Beautiful Birthday Memories ~ Dinner at Cafe Marquesa

August 4, 2014 by Candi Licence 2 Comments

Lucious, lovely jewelry that has found a good home – Mine!

This may the year for extreme spoiling. If you have been following this blog, you know Michael bought me some magnificent jewelry a few weeks ago for an early birthday present and then we had the loveliest birthday dinner celebration at Cafe Marquesa. We’ve both worked really hard and long hours for most of our lives and it is such a treat to slow down and have so much fun together.

It was a beautiful Key West summer evening and we walked a few blocks to the restaurant just enjoying looking at the pretty houses and beautiful foliage. We discovered a small, intimate park that is part of the Key West library. It was lush and had a number of benches under the trees. It looked like a perfect place to pull out a favorite book and read ~ another time ~ we were on our way to a highly anticipated dinner experience.

A lovely, intimate eatery

Cafe Marquesa is a small restaurant with maybe 13 tables. I had called early for reservations and they saved the best table in the restaurant for us. It was tucked diagonally into a corner with a great window view as well as a view of the rest of the restaurant.

Our table was beautifully decorated for my birthday

The table was prettily decorated with tasteful streamers in the wine glasses and glitter on the table. It was so romantic and fun ~ and it set the stage for a lovely evening.

My sweet place setting

Cafe Marquesa is one of a few Fodors Choice restaurants in the Keys, is Zagat’s highest rated restaurant in Key West and has won numerous other awards and accolades for its fabulous food. We came with very high expectations and were not disappointed. We started off with cocktails while we waited for our appetizers; a Bombay Sapphire Gin and Tonic for Michael (his favorite) and a homemade Margarita for me. My drink was excellent with a tasty and silky smooth flavor and you never can go wrong with a Sapphire G&T. I only had one because I knew we would have wine with dinner but it would have been easy to drink more, it was soooo good. For appetizers, Michael ordered a Caprese salad that was excellent and I ordered a Tomato and Dill Bisque soup topped with grilled Shrimp.

My Scallops with Saffron Risotto

Michael’s Filet Mignon with Blue Cheese Crust and Boursin potatoes

For a main course, I had Porcini dusted Diver Sea Scallops with Truffle butter, Saffron Risotto and Swiss Chard. (I’m getting hungry again just writing this.) Do I need to say it was divine? Michael ordered the Grilled Black Angus Filet Mignon with a Blue Cheese crust, Asparagus, Brandy Peppercorn sauce and Boursin mashed potatoes. He graciously let me sample some of his dinner and it was rich and luscious.

There were a number of lovely items on the dessert menu but nothing jumped out at us so we decided to have dessert elsewhere. I called Better than Sex, Key West’s famous dessert restaurant but at 10 PM they had a minimum 90 minute wait for a table! We headed over to see John at The New York Pasta Garden and sampled his handmade Cannolis.

Sitting under the stars was a delightful ending to an unforgettable birthday.

A perfect birthday with my most special man

“A Key West Locals Secret” ~ New York Pasta Garden

July 29, 2014 by Candi Licence 6 Comments

Welcome to the New York Pasta Garden

Why would I want to go to a restaurant named The New York Pasta Garden when I’m in Key West? HINT: Maybe because their food is fabulous? Michael and I grew up in New York and have always had access to wonderful food and really enjoy a great meal. Somehow, throughout our research and speaking with lots of people, we never heard about this restaurant. And to be honest, I’m not sure I would have put it on the top of our list. However, when we met Philip and Conchita at the dog park, “locals” who split their time between Key West and Saint Augustine and they raved about the New York Pasta Garden, we knew we had to try it. They even asked us to call them after we went there to give a rating. We had tickets to see a play that night and planned to stop in for a late dinner.

A lovely setting for luscious food

New York Pasta Garden is located in Duval Square and is tucked between Duval and Simonton Avenue. We parked in a large lot off Simonton ad walked towards a ton of fairy lights, right in the middle of a very commercial space,

John Gadonniex, the owner of the New York Pasta Garden

John, the owner, has created an intimate garden ~ trees, lots of lush plants, fountains and fairy lights. It’s a beautiful outdoor space. (They actually have about 20 tables inside as well, but everyone was eating out in the garden). They welcomed me by name (not a lot of reservations for 10:30 PM, I’m guessing). We asked the greeter to point out John (the owner) because we wanted to introduce ourselves at some point but before we got to the table, John came over to shake our hands. Philip had called to say we were coming so we got a very warm welcome.

