#39 Goodbye Key West!

We hope everyone is enjoying our posts, and we’re very touched by the concern some have shown for our safety while we were crossing large bodies of water. We have not fallen off the edge of anything yet. No doubt, as concerned individuals, there is one pressing question on your minds that I should address: What’s the current situation in Key West regarding supplies? Specifically, how is the supply of pina coladas (Cheryl) and rum (Butch) holding up? Thanks to prescient and thoughtful planning by the bar owners here, shipments continue and there is no shortage, although standing in line at a bar behind the hordes of cruise shippers can delay delivery at times.

The new experiences and discoveries continue apace. A couple of nights ago we went to a bar to listen to that band we’ve been following, the Marshall Morelock Band. Another band was playing the first session so we sat at the outdoor bar for some of that rum and a pina colada. I said hi to the guy sitting next to me, then I looked again and said, “Are you Marshall?” Yep! It was the lead singer. So we got to meet him and chat for a while. Very nice guy, married with two kids, is sometimes a studio musician in Nashville, sometimes plays in the Keys with his band, which includes his dad on bass guitar. He’s one of those people having a blast just living life. Has a big smile on his face all the time, off stage and on. And man, can he play guitar!

We also got to talking to our trolley driver one day, Ed, to discover he lives in Knoxville about half the year, the other half he drives a trolley and does sight-seeing tours here in Key West. Another very interesting Key West character. Seems like the streets are full of ‘em here. Which of course is the attraction. We learned today that the guy living on the almost-derelict houseboat beside us used to be in the movies and TV as some kind of producer, now he sharpens knives and runs an online radio show. The boat across from us is a UPS airline pilot, the boat down the dock is one of the actors in the local theaters, and his boat slip is one of those grandfathered in at rates dating back ten or fifteen years. The legal battle over those low rates continues, apparently.

As I write, tomorrow is our last day here in Key West. That feels a bit bittersweet. We both have had a great time and are just now starting to get used to living here, and yet we are also both looking forward to new places and people. Tuesday morning we leave, bound for Bahia Honda State park for a few days. I’m hoping to get some great photos from there. It is at the end of the Seven Mile Bridge, and is just beautiful. So today I did boat stuff, checked the oil, ran everything, did some more route planning. Weather looks fine so I think we are good to go.

Cheryl here…It’s been a fabulous month here in Key West. Even though it hasn’t been as warm as I would have liked and we had some pretty rough wind days, it has been the experience of a lifetime. I can’t believe our time here is coming to an end, and it is with mixed emotions that I will be saying goodbye. Key West has set the bar very high but I’m looking forward to seeing what else life has in store for us. Let’s Loop!

Pictures!

Cruise ships look really big from a dingy.

It’s not all fun and games; I had to disassemble and clean the dingy carburetor.

One day we took the dingy out to explore and went into the mangrove channels, we weren’t sure how far we could get but we made it all the way to Stock Island, although as you will see on the video below, it was tight.

Sunsets, boats, bikes, (check out those handlebars) floating tiki bars, interesting golf carts, there’s always something interesting to see.

That casting call I mentioned last time? Later they shot an episode of “Bad Monkey” season two here, so I got a picture of Vince Vaughn walking around. He must have been busy ’cause he did not come over and say hello to us.

Notice the young man at the top of the mast, working on his sailboat? I can’t say I miss doing that at all.

Cheryl organized a ladies night out for the ladies on boats nearby, sounds like they had a great time comparing notes.

And last, there are bar cams all over town now, but Schooner Wharf was one of the first. Brother Bill grabbed a screen shot of us with friends from “Enchanted Circle” as the camera caught us.

“If you want the truth to stand clear before you, never be “for” or “against.” The struggle between “for” and “against” is the mind’s worst disease.” Sent-ts’an.