Driving the Porcelain Bus in Key Largo and The New Transmission

 Parrot Fish

Look Closely- School of  Fish on Bottom

     Since we left I have noticed the transmission "not so smooth". Lets just say its being rebuilt even as we speak. This is our second night in a hotel, 'dog friendly' you know, in Coral Gables, Florida, just south of Miami. The Hotel ChateauBleau, sounds fancy... well? We had decided that when the RV was fixed we would leave the Everglades and start our journey west. So yesterday we went to Key Largo for a last adventure in the warm waters. We went on a snorkeling tour to the reefs a few miles off shore. The wind was really up and only one charter boat was going out. That should have been our first clue. The wind was a good 25-30 knots and the waves were 2 to 3 feet. The ride out to the reef was rough but enjoyable. Just west of the reef the waters were much calmer and I slipped into the choppy water. It was magical. all kinds of dancing coral, from purple fans, 3 square feet, to huge blocks, greenish yellow, 4' by 6' by 8'. The fish were amazing. All colors, but one in particular. The Parrot fish is about 18" long and blue and yellow and white. It does not have lips, it has a beak. I watched it run its beak into the coral and smash it to get food. At one point there were 6 of these giants attacking the coral. There were small schools of all colors of fish, mostly they lay on the bottom in the very rough sea, all being pushed in unison back and forth. We all got back on the boat and headed for the second dive site. It was then that the rocking of the boat was too much for me and I fed the fish.

     I have pictures with an underwater camera, but you will have to wait till I have it developed. Speaking of camera, my digital stopped and so there is a gap in photos. I have a new one now. We head north today to see friends on the Atlantic side of Florida and then to the Florida panhandle.