Jeannette, our server extraordinaire

Our server, Jeannette, also welcomed us and told us she would take great care of us. I love when restaurant staff go out of their way to make you feel like family and that was the impression I got even though the restaurant was very busy and John apologized that he wouldn’t be able to spend more time with us because he was short two people.

It was lovely sitting outside and I thought I heard birds talking. (This was before we started drinking, thank you). I started looking around and saw a beautiful Macaw parrot in a nearby tree. John has four tame parrots (2 African Greys and 2 Macaws) that sit in the trees, yammer away and provide entertainment. They are beautifully colored and quite showy. At the end of the night, they climb down out of the trees into cages and are wheeled into the restaurant to sleep. What fun.

John and one of his parrots, "hanging out" at the bar

John and friend, “hanging out” at the bar

OK, the atmosphere is lovely, the staff is great, I love the parrots ~ now how about the food? The Key West Pasta Garden’s menu is pretty extensive and there were a lot of dishes that looked appealing. We split a Caprese salad because Philip said it was so wonderful and it lived up to his hype.

The delicious Caprese Salad

John made us a complimentary Artichoke Franchaise appetizer made of breaded artichokes with a luscious lemon, tarragon, white wine and garlic butter sauce.

John’s complimentary Artichoke appetizer – he made it himself, and I felt honored.

It was scrumptious. We also had garlic rolls that were very tasty. Michael had a cup of homemade Clam Chowder and it might be the best we’ve ever eaten.

For entrees, Michael ordered Shrimp Olivia, which is the chef’s signature dish prepared with roasted red peppers, Kalamata olives and artichokes in a basil and garlic sauce.

Michael’s Shrimp Olivia

My Shrimp and Scallop Franchaise

I had Shrimp and Scallops ala Carino which was prepared with shallots, garlic and spinach with a delicious sherry crème sauce. No calories in this dinner! The portions were very generous and we took home part of each entrée and some of the salad which made a surprisingly good leftover meal the next night.

The meal was so good that I really wanted to try their Tiramisu for dessert but this will have to wait for another visit. Michael and I used to have the best Tiramisu at one of our favorite restaurants in Provincetown, Massachusetts and it was so good, I almost never order it anywhere else because it is such a disappointment. I think if anyone can give them competition it will be The New York Pasta Garden.

Michael did call Conchita the next day to rave about the food and thank them for recommending the restaurant. This is someplace I would frequent often if I lived here full-time. We plan to go back before we leave and I think we’ll give Philip and Conchita a call to see if they would like to join us for another wonderful meal ~ with dessert!

The Square Grouper ~ And Other Fish Tails

July 26, 2014 by Candi Licence Leave a Comment

The Square Grouper Logo, tagline ” my favorite joint”

The Square Grouper – highly desirable in some circles, very profitable and oops, illegal. A Square Grouper is a tongue-in-check name for the bales of marijuana that sometimes wash up on shore in the Keys after they have been dumped off drug running boats when authorities get too close. It is also the name of a lower keys restaurant and long time institution.

We were ready for a road trip and had heard about a great restaurant on Cudjoe Key, Mile 22.5 Oceanside, so one fine day we jumped in the car for a ride. Most Keys locations don’t have a regular address, they give their mile marker number as their address. Mile 100 is in Key Largo, the first key from the mainland and Mile 0 is in Key West. Since most keys are so skinny, getting the mile marker number and then “Oceanside” or “Bay/Gulf” side is enough description to find almost any place. It’s also a very convenient way to know how far away places are.

We pulled into a pretty non descript building and I was surprised when we got inside. People had touted The Square Grouper Bar and Grill as having an old keys feeling so I was expecting a somewhat run down or ramshackle type setting. Instead, the interior was sleek and modern. Maybe they were talking about the menu? Nope, delicious looking but trendy. Prices could be old keys – very reasonable for great food.

