On my trips walking downtown Key West I have amassed quite a few pictures which didn't fit in with the stories I wanted to tell so I thought to string them together at random like the billboard says at Sloppy Joe's: "You'll see it all at Key West Diary." First I caught these chickens standing around being fowl in New Town. I am not overly fond of them but so far my neighborhood on Ramrod Key is fowl free. I like my mourning doves, thanks, Key West can have it's chickens.
Alongside the chickens I saw this decrepit old thing, with 25,000 miles on the clock and nothing left to give I rather think. These 40 year old Honda 750s were ground breaking motorcycles when I was a kid, four cylinders, disc brakes and reliable, they spelled the end of the dominance of Harley Davidsons and Triumphs in the big bike leagues:
Sic transit gloria mundi. On the streets of downtown I saw what appeared to be a mundane pizza delivery machine, in a picture that at first seemed over exposed and yet on reflection illustrates the white hot heat of summer (with apologies to Arizona where it is really hot):
And here's a puzzler, what has pie got to do with the Virgin Islands I wonder?
Personally I'd rather have a roti (a Caribbean burrito frequently of goat meat). On the subject of food I noticed fake Scandinavian ice cream has moved into the building where Ben and Jerry's used to be:
I saw these people scooping soft serve from the chain restaurant, so I guess they came all this way to eat what is familiar rather than try something new and exotic at Flamingo Crossing down Duval?
Mind you, locals like this place, DQ, out of all proportion; good luck finding it if you are a visitor:
And on the subject, more or less of food, I understand this place will soon be no more, as the landlord has raised the rent out of sight, they say:
Somebody I'm sure will lament their passing, but I for one found deep fried balls of macaroni and cheese to be a little too robust for even my digestive system. Police officers will undoubtedly miss the weekend off duty details, if the rumors of their imminent closure are true.Here's another random downtown picture. It occurs to me we have a long way to go on the resource preservation front if all we can think of to do with our precious water is spray it pointlessly in the air:
The city has been making noises about forcing residents to recycle, an idea that so far has gone over like the proverbial lead balloon. People in Key West are not known for their foresight, charming though they may be. Putting up bizarre signs isn't beyond the grasp of your average Key West business person, even if recycling is beyond their grasp:
No Trespassing? Where? At the payphone? Who are these people with these weird signs, what do they mean? I am going to go to my grave with too many unanswered questions, I know it.
The city has been making noises about forcing residents to recycle, an idea that so far has gone over like the proverbial lead balloon. People in Key West are not known for their foresight, charming though they may be. Putting up bizarre signs isn't beyond the grasp of your average Key West business person, even if recycling is beyond their grasp:No Trespassing? Where? At the payphone? Who are these people with these weird signs, what do they mean? I am going to go to my grave with too many unanswered questions, I know it.Among my other failings was my inability to commission a work of art by the late Captain Outrageous. He was a stressed out businessman from Up North who came to Key West and put polka dots on a whim on some item of domestic utility, a bicycle perhaps, and found he had started a hobby which became a business s which led to his sudden demise on the floor of his own gallery in town. One can still see the odd brightly painted scooter bicycle or car covered in his outrageous creations but I'm sure his death will put a crimp on their daily use. Imitation is flattery they tell us, and it is cheerful in its own way:
Here's an example of a Captain Outrageous scooter:
Some people, the lucky ones, come to Key West and discover they have a gift previously unknown to them. Others find their reward at the DMV, but the message remains the same:
And some encourage youngsters to be creative. I am very fond of the painting project on city fireplugs all around town, another expression of Key West style:
Do you suppose this crocodile of out of town youngsters gets to be creative with fire hydrants Up North?
And had they looked up from following Dad's exertions they might have spotted this, which I actually doubt because I hadn't spotted it before. I don't even know why I was looking up at the top of the Curry mansion when I did see it:
I am unsure if it's a wrecker looking hopefully for a wreck, or the captain's wife checking for his ship, or the captain's wife's anxious lover doing the same (as some rather spiteful interpretations of the widow's walk have the legend). Anyway there it is for all to see and for most of us never to notice. (They took him/her down for Fay and s/he wasn't back up a week later). Or what about this suspension of reality?
It makes the bicycle harder to steal I grant you but it also makes it bloody awkward to use. A bad parking job you might argue, like my silver Nissan Maxima parked on Elizabeth Street, only a short walk from the curb. But the red pickup was all over the sidewalk. Disgraceful says I:
You'd think we had both been imbibing at Hogs Breath but I know I hadn't, I just stopped by to take a picture...
...and just look at those bicycles, what a gruesome parking job. I am not alone.
Here's an example of a Captain Outrageous scooter:Some people, the lucky ones, come to Key West and discover they have a gift previously unknown to them. Others find their reward at the DMV, but the message remains the same:And some encourage youngsters to be creative. I am very fond of the painting project on city fireplugs all around town, another expression of Key West style:Do you suppose this crocodile of out of town youngsters gets to be creative with fire hydrants Up North?And had they looked up from following Dad's exertions they might have spotted this, which I actually doubt because I hadn't spotted it before. I don't even know why I was looking up at the top of the Curry mansion when I did see it:I am unsure if it's a wrecker looking hopefully for a wreck, or the captain's wife checking for his ship, or the captain's wife's anxious lover doing the same (as some rather spiteful interpretations of the widow's walk have the legend). Anyway there it is for all to see and for most of us never to notice. (They took him/her down for Fay and s/he wasn't back up a week later). Or what about this suspension of reality?It makes the bicycle harder to steal I grant you but it also makes it bloody awkward to use. A bad parking job you might argue, like my silver Nissan Maxima parked on Elizabeth Street, only a short walk from the curb. But the red pickup was all over the sidewalk. Disgraceful says I:You'd think we had both been imbibing at Hogs Breath but I know I hadn't, I just stopped by to take a picture......and just look at those bicycles, what a gruesome parking job. I am not alone.