1225 March 1, 2025 Beach And Baseball
I walked past the bike shop that fixed another flat tire yesterday…on my bike…so handy to have it right next door!
Then, I walked around to the left along that seawall.
People were wheeling their suitcases down the sidewalk to Key West International Airport. A jet was coming in to land.
We packed lunch and drove to Fort Zachary Taylor. We sat by the water watching all of the boat traffic and the people and the birds and the lizard. I brought a book and did some reading. We had our lunch.
A pilot boat went out and returned with a large barge that was being pushed by a tug. They moved toward the harbor of Key West or perhaps one of the military bases on the island.
It was a very pleasant day to be out on the beach. We enjoyed some shade and then some sun.
We returned to the RV late this afternoon.
We walked across the street to One Love for another Jamaican feast. Tim had jerk chicken with rice and beans and plantains. I had jerk shrimp with sweet potato fires and sauteed cabbage. The food was spicy and yummy!
Earlier in the day, we had seen a sign that the high school baseball team, the Conchs, were playing this evening at 7:30. We dressed in jeans and long sleeves and went out to enjoy the game. The baseball facility was the most gorgeous high school field I have ever seen. There was an amazing concession and the sound system and the music and the announcer and the lights and the electronic scoreboard and the stands and the artificial turf and the way it was all put together…this community clearly loves their baseball team! The Conchs played the Sharks from a private college prep school in Fort Lauderdale. They had a long way to come! I guess the Conchs have to travel a long way to find any opponents as well!
Portraits of the team and the seniors.
A sobering memorial.
We left after the fourth inning. The players were skilled and there was no sloppiness. The kids hustled and demonstrated really positive sportsmanship. We could tell that both teams were well coached and disciplined. The score was Sharks 1 – Conchs 0. We found out this morning that the Key West team lost 4-2.
We love to watch baseball. We love the smell of the hot dogs, the slap of the ball in the glove, and the ping of the ball meeting the bat. When we see a local game, we will often stop to watch. As we do, we are reminded with a pang of lots of years spent watching David play travel ball. He was a wonderful catcher and it was always so fun to go and see him play. We have seen games from Fairbanks, Alaska to Key West, Florida. Love of baseball is something that Tim and David share and now Oliver and Austin are learning the game…the circle of life!