The industrial exterior conceals a surprisingly upscale and attractive interior

We were there for lunch and it was hard to decide what to order ~ so many dishes looked great, so we decided to only purchase appetizers so we could sample more options. We started off with Yellowfin Tuna and Avocado Eggrolls with a great dipping sauce. These were crispy and wonderful. We also scarfed down some yummy flash fried conch with a Ponzu sauce drizzled with wasabi. These were followed by Island Shrimp Cakes with a Banana Pepper Aioli sauce which were also fabulous.

Island Shrimp Cakes, Yellowfin Tuna and Avocado Eggrolls and flash fried Conch on right

White chocolate, toasted coconut, almond cheesecake, Oh My!

But the best part was dessert. They were serving a white chocolate, toasted coconut, almond cheese cake. I generally would never get dessert for lunch, I don’t even usually get dessert with dinner and I’ll almost never order cheesecake after growing up in New York where, in my opinion, they make the best cheesecake in the world. This looked to wonderful too pass up and boy am I glad I didn’t. Michael and I split a piece and it was dense and creamy like New York cheesecake plus it had all the wonderful additional flavors that blended really well. I’m still thinking about it days later …..

Just down the road, we stopped at Low Keys Fisheries, a seafood retail store, that was recommended to us. One of the surprises about Key West is how hard it is to buy fresh fish. All the restaurants have it, of course, but the grocery stores’ fish look pretty poor and so do the seafood markets. All I can figure is that so many people have boats and they catch fish for themselves so there isn’t a big market to purchase fresh fish. We asked around the charter boats but they don’t sell the fish they catch. Mr. Chapman’s brother, Eugene, catches a lot of fish and will sell his extra which is wonderful, but he mostly catches snapper so not much variety.

A good variety of great looking fish

Low Key Fisheries is an exception (as long as you want to travel 20 miles to buy fish). The store had a nice variety of fish and everything looked great. We bought some Key West Pinks (shrimp) and some lovely looking Salmon. Chef Michael did his fish magic the next two nights and prepared feasts. I love having a personal chef!

The Locals Hideaway ~ Boca Chica Beach

July 24, 2014 by Candi Licence Leave a Comment

A captivating view from the shoreline

Boca Chica beach is a place you would never find on your own. I’m guessing even a lot of locals don’t know about it (or if they do, they have never been there). Boca Chica key is a few islands up from Key West and you have to drive past it to Big Coppitt Key (mile marker 10.5) to turn onto Boca Chica Road which will lead you back, back, back to this secluded beach. You will finally get to the end of the road and the beach will be directly on your left and the Naval Air Station will be on your right. There are some good shade trees here, a few picnic tables and directly ahead the road is blocked off and then crumbles away. From here you can begin walking the shoreline.

“Beach Patrol” on the rocky shore

Looking at a map, the road appears to go all along the shoreline, right up to US1 but it’s all washed away (by Hurricane Wilma, I’ve read). This is good news and “bad” news. The good news is not many people come to this beach. The “bad” news is if you want to explore this part of the island you do a lot of walking – sometimes even in the water on a pretty rocky shoreline, in some places, depending on the tide. It’s remote enough that dogs can be off leash and they can freely romp in the water and nose around the back woods. We’ve come here many times to give Mick the freedom he likes, Michael some good photo ops and all of us a chance to explore.

At low tide, there are a lot of tidal pools which can be fun to examine. There are also numerous trails that go into the woods and open onto marshes and small bodies of water. We’ve seen some great birds here and I’m sure this is a favorite migration stopover.

The Flip Flop Memorial. I love this, makes me smile every time I see it

Some of the really fun things you can discover are: the flip flop memorial – a portion of chain link fence with lots of discarded shoes attached; a beautiful structure of driftwood, rocks and found objects that look like a castle – with multiple rooms that have tables and beach chairs; and the shoreline path which goes right past the end of the Naval Station runway. We spent one morning watching someone learn how to maneuver a large helicopter. It was fascinating watching the person try to master hovering which has to be a lot harder that it looks from all the gyrations the ‘copter was going through. I’ve got a much deeper appreciation for the skills our pilots have to master.

