Key West

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

July 18, 2014 by Candi Licence 4 Comments

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.

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.

_MS41805 — 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 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?

Miss Luna Stamm — 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 — 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! — 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.

WP_20140703_20_42_50_Pro__highres — 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

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 — 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 — 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

Artwork along Mr. Chapman's fence — 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.

_MS41507 — 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.

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

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 ... — 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.

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.