Key West Vibes

Just to tie up loose ends - it seems St. Kitts is cleaning up after days and days of rain (it was still drizzling this morning). They had over a foot of the wet stuff, and I heard some rather harrowing stories come out of there. Like one from my friend who had to swim in over 15-foot seas to save his 42' power catamaran after it snapped its mooring. He was at sea for over 3 hours before he attempted to come near shore, past the breaking waves, and get the boat inside a marina (and hope there was space). Unfortunately, his smaller powerboat broke its ties too and hit some rocks on the beach. Cha hing. Luckily no lives were lost due to TS Rafael. Electricity and water supplies are still coming back online. I sure hope that was it for the season.

Here in Key West, as a big week dedicated to partying gets ready to begin (tomorrow), I've had a chance to read the local news here and there and thought I'd call out some of the stories that seem to capture the vibe of the lifestyle down here.

There's the bank robbery that just took place by a 53-year-old, recent parolee (in before for doing the same thing - twice!) wearing a purple baseball cap and loud tourist shirt, who "escaped" on a bicycle and was found enjoying himself at a local bar.

Then we have the 10-foot, "very healthy" boa constrictor that was found on the airport tarmac last week.

A couple of weeks before that, we hosted a big military training operation off the coast that included ships from Mexico to the UK to the Dominican Republic to Canada (among others). While I didn't hear a peep about it in local papers, one of my blog readers sent me a link to a Novia Scotia newspaper article noting that Canadian authorities were not amused about reports of "drunkenness, falling down in the streets, slumping over in bars, drunk driving on scooters and public mischief." The Key West police philosophy? "If someone looks like they are having too much or a little out of hand, we take them back to their ship and hand them over to whoever is in command there." In other words, shrug.

There always seem to be "only in wherever" websites, blogs, or Facebook pages, and Key West has them too. Key Weird's last story from April was about "Naked Man" who likes to ride his bicycle through the streets of Key West in a G-string and a stovepipe hat (?!).  Some of you might know him as the naked guy who ran onto the field during a 2011 Marlins vs. Cubs baseball game (video). Over the next few days, this guy's just going to blend in with the other Fantasy Fest provocateurs, but I guess this is a no-no on "normal" days.

We live just blocks from the Old Cemetery and it's not your everyday burial ground. Thanks to all our Caribbean travels, we're used to seeing above-ground cemeteries (you want them to be above the ground-water levels), but I'm pretty sure I've never seen them stacked. And if there are 28 known burials in a spot meant for 7, do you at least get a discount?



Everyone from the Jewish to the Catholics to whatever are allowed to be buried here (albeit in their own sections). I liked that the Otto family was allowed to eternally lay with three pet terriers and a deer too. It has a mini-Arlington dedicated to those who lost their lives on the USS Maine, and even a section for Cuban revolutionaries, flag and all.



There's no question my favorite epitaph is "I told you I was sick." They've buried at least 75,000 people here since 1847 and and it's still growing...I always get creeped out in cemeteries thinking a hand is going to come out of the dirt and reach for me. Like the Zombies might after an A-Conch-Alypse. Spoooky.

I think I'm slowly getting into the right mindset for the Fantasy Fest activities starting tomorrow (Goombay Festival and Royal Coronation).