Saturday has been laid back knitting and binge watching This is Us.

Time for a break when you rip out two inches of knitting because you messed up the cable.

We did a lot of eating in Key West. One night we did a food crawl on our own. We went to Jack Flats which is a sports bar. Never seen so many TVs. Food was ok. Not terrific. Great service.

Then we wandered down Duval from Jack Flats for drinks and desserts at Le Grande. We were NOT disappointed. Yummiest creme brûlée I have eaten in Key West. Fun Argentinian waitress who watched me draw. Her dad used to do it when they traveled.

These are the other two honorable mentions:

Anyway time to grab a shower and go play with the grandkids.

Margaret xoxo. Or should I binge season 1 episode 14. Be strong walk away from the Telly. Xoxox

Wow where has the week gone?!

Pepe’s the oldest eating house in Key west as they bill themselves. As in all things Key West this cafe is funky. The bar area on the left is little more than picket fencing and a plastic roof on pvc poles. However the right side where we ate is fascinating.

Loaded with all kinds of antiques and ambience.

And a fat cat that they put on all their T-shirt’s. Front and back.

We ate the most amazing key lime pie and coconut cream pie. The later was heaven and former not far from Heaven. Light and fluffy with real whipped cream. Deliciousness.

Their menu My favorite desert on the island. This is the recipe for the coconut cream pie which I searched high and low for on the internet. And it tasted so good when I made it yesterday. Did I say DELICIOUS?!! just be sure to temper the eggs by dumping half a cup of the heated sugar and half and half INTO the eggs SLOWLY not the other way around like I did. Oops. I fixed it and it was delicious despite my goof. Did I say I shoulda known better?!

Margaret xoxoxoxo

Drew this shop leaning against a light pole across the street on Duval. I gave it a face lift – it’s really white. I think the yellow is so much more in keeping w Key West don’t you?!

What else can I say. LOVE the Garden Lights. A great way to spend my birthday.

Margaret who is tired and has to get up and bake pies on the morning. Happy Thanksgiving xoxoxox

#keywest #icecream #islandlife #urbansketching #hyattresidenceclub #gingerbreadgallery #ink #stillmanandbirn

Been painting like a crazy person most of the day today hence the late post. This is an assorment of what we decided was flotsam on a table in the Hyatt Beach House in Key West where we stayed. I painted 8 or 9 pages in my Key West sketchbook today.

I also went to the Atlanta Artist Center and painted the awesome Annie Jefferson. It is her birthday today and she was wide open for fun. She was born in California just like I was. Did I say my birthday is tomorrow.

She decided we were twins. 😂

Anyway a lot of fun this morning. Hmm it lasted til almost 2 because we kept talking.

Of course now I have to decide how to fix her eye that’s TOO high. Won’t be easy to do since it’s hot press.

Bed time. My birthday in 31 min. Hmm maybe I should stay up til midnite. Margaret whose grandkids are taking her to the Christmas lit mechanical (aka Atlanta Botanical) gardens for her birthday tomorrow nite. Xoxoxox

#urbansketching #flotsam #keywest #islandlife #keywestbight #fluid #watercolor #art #painting #artist #painter #florida #lifestyleblogger #lifestylechange #charlesreid #food #restaurant #floridalife

Yes a Bight. That is not a typo. A Bight pronounced bite is a small area of water similar to a small bay. A curve or recess in a coastline, river, or other geographical feature. I think this is the beautiful yacht with grey sails we saw during our Sunset cruise. The sketchbook fold does not help the boats lines does it?!

I also drew the Jolly Roger across the Bight from where I sat. Oops. Left the bow sprit off. Going to add a fold out with it because it looks odd without it.

The Jolly Roger has beautiful red sails. Also a cannon like any good pirate ship would have to shoot other boats with so they can rob them. It was actually just aloud noise.

The Bight is where a lot of the locals dock, the party catamarans and activity catamarans dock. It’s surrounded with a large variety of bars and restaurants B. O.’s and Pepe’s Cafe are both on the Bight but not on the water .

Huge 3-4′ tarpons and a nurse shark lurking for leftovers in that water.

There’s no telling who you will see walk by. A party of about 30 Asians following their group leader who had a flag a fisherman cleaning his catch loud party goers heading for their sunset cruise.

The most interesting animal we saw was an endangered HUGE Atlantic Giant grouper perhaps six feet long under one of the boats where the crew was cleaning fish.

They can weight up to 700 pounds!! If you look carefully in the water in these pictures you will see a HUGE grouper. He was at least six feet long lurking for fish parts as the crew cleaned them and tossed them overboard. Eeekk.

Of course there were chickens. Always a chicken around.

Key West Bight #boats #urbansketching #chickens #chooks #keywest #islandlife #keywestbight #fluid #watercolor #art #painting #artist #painter #florida #lifestyleblogger #lifestylechange #charlesreid #food #restaurant #floridalife

Key West Lighthouse

Right in the middle of town on Whitehead. One of the only lighthouses in a town. Raised to its present height in 1895 I think. I have postcards with details somewhere probably in my suitcase.

