The Lure of Cedar Key During a Pandemic – and #137

The island of Cedar Key lies about 50 miles southwest of Gainesville, Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico. There’s one road in and out – highway 24 – and during the height of the pandemic, that road was blocked. Outsiders weren’t allowed in. The year-round residents – about 700 of them – were permitted to leave so they could grocery shop, but to get back in, had to show proof that they owned a home on the island. As a result, the island has only 8 COVID cases. So we decided it would be an ideal spot to celebrate our daughter’s 31st birthday.

Cedar Key is about the same size as Tango Key, my fictional island 12 miles west of Key West. Dock Street is the main area, with several waterfront bars and restaurants from which pods of dolphins are often sighted. You see signs like this one:

Below is our favorite spot for incredible breakfasts, owned by a couple from Atlanta. They feed 8 stray cats, so if you’re sitting outside, at least one of them will venture over for handouts. The owners wore masks and asked customers entering the shop to do so as well. Mask-wearing around the island was about 50/50.

Here’s another spot, The Tipsy Cow

The big draw, of course, is the water – fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and pontoon boats. That’s the one we rented. Dogs allowed! And Nigel and Nika loved it and went swimming to stay cool.

The house we rented was on a salt marsh, dog friendly, and large enough to accommodate Megan’s friends, some of whom stayed several nights, and others who came just for the day. It had a jukebox!

And a fantastic porch that overlooked a salt marsh…

and faced west, which meant glorious sunsets

Cedar Key was the first place – except Orlando – that we’ve been since the pandemic began in March.  It was almost like life before COVID, a much needed change of pace and scenery where synchronicities flourished. Mine involved the number 137, which haunted Nobel prize winner Wolfgang Pauli for much of his life. The synchro fit. #137 has been described as “the DNA of light.”