For most of the time we’ve been here, there has been heavy reddish seaweed coating the shoreline but this is a seasonal thing and should be gone shortly, hopefully before we leave. You need to be watchful at all times because there are a lot of rocks, coral, trees, etc. to maneuver around. Usually we walk until we come to the first small channel that opens onto a salt marsh but this time we brought extra shoes so we could wade across and continue along the coastline.

A view into one of the salt marshes

I was surprised that the shallow water actually felt hot, very hot. Last Sunday, the beach was the busiest I’ve ever seen it – maybe 10 cars (!) and most of the way we were by ourselves. We saw a few people photographing birds and a couple of gentlemen fishing, but mostly it was a solitary, lovely walk along the beach.

Boca Chica beach is a slice of natural heaven.

Tantalizing Tapas ~ Santiago’s Bodega

July 21, 2014 by Candi Licence 2 Comments

Until this dinner, we haven’t been overly impressed with the food in Key West. I think Michael and I both came down with the expectation of finding lots of restaurants with fabulous food. We have eaten good food here but we have spent a fair amount of money in some places and didn’t think the quality of the food justified the high price. Santiago’s Bodega, a tapas style restaurant, exceeded all our expectations and can be rated a solid 10.

The beautiful full moon outside Santiago’s Bodega

Santiago’s Bodega is off the main drag, on Petronia Street, just past Mr. Chapman’s house. We had reservations for 9:30 PM because we were dining after our full moon sunset cruise. The restaurant was still hopping. As we were shown to our table, I could see great meals being delivered left and right. We had a lovely table in the corner so it was quite intimate and we could still see the bustle of the rest of the restaurant. Michael ordered a lovely bottle of wine and it was fairly priced for a change. Wine in Key West restaurants generally is very expensive. I know you will always pay more but often it’s 4 times what you could buy on your own which means you are paying $80 for a $20 bottle of wine!

The lovely interior of Santiago’s Beodega

Alan, our server, was personable and guided us through the extensive menu. We decide on 6 dishes to share – Beef Tenderloin, mini rack of Lamb (encrusted with mustard, thyme and pecans), Shrimp and Chorizo, Spanakopita (Spinach, Feta and onion in Phyllo), a Scallop special and beef short ribs with a cherry hoisin glaze. EVERYTHING was wonderful and we had a hard time deciding what we liked best. Michael voted for the short ribs, I honestly couldn’t decide, I could just narrow it down to 4 items. I love that problem. Lighting in the restaurant was fairly dark so Michael was not able to snap any pictures of the food but, believe me, the plates looked as good as they tasted.

I’d love to go back to this restaurant again before we leave and the big question will be – should we try the other mouth watering items on the menu or enjoy the great dished we have already tasted? We’ll have to see …… I’m sure the short ribs at least, as we both loved them.

Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This ~ Moonrise/Sunset Sailing

July 18, 2014 by Candi Licence 4 Comments

A perfect sunset and a perfect sail

At the Pier House one evening, we watched numerous boats depart for sunset tours. We knew we wanted to do a sunset sail while we were in Key West, the decision was when to go and on what boat. Because of the beautiful full moonrise in June, I also checked to see if there was a way to coordinate seeing the July moonrise while we were on the sunset tour. BINGO! We lucked out. On July 11th, the moon was scheduled to rise at 7:36PM and the sun was scheduled to set at 8:19PM.

Our boat, the High Tide

As you might guess, there are a large number of options but after researching, I found Sunset Sail Key West who have a lovely, small boat named High Tide that only takes 6 passengers. It was a little more expensive but sounded so much more intimate than the larger boats that take anywhere for 40 to 80 people. Also, the big boats come back by 8:30, just minutes after the sun drops below the horizon in July and Sunset Sail Key West sails until 9:00 which would give us lots of time to enjoy the changing colors as the twilight appears. I booked our seats and prayed for great weather. The evening was perfect; blue sky with some lovely clouds, but a clear horizon and little haze.

