Florida Keys - Part 2

In the middle of the week we drove 2 hours to the famous city of Key West. After a couple of hours on the beach we went into the main area and took a city tour on the train. Basically, Key West got filthy rich back in the 1800s by salvaging (looting) ships that ran aground in the shallow water of the keys. During one year of the 1850s the average citizen of Key West made the equivalent of $7 million!

We had a terrific sunset in Key West amongst a throng of street performers.

One day we drove an hour west to Baia Honda State Park. It was an amazingly beautiful park and the weather was perfect.

Our rental house was in the mangroves, so we took Kayaks through the channels to explore. Erin and I found the local crocodile (8+ feet), which scared the life out of us when it violently dove into the water as we got too close.

For the majority of the week, we just hung around and enjoyed each other's company. The Elenbaas gang is a close group, and the spirited debates that always arise are enough entertainment in themselves. We don't even need new topics to debate, we always seem to come back to the same arguments:

• Why females have to take a "test" before being allowed to make football and basketball picks in the Elenbaas college football and basketball prognosticator challenge.
• Why engineering degrees are superior to...all others
• Why Carissa had the hardest childhood
• Why Derek is the most spoiled
• Why it wasn't Ben's fault, and how to get him to try harder in school
• Whether Steve spoils Molly

As always, Molly and Evie are best friends.

Girls must shop, especially on vacation.

Up-and-down-the-river and Rummikub are Elenbaas staples.

Most evenings Evelyn would get so "hotttt" trying to entertain everyone that she insisted on stripping down to her diaper. Once undressed, she seemed so much happier. The house was a comfortable 70 degrees, but that was way to "hotttt" for Evie.