Having lined up the ferry ride to Dry Tortugas, we opted to leave a day early and do Key West...wow! What a fun place! Dave offered to do the driving, the only challenge was to get three people's clothes, food & camping gear into the back of the Jeep Rengade! But Kim said she'd ride in the back, even if it was tight, and boy it was....I couldn't get a pix of the rear compartment, because things were crammed in every corner and stacked to the ceiling. Oh well, we're off to have a weekend of fun!I guess we had all forgotten how beautiful a drive it was. With a TGIF attitude and nothing but white beaches and blue-green water, we were off & runnin'.
First stop in Key West was Mel Fisher's Treasure Museum and shop. Nathan's (my oldest Son) grandfather, Lou Tilley, was a key stockholder in Treasure Salvors when the Atocha and it's $400Million in treasure was found. Thanks to Lou supplying the two large tugboats that help make the discovery possible. BUT, that's another whole story, so check out http://www.melfisher.com/ and if you really want the whole story, get a copy of Eugene Lyon's book on the Atocha, it's great!Having done the Atocha thing, we moved on to the Key West museum, where we actually became part of the exhibits! Even Dave decided to get into the act, and boy, do he ever!
Kim & I discovered the art of Mario Sanchez and immediately fell in love with it's simplicity, and 3-dimesional details, Dave disappeared, I think to have a date with Marilyn downstairs!
Back outside, we perused the shell and sponge shops, walked along the beautiful harbor, and tried to make ourselves into art once again.
Kim's stamina for window shopping was unending, Dave & I opted for a cold one and some shade on a nearby harborview bench. We were all waiting for the Sunset Festival - Key West's nightly street perf
ormers fair.
As the sun became a dull red, and the crowds grew, we were caught by the very first act...what a show, juggling sharp objects, even directly over folks heads, and lying on a bed of nails with someone walking on top of you for the finale!
But Kim's favorite was "CatMan", yes a really crazy, goofy Frenchman who trains cats to do acts similar to tigers & lions at a circus....the pix tell the story!
I guess I must admit, my personal favorite was the one-man band...what an act...check out the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAKuXEvMnH8