The drama of this sunset kept getting better and better

We got to the harbor and it was a mad house. Lots of people loading onto lots of boats. The advantage of the large boats is you can wait to see if the night is going to be wonderful, book last minute and probably get a seat, and they were all packed full – with music blaring. We were in for a much different experience. High Tide is a sweet, small boat and as luck would have it, no one else had booked for the 11th so we were the only passengers.

First Mate, Joanne, looking east towards to moonrise

Joanne was the First Mate and had everything ship shape for the start of the tour and Steven was the Captain. We motored out of the harbor, the sails were raised and then Steven cut the engine – Ah, peace and quiet and we were off. Lucky for us, we had good wind so it was cool and we could cruise at a nice pace. This was the point when Steven told us the other big boats have a sail raised but they motor the whole trip. WOW, I didn’t realize that and I would have been really disappointed.

Steven, our fearless Captain

Steven has been a Captain for many years and he told us lots about Key West and sailing throughout the Caribbean. He pointed out a large ship that is a Boy Scout sailing camp where the boys get to live and sail for a week. They learn to do everything – rig, sail, cook and clean. He had been a Captain for a summer and really liked it. When we went by, the boys were swinging off the rigging into the water below and looking like they were having a blast.

As you can see, the sunset was fairly spectacular that night and the moonrise was like adding a cherry on top of a perfect evening. I don’t think there was any way the sail could have been more perfect. Perfect day, perfect boat, perfect crew and perfect husband. YUM!

Happy Wife, Happy Life ~ The Key West Jewelry Bar

July 8, 2014 by Candi Licence 2 Comments

Bard GrOb, Designer/Curator of The Key West Jewelry Bar

Barb GrOb, Designer/Curator of The Key West Jewelry Bar

You gotta love a woman who says the following things: “Jewelry is the greatest gift … It always fits, easily ships & won’t go to the hips!”, “You look so thin in those Pearls“, “Happy Wife, Happy Life“, “Give her what she REALLY wants!“. Meet Barb GrOb, the vivacious Designer/Curator of The Key West Jewelry Bar ~ One of a Kind and Rare to Find Art Accessories. If you know me, you know I LOVE jewelry ~ but not the shy, small, delicate pieces often sold in fine jewelry stores. Oh no, I like the bold, big, splashy, one of a kind jewelry that is more usually found in crafty places. “…Local Luxuries! … Objects of Desire…!” Do I really need to tell you I was enrolled even before I saw the store?

Lovely Luna Stamm modeling some of my favorite jewelry. Peter, her dad, is going to have his hands full!

We met Barb at the Farmers Market. Of course, the reason was our sweet Irish Setter, Mick. Key West is an overwhelmingly dog friendly town, EVERYBODY loves Mick, thinks he’s handsome and needs to give him a pet. Barb came over to introduce herself to Mick and Michael. I walked up and Barb noticed my beautiful Lois Hill designed silver bracelets that I wear most of the time and said, “You’ll love my store, please stop by” and gave me a $10 off card. Barb was wearing great, unique jewelry so I checked her website and the first three pieces displayed were all items I’d happily wear. Hmmm, great jewelry, discount coupon, did I need any additional motivation to go? I stopped in the other day and was pleased to see Barb was manning the shop. She didn’t remember me from a few weeks ago but zeroed in on my necklace and said it looked like something that I could have bought in her shop. She was right. The windows and displays were filled with my kind of jewelry. Now comes my dilemma. Overall, Barb’s beautiful jewelry is well priced but not inexpensive (actually there is a wide variety of prices, I just really like all her very special pieces). Her jewelry is unique and beautiful but you need to understand, I’ve got a lot of outstanding jewelry AND I’ve started making my own jewelry AND have invested in a ton of gorgeous beads, stones, pearl and trinkets to create my own designs. There were a few pieces I definitely would have scooped up if I didn’t already have something very similar already or all the makings of a piece. Nothing jumped out and caught me by the throat and said you HAVE to buy me so ‘for the time being’ I’m passing on making a purchase. Of course this may also be influenced by the upcoming trunk show on Thursday that will have a lot more pieces than were displayed in the store.

