A Simple, Exotic Life

Southeast Asian Tokay.

Here we are, luxuriating in the warmth (just a little too warm, actually) of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. We are tucked away in "the Village", as the volunteer area is called at the park. But we are a stone's throw from the folks who drive in with their motorhomes or campers.

Jo and I live in the shade of a giant ficus tree that sends out tendrils to create new root systems to the tree. Ants run up and down these tendrils, working 'way too hard in the heat. We also have a pair of exotic Southeast Asian Tokays. These are fat gekkos with spotted bodies. Because they're categorized as "exotic" they are not welcome in the park. The state wants to guard and protect native plants, animals, fish and birds. But the state is not terribly concerned about the health and welfare of "exotics" so these gekkos - they are about 10-12 inches long - will have their eggs crushed to discourage further development.

We also have an inordinately large collection of blue land crabs. These guys are native. They're also very timid. You see them for a split second and then they sense your presence and scoot down their burrows. The girls are orange colored - really bright orange. The guys range from blue to violet. They are 9 to 12 inches in size and their meat supposedly is quite sweet. That might account for their timidity.

Our job is the usual for a campground host: cleaning bathrooms and walking the lots to be sure the patrons are having a good time. The cleaning schedule at the two bathrooms seem a little obsessive-compulsive. We are required to hose down the bathrooms, then we spritz the area with an antiseptic. Then we scrub the walls and floors. Then we set the hose loose again and rinse all of this down the drains. We then bring in fans and squeegees to remove the water. While this is going on, we sit and chat with the other campground hosts. After 45 minutes, we walk through the bathrooms with numerous towels and get rid of the excess water.

It certainly doesn't provide much in the way of mental stimulation. But we work three days a week so it really isn't too tough.

The one negative surprise about Key Largo (location of the park) is that it just a little too far away from the Miami TV stations. Their antennas are north of Miami, near or in Fort Lauderdale. As a result, we have abominable TV reception. Depending on atmospheric conditions, we can occasionally pick up the CBS station and a couple of public television stations. It is tiresome to watch and see the picture disintegrate into pixels, though I have had some luck in recording Letterman and Craig Ferguson while we sleep. Maybe the airwaves clear up in the late night. But we are not able to watch morning news.

We attended a potluck dinner at the park manager's home last night. Nice location. His home is two stories and has its own dock with a lagoon behind the house. That's definitely a major perk for the poorly paid park service rangers.