Key West and the Florida Keys: Islamorada Fish Company and World Wide Sportsman Bass Pro Shops

Islamorada is one of our favorite places in the upper Keys, and we especially love going to the Bass Pro Shops World Wide Sportsman store. We've blogged about Bass Pro at Islamorada before, so you might remember that it is home to the original Islamorada Fish Company and the Zane Grey Lounge. Inside the store is the Pilar, and outside are more fishing boats than you can count. We always stop in Islamorada when we visit the upper Keys, so we hope you'll stop, too, on your next trip.

Also in Islamorda is Hooked on Books, a locally owned bookstore where you can find lots of books about the Keys and South Florida history. This time Joe found a copy of Crackers in the Glade: Life and Times in the Old Everglades, which was perfect because he has been spending a lot of time lately researching his native Floridian family tree. You might remember the trip we took to Big Cypress and Everglades City, and we've got some ideas about our next trip that are really exciting. If you beat us to Big Cypress, slow down and be especially careful at the panther crossings. And if you see two guys with cameras in hand standing beside the smallest post office or the Smallwood store, be sure to wave at Josh and Joe Travels!

Georgetown Fair Queen: 2015 Princess Luncheon with Queen Desiree Bainbridge

The annual princess luncheon with the Georgetown Fair Queen has become a tradition and we were thrilled to be at it again with Miss Georgetown Fair 2014 Desiree Bainbridge. With a big thanks to our friends at Floral n Fair, the Georgetown Fair banquet hall was turned into a princess wonderland. We were excited to again do the photo booth pictures with the queen, but we think the princesses were far more excited about everything else going on at the luncheon - from dancing with Queen Desiree, diving into their treat bags, ripping open cotton candy and enjoying lunch with the queen, it was a fantastic day. Among the smiling faces, we loved seeing so many of our former fair queens and their families. The princess luncheon is a big event and couldn't be possible without the fair family volunteers. And most of us never even see the small army of volunteers in the kitchen, so be sure to thank the Georgetown Fair board members when you see them. Proceeds from the princess luncheon directly benefit the Miss Georgetown Fair Queen pageant scholarship fund.

We saw a lot of friends at the princess luncheon, so be sure to mark your calendars and be watching for announcements for next year. Tickets go fast so grab them quickly. Contact pageant directors Karen Thornsbrough and Jill Pope if you are interested in becoming a sponsor and join the best fair queen team in Illinois. If you are looking at our pictures of the Georgetown Fair Queen and think you've got what it takes to do the job of the busiest fair queen in Illinois get in touch with Karen or Jill for contestant information or watch our blog for info about the queen's tea contestant orientation coming up this summer. Queen Desiree will crown the next Miss Georgetown Fair Queen in August, but until then she has a lot to do! We are looking forward to the D102 egg hunt coming up soon so keep an eye out for Queen Desiree in the community and you might even see her entourage with Josh and Joe Travels!