A sampling of Barb’s beautiful jewelry from the trunk show

Barb designs a fair amount of the jewelry and buys in other pieces from all over. This allows the store to have a wide range of fabulous pieces with varying styles but always impactful. (It also allows Barb to fulfill her dream of traveling around the world, smart woman.) In the back of my mind, I’m wondering if I can sell my jewelry to her or trade for pieces. I’m at a point where my designs are solid but I need a little refinement on finishing the pieces so they look really professional. I’m going to be working on that while I’m here. Hmmm…..

Lucious, lovely jewelry that has found a good home – Mine!

Flash forward to the show. Michael and I get there right at the start because I wouldn’t want to miss getting a great piece because someone else was walking out with ‘my” treasure. The show was smaller than I expected but it had a large variety of lovely pieces. Michael saw a delicious bracelet that he had me try on. It had beautiful turquoise stones set in silver with pearls and other gems. I promised one of the sales people I wouldn’t steal it but wanted to wear it for a while as I was browsing. I saw a pair of earrings I liked that Barb was modeling but Michael didn’t particularly care for them so I passed and told him I was ready to check out. He made a big deal that I should continue looking which surprised the sales staff and made them laugh.

All decked out in my new jewelry

We walked around some more and Michael admired a necklace that Barb was wearing for a second time and had me try it on. It was a large statement piece made of beautiful golden quartz. I had on the wrong top so it didn’t look that great but Michael really liked it and it looked great on Barb, so we added that to the bracelet. I went back 3 or 4 times to the earrings that had caught my eye early on and decided I needed to get them. They were stunning and kept catching my eye. They have a large chunk of red coral surrounded by crystals, Michael loves red and I have a great red coral necklace that I made that they will look beautiful with. My birthday is coming up this month and Michael has now completed his shopping for me – I’m just wondering if this also covers Christmas and next year as well!

‘Hunker Down’ with Bill Blue and Friends

July 3, 2014 by Candi Licence 2 Comments

Poster announcing the event

Bill Blue, a great Blues singer, songwriter and guitarist, started his show talking about how he was working in Boston in the 70’s, looking for gigs and got hooked up with a band that was created to tour with an up-and-coming female vocalist ~ according to Bill, one day he was picking tomatoes and the next day touring with Bonnie Raitt and BB King! He played with many great Blues musicians and then came down to the Keys in 1982 to chill out from touring and spent the next 30 years writing and playing his exceptional music here.

For Saturday’s show, A Farewell to the Arms, he gathered some of his favorite musicians together to play with him to commemorate the closing performance at The Studios of Key West historic Armory location.

Rocking the hall – photo by Michael Ruetz

There were 6 great musicians in addition to Bill, plus three backup singers. The stage was overflowing and exploded with fabulous sound right from the first song. Bill is a great story teller and his introductions to each song were engaging and insightful. Some of the members of the band recently recorded a new album with Bill, others were Key West locals. They were totally in synch with each other and gave each other plenty of time for solos to show off their great talent and then blended back into a united sound that rocked the hall. The venue was small and we had perfect seats to see all the band interaction which gave the evening an intimate feeling. Bill and the band walked around freely during the break and it was easy to speak to them and thank them for the great music.

The Studios of Key West is an artist’s workspace with a small performance hall for concerts, lectures, plays and dance; galleries for exhibitions, a sculpture garden and, most importantly, artist in residence studios where 35 artists are sponsored throughout the year to practice their craft and create art.

One of Laura McAloon’s wonderful metal sculptures

In addition to their personal work while in residence, they also may lead classes in their area of expertise. Things are relatively slow in the summer months, but there is a jam packed schedule throughout most of the year that is extensive in scope and breadth of subject matter (from funky and fun like Feathered Maskmaking in time for Fantasy Fest or Zombie Bike Decorating for the Annual Zombie Bike Ride – to the significant and serious like Pulitzer prize winner Ayad Akhtar’s lecture on the gap between East and West and the fevered logic of extremism or a Photography exhibit by Alexandra Dietz titled Changing Tides in Key West, a 5 month photographic tour of the island’s distinct subcultures and one-of-a-kind characters that inhabit this island – as well as more expected offerings in writing, painting, photography and unleashing creativity). I wanted to sign up for almost everything!

