The Golden Van

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Waterfront Ramble

So Anonymous thought it might be an idea to chat up a young dude living on a boat named Prodigal Son. I thought this to be no bad idea and there I went to check it out.

And there it was tied up snug next to the Western Union schooner, that small, mastless sailboat has fallen into the second life of boats around here, serving as accommodations.

No one was on board this visit, perhaps I'll have better luck next time though I am usually in town in the afternoon and he is likely out on the water then...

Weirdly enough even the functioning charter boats touting for business have taken to hanging it all out there. Conch Pearl may be the name but laundry scow appears to be the game, and I cant imagine it makes people want to join them and their underwear for a sunset sail:

The waterfront is a busy place in winter with flocks of people wandering back and forth, but in late July its too hot to attract drifting crowds. I heard a few Europeans talking, a common feature of summers in Key West, poor things they know no better than to come to the Keys in baking season:

Sailing is tricky this time of year as winds are down and thunderstorms are up, so going on the water means less sailing and more other stuff (motoring):

I've seen this trimaran around for some time and I rather like the elaborate cabin arrangement, its probably too heavy to sail well with a floating bar in the cabin but that isn't a consideration for most passengers in my experience as a charter captain:

Schooner Wharf uses their boat as an advertising prop pure and simple, and quite the eye catcher it is too:

On the subject of eye catching I wouldn't have the nerve to wander around in public looking like this but I guess they were sea scouts or some other worthy thing and it must make it easy for the scoutmaster to keep an eye on his flock. You can just see the heat pressing down on that splendid hat :

The short stretch of waterfront near Schooner Wharf is home to the key West symbol of seafaring which is the Western Union and a group of enthusiasts have taken on the task of refurbishing the boat as a floating museum ever since Historic Tours unceremoniously dumped it one day without notice.

Within living memory Western Union used this sailboat to lay telegraph cable to Havana, and if that sounds old fashioned bear in mind today there are something absurd like half a dozen phone lines to Cuba and good luck making a call.

Summertime on the waterfront, flat waters and gentle breezes, and sweat springing up through the pores of your skin in a form of liquid spontaneous combustion. It has become noticeably hotter lately and I like being out and about in it as much as I can (with the proviso that a/c be available at the end of the rainbow!):

Its that time of year, even in a good year, when business slows down to a crawl in the Southernmost City, including in the cute little booths along Lazy Way Lane:

At least they are open for business again after a period when it seemed everything was going to stay shuttered on the lane over a rental dispute. It's said around town that Harbor House, the new development behind Schooner Wharf has gone bankrupt and construction has stopped for now on the old Jabour's Trailer Park property.

The snowbird bums are Up North for the summer enjoying the refreshment of greenery and so forth, just like their housed counterparts, so the monument is uninhabited, nay it is positively deserted, abandoned:

Fire the proverbial cannon down Greene Street and all you'd end up doing at the end of July is knocking a couple of mad dog visitors off their Honda Metropolitans:

Swivel the cannon ninety degrees to the left and if you missed the scooter riders before you'd get a second chance as they cruise the urban desert of downtown Key West:

I didn't find the Prodigal Son this time around but I had a nice excuse to check out the boardwalk one more time. This blog is a great excuse to just go for a ramble.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Curry Hammock Trail

I wrote an essay on Curry Hammock State Park a few months ago but I never did take the nature trail which is less than a mile from the main park entrance at Mile Marker 56, and every time I've driven up to the mainland I've eyed the turnout longingly. So, being the damn fool I am, I decided August was as good a time as any to go for a walk in the woods, something coincidentally I haven't done for ages. So off i went on a bright hot sunny Monday morning.

The parking area is only a quarter mile from the entrance to the trail itself. One parks in the pea rock and one strolls down the bike path that parallels Highway One. Its not far but it is hot:

And there was no shade so I soon got to wondering how it felt to be riding the highway rather than ambling alongside it...

