Merry Christmas from Key West - 2015

The Santa Caper

Christmas is always a time for reflection. I look back with such fondness on the way things used to be when I was growing up in the 1950s.  While I live in the present and don't dwell on the past, I cannot shake my memories of wonderful (and some not so wonderful) times many years ago.

My parents were barely out of their teens when my sister was born in 1930.  Five years later my big brother was born. Those two little kids were brought up during the Depression and moved with my mom and dad from city to city wherever my dad could find work including Dallas, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Cincinnati, and Lexington.  My family had moved to Denver by the time I came along in 1947.  I was an accidental baby that had the misfortune to live in a family who believed the Depression was still going on. Throughout my youth and teen years, I thought my mother was as tight as the Grinch. But I can remember when even she lightened up at Christmastime and made cookies, fudge, divinity, and hot chocolate too.

Not to miss a bargain, she bought the shortest and cheapest Christmas tree she could find. She placed it on top of our coffee table which made it look taller. There is an old photo of tiny me looking up at that tree. I remember one night so vividly. I pulled on an ornament and in the process pulled the tree down as well. My mother screamed at wee me and I thought bloody hell, I'm done for!

Just a couple of years later on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, I was helping my mother clean out the refrigerator to make room for our Christmas feast. I was perhaps eight or nine years old. I placed every single thing from the inside of our refrigerator on top of the blonde drop leaf dining table. I learned about gravity that afternoon. The above photo shows a table much like ours. Imagine the drop leaf extended and the entire contents of a refrigerator piled top of the table - pounds and pounds of food and liquid - awaiting to become party of a Christmas memory.


Just before Christmas my dad found this new time saving can of concentrated coffee (the size of a big tomato juice can).  The concept was simple: put a spoon of concentrated coffee into a cup, add hot water, and wham-o you have intensely rich coffee.  The last item I placed on the drop leaf table was the big can of liquid coffee. Back then tin cans had holes punched on either side to allow air pressure to let the contents flow: I guess resealable tops had not yet been invented.  At first the table leaf teetered, and then it tottered. I reacted quickly, but not quick enough. The table tumbled onto our brand new wall to wall carpet.  Bloody hell again!  I thought for sure I would die on this day. I raced to the phone and called my dad to come home quick, I told him my mom was going to kill me. He rushed home from work. The carpet was stained forever. It was all my fault.

I think it was the next Christmas that my folks last spent together. My dad had been in the hospital for some unspoken problem which I now think involved his prostate.  I remember being surprised and so happy when he came home on Christmas Eve day.  I told him how much I missed him and loved him. I remember him hugging me so tightly that day.  A week later on New Year's Eve day we all awoke to a great fire.  I remember hearing fire engine sirens awaken me in the early morning. The sirens were screaming in our little town. That sort of thing just did not happen back then. Sirens and cops and fire engines were foreign to me.  We looked out from our living room window to flames and smoke visible more than three blocks away. I remember it well, this truly was bloody hell. The next day was New Years Day, my birthday.  I walked up to the scene of the fire: a Safeway store at 38th and Benton. I remember people walking among the ruins. The front wall was gone and water was all over the floor. People were picking up cans of food as though they were souvenirs or something. Like a little fool I followed the adults inside and found a lime which I kept as my prize.

By the next Christmas my mother and dad had divorced. My mother told me there would be no Santa Claus that year. She said I was too big. I was not too big: I was still a squirt. My big brother had told me continuously for years that there was no Santa. The year prior (when my dad came home from the hospital) I went shopping with my mother and grandmother.  My prying eyes spotted little toys and a 45 RPM record of Ave Marie that ended up in my Santa stocking on Christmas Day. So I reluctantly admitted to myself that my treacherous big brother hadn't made this stuff about Santa. Well, he was still being mean: he wanted to spoil Christmas for me. Not so fast you big dick.  I'll teach you one last trick.

So on that Christmas Eve day when I was told not to hang my stocking, I decided to have one last visit from Santa. I went to Woolworth's and bought some candy and small toys including pieces for my Lionel train set. I returned to my house and found one of my mother's nylon stocking which I filled with the small toys, candy, and some fruit and  hid the stuffed stocking in the garage. 

We didn't have a fireplace. I always left the front door unlocked so Santa could get inside and leave my presents under the tree and fill my stocking attached to the floor lamp in our living room.

