“Those who don't jump will never fly.”- Leena Ahmad Almashat

August 17, 2020

 

 “Those who don't jump will never fly.”- Leena Ahmad Almashat


The past ten days have flown by so fast it is almost hard to comprehend. The entire concept of time has been so weird during the pandemic as it is often hard to recall what day it is, what things that I have to do, or what I did the previous day, week or even month. This week has been pretty good all things considered. Especially since I would much prefer to be in Indianapolis attending the practice and qualifying leading up to this year’s Indianapolis 500. I was all set to go and head to Indianapolis when at the last moment there was an announcement made that no fans would be allowed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.







I completely understand why as the pandemic is still raging and the numbers continue to grow at an alarming rate. There are currently 5,364,575 cases in the United States with 168,861 confirmed deaths due to the pandemic. Locally it continues to be bad as well as there are now 1,633 cases in Monroe County with 756 of those being here in Key West and holding thankfully at 13 deaths in the county. 





These numbers make it easy to understand why the organizers of the race made the difficult choice to eliminate fans from the mix, a choice that was no doubt the correct one in spite of the heartbreak and disappointment that it had on many, including myself. Attending the Indy 500 and spending the better part of a month in Indianapolis is always one of the best times that I experience each year and it has been incredibly sad for me personally to have to watch the Indy 500 practices and qualifications on NBC Gold this week. 









But staying home has not been terrible by any stretch. Kathy and I have been continuing to make the best of our limited isolation. Enjoying the time at home being able to catch up on Netflix, reruns of “Law and Order” and hosting friends who drop by and hang out with us in a health conscience, socially distant and respectful manner. We have had any number of friends drop by and visit outside with us including our friends Trevor, Nadene and Meredith, Effie and Caitlin and their dog Chiquita, Bonnie and Gae and our friend Dan who lives around the corner and stops by often while walking his dog Mako. 








We have been making full use of the small pool we got at the start of the pandemic, it has been a true lifesaver as far as being able to hang out and enjoy the yard and being outside. So thankful that we had the yard completely redone and added the brick patio and grass, the old mess of a rock quarry would have been miserable to hang out in, now the yard looks beautiful, lush and full of beautiful plants that Kathy has been maintaining.









The most enjoyable thing we have done this week is visit the famous jumping bridge on Sugarloaf Key. It has been years and years since I visited the bridge over a deep cut canal that provides a cut through from the Gulf to the Atlantic Ocean. The bridge is along an abandoned road in a wildlife preserve and has long been a gathering place for people to go and hang out, jump off the bridge into the canal and party, especially for high school kids. Families and old folks like us still like to visit as it is a beautiful isolated location and the salt water canal offers some fantastic and very unique snorkeling opportunities.










The canal has a swift current whose direction is dependent on the incoming or outgoing tides and is really deep about 25-30 feet. The cuts along the sides of the canal have produced basically a wall that is overgrown with all sorts of coral and plant life and make for a wonderful and unique snorkeling or scuba diving experience. There are tons of juvenile tropical fish, tiny versions of what you would see on the reef as well as a number of larger full-size adult fish, crabs, lobsters and other sea life.






There are also some unique items that are sunk at the bottom of the canal, which apparently at one time was a dumping ground for old cars and even a motorcycle which have lain on the bottom for at least 30 years, probably longer becoming beautiful artificial reefs. Of course many people go just to jump off the bridge into the canal, it is pretty high up and makes for a good leap into the deep water. The first time we went up there this week was Kathy’s first visit there in all the time she has lived here and her first response was why haven’t we been coming here all the time. She loved it so much that we returned for another visit later in the week and found the place, unlike our first visit- completely desolate and devoid of any other people. It was beautiful.

I am sure that now that it is on her radar, we will be making more frequent visits to enjoy the cool snorkeling location and beautiful location to socially distance responsibly. The place would be even more wonderful, if disgusting people wouldn’t leave piles of trash around. You just can’t believe the piggish behavior of so many people. Kathy and I vowed to bring a large trash bag to help clean up the messes that some people leave behind.