Location, Location, Location......

This past weekend we slipped away with our close friends, Eva and Beau to celebrate our birthday month and grab a few days of much needed R & R! Eva chose Little Palm Island after she read it was named one of the top resorts in the world by Travel+Leisure magazine. This place is only accessible only by boat.

After we departed Houston just a mere two and a half hours later we arrived in the Keys and were whisked from the dock on a beautiful wooden Chris Craft boat the "Truman" named after President Truman -- Little Palm was a favorite getaway of the President and his wife Bess. it still attracts an international clientele of couples, businesspeople, and celebrities including John McCain and Tiger Woods among a few seeking the same peace, quiet, and privacy.

The ride to the Resort lasts about 20 minutes, and it's quite nice. On the starboard side of the boat, beautiful homes line Middle Torch Key; on the port side, the great, big Atlantic Ocean rolls off into the distance.

At Little Palm Island there are no televisions, no telephones, no fax machines, though the presence of modem connections chips away a bit at the illusion. The thatched-roof bungalows are named for birds both tropical and otherwise, and nestle into groves of Jamaican coconut palms. I kidded our gang that Little Palm Island is more Warren Buffett than Jimmy Buffett, with a price tag to match. But at any price, it is remarkable that there is a corner of the Keys that still feels so remote and unspoiled.

Cell phones were not allowed ....Eva suggested I snap this one of John on a conference call back to the office

The highlight of our stay was a sunset cruise -- this was magical

Views from our thatch roofed bungalow.....

The meals were truly the best part about this jaunt. Every evening, the hour of us enjoyed the gentle breeze and the fading sunlight, a key deer popped into view. Standing roughly two feet tall and weighing between 45 and only max at a mere 80 pounds, key deer are cousins to the Virginia white-tailed deer, but much, much smaller. Officials estimate that only 800 remain of the endangered species.