

The Awesome Links:

Sunday, November 8, 2020

Flovember: Tropical Storm Edition

Day 4

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” –Rabindranath Tagore

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Two, 130 pound, nine month old female great danes. Uff da.

Day 8

Day 9

Found objects.

“The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides, and in its depths it has its pearls too.” –Vincent Van Gogh

My first week was filled with sand, sun, feathers and fins. The culinary highlights were: Grace and Shelly's cupcakes, Cracker Barrel pancakes, meatloaf melts at Truly Scrumptious and my go-to chicken tortilla soup at Tommy Bahamas. But nothing beats a fresh squeezed grapefruit vodka drink on my balcony. I like to toast sunset with it.

However, my quotes hint at impending doom. That's because a storm is brewing. The election is over and Biden won! So I'm not talking about political fire-storms. Tomorrow, Tropical Storm Eta will be showering Lover's Key with rain, wind and unholy unknowns. I'm posting early this week, due to internet issues. So next week I'll show you how Monday unfolds. Maybe, instead of eating Jerk Mahi Mahi at The Fish House, I'll be watching fish fly.

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Monday, November 2, 2020

Flo-vember: 2020

Day 1

“An extra yawn one morning in the springtime, an extra snooze one night in the autumn is all that we ask in return for dazzling gifts. We borrow an hour one night in April; we pay it back with golden interest five months later.” - Winston Churchill

Day 2

Day 3

There's an abundance of stress in the world. Florida sunshine helps. I wish I could write a perscription for all my Northern readers, but I can't. What I can do, is share my Flo-vember memories. A month of salty footsteps along the gulf shores of Lover's Key.

Stay tuned...

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Monday, October 26, 2020

The Jerome Cemetery

Jerome sticks to Cleopatra hill like a fragile necklace.

We learned about the Jerome cemetery from a ghost. He was an old-timer narrating a historic video at the Copper Mining Museum. He looked like an actor, but who are we to judge? The ghost didn't divulge the cemetery location, but we found it anyway, isolated on the precipice of a scraggly, barren hill. It was spooky. It was lonely. It was hotter than a brothel in August, melting into the sand like a mirage.

Take a walk among the dead...

"The stones themselves are thick with history, and those cats that dash through the alleyways must surely be the ghosts of the famous dead in feline disguise." Erica Jong

My shadow lurks in an iron purgatory.

Offerings.

Observers.

Happy Halloween!

"Ghosts, like ladies, never speak till spoke to." Richard Harris Barham

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Monday, October 19, 2020

Game of Skulls

We visited the Chaa Creek Museum for a Morpho tour and as a bonus, played the Game of Skulls. What’s that you say? You've never heard of that game? You must be living under a fossil. I knew the game would be the perfect post for Halloween month. To top things off - literally - I was wearing my favorite cat skeleton hat. (I ordered the embroidery patch on etsy)

Follow my metacarpals and phalanges...

"Our feet are planted in the real world, but we dance with angels and ghosts." John Cameron Mitchell

Yes, that's a tooth necklace in the left hand corner.

Bones from Xunantunich.

Teeth from Lamanai.

Game on at the Chaa Creek Museum and Morpho tour.

To start the game, you collect ten cards with an animal from Belize written on the front. You take the card and match it to the correct animal skull. We only mixed up two! Obviously, the alligator was easy. How would you do?

"I wouldn't describe myself as lacking in confidence, but I would just say that - the ghosts you chase you never catch." John Malkovich

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