Bill's recently released album, Mojolation

Bill Blue recently released a new album, Mojolation

Bill’s new album released in October of 2013 is called Mojolation. Per the Classics du jour website, “Mojolation…is chock full of energy; raw, edgy guitars and funky horns power Bill’s unique blues growl. It’s music that’s at once fresh, yet captures the authentic spirit of old blues recordings. After thirty years as the elder statesman of music in Key West, Bill Blue crashes back into the international blues music scene with Mojolation, a record that is punchy, powerful, upbeat and exciting.” This perfectly captures the feeling of Saturday’s performance.

One of my favorite songs of the evening, Hunker Down, is about a hurricane that Bill and his family lived through. They stayed at their house thinking the hurricane would pass by far away and when they realized it was coming right at them it was too late to leave. Bill’s teenage daughter was especially upset by the howling wind and torrential rain so he decided they should write a song, right then and there, to keep their minds busy – Pretty Wild! (and a great song). I hope we get to see Bill again before we’re off to the Outer Banks in mid August.

For more info on Bill and to hear his music visit the Classics du jour website.

Local Color ~ Mr. James Chapman

July 1, 2014 by Candi Licence 2 Comments

Wonderful artwork painted along Mr. Chapman’s fence

Walking down Petronia street, I saw a number of places I want to go to – Blue Heaven, La Creperie and Santiago’s Bodega, but Michael isn’t with me so I’m just window shopping and reading menu’s. These places are tucked away in the part of Key West called Bahama Village. This was once a primarily black neighborhood, and is named for its many original residents who were of Bahamian ancestry.

The coconut man’s truck – Note the “We Love Chapman” painting on the door

Between Blue Heaven and Santiago’s Bodega there is a fascinating corner house with interesting artwork and all kinds of contraptions in the yard. A beat up old truck, colorfully painted and filled with coconuts is parked next to the side yard. I see an older, black gentleman in the yard and I ask him if I can speak with him. He invites me in and we start what turns out to be a half hour conversation.

Mr. James Chapman

I was originally interested because of the art and the “inventions” and I thought Michael might like to come back and photograph them but what really interested me was Mr. Chapman himself. He’s a Character with a capital “C”. He is seventy-five years old, was born in the house across the street, lived there until he was 3 and then moved into another house, next door to his current house. He is a philosopher and a tinkerer, has an amazing toolshed and a large number of “works in progress” scattered around.

Of all the cool things in his yard, the best is a tricycle that is all tricked out with lights, music and Key West memorabilia. Michael and I had seen a man riding a trike up and then back down Duval street a few nights earlier when we were eating dinner. As he went by the first time – lights flashing and music blaring – I said to Michael, Do you think he’s selling something? When he came back, I thought no, he’s doing this for fun and to spread joy. I was thrilled to see the trike and he confirmed that yes, that was him and he does rides it for fun and joy – every night, weather permitting, as soon as it starts to get dark. It looks very different in the daylight, when the lights are off, but is none the less fascinating to pour over. We’ll catch him riding some night and take a photo.

Mr. Chaoman standing in front of a huge mural of all the key people in Bahama Village painted by Rcik Worth

Mr. Chapman standing next to a painting of himself – part of a huge mural of all the key people in Bahama Village painted by local artist, Rick Worth

Mr. Chapman has seen a tremendous evolution of history in this area during his lifetime. From what He told me, originally blacks were not allowed to live in Key West and when they were finally permitted to, they were confined to the “back” of Key West in the area that became Bahama Village. Mr. Chapman went to all black schools, has lived through segregation, and is now seeing the “gentrification” of this area due to its proximity to Whitehead and Duval Streets. This is forcing the original tenants out of the area due to rising prices. Historically, no white people ever crossed into Bahama Village except one, Ernest Hemingway. He became friends with many of the residents and his death was felt deeply by many residents. By 2008, the area was only 50% black and I understand the percentage of blacks has continued to decline as more businesses snap up prime locations and more affluent people buy up the houses.

