Key West - Discovering

Walking down Duval Street, I closed my eyes and felt as if I was living in 1934 and Ernest Hemingway was hurrying to Sloppy Joe's to have his afternoon whiskey and to visit with the locals.  Key West is definitely commercialized, but there is still the feel of that particular time period.  The buildings still look the same and there are not any high-rises or modern buildings.

Full-time residents in 2020 is approximately 25,000 compared to the 1930s, when it was around 13,000.  It is the tourists that keeps Key West over-populated.  In 2018, there were more than three million visitors.  But if it wasn't for the tourists, there would be no income coming in. 

The major industries for Key West in the 19th century were wrecking, fishing, turtling and salt manufacturing.  In the early 1831's, the cigar industry was also very important.  Key West became the center of Havana cigar making place in the United States.  It was once the richest city in the U.S. per capita due to the cigar industry and wrecking/salvaging ships that crashed into the reef.

Key West is known for the watersports, beaches, historic sites and its pastel, conch style architecture.  Since I had "48" hours there, I wanted to make sure that I used my time wisely.

My husband and I had flown into Ft. Myers on Thursday and our friends drove over from Orlando.  Early Friday morning, we enjoyed a four hour jet powered catamaran ride(Key West Express) that sailed through the calm waters of the Gulf to our destination of the America's Caribbean Island, Key West.  You can fly into the Keys or drive from Miami.  One hundred and thirteen miles of concrete(known as the Seven Mile Bridge) longest and most scenic forty-two bridges will connect you to paradise, Key West.

To get the feel of Key West, let's look at some interesting facts.  It is Florida's southernmost point, lying roughly 90 miles north of Cuba.  There are more than 700 islands throughout the Florida keys.  It is a small island, only four miles long and two miles wide.  The Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean meet here in the keys at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park.  The only living reef in the U.S. is here.  Key West was originally known as Cayo Hueso(Bone Island).

Arriving in Key West, the four of us headed to our hotel to check-in and to drop off our luggage.  It was almost 2 pm and we were starved.  So we grabbed some food and headed into the historic district of Key West.  Our friends have been to Key West several times.  As we toured the area, the streets were filled with tourists.  Key West Songwriters Festival was this weekend.  It is the largest festival of its kind in the world.  We enjoyed going from bar to bar, listening to the various songwriters.

There is a lot of history in Key West.  Walking down Whitehead Street, we saw the Green Parrot Bar.  This bar dates back to 1890, when it was known as the "Brown Derby".  It was definitely packed and people were enjoying their Friday afternoon.  P.S., Jimmy Buffet hangs out here when he is in town.  As we journey down the street, we came across the Kapok Tree.  We were in awe of its 130 feet height.  This is a sacred tree of the Mayan people who believed that the souls of the dead climbed the kapok tree to reach heaven.  About a block down, we came to the Cornish Memorial Church.  It was founded for the African-American residents of Key West by Sandy Cornish.  He was a slave in 1793 and he purchased his freedom , acquired land and was well-known among the community.

As you wander through the historic district get ready to dodge the roosters and hens and possibly even the baby chicks.  You hear them 24/7 throughout the island.  When cock-fighting became illegal and not as many people were cooking chicken for Sunday dinner, the chickens became liberated and began to roam the island.  They are protected and it is illegal to kill them.  They are known as the "Gypsy Chickens".  

The lovely walk finally got us to our destination for dinner, Santiago Bodega.  This very quaint restaurant was off the beaten path and away from the crowds.  It is definitely a restaurant that I would go back to.

Saturday was our one full day in Key West.  Our day began at the eccentric, iconic "Blue Heaven".  A must for breakfast.  The outdoor seating and the live music made our hearty breakfast that much better.

After our delicious breakfast, we headed south on Whitehead Street.  We came to Hemingway' house, but the line was long.  Hemingway and his second wife, lived there during the 1930's.  During this time, he wrote some novels and many short stories, such as "The Snows of Kilimanjaro".  Next time, I will take the time to tour the house and see Hemingway's cats that are known for their extra toes.  Hemingway received the cat "Snow White" from a sailing captain.  Among sailors, 6-toed cats are viewed as good luck.

Across the street is the Key West Lighthouse, a sixty-five foot tower, was completed in 1825.  There are eighty-eight steps to the top and the view is sensational.

