Key West, Day 3

Day Three of our vacation in the Keys dawned sunny and warm.  Those of you who know me will not be surprised to find that our first stop on this morning was the Key West Cemetery.

As I was looking at the map of Key West the night before, I saw that our townhouse was only about two blocks from the cemetery ... you know I had to go.  I was surprised at first to see that graves here are mostly above ground in concrete or stone vaults.

Some are stacked on top of one another, as many as three graves high.

Like Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery, which I have shown you many times, this cemetery has serious personality!  There was a wonderful variety in the monuments and plants, and we walked around for about an hour taking pictures, reading tombstones, and trying to identify the plants and trees.

Around the corner from the cemetery, we saw this colorful protest. 

Our next stop was the Duval Street area, to soak up some the Key West tourist scene. 

The second floor bar and the rooftop deck of this building is 'clothing optional'.  We didn't go there, but I thought the rooftop garden looked neat from our view at ground level.

Next stop, the Hog's Breath Saloon for lunch.  Keeping to my plan to eat as much fish as a human can possibly eat, I had a fish sandwich, with homemade chips and a Hog's Breath Beer.  Yum!

After lunch, we headed to the Shipwreck Museum.  The guides there were in character, portraying some of the salvagers that made a living from the shipwrecks that were all-too-common in Key West in the nineteenth century.

I'm such a history freak.  I loved listening to the stories of shipwrecks and the people who made their fortunes salvaging the wrecks.

One of the coolest parts of the Shipwreck Museum is the observation tower.  From there, you get a spectacular view of Key West!

The day ended with some shopping for trinkets to take some of the folks back home.  I loved this hat, though we didn't buy it.

More to come.

Key West, Day 2

One of the most striking things about being here in the southernmost point in the US is the incredible variety of plants!  You already know that I'm a plant geek, and so is our friend Andy (who is also here with us), so he and I end up walking together pointing out this plant and that plant ... most of which are considered house plants in Virginia.  Amazing.

In all of the gardens we saw, so far there have only been two roses.  I spotted this China rose, then I noticed the rooster beside it ... there are feral chickens all over this island.

I talked to the man who had this unknown tea rose growing in his front yard.  He said that roses grow year-round down here ... of course.

These little lizards are all over the place.  This particular one almost met an unfortunate end, because I didn't notice him on the sidewalk and nearly stepped on him.  I wish he would have let me put a dime next to him, so you could see just how tiny he really was.  Nose to tail, he was only as long as my pinkie finger.

We began our day at the end of the world ... Mile Zero of US Route 1.  Route 1 runs down the entire length of the East Coast, through the center of Fredericksburg (where we live) and it was neat to be at the spot where the road begins.  (I was having flashes of 'Wizard of Oz' ... "Follow the Yellow Brick Road".)

Our next stop was the Hemingway house.  Built in 1851 by Asa Tift, a wealthy Key West salvager, it was bought by Ernest Hemingway in 1931 for $8,000 in back taxes.

I loved the relaxed atmosphere of the house!

Living Room, looking onto the front porch.

Kitchen.

Master bedroom.

Studio, view 1

Studio, view 2

The crazy cat woman that I am, I most wanted to meet some of the famous polydactyl cats at the Hemingway house.  It's been a running joke among us that I would need to be frisked as I left the property, because they were afraid I was going to try to smuggle one home.  (the sign beside the window at the ticket booth by the front gate warned me that this was probably not a good idea.)

The cats have the run of the property, and are kept inside with a special fence that extends over the brick wall that surrounds the property.  They wander inside and outside, lounging on the porch, or the furniture ... the center of attention.

These two know exactly who has the bag of cat treats in his pocket.  (This is our tour guide describing the items and telling stories in the dining room.)

This one snuggled between the pillows on the bed in the master bedroom, and was taking a long, leasurely bath.

More cats ... outside this time.

The cat cemetery is a lovely, peaceful spot.

When we finished at the Hemingway house, it was lunchtime ... so we made our way to Louie's Backyard to eat lunch overlooking the ocean beside the island's dog beach. 

After lunch, and some more wandering through the town, headed to Kermit's for pie.  Imagine a slice of key lime pie, frozen on a stick, dipped in dark chocolate.

Our day ended with a sunset cruise aboard a catamaran, with food, drink, live music, and beautiful tropical breezes and scenery.

This was our sister ship, but ours wasn't as crowded.

Here is our whole group.

We don't get scenery like this at home.

This was my best sunset photo.  Clouds gathered as the sun got lower in the sky, and the sunset itself was a non-event.

I am totally loving our time hanging out in the tropics this week, and there's a lot more left for us to do.