Before I went to bed that Christmas Eve night I made a point of going into my mother's bedroom to fetch a final nylon stocking which I hung it on the floor lamp in our living room like I had done for years before. My mother said it would be of no use. She knew not of my soon to be ruse. I went to bed, but not to sleep.  In the middle of the night through the house did I sneak while my mother and brother continued to sleep. I crept to the garage to retrieve my shocking stocking. While my mother and my brother continued to doze, my Christmas trick replaced her nylon hose with soon-to-be-gifts I purposefully chose.

For every year that I could remember, I would spring from my bed by dawn's early light, to see what Santa had left me that night. I remember on year my mother yelling at me from her bedroom with the door ajar, "Get back into bed!".   So that last Christmas I stayed in bed until my mother and brother had arisen, and through the door I did listen. She asked my brother if he had filled the stocking with toys and treats not to be found in our house. No he said, had she? How could it be, did Santa exist after all? I finally got up delighted in having created on the perfect Santa Caper. I took the toys from my stocking and said not a word.

606 Truman Ave. #7 Key West - Transient Licensed Town Home

The listing Realtor describes the new listing at 606 Truman Avenue, #7, Key West this way:

"Just listed in Windward Park, one block from Duval Street yet secluded in a tropical oasis of 13 private residences. This transient licensed townhouse is offered fully furnished. This home boasts 1260 square feet and has been well maintained. This home overlooks the pool and has a charming front porch and upper balcony. The main level has an open floor plan with full updated bath, spacious bedroom, and access to private rear deck. The upper level has dramatic ceilings, cat walk with access to pool view balcony, and spacious master suite with walk-in closet. This property makes an ideal vacation home or investment opportunity. The Windward Park association has immaculate grounds, secured entrance, and pool. One off street parking space conveys. Pets allowed with restrictions."

 Windward Park almost looks like a private resort. Each of the town homes look out to the shared community pool that is bathed in the Key West sun most of the day throughout the year. Unlike some larger associations that have dozens and dozens of units, this association has only 13 units which means the pool won't be crowded and filled to the gills with lots of tourists. Each unit has an assigned off street parking spot as well. Entry to the property is controlled via electronic gated access.

 

Unit No. 7 is located at the south end of the pool and has full-on views of the pool from the first and second floor front porches. When you enter the home you may be initially awed by the two story open living area. But the space quickly becomes normal. There is a good sized first floor bedroom at the rear. French doors open out to the private deck which is a nice sunny place for a bar-b-que or private outdoor lounging.

The second floor bedroom is quite large. It has a large walk-in closet with lots of storage plus an equally large en-suite bath. The second floor front porch provides a nice covered space to watch  whatever is going on in the pool below.  The thing that makes this unit so appealing in my opinion is the size of the bedrooms and the privacy between them. Whether this place is owner occupied or rented, it is nice to have separation between family members or couples traveling together so that private moments are just that - private. I can't imagine having to listen to someone snoring in the next room or doing whatever.

606 Truman Avenue #7 is a 1260 sq ft town home offered at $849,000.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this home before somebody else snaps it up. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. HOA fees are just $1142 per quarter and include pool and common area maintenance and professional management.

3029 North Roosevelt Boulevard #25, Key West

3029 North Roosevelt Blvd. Unit No. 25 - Key West

There aren't that many homes, condos, or town homes in Key West which are actually located at waters edge or that even have water views.  As a rule properties that are located on the water are pretty darned expensive. Rules are made to be broken. The listing agent for Key Cove Town home Unit No. 25 describes this recently list home this way:

"Waterfront Townhome with Garage - Built in 2002 & renovated to the nines just two years ago. This 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom townhome is one of only 8 on the open water in the Key Cove development. No detail was spared...bamboo wood floors, California closets, stainless appliances, quartz counters and impact hurricane glass. On the ground level there is a 20' x 43' garage, large enough for a boat and two cars. The 1st living level features an open floor plan with a gorgeous kitchen, half-bath and French doors that open off the living room onto the covered waterfront porch. The upper level features the laundry room, three bedrooms, two full baths and a covered waterfront balcony off the master bedroom. Built new in 2002, the metal roof, Hardie plank siding and impact glass make this a very low-maintenance home with low insurance costs. There is a community pool and one dedicated off-street parking space in addition to the garage."

This unit is located at the very rear of the complex on waters edge. This unit and its nearby neighbors share a common Key West architecture that mimics the style of grand Conch houses of Old Town. But they have something the old places don't have - water views and modern construction materials and techniques designed to make living less expensive and more enjoyable. Unit # 25 was built in 2002. It has 1400 sq ft of interior living space divided between two floors. The main level has an open kitchen and great room plus a half bath. But it is the rear balcony with the water views that make this unit so appealing. And then it gets even better.

