When we had to go up the Keys to a meeting my wife had to attend in Islamorada we found ourselves with 40 minutes in hand and no idea what to do. "I'm hungry" I said and as I had agreed to chauffeur my wife to Mile Marker 89 she was morally unable to ignore my plea. We had no idea where to eat around here so we ducked into the first place we saw. Craig's, it was called. 
It didn't look particularly distinguished but it was cool and shaded inside and there was also shaded parking outside for Cheyenne in the car. My wife ordered stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer, ignoring my doubts. I love mushrooms and truffles, growing up as I did in Umbria, a part of the world where fungus is venerated. My sister curiously hates the stuff and she still lives there. For me olive oil, garlic and fresh mushrooms constitute the ideal side dish. However when it comes to commercially grown mushroom caps I have my doubts and then when you take the American penchant for overdoing it I figure no good can come of it. Well, I guess once again I was wrong. They actually tasted rather good, not greasy and not overblown. We ate three before I remembered the obligatory picture.
They were good enough we might have to stop by again on our next Overseas Highway trip and check out the big yellow sign.
Cheyenne and I took a pleasant walk together in the neighborhood, more on that later but I saw plenty to photograph.
Silly me, I though the Church of Christ crowd were all biblical and talking in tongues but perhaps that's another sect with a different God because this lot didn't appear to be, one way and another.
Back down on Earth I was surprised to see a Marc House store though it was rather insular of me to be surprised. Marc used to stand for Monroe Association for Retarded Citizens which left them stuck with an image problem in the 21st Century so the acronym remains but has been amended to Monroe Association for ReMarcable Citizens. They are a heroic lot reminding the rest of us that just because this is a small community doesn't mean anyone has to get left behind. Rather the reverse.
People ride bicycles in the Upper Keys too. Though this does look more like recreation than transport.
I too should have been riding to work off the caloric mushroom caps but I just took Cheyenne for a walk instead. Which is a story for another day.
It didn't look particularly distinguished but it was cool and shaded inside and there was also shaded parking outside for Cheyenne in the car. My wife ordered stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer, ignoring my doubts. I love mushrooms and truffles, growing up as I did in Umbria, a part of the world where fungus is venerated. My sister curiously hates the stuff and she still lives there. For me olive oil, garlic and fresh mushrooms constitute the ideal side dish. However when it comes to commercially grown mushroom caps I have my doubts and then when you take the American penchant for overdoing it I figure no good can come of it. Well, I guess once again I was wrong. They actually tasted rather good, not greasy and not overblown. We ate three before I remembered the obligatory picture.
They were good enough we might have to stop by again on our next Overseas Highway trip and check out the big yellow sign.Cheyenne and I took a pleasant walk together in the neighborhood, more on that later but I saw plenty to photograph.Silly me, I though the Church of Christ crowd were all biblical and talking in tongues but perhaps that's another sect with a different God because this lot didn't appear to be, one way and another.Back down on Earth I was surprised to see a Marc House store though it was rather insular of me to be surprised. Marc used to stand for Monroe Association for Retarded Citizens which left them stuck with an image problem in the 21st Century so the acronym remains but has been amended to Monroe Association for ReMarcable Citizens. They are a heroic lot reminding the rest of us that just because this is a small community doesn't mean anyone has to get left behind. Rather the reverse.
People ride bicycles in the Upper Keys too. Though this does look more like recreation than transport.
I too should have been riding to work off the caloric mushroom caps but I just took Cheyenne for a walk instead. Which is a story for another day.
Trailer Park residents get to use this waterfront view point overlooking the beach.
This is stereotypical Florida, the one where old people come to spend their "golden years." I don't get to see much of this in the Keys. 
Bob popped out and asked about Cheyenne (not me). He noted down her name and city of origin because apparently he publishes the name of visiting dogs in the local paper. As odd an obsession as keeping a photo diary, one could say.
I was proud of myself; I remembered to take his picture. 
Locally the way they protect the coastline is by making it as inaccessible to visitors as possible. Which is a shame.
It's good to get out of town occasionally. It reminds you of the good and the loose at home. Not enough people leave the Keys from time to time to see how the rest of the country lives.
