Monday, December 23rd, 2019
We had a great night at the “Pines and Palms Resort.” Especially since we managed to stay dry overnight!
We walked a short distance down the street to eat breakfast at “Midway Cafe.” They’re located 80 miles from Miami and 80 miles from Key West; hence the name. I rolled my eyes at a few rude tourists. It amazes me how some people think that being on vacation gives them permission to treat service workers like trash. When we returned to the room, it was raining again. Fortunately, it was only temporary.
After we checked out of our room, we made our way to the town of Layton. When we got there, we mailed some of our unneeded belongings home from the post office.
Then we continued our journey along the “Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail.”
The sun was setting once we got to Marathon. We took a break outside of the “Dolphin Research Center” before pushing a little further into the downtown area.
As we approached a cluster of restaurants and gas stations, I spotted some wildlife. I chased a baby raccoon away from the road, and then spotted an opossum nearby one of the gas stations.
We stopped in McDonald’s where we saw a familiar face. One of the homeless guys we met in Key Largo was there on his lap top. Frisbee started a conversation with him before another guy approached them. He was asking about places to sleep. He apparently missed his bus out of town, didn’t have enough money to book a room, and wasn’t sure what to do. On top of all of his misfortune, it was supposed to rain again overnight. The homeless guy had an interesting suggestion.
“Few people know this, but if you climb on top of the roof of one of the business buildings, no one will ever bother you. I do it all the time.”
We were lucky. We actually had a place to stay tonight. No wet, rooftop stealth sites for us! Justin, a friend of Frisbee’s, who’s made Marathon his new home, invited us to crash at his place. Once we located it, we kicked back and talked to Justin for a while. He was living the dream down here, and he deserved it! When he first moved here from Maryland, he experienced a number of hardships in terms of love, loss, and health. Fortunately, life has gotten better for him and he seemed very happy with his new girlfriend, his new friends, and his dream job as a fishing guide.
“Everyone is about ego back at home. Here, people are happy when you do well.”
Both of us were beyond happy for Justin, but there was a lot of truth to that statement. I think it would benefit everyone if they could be a little more supportive and encouraging towards one another. Even if that certain someone followed a path that we wouldn’t have chosen for ourselves. Everyone deserves a little happiness, right?
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Stubbs Rambles On 