About the time I finally arrived at the turnoff and I ducked into the shade some intrepid soul on a bicycle whizzed by on his way God knows where:

Along with shade the trail starts out promisingly enough looking like a waterhole for large tusked mammals, because this is rainy season after all:

And rainy season brings out the mossies as well. While I am relatively immune to their bites I am not overly fond of them when they dig in. This one lasted about three seconds after the shutter clicked:

I did manage to remember the sunscreen but I did of course forget to apply repellent, which I carry in my saddlebag... so things got worse rather than better. I came across a loud unhappy family paddling around the salt water's edge, the kids were squalling, perhaps they had no repellent either, and Dad was clumping around trying to shush them which made it all worse. Mom stood in the water and contemplated happier times and happier places:

Despite reports to the contrary the Keys aren't for everybody.

I took off down the trail which got narrower, windier and apparently no one had been down before me for a while as the thatch palms were draped with curtains of cobwebs. It was the usual picturesque woodland scene typical of the Keys and the Bahamas:

I don't know if it was the sudden lack of a fresh breeze or the insistent snarling of the mosquitoes but the fun started to drain out of the walk. The forest closed in:

The trail became less obvious at the same time my absent minded forgetfulness had left the cold water far away in an inconvenience store somewhere in Marathon. I could see the bottle on the shelf all cool and dewy and ready to be drunk. In front of me I saw only this:

All along the trail, perhaps a mile in length I had heard the sounds of traffic on the Highway, paralleling the trail itself. Then suddenly to my left I saw civilization through the scrub:

Ah yes the joys of a clear sky and bright sunlight!

Just time and strength enough to amble back to the parking lot and get on the motorcycle to blow away the last of those pesky insects:

If there were any doubt, this is in fact a gentle walk best enjoyed in Winter.

Monday, August 4, 2008

James Street

James Street is two blocks long and busy as a hive of bees with traffic at certain times of the day, the rest of the time its in its own torpor. Its the sort of street that visitors pass by a dozen times a week and never notice. For people who know the area, James is a short cut from Eaton via Frances or a way of avoiding Caroline Street around Conch Harbor and the Ferry terminal. It's residential so it doesn't do to behave badly on this street but in winter its a nice way to avoid snowbirds queuing at the light on Eaton at Grinnell. James Street is cut in half by Grinnell and that is the home to one of the nicer Irish pubs in Key West, in my opinion. Perhaps that's because when I lived on a boat it was a short hop from the water to a pint of Guinness and they used to welcome my Labrador too in the days before some people got fussy about dogs in bars:

They are building next to the pub and I'm betting someone is going to be complaining about the noise down the road:

The luxury development is called Ocean Breeze and would it sadden you to know this lot used to be a nursery filled with all those plants we decorate our yards with. I remember too there used to be the graffiti on the fence here "they paved paradise and put up a parking lot" from the Joni Mitchell song. I guess it was referring to the huge Park and Ride building across the street (the subject of a future essay) but it goes well with the current state of construction. Tara meets manufactured housing:

McMansion anyone? You can't have this one, carriage lamps and all because it must belong to:

I need to remember to do that; put my name on my parking space at home. I'm sure my wife would be delighted. The dog from Finnegan's Wake seemed indifferent in the heat:

And so did this spectacular tree:

But people still keep hoping, they don't give up and just stand there, they put bumper stickers on their cars and hope for better times:

I like a quiet street with a few of those cute little homes they specialise in around here:

Were you to have had breakfast at say Harpoon Harry's and resolutely turn your back on the waterfront, after a block you'd see this relatively rare tree in Key West:

And up James street in the shade of another tree there is this final example of a mid century shed, or garage, moldering gently in the humidity. Its been mouldering there for years, as long as I can remember:

The sign says no parking so one assumes the red car belongs to the owner. Be careful when parking in Key West, doing as others do can lead you to a ticket or a $200 tow if you park wherever you feel like. I used to use the open space in back as a secret parking lot which may account for the fence:

The times they are a-changing because from the upstairs at the parking building I saw a lawnmower standing by to keep the place in apple pie order:

Across the street I saw a Key West sized car, a Suzuki convertible that used to be seen on the road and now seems to be doing its own bit of moldering:

This was where i saw a guy striding up the sidewalk carrying a bag of golf clubs. Which in itself shouldn't have caught my eye but his rather dressed down look prompted speculation:

Key West is home to casual dress but I wonder what the minimum requirement is at the golf course on Stock Island? Flip flops and a tank top?