Exploring The Florida Keys: Picnic Island

On one of the first days we were here in the Keys we heard about a place called Picnic Island.  It sounded intriguing to me so we set out to explore it.  It was set off by itself in the middle of the water.  I wasn't sure what we would find there but WOW what an eclectic place it was!

Really now, who doesn't just love a picnic?  Whenever I think of the word it conjures up all of the good feelings of being outside on a red checkered blanket with a picnic basket full of goodies.  Picnic Island was a little different but boy did it ever impress!

 Picnic Island is really quite small but such a great place to go and just...well, have a picnic and relax  on the beach, in the sun.
People from all over have made signs with their names on them and of where they are from and the milage to Picnic Island from their home and nailed them up out there.
I'm not sure if you can see it from here but there is a wooden swing hanging from a tree!  I grew up with tree swings and love them so that was the first thing I went to whenever we got on the island.
We really didn't know anything about the island; how big it was or what was even out there but were happy to see that there were chairs, a picnic table and even a grill.
However, our first visit found us in a rain storm and we took refuge in the mangroves.  See Hubby heading over there to join us?  He and his buddy had just anchored the boat and carried our ice chest while we walked in to begin exploring.  Eventually we went back to the island but decided we needed to head back to the boat because of the rain that day.
            We headed to the Tiki Bar!  And got dried off and ate some really yummy lunch!


These chairs!  They were hanging all around the place and I could SO use one (or two...) of these at my lake house.  I can just see them hanging on the dock.  Yep, I took a picture of the tag on them and will be looking them up whenever I get home.
We actually went back one day to have lunch again and play corn hole toss with our friends!  It was a lot of fun.

As I said, we went back to Picnic Island and even met some other people there who were sailing around for months and even years!  They had their dogs with them that ran around the island, splashing in the water.  And that's when I thought...wow, how awesome is this place.  So peaceful, stuck out here in the middle of the water.  I took this photo so I would always remember it.
      And then one day used it to paint my own rendition of it in my watercolor journal.

I plan to visit Picnic Island just one more time before we leave the Keys.  I'll swing on that swing once more and let the sun shine down on my face.  Breathe in the saltwater air and let the sand slip between my toes.    And maybe even hang a sign with our names on it out there.  But mainly I will think of how fortunate I was to have been there.










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