I brought Michael back a few days later to meet Mr. Chapman and to take pictures. He wasn’t as talkative on our second visit but was still just as friendly. We’ll definitely go back another time and give him prints of Michael’s photos. As we were walking down Chapman Lane to our car, we had a neat surprise. A young woman wanted to pet Mick and as I looked closely at her, I thought I recognized her. I looked at the other people she was with and realized that she and another women were the key belly dancers from A Mid Summer Night’s Dream. Of course they remembered Michael as one of the photographers and we had a great conversation and met even more good people. Michael is going to photograph one of their Belly Dancing classes and may be able to set up a couple of artist shoots for July. Stay tuned for posts about the photo shoots.

A Mid Summer’s Night Dream & Spectacle ~ Summer Solstice

June 25, 2014 by Candi Licence 1 Comment

Event Poster

The Key West Botanical Garden grounds were transformed into a fairyland for the summer solstice on June 21st, and artists from all over Key West converged to celebrate and entertain. The event felt magical from the moment I walked in. Many people, contributors and guests, were dressed up in fantasy costumes, with painted faces and fabulous headgear.

The Mid Summer Queen ~ she made her beautiful outfit

This is the 8th year this event has been held and people knew there was a contest for “best dressed” and really got into the spirit of the night. There was a face painting and headdress booth right inside the door so I got my face painted and a flower headdress with beautiful ribbons hanging down so I’d fit in with the scene. As always in Key West, dogs were welcomed and some also came in costume. One thing I thought was particularly cool was there were a number of dogs available for adoption that were being walked through the event with coats saying adopt me. I thought this was a great way for people to see animals who needed a home and hopefully a few went home with new families to love them.

Dancing in the moonlight …

There were three major venues set up throughout the park. One venue had great musicians playing. There were more than 20 groups or individuals that played and sang non stop from 5 until 11 PM. It was great to stroll into the area, listen to a few songs, move on and then come back and hear a totally different sound. Many of the early groups were off to play in downtown Key West later in the evening and I got a good overview of the wonderful local music that is available here.

The second venue was an outdoor stage area where there were hula hoop demonstrations, belly dancing (both a performance and participatory dancing), Salsa dancing, poetry reading, sword dancing and an amazing fire eating demonstration. All this was backed by a fantastic video show once it was dark which added to the fun and mystery of the dancers as the colors flowed across their bodies and their shadows danced behind them.

Ms. Lydia Firefly strutting her stuff

The last major venue was a small theatre area where snippets of Shakespeare were performed, individuals played music, more poetry was read and a youth dance troupe performed. Interspersed between these venues were food trucks, fortune telling, sculptures, a dream board where you could write your dream in chalk, and a fantastic mural being created.

A young girl adding her magic to the giant mural

Michael showed up early to take ‘behind the scenes’ pictures of the set up and then photographed both the performers and the guests all night long. The fact that so many guests were dressed up, in addition to the artists who were performing, gave the evening a fun, fantastical feeling everywhere you went. See all Michael’s personal favorite pictures from the night. (look for the slide show button on the top right to have them open and scroll.) There were so many outstanding people and activities and I’ve only shown a fraction here. It’s especially fun going to an event Where Michael is the photographer because he gets to meet and know the event people and as a result we get an insider’s view of what is happening, meet new people we wouldn’t ordinarily get to know and often find out interesting things or other events that are happening in the area.

the face painting was a huge hit and very well done by local artists

All the artists including the face painters were donating their talents to benefit the Botanical Gardens. The gardens are not supported by Key West or the state for funding so they look to admissions, sponsors, donations and events to support the facility.

The gardens are representative of local Florida, Cuban and Caribbean plants and so it’s not as “showy” as a garden planted with the goal of looking vibrant at all times. It does provide an essential stopping place for migratory birds and butterflies and educates the public about native plants. Over 200 bird species and 37 butterfly species have been sighted. The Botanical Garden has a series of self guided tours including the “old garden” with a number of endangered species, a butterfly garden, a tropical hardwood hammock, pond and lake tour and a Cuban palm tour. If you are coming to Key West or want to know more about the Tropical Rainforest and Botanical Garden visit their website or send for their terrific garden guide.

This was truly a magical night and if you are in Key West or close by for the next summer solstice definitely stop by for a night to remember.

Candi and Michael ~ On The Move

Tales from Grenada and Beyond