My college roomie, Thunder and his lovely wife, Lightnin', have been staying with us this week.
Dave and Lightnin' just spent a year living in China courtesy of a major corporation and we have been honored to be one of their first stops upon returning to the states.
We were also honored to witness the renewal of their wedding vows, a task they wanted to accomplish beneath a setting Cedar Key sun.
We got a late start as usual, but Cedar Key isn't far at all from PFHQ ... AND we had leadfoot (Mrs. FC) driving so we made it, racing over the bridge and into Cedar Key just as the ocean began to sizzle.
We pulled over right here and everybody piled out and dashed to the edge of the marsh. With a beautiful Gulf of Florida sunset painting the sky, the two lovebirds renewed their vows.
We pulled over right here and everybody piled out and dashed to the edge of the marsh. With a beautiful Gulf of Florida sunset painting the sky, the two lovebirds renewed their vows.
(I think Thunder's may have been hot off the press)
I took pictures of the Vownifications, but I'm not posting them here, because I believe they will eventually show up on Thunder and Lightnin's blog.
I don't want to steal their thunder ... (heehee)
After the vowing, we went to the best restaurant at Cedar Key, "Tony's".
That's my plate above after I've already done some damage to the original load of fried shrimp.
Mrs. FC went for a platter with steamed farm-raised Cedar Key clams, steamed shrimp, and blackened grouper bites. She commented that I may have planted some of those clams since I help my friend Kelly with his clam farm sometimes.
This qualified me for a few of her clams and they were exquisite.
Three of the four diners chose the clam chowder for an appetizer. One of the diners, (who believes all chowder should be red and milk goes on cereal), did not order the chowder and was forced to listen to prolific lip-smacking and exclamations like, "Oh my God, this is amazing" and "I should have just ordered lots of chowder, it's wonderful."
Three of the four diners chose the clam chowder for an appetizer. One of the diners, (who believes all chowder should be red and milk goes on cereal), did not order the chowder and was forced to listen to prolific lip-smacking and exclamations like, "Oh my God, this is amazing" and "I should have just ordered lots of chowder, it's wonderful."
Apparently it was pretty tasty, because they would NOT shut up about it.
At the end of the meal, I was too stuffed to order a slice of their excellent Key Lime pie, but Thunder ordered one to take home for his breakfast the next day.
I got to hear about that too as I ate my cereal the next morning and Thunder ate his pie across the table from me.
This caused me to write my own vow ...
... I vow to leave room for pie the next time I go to Tony's.
13 comments:
I will second (or fourth) all of their wow's for Tony's chowder. I would drive from Daytona to Cedar Key just for the chowder. I would eat it, and it only, for days, maybe weeks. Ok, enough. The rest looked good too. Glad your friends got to experience a beautiful FL sunset.
The next time we get up that way, I'm heading over to Tony's. Maybe we could all meet up there, too.
As for your previous post, I've learned a lOT more "since school" then I did back when I had to memorize facts and numbers and dates that I thought were useless to me at the time. Your students are so lucky to have you as a teacher!
That's some good eats!
Congrats Thunder and Lightnin on your vow renewal. It looks like it was a gorgeous evening for it.
Jenny,
It is simply the best service and food on the island!
Laura,
That sounds great! Just email me.
Ah, real chowder. I didn't think they allowed that south of Connecticut.
I never did 'get' red chowder. Everything on your table looks faaaabulous! If we have time next trip thereabouts, I'll definitely stop. Like y'all we're always getting a late start, so have little time for extras.
My verif. word is yogra. Hmmmm...
Congrats to Thunder and Lightin' on their renewed vows. Cedar Key looks like the perfect place to do that, and the dinner afterward looks yummy.
Kismet. Beloved and I are headed to your neck of Florida this weekend - Cedar Key. I'll take your recommendation and visit Tony's. If you've got other restaurant, sight seeing recommendations for Cedar Key, please hop over to NativeMom and post 'em. Maybe one day we'll meet . . .
A lovely site for a renewing of vows.
So you bounce back and forth between the right and left coast - what say you, Mr. FC - Atlantic shrimp or Gulf shrimp?
Doug,
Pretty amazing too by the comments of my party.
Sophie,
Red is real.
Robin,
It can be pretty perfect out there sometimes.
Alan,
Well, technically the Gulf of Florida is merely an arm of the Atlantic, but Eastside wins in the overall sweetness, noniodine flavor category... and Mayport shrimp win overall.
I thought all shrimp and clams were pathetic dime sized things as evidenced by the Lilliputian sized beasties on the left coast.
Holey Christmas!!!! What a FEAST you got there!!!
(grabs towel for excess drool)
Freste,
Everything is bigger in Florida (Texas stole that from us)
Just a footnote about the late great Pismo Beach clams in San Luis County, CA. I have a few huge, old Pismo clam and abalone shells left over from when we lived in Monterey and Pacific Grove. Carried 'em around the country with us all these years. I did not know about the clams over there in Cedar Key. Hmmmm. Might would go over, sure might would.
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