After walking several more blocks, Whitehead Street dead ended at the Southernmost Point Buoy of the Continental U.S.  This is one of the most visited and photographed icon.  From this point, you are about ninety miles from Cuba.

What is so nice about Key West is that you can walk everywhere.  My daily goal is to walk 10,000 steps daily and today was a day that I was going to overachieve those steps.

The Butterfly Conservatory was about a block from he Southernmost Point.  I enjoyed an hour of wandering through this conservatory and observing the various butterflies.  This is home to 50-60 different species of butterflies.

In between sightseeing, we rested our feet and wet our whistle at the many bars along the way.

Onward to Higgs Beach to enjoy the white sand, tropical trees, aqua blue water and people watching.  We also enjoyed a delicious meal at "Salute!".  

After enjoying the beach, we headed north on Duval.  We took a side-trip on Windsor to see The Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea, which is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in Florida.  One last stop before heading back to our hotel and that was going to be "Sloppy Joe's" to enjoy music and a "Sloppy Rita".  

Sunday morning came early.  We packed and stored our luggage so that we could enjoy a few more hours in Key West before boarding the Key West Express to Ft. Myers.  One needs a protein breakfast before beginning the day.  Harpoon Harry's was our targeted destination.  Key Lime French Toast and crispy bacon was how I started the day.  Yum!!!! 

With a full stomach, we all boarded The Conch Tour Train.  Our guide, Bob, was full of information and facts about the island.  The train passed sites that we already seen, as well as buildings that we hadn't seen.  Our last stop was "Sloppy Joe's" for one more Sloppy Ritas and the others enjoyed a Corona Light.

On the trip back to Ft. Myers, we enjoyed a spectacular sunset to the west.  We were in awe as we watched the fire ball sun dropped into the blue ocean.

Forty-eight hours went by fast, but a good time was enjoyed by all.  The friends, the food, the sun and the warm temperatures were what we all needed to restore our souls.  

Key West Mural

Key West Butterfly Conservatory

Southernmost Point in Florida

 

A Will to Live

We all have known someone who has received bad news that due to an illness, injury, etc, they only had a limited amount of time to live.  Some have given up due to the news, but then there is that percentage that tells the world "I am not giving up!"  Watch out world!  They were so determined that they outlived what the medical professionals had predicted.

The one person that I know who had the "will to live" is my sweet, precious nephew, Graham.  He has beat all odds and at the age of twenty-three he is graduating from high school.  To me he is the true definition of "success".

Even as a newborn, Graham had the "will to live".  When people tell you that newborns don't really hear or understand their surroundings, they are totally wrong.  Graham was born with the insight and direction that he needed to "survive" and to "beat all odds". 

I have shared Graham's story, but I want to share it again.  He was born weighing 6 pounds and 8 ounces.  He was the cutest baby with his ten toes and ten fingers.  At the time Graham was born, the mom and baby got to stay in the hospital for at least three days compared to now days.  The hospital stay went well.

After coming home, Graham cried a lot and also was not gaining any weight.  My sister, Terri, and brother-in-law, Gary, did everything in seeking medical advice and reading up on newborns.  The months grew weary on Terri and Gary in trying to care for their precious baby.

Four months later, Graham was scheduled for hernia surgery.  We all thought this was the answer.  He went into the hospital weighing 8 pounds and 2 ounces(this is four months later).  

The surgery went well.  But when they were trying to wake him up from the surgery, he went into a code blue.  For some reason, he wasn't able to swallow.  This is when all doctors and nurses got on board and began to do various blood work and run other tests to figure out exactly what the situation was.

After a few days, Graham was diagnosed.  He had a chromosomal condition that can be classified as a monosomy 21(a deletion of the 21st chromosome).  When he was diagnosed at four months, he was a "failure to thrive baby".  It was determined that he did not have the ability to swallow and manage food.  He had surgery to place a G-button for tube feeding, as well as a wrap on the esophagus to prevent reflux.

At this time, Terri and Gary were told that there were not really any other cases like him.  In the few that were similar, the babies died.  We were told that Graham would never walk or talk and that he would be severely retarded.

God had other plans for Graham and for the rest of our family.  Graham had such a "will to survive".  It is hard to imagine a four month old struggling for life, but he did.  He knew that he had the best parents that a kid could ever want and that the extended family would love him no matter what.

