Key West

Hunting for Iguanas

June 4, 2014 by Candi Licence Leave a Comment

When we were on the Olde Town Trolley the other day, the driver stopped near the airport and pointed out iguanas hanging out in the grass near a mangrove stream, right behind a hotel. There were brown ones as well as bright green ones. Today we’re on the hunt to see if we can capture some pictures.

Only saw two iguanas today. This one is a veteran pro. He posed like a model – standing still, eating grass, walking towards Michael, holding his head up and then moving it from side to side as if saying – which view do you like best?

Check out his coloring and markings, pretty incredible. Overall, I’d say he’s a pretty handsome dude.

We tried to get pictures of a bright green iguana also, but the one we saw was much more shy and ran into the mangrove when we were still very far away. We’ll need to go back and try again another day.

Can you imagine coming out of your hotel room to get into your car and seeing one (or more) of these guys right next to your car?

Rainy Day and Café Solé

June 2, 2014 by Candi Licence Leave a Comment

Spitting a little bit of rain this morning, the first time in 2 weeks. Key West is having a drought so any rain is welcomed. The day continues to be cloudy with threat of rain and finally as we jump in the car to go to the dog park it starts raining. We go anyway and sit under a covered table. Mick and a few other dogs romp around. Mick hasn’t run at this dog park as much as he did in JAX and I wasn’t sure if it was because the weather has gotten warmer or different location/different dogs were the cause. None of the dogs here run as much plus I know Mick misses the pond at our old dog park. Well he was running and romping today in the cooler, wet weather – having a great time.

We went out to dinner tonight at Café Solé a lovely French restaurant that specializes in fish. I had read great reviews about the food. I noticed that I really wanted it to be special and arrived with all kinds of expectations that it would be wonderful and was prepared to be enchanted. Michael is more realistic – wanting a great meal but taking a wait and see attitude. The setting was lovely – covered outdoor seating and attentive wait staff. Our waiter, Trip, was overly enthusiastic about everything, a little over the top for Michael.

I had Portobello mushroom soup that was sublime, Michael had lobster bisque which was very good but not the same with Florida lobster. Michael wants to get back north and gorge on Maine lobster until we can’t eat anymore. Sounds great to me –we haven’t had cold water lobster in years and really miss it. We split a good seafood risotto and both had the hog snapper which is the café specialty and it was wonderful; slightly breaded, flash fried then baked with a lovely sauce. Michael makes a terrific Hog Snapper with Teriyaki that he thinks is even better. I love his dish but since they are so different I’d be hard pressed to choose a winner, both are divine. Desert was a disappointing Bananas Foster – good but not at the level I expected from this restaurant. We agreed it was a 7-8 meal overall. Setting was lovely, fabulous company and good to very good food.

Exploring Key West

May 27, 2014 by Candi Licence Leave a Comment

We’ve found the dog park, the designated dog beach, and spent one day at Higgs beach soaking up way too much sun.

We found a lovely Civil War fort right on Higgs beach that has been taken over by the Garden Club and made into a lovely, secluded park. The building is fascinating and the plantings throughout the gardens are amazing. Michael took lots of lovely pictures and I fell in love with a natural statue of a woman made out of palm fronds. Look at the detail and you can see sea grape leaves in her bustle and mussel shell jewelry. When we settle in Grenada, I’m going to make a Caribbean version or two ~ maybe with a carnival man as well.

We rode the Olde Town Trolley to get a 90 minute tour and overview of the island. It was interesting and fun but the seats were really cramped so it also felt good to get off!

Key West has had a very interesting history with lots of economic ups and downs. People who have been here for a while need a good sense of survival. There was a boom during the ship salvage years until laws changed, then bust. Another boom harvesting salt, then sponges and another boom with rolling cigars with the accompanying busts in between as those industries moved elsewhere. Flagler built a railroad all through the keys but at some point the southernmost bridges got washed away. The government built an aquarium to lure tourists here, 40K the first year, and then next year the bridge was gone.

Key West sided with the North during the Civil War because of Fort Zachary and later became the “Conch Republic” and declared its’ independence from the US in 1982 when the US government set up a blockage at the start of the Florida mainland that searched every car coming off the keys to look for illegal immigrants. This action was once again killing the Key West economy because it was taking 7 hours to get through the blockage. After a vigorous campaign that included newspaper and television coverage the blockage was lifted. Independence Day is still celebrated every April 23^rd. I’m sorry we missed that but I’m sure it was a zoo and fun.

There are lots more interesting history that’s fun to read. If you are interested, check out http://www.keyshistory.org/keywest.html for more detailed information and fun facts.

I know we will walk the length of Duval Street at some point but it will need to be planned on a coolish day (overcast) and hopefully when there are no cruise ships in dock. We are also looking forward to a sunset sail so watch for a post and great pictures.

Really settling in

May 25, 2014 by Candi Licence 2 Comments

I’m so deeply happy here. We’ve settled into a semi routine of getting up in the morning and heading out to the hammocks for some early morning reading, then having a lovely breakfast of fruit and muffins and then off for a dog walk and exploration of the neighborhood.

This is a lovely town. The streets are sweet, with lovely house and lots a fantastic plants. People have spent a lot of time and love on their gardens and it is truly a tropical paradise.

I’ve got the travel bug so bad, this is the first time I haven’t actively fantasized about buying here and poured through the real estate ads as I’ve done just about everywhere else we’ve been. (But just for the record, I could easily live here.) Afternoons consist of a lovely lunch on the deck and then siestas in the hammocks with a romp at the dog park or a different walk around town. Evenings are relaxing and again the breeze has been blowing pretty consistently every day. We only use the air conditioning in our bedroom at night when we sleep.

The pace feels like when we were first married and I was a teacher with the summers off. There is plenty of time to relax and enjoy. We’ve been having fun making great breakfasts and dinners and then enjoying them with no time pressure. May get old after a while but for now it is heavenly.

Market Day Delights

May 22, 2014 by Candi Licence Leave a Comment

Woke up at 6:55 today – early for me and luxuriated in bed for 20 minutes, then got up and put on a pareo. I walked into the Buddhist garden and climbed into my hammock and began reading. I feel young today like I was in my early 20’s – happy, relaxed, contented – at peace with the world. Cuddled Mick and remembered every Irish Setter I’ve ever loved.

Michael, Mick and I walked to the farmer’s market a few blocks away – what a treat. It’s small, maybe 20 booths but a dazzling variety of wonderful things. We bought beautiful handmade pastas, mango pepper sauce, organic dog treats and yummy luscious empanadas (chorizo & cheese and spinach). They were wonderful and filling. Michael bought banana bread with blueberries that I can’t wait to toast up and smother with cream cheese.

Lots of lovely fruit and veggies – a number of things I’ve never seen before. I asked their names but promptly forget them. I’ll need to write down the names next time AND remember to take pictures. I’m sorry I didn’t record the empanada and pasta stands, they were so beautiful.

Walking to and from the market, we passed some of the famous chickens and roosters that roam freely around Key West. Originally people kept the birds caged for cock fights but the town passed a tax on the kept birds so people just let them out of the cages and let them roam free – problem solved. Then, when a fight was scheduled, they just scooped up their favorite bird and went along their way. Now chickens roam all over Key West. They are everywhere; parks and backyards as you might expect, but also all over the streets, at gas stations and strip malls, etc…

I don’t think these guys ever have to fight anymore. The trolley narrator said there are very few mosquitos around because the birds eat them all. Not sure if this is true, but I do notice there are generally very few bugs of any kind here.