Who Knew Dead Birds Could Fly?

On Thursday we had a whirlwind tour of Harry Truman's Little White House and th4 Audubon House.

The Little White House was like stepping back into the 1940s--amazing. Originally part of the naval base here on Key West, the navy fixed up the admiral's quarters and let HST in. He visited about 11 times during his working days and after to work, play poker, swim in the ocean, and fish with Bess.

The Audubon House was equally interesting and surrounded by beautiful gardens. John Audubon never actually stayed there, but I guess he used a stick from the property in one of his drawings so when it was threatened with the wrecking ball, people stepped in and made it a museum. It had some period pieces in the house and the walls showcased the original double-elephant ear portfolio-sized works of his Birds of North America. 

Inbetween we strolled about town and learned the story behind some of the buildings and homes in Key West--some built new to look like the old structures (but no two exactly alike) and some old structures redone to look new. We even saw a house that survived the Great Fire of 1886--because its owner blew up the two neighboring houses with dynamite as they set ablaze! Key West has always had some characters. 

We enjoyed an italian farewell dinner at Abbondanza and settled in for the evening. As it was our last full day on the island, I also partook in the nightlife--one of Key West's infamous drag shows on Duval St. It was silly but fun.

As we say goodbye to Key West tomorrow most of us are pretty sad to go...we have even been checking out the real estate prices! The going rate for a 900 sq. ft. home is about $750,000, so we'll be getting on that plane tomorrow.

Ghosts, in More ways than One

Ernest Hemingway was a jerk. There, I said it. The man had 4 wives, the latter three he met and had move in with him and the previous wife before ditching the past to move on. Who does that? And what woman allows it? Old Ernie must have had some hold over his lovers. Also, his house smells like the 50+ cats that live there. FYI.

At the Tennessee Williams exhibit we met the A-No. 1 fan of TW himself. Seriously, this guy could have talked all day about the literary master. 

We also made a quick stop by the Eco Discovery Center to learn more about the coral reefs.

After dinner, I took about half the crew on a ghost tour emphasizing Key Weird's disturbing past. The tour was littered with tales of Robert the Doll, gruesome infernos, and yellow fever victims. I think some people were a tad too skeptical, but some laughs were had along the way.

Tomorrow marks our last full day in Paradise.

Flowers with Wings

Day 3's adventure consisted of a visit to the local butterfly house. Now. As most of you know, I have a pretty serious, and yes, I know, irrational fear of butterflies. I told the group I'd try it, and the man that ran the place told me to just remember they are like "flowers with wings."

Flowers sure as heck don't fly at your head! Some of these butterflies were the size of birds! Needless to say, I got out of there as soon as I could. Absolutely terrifying, but the rest of the group seemed to like it.

After lunch, we were let loose on the town of Key West! My freetime including soaking in some Ray's on the beach and taking a dip in the Straits of Florida and then wandering down Duval Street. I ate a lot of the nefarious key lime pie...some on a stick, some not, and a batch of conch fritters-- and tried (in vain) to catch another sunset. The clouds along the horizon decided it wasn't going to happen.

I ended the evening with a delicious Cuban sandwich outdoors with some friendly looking roosters at my feet. 

Treasure Hunt

On day 2 we set out on a whirlwind tour of Key West with trolley driver Tim at the helm. We got a full view of old and new Key west with a few jokes along the way.

We spent the afternoon exploring the Custom House with a selection of Tennessee William's art and excellent key lime pie before heading across the street to the Mel Fisher museum where treasure hunting came to life with dazzling gold paired against coral-encrusted mystery metal.

A small group hit Hemingway's favorite haunts and shared a drink with the great adventurer's ghost at Sloppy Joe's before meeting up with the whole group for the evening. 

A fleeting view of the overcast sky's rose-hued sunset in Mallory Square was followed by dinner at El Meson de Peppe and Cuban dancing.

A long, but fulfilling start to the week.

First Impressions

Yesterday we spent a good part of the day traveling, but after an early morning we finally made it to the island about 2pm. We disembarked the plane in the prominently advertised "Conch Republic" on the tarmac and walked through the bright sunshine into a tiny airport. Despite the runway being lined with personal planes and a number of larger planes coming in and out, Key West's tiny airport couldn't have more than 2 gates.

After a dramatic shuffle to the hotel (broken bags, tiny bus, taxi vans) we arrived and checked in. The views were worth the wait. 

I went on a quick stroll around the area before our welcome meeting and met the local roosters, saw the southernmost point in the U.S. and an interesting crowd of bar hoppers on duval dressed in animal-fashioned snuggies. Key West is an interesting place indeed!

Already we got a brief glimpse into the history of the Keys with an undersea diver named Alex Okinczyc--a guy from Michigan! He told us his bottle and conch shell finding tales and sang a few songs after dinner. Unfortunately, most of us were pretty tired from the early morning.

Today is a new adventure! Looking forward to witnessing the brillient Key West sunsets and relaxing our way through a day of learning, all while on island time.

Key West: Mile Marker Zero

OLLI is headed off to Key West tomorrow with a group of 27 to soak in some sunshine and immerse themselves in the interesting and somewhat quirky history of the tiny island. 

Embedded in Key West's culture are tales of shipwreck treasures, interesting or famous ghosts and guests, and a clowder of Hemingway's fabled five-toed cats--the adventure is ours for the taking. Viva la Keys!