Graham has defied the odds.  He does walk and run.  He is delayed in speech and social skills.  He does understand everything you say.  I can remember feeding him after he came home from the hospital.  At 1 a.m., I would be rocking him and holding the milk up so that it would go through the G-button(this was before they had the machine that feeds him his milk now).  He would look up at you with those big brown eyes.  It was as if he was talking to you and thanking you for not giving up on him.  As you talked to him, he would hear everything that you said.  Maybe he couldn't respond, but you knew that he knew "how much he was loved".

Here we are twenty-three years later and we will watch him graduate from high school.  The school that he attends is exceptional.  When you are at the school, you feel the love that these teachers have given to their students.  They have encouraged and taught new things to them.  The teachers have also worked with the parents in guiding them into not being "helicopter parents", but to allow their children to try things.  Whatever their child does is perfect.

No, he will not work on Wall Street in New York or work in a office, but he can write his name; he can put the silverware into the drawer from the dishwasher; he loves playing on his laptop; he is a pro at English riding; he dresses up in many different costumes and he especially loves being with his mom and dad and family.  There is something about his hugs and kisses that puts a smile on your face.

I once read that success is "to be found in the way in which we live out our lives day in and day out.  It is to be found as we pursue what God calls us to be and to do.  Success is not the end of a process.  It is how we undertake the process called life".

Graham, you are a "success"!  You have shown myself and others what it means to live and to enjoy each day of life.  Thank you for having that "will to survive" so that I could be a better person!

Graham - Congratulations!

 

A Couple's Retreat

Everyone needs a get-away, even couples.  There are so many books out there for individuals in building friendships.  We sometimes forget that couples need couple friends, as well.  The dynamics of building a relationship with a friend is sometimes very challenging.  Think if you add two more people to the equation, you have four different personalities of people being with each other for an evening and/or traveling together.  As we all know, it is hard to get two people to agree on something.  So what about four people or more trying to agree?

This past weekend, five couples enjoyed three days of being together, eating, laughing and having fun.

Needless to say this is a unique group of friends.  About five years ago, I wrote a story about the guys and how their friendship began in high school in 1973.  Fourteen years ago, my husband decided that the guys should get back together and take a five day rafting trip down the Snake River.  Of course, they were all on board.  Since that time, they guys do a rafting trip every two years.  When these guys are together, they reminisced about their high school years as well as talk about all they have done since graduating from high school, almost 50 years ago.

Throughout the past years, the couples have started meeting for dinner, football games and so much more. The wives have gotten to know each other throughout the years.  Two of the couples began dating in high school.  There are three wives(including myself) that weren't apart of the group since high school.  It is always fun hearing about the adventures they had in high school, as well as hearing about other friends.

As I sit here and type, I realize that in the past fifteen years, we have all made some big changes in our lives.  We have all moved into new homes and new areas away from Spring, Texas, where the friendships began in 1973.

The weekend was flawless.  One could see how God orchestrated everything.  From all of us being available to the weather being perfect.  Last fall, we had attended one of the couple's son's wedding in Blanco, Texas.  We all had so much fun together that we decided we needed to plan another weekend.  Another couple lives in East Texas and they said "we have the perfect place".  A friend down the road from them had a home on 660 acres that would accommodate us.  Bedrooms and bathrooms for each couple.  I don't think the rest of the group could comprehend the home that our friends were recommending.

Let me tell you from the time that we entered through the gate on the gravel road through the piney forest, all anxiety and worries left us.  As we turned the corner, the view of seeing miles and miles of  a rolling forest "took our breath away".   Everyone who entered the house, could say nothing but "Wow".  We all knew that this would be a weekend that we would never forget. 

Just imagine, sitting around laughing, talking, eating and resting for 48+ hours with no cares in the world.  Bill and Amy treated the other four couples like royalty.  From preparing all the food to entertaining us with shooting skeet, riding four wheelers and just relaxing around a bonfire at night. It was definitely a weekend of relaxation, restoring souls and bonding relationships.  

Yes, we are all different, but we also respect each other and the choices that we have all made throughout the years.  There have been various trials and tribulations in our lives, but without a shadow of a doubt, each of us know that we are there for one another.  You can't put a price on friendship.  Proverbs 18:24 states "Some friendships do not last, but some friends are more loyal than brothers."

It is worth getting away from ones routines and taking time to build long lasting friendships. We all agreed that we needed to do it again.  "2022" is already booked!

The Five Couples

The home in the Piney Woods.