Actually, I was up at 5 AM, all revved up for my trip to Key West today.
I had signed up for the tour as soon as I arrived yesterday.
I have another tour tomorrow, too,
of the city of Miami, including
a boat ride around Star Island.
Why did I sign up for tours?
Plus, I had absolutely no desire to drive here. I was more than willing to allow Luis to handle that task!
(smile)
Plus, that would allow me sleep for part of the three-hour trip out to Key West.
Even better!
to do that very thing.
She talked about highlights and history of the region as we headed out of town, then stopped for a while, resuming her patter as we hit Marathon Island or so.
Or perhaps that is just when I awoke?
(smile)
Hooray!
I made a beeline for the Old Town Trolley Tours kiosk. There, Allen set me up with a customized package.
I sang her my "i thank You God" song and she even told me how to copyright it.
We both got goosebumps!
How amazing is that?!
to its 13 stops around the island.
My blessings continued!
My guide was Kristy Fleming,
a native of The Conch Republic,
entertaining and intelligent!
For the next 90 minutes, I not only got a generous taste of the island life, I also gained an understanding of the layout of the land.
This place, Sloppy Joe's, is located across the street from where it once stood.
Why did it change to new digs?
The rent increased, back in 1937,
so Joe Russell had the patrons pick up their drinks, chairs, and tables to move to the new site.
Cute story!
A drugstore in the old bijou!
(Later, we saw the Tropic Cinema,
in a building formerly the home of an old carpet company.)
I would have liked to go inside the Walgreens, just to check it out,
but I stayed for the whole tour.
Kristy was just too good a guide to give up!
my core self that still believes in magic.
As well as being named the
Pegasus Hotel, it's also the only
Art Deco hotel on Duval Street.
Definitely a magical sounding place I would have liked to investigate,
if I had more time.
Built in the late 1890's, the church was named in honor of Sandie Cornish, an influential man of the times.
(What I did not learn until now is this:
Sandie Cornish was a black man, a former slave. I wonder why that was not mentioned on the tour?)
Perhaps the keeper of this building?
(smile)
The Key West Lighthouse is no longer operational, but it does provide a
fine view of downtown.
That's what Kristy said!
Maybe so, but I was not amenable to climbing those stairs in the heat.
Oh, yes! Cruising by the beach,
hair blowing in the breeze,
flags flying high!
That blue banner on the left, with the seashell, sun, and stars motif?
That's the flag of the Conch Republic!
Folks in Key West have had dual citizenship since 1982.
Look it up!
We were at Trolley Stop 9, down by Forts Martello, East and West, when we saw these fowl island residents strutting their stuff in the shade.
The chickens cannot be injured or killed, but they can participate in relocation,
willing or not.
(smile)
Commissioned by Henry Flagler,
the hotel was completed in 1920...
but he was not alive to see it.
I was struck by how much it
resembles Flagler College
in Saint Augustine!
What a coincidence!
The Southernmost Point of the United States (and of the Conch Republic).
Seriously, this is more south than Hawaii?
Nope, that's got a lower latitude.
Seriously, this is the southernmost point in the continental US?
Well, if a chain of islands can be considered part of a continent, then...
yes, it's latitude decrees it so.
(smile)
the true stories!
She even pointed out local flora
for us to admire.
This otherwise ordinary-looking
tree, for example, has its blooms
arising below its canopy
and on vinelike stems on the trunk.
What type of tree is it?
Odd.
That's right, I said "odd".
Yes, it is, but I know its name!
It's a firebush tree,
so named for its
blazing glory of red blooms
atop its greenery.
I wouldn't mind having a few
of these in my yard!
Kristy had spoken of conch ceviche...
Gotta try some of that!!!
Key West Ceviche actually featured conch, shrimp, and calamari.
Pretty tasty!
with that dish.
Hey, how could I resist eating at a place
with a name from Dr. Seuss?
Good thing they had the conch!
Such lovely bright colors, too!
I ate inside, but right beside this lovely courtyard.
Maybe next time I'll dine al fresco...
I donned my sun hat and headed out
into the Key West air.
My goal?
The Key West Aquarium!
Fortunately, it was a mere block away.
Even more fortunately, they had one of those machines to make a smashed-penny souvenir!
(smile)
Not much has changed in its outward appearance.
No fancy signage, no neon to beckon the passing sailor and his family.
(smile)
I knew I was about to step back into time again, and I willingly went in.
ready for the hands-on experience.
How very cool!
Further in, the walls were lined with
ocean-lit aquariums holding the wonders of the water world.
I almost missed this octopus!
I thought I was looking at a rock formation...
until it opened an eye.
The next tank held fish that could not possibly be overlooked, nor did they try to be invisible.
Bright yellows, bright blues,
always moving, moving, moving!
Then there were jellyfish, lobsters, turtles, and stingrays.
There were even lionfish and other invasive species.
I had caught the tour talk of the species in the touch tank and then I had been outside for the tour of the injured turtles which call the place "home".
There was also a talk about the stingrays and sharks in the big open tank outside.
Here I am with my catch of the day!
As if I would have had the strength to pull in a monster like that!
(smile)
What a lovely purple hue to their skin!
What jagged white teeth in their mouths!
This was an interactive feeding and I was amazed how many willing volunteers there were!
Of all ages and sexes!
Not me, of course.
I turned my gaze upward
to avoid the mayhem...
then the mural atop the back wall
caught my eye.
Painted originally in the 1930's by a WPA artist, it has been lovingly restored.
I wish I could recall the artist's name...
but time was ticking.
I had less than two hours before meeting the bus.
My tour package from Allen had included three items.
1) The 1 1/2 hour trolley tour... done!
2) Admission to the Key West Aquarium... done!
3) Admission and tour for Truman's Little White House.
Hey, that last part came as part of the new deal, okay?
smile!
On this 1.5 mile by 4 mile island, nothing was really far away, you know?
I was greeted with a large white house
(of course) and a star-spangled sidewalk.
My timing was good again!
The tour with Jane was only a few
minutes away.
And so I did, gaining a new appreciation for the President whose name was given to our new parkway.
But no photos were allowed inside, as the abode still hosts presidential visitors.
So, I snapped a shot of these visitors
to the yard.
This biddy had nine chicks!
She was hustling them along, too...
which reminded me to hustle back to the meeting point!
I made it in plenty of time, enough time that I debated going into
the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum.
But I did not. I would have felt rushed and that would not do.
I'm on vacation, remember?
(smile)
At 5:15 PM, Luis and Lilly were there and we all boarded the bus.
When I woke, the sun was already
well on its way to bed and the bus
was on the outskirts of the big city.
My Key West adventure
had come to a close...
but the memories will live on
the rest of my life.
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