My computer at work has every single business listed by location so if you say: "A green motorcycle is on the ground in front of Cypress House. The rider is unconscious and bleeding from the mouth." my colleagues will get rescue and a fire engine rolling immediately. If you say "I don't live in Key West and someone is on the ground and I don't know what happened." They won't. Sometimes Rescue gets held up by the narrow streets. Luckily this propane truck driver knew exactly what to do and did it. Please note that Elizabeth, for some impenetrable reason, is sometimes treated as a real two way street. A quick three point turn done by an expert in a hurry and Rescue Four barely had to slow down to get by.
But I was not at work so I let Rescue rush by and Cheyenne and I had better things to do than worry about response times. More renovation underneath this tin roof. The debate continues as to whether roofs in Old Town should be allowed to be painted white as an energy saving tool. Some people argue that there is plenty of wasted electricity all over town and changing the nature of preservation in Old Town is a bad idea. I have some sympathy for this point of view, but somehow even if they allow white roofs I doubt many people will do it. My electricity bills have dropped by a lot (I'm still measuring them but perhaps 30%) since I tinted my windows and added insulation under the floor of my stilt home.
This side yard, not much than a walk way really caught my eye. Some people know how to do a lot with not very much. 
I like Seven Fish, a place with not much ceiling insulation. It is extra cosy during a summer thunderstorm. The food is excellent and I am trying to remember why I haven't been back in a long while.
Two Honda Helix scooters, brilliant machines in production for decades, which epitomize sensible riding. However 70 mph is as fast as they will ever go so for me, perhaps they are not ideal. I don't ride at 70mph much at all but a motorcycle's top sensible cruising speed is measured (or used to be when I was a youngster) at 80% of top speed, which means a Helix is good for traveling at 55mph which is a bit slow for me if you imagine trying to pass a car doing 50mph. I love their rugged, sensible good looks though.
Dade County Pine, Florida's answer to indestructible teak for exterior construction. So oily and effective is Dade Pine that it is no longer available in Dade County but can I am told, be purchased at the cost of an arm and a leg from places in the panhandle. It is impervious to tropical weather and insects and looks quite lovely without a lick of paint.
My colleague saw this home for sale and is thinking the market is low enough he might be able to secure a property for his old age in the city. The home is on Simonton Street at Olivia and is a hollow shell.
It has three bedrooms and a bath in 1200 square feet (110 meters) and needs a lot of interior work. In Key West this would be almost move in condition with a cot and a toilet. Keith's Dad the handyman might have to plan some extended vacations in Key West if the bank which owns the house ever bothers to return Keith's calls of inquiry.
Keith is hoping the asking price might be south of $250,000 based on some quick market analysis he has done. He's be across the street from Bobby's Monkey Bar, one of the few gay establishments that doesn't specialize in loud music, so Keith figures he will still be able to get some sleep.
Further up Simonton Street I spotted this fully finished house apparently for sale, according to this well posted sign. I guess if they really wanted to sell it they might be a tad bit more... energetic?
I got some odd looks from these people striding up the street. Either it was because Cheyenne was circling some interesting smell and failing to walk in a straight line, or perhaps my clothing (the pink things) seemed disturbing to them.
It is said that pineapples are a symbol of welcome in Key West so everyone wants to join the move to appear sociable (why?) thus we get pineapple art everywhere. Me? I'd stick the pineapple on your chair after you'd worn out your welcome, and dare you to sit on it. I actually have two rather nice pineapples growing this year but my strawberries haven't done shit. So I am more grumpy than usual about my fruit.
Mind you, he's wearing black socks and no shirt so perhaps I should have called the fashion police instead. "9-1-1? I'm somewhere in Key West..."
The newspaper says it's a hundred miles north of the National Park which is seventy miles west of Key West accessible by ferry or seaplane. 
They believe the oil sheen may come within 50 miles (80kms) by the weekend. 
Some people can find fault with anything but I like these trees, not least because I like the bright colors and sharp contrasts that characterize colors in the natural tropics. I look out at deep blue skies, puffy white clouds and shiny green leaves. Some people like fog and drizzle and some like sun on a crisp snowfield. Me? This is my nirvana.
I have noticed over the years that trees decorate wealthy neighborhoods. Poor people don't seem to merit the expense of foliage that occupies space that could be more profitably used in low class neighborhoods. Key West has plenty of wealth and thus plenty of trees.