I experimented adding more ink to the trees after I painted it. The rooster was in the grounds just not in front of the light house like I drew him. Artistic license. Right. The first lighthouse in Key West was built in 1825 along the shoreline at Whitehead Spit. Lieutenant (later Commodore) Matthew C. Perry recommended its construction to warn ships off of the treacherous shoals surrounding the island. It was a whitewashed brick tower, 47’ high from its foundation to the base of its black iron lantern. Fromhttp://www.kwahs.org/museums/lighthouse-keepers-quarters/first-lighthouse-keepers 

and that’s all from the Florida turnpike near Miami.

Margaret xoxoxoxo heading to Orlando #urbansketching #chickens #chooks has #keywest #islandlife #keywestlight #fluid #watercolor #art #painting #artist #painter #aquarelle #watercolor #painter #florida #lifestyleblogger #lifestylechange #charlesreid #food #restaurant #floridalife

One of my favorite Kew West activities is to follow the chickens around and draw them. As you probably know they abound in Key West.

I once saw a hen and her chicks use the cross walk on Whitehead to cross the road. Truly I did. They are under the tables and chairs in a lot of restaurants like Blue Heaven and B.O.s fish wagon chomping down on scraps. Subsisting off bugs when there are no handouts.

What I drew today.

Pepe’s where we are lunch and we had the best key lime pie and best coconut pie I have ever eaten.

The recipe for the best coconut pie. Sooo good. YUM YUM!!!

We walked along Key West Bight after and I drew some more. This is the Jolly Roger that fires on us during our sunset cruise. I ran out of room for the bow sprit. Hmmm. Maybe a fold out for it?!!

The spirit of America. Managed to get it all on the page.

And our last dinner at Hog Fish Grill which must be our fav since we ate there three times.

Stillman and Birn Charles Reid palette colors.

Maggie on her last night in Key West. Xoxoxo

#urbansketching #keywest #islandlife #hyattbeachhouse #fluid #watercolor #art #painting #artist #painter #aquarelle #watercolor #painter #florida #lifestyleblogger #lifestylechange # #charlesreid #food #restaurant #floridalife

So many choices.

This is what I ended up painting. The beach and the Caribbean bu the Hyatt Beach House. Boats bobbing in the ocean. Gorgeous flowers and palms.

Earlier. What a way to spend the am painting in the Caribbean breezy 75 degree day. Tough right.

My new painting buddy.

Then we were off to Two Friends Bar for a delicious lunch. Our first and only meal of the day. Always a chicken nearby. And a conch cruiser. Love the two tones.

After lunch a trip to the light house so gorgeous in the sunlight. And the Tennessee Williams Museum.

Who knew so many famous movies were made from his plays. I knew he lived on Key west for 30 plus years Tim his death in 1983. His brother thinks he was murdered. 😱

Then we were off to a sunset wine and cheese cruise on the Danger Prize sail boat. I LOVED it. Highly recommend two hours of riding around on a sail boat.

Sailing off into the sunset. Manana Maggie definitely wasting away in Margarita land. Xoxoxo

#urbansketching #keywest #islandlife @onlykeywest #hyattbeachhouse #fluid #watercolor #art #painting #artist #painter #aquarelle #watercolor #painter #florida #lifestyleblogger #lifestylechange # #charlesreid #food #restaurant

Key West is loaded with the cutest houses. Makes you just want to pack up and move here. Of course you would need a couple of million to buy this one. Oops I lied. It’s I. Foreclosure for a mere $774000 on https://www.trulia.com/p/fl/key-west/1409-truman-ave-key-west-fl-33040–2034699214?mid=0#lil-mediaTab.

I chases the chickens around so I could catch them in the sunlight for a good picture to paint at the farmers market across the street from the cute house.

Found a cute trailer at the Market for an art gallery here.

Found one for $139000 including the slip.

We bought cheese tasted hummus and ogled the beautiful plants for sale.

If I could figure out how to get these pitcher plants home I would have bought one for my grandson Henry. I thought they would just get torn up on the long drive home so I passed.

Chases an iguana Aruba in front of the hotel. He wasn’t happy with me. He kept trying to hide from me BUT I would find him.

Sat on the dock a while staring at the boats moored in the bay

and the fish. Can u find the fish?!!

Painted a while then off to our favorite restaurant Louie’s Backyard next to Dog Beach. Dogs have their own beach here.

Tried to take photos of the shrimp boats but they were too far out for my cell phone.

Now we are off to a gallery crawl and hopefully some wine and cheese snacks along the way.

Margaret who should be doing some laundry but hey we are in Margaritaville. Who cares?! Xoxoxox

Truman Ave on parade! #urbansketching #keywest #islandlife @onlykeywest #hyattbeachhouse #fluid #watercolor #art #painting #artist #painter #aquarelle #watercolor #painter #florida #lifestyleblogger #lifestylechange # #charlesreid #food #restaurant