Upstairs you will find a very good sized master bedroom which is located at the rear. Imagine waking up in the morning and sitting on the rear balcony looking out to the Gulf of Mexico planning how you will spend the day. At sunset you may sit on the balcony again and contemplate your good fortune at owing a waterfront home in Key West. Two more bedrooms are located at the front and each has access to the front balcony. Those bedrooms share another bathroom.

View off the front balcony

Having covered off street parking is a luxury in Key West. This unit has two covered parking spaces plus additional storage.

The area behind these town homes is filled with trees, tropical foliage, and mangroves. There is space already cut out for you to have access for your kayak or small boat. The water here is very shallow, but that's why small craft function so well in places like this.

If you are looking for either a full time home or a getaway place in Key West, Key Cove town home #25 might be just what you have been looking for. It has great water views, a shared community pool, and it is afford-ably priced for the Key West market. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls data sheet on this unit which is offered at $699,000 or $499 per sq ft. Better yet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305.766.2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com to schedule a showing of this unit. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West. Break some rules, enjoy your life while you can.

1107 Southard Street, Key West, Florida

The newly listed house at 1107 Southard Street in Old Town Key West has been occupied by the same family for decades.  The last family member left the home in 2011 and it has sat vacant since then. It is now is available for purchase at the asking price of $549,000. The house still has some of the furniture and memorabilia that made this house a home for many years.

The house first appeared on the 1892 Sanborn Fire Map. I searched through my old shoe box and found the black and white photo above taken in 1965. The original vernacular style house was a typical one story home built upon piers. The front porch spanned the front facade from side to side. The home was plain Jane and had no ornamentation. The black and white photo shows a metal awning attached to the front to provide shade. That photo shows the original roof line had been modified to permit usage of the second floor as additional living space.  The side yard to the left provides additional outside space for the owners. A cistern was and still is located near the far end of the open space. The front portion provides off street parking. The metal awning exists no more. The original wood railings were replaced with CBS blocks. Cuban tiles now cover the front porch floor. Wrought iron bars give the front louvers an ominous aura.

The house is constructed of Dade County Pine which is for the most part in pretty good condition. All of the exterior and interior wood needs scraped, sanded, and painted, but the good thing is it has not been messed with.  I have seen a lot of older homes where the Dade County Pine was sand blasted, painted, faux painted, and so on. There's a clean palette of potential with wood in this home. I did not measure the first floor ceiling height but reckon it to be 8' or 9'. The second floor ceiling is much lower - probably less the 7'. The house has no insulation and no air conditioning. When you view the interior photos below you will quickly deduce the home needs all new electric and plumbing. The roof will need replaced as well.

If the photos scare you, don't let them. Many of the old houses in Key West looked like this before those houses were renovated. The jalousie windows will be replaced with approved wood casement windows.  The linoleum covered floors will likely be stripped and refinished. Once the electric and plumbing has been installed, the walls will likely be injected with insulation to make the house more energy efficient.

The second floor currently has two bedrooms, the main bathroom, and a storage room. You may have noticed there are no closets. This house is typical of the way houses used to function. These homes were for working people whose lives were lived much differently decades ago than the way we live today. During renovation some of the interior walls will be removed and living spaces relocated to other parts of the house. If a pool is created out of the old cistern, the existing first floor "front room" would probably get converted into a bedroom. The back of the first floor would likely become a great room with kitchen, dining, and living spaces combined. French doors would probably open out to a new deck which would extend directly out from the house. I think there is plenty of room on the second floor to create two good sized bedrooms each with en-suite baths. CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this home.

While no two renovations can or should look alike, let me share with you how an owner of a very similar nearby vernacular home renovated a very similar second floor front bedroom. I think you will appreciate the height limitations and how this owner capitalized space maximization. Key West has a lot of very talented designers, architects, and general contractors that can help you create the Key West house of your dreams.

Southard Street gets a fair amount of daytime traffic. But that traffic gets drastically reduced after 5:00 PM when the courthouse and offices close for the day. Conch Trains and delivery trucks disappear from the streets as tourists move towards Mallory Square to view sunset or to head for dinner. The neighborhoods in Old Town return to the people who live there. This neighborhood includes the old Key West armory which is located at the corner of White Street. A fancy design store is located on the next corn at Frances Street. Cafe Sole, Azur, Michael's, and Mangia Mangia are all within easy walking distance. There is a neighborhood convenience store located one block north of the armory. And there are several gyms and yoga studios located within a five to seven minute walk.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 1107 Southard Street which is offered for sale at $549,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. If you buy this home this year, you will have a Key West home for Christmas next year.