Key West!

Yesterday we headed for Key West with Marc and Michele from Marcs Ark.  But before I tell you about Key West, let me share a couple pictures of the day before! 

We headed out once again to the Sombrero Light/Reef!  This time we were on 20BUCK$ and it was our first experience tying up to a mooring ball.  I have watched many a dive boat get tied up to a mooring ball so I figured it couldn’t be too hard.  Ken did a great job of getting me close and all I had to do was snag the rope that lies on top of the water with a boat hook and loop our line through it and tie it off.  Mmmmmmm....not so easy!  It was a little bumpy but third time was a charm and 20BUCK$ was secured!  

It was a beautiful day and the water was crystal clear.  I took some great underwater photos only to find out that my battery was weak so when I turned on my camera to review them, alas the camera was empty.  Ken was host to us three women,  Donna (Greg was fishing) and Michele (Marc was golfing).

We had no sooner returned to the dock and our neighbor called us out to the dock.  Look who had come up to get a drink of fresh water.   John was washing his dog and water was running off the dock. Manatees love fresh water so it came up to get a drink!   Thought I would show you Bonnie too, the cutest little dog next door.

OK, now we are headed to Key West!  I had never been to Key West so all the sights and sounds were so fun for me. Duval Street is where it’s all happening!  Reminded me of Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

Our first stop was none other than Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville for a cheeseburger in paradise!  These are friends of Marc and Michele’s from home that came to Key West on the ferry from Naples!  We so enjoyed meeting Joann and Bill!

Ernest Hemingways house.

If you have read anything about EH, you know that he was quite the womanizer and loved the adult beverages immensely!   Here he is as a young man, quite handsome!   He had 4 wives, his first being Hadley which the book “The Paris Wife” is written about.

Wife #2 Pauline’s uncle built them the house in Key West!   They divorced when he began an affair with who became wife #3, but when Pauline died suddenly at age 56, her will still left the house in Key West to EH!

The base of the fountain below is a urinal from his favorite drinking hole, “Sloppy Joes”.    Next to that is his writing studio where he wrote all his wonderful books!

Next stop was Mel Fisher’s Maritime museum.  In 1622, 28 ships left Havanna for Spain carrying a cargo of silver, gold, pearls, tobacco, etc.  One day into their journey, 9 were blown off course in a hurricane.  The Santa Margerita and the Nuestra Snora de Atocha, the flagship were lost at sea with 550 people aboard and a cargo worth an estimated 200 million!

In 1969, Mel Fisher and a crew of divers began searching for the sunken ships.  The Margerita was found in 1980 but it wasn’t until 1985 that the Atocha and her mother lode were found! 

Now it is on to Mallory square where the sunset celebration happens every night.  Vendor booths and outdoor theater acts fill the square to entertain visitors while they wait for the sunset!

The guy on the high wire has been performing in Key West nightly for 37 years!  What a character!  

Drum roll please.  Here it is the much awaited sunset in Key West!  It was beautiful and it was a great day!  Our feet were sore from all the walking we did!  We were tired and ready for the day to end!   But end it did not!  Keep reading!

The day finally ended with something “Better than Sex”!  Ken will have to tell you about that!  You can then decide if it truly is better than sex!!!!!   Pat