Two Wheeled Burrito

So, what is wrong with beards, I ask. I am not a vain man, how could I be when I get snarky comments from strangers about my pink footwear, but I do like my beard and I am, apparently, in good company.I never know where inspiration for an essay will come but this one hit me between the eyes while I was at Badboy Burrito getting dinner to go for two. While they made my two Gaucho Ernesto's I flipped through a picture book of photographs of artwork on the old Berlin Wall, whence came the fragment reproduced above.It was hot in the store especially on the other side of the papaya where the work was getting done. My dog was out in the air conditioning waiting for my return. We were about 50 yards from the location of the murder last week of a woman who got her head bashed in behind First State Bank. I had gone home before it got called in but I met the CSI the next night and Don was looking rather tired. "Any suspects? " I asked on my way to the Communications Center and to my surprise he said he rather thought he had some idea. I was very proud to hear they got the suspect and according to the paper they got a confession inside 30 hours from when the crime was reported. Violent crime in Key west is rare and usually between people who know each other, with the exception of last Fantasy Fest's stabbing when an innocent bystander was stabbed to death by some Miami based whack job. Anyway I had the night off and my wife didn't feel like cooking so I suggested, as I was in town anyway, I'd take home a couple of tortilla wrapped concoctions. So I did and as I stood next to the air conditioning unit I pondered the outside world. Not much there, on Simonton Street.Oops, wait a minute there goes a scooter in the ninety degree (32 C) heat.As I stood and looked out the window I started to see a pattern. The window air conditioning unit was, as my burrito maker pointed out, the best place to wait, but it was having a tough time. The orange number was the desired temperature, the green number was the actual and as far as I could tell ne'er the twain would meet. More action outside, if you can call it action.

I thought this might be indicative of what to expect if one wants to move to Key West and live the life of Riley in the sub tropics.

Background check? No pets? And fully 500 square feet (40 meters) Phew... Welcome to Key West grasshopper. Now go get a job that can pay for this munificence which includes something north of three thousand dollars just to move in. More pedaling action going on outside which I nearly missed thanks to the bulletin board.

These two I liked especially the one in back with the con leche. Remember how hot it was outside. They nearly lost their collective balance which would have made a better picture than this one. Brave souls.

Two wheels good, motorized better.

Then the burrito bag arrived, twenty dollars worth of dinner, but I didn't have enough pictures to make a essay so I waited for the next hapless passer by or two.

Nearly missed that one, behind the Monroe County Transit bus.This one I didn't miss.This dude had gloves, earphones and sensible shoes on. Over dressed you might say.

This is the Badboy delivery Vespa LX50.

Key West daily living. Much like anywhere else only sunnier. And more expensive.

School's Out

This is the time of year when young people get to stay home and work on the farm to bring the crops in during harvest season. That was the reason why school's close during the summer months the whole world over. The fact that students don't stay down on the farm anymore hasn't changed the school year's extended summer vacation. Teachers like the schedule and I know they are nicely stressed by the time the year is coming to a close.My wife was going around pointing out that all six of her students sitting for graduation passed. "100% of your students graduated," and experienced administrator pointed out to her. She teaches in the Keys Center, a school that teaches troubled youth that want to change and do better. They select their students and work with them all year long (ten months) to instill proper learning techniques. Summer is a time to relax for teachers as well as students.Monroe County Schools have been struggling to cut a 90 million dollar budget by ten percent and Keys Center has survived the cuts which means students that may fall between the cracks won't for at least one more year. I am filled with admiration for the schools in the Keys which offer traditional close relationships between teachers and students, and offer tons of activities and cultural activities that are dropping by the wayside on the mainland. The band is a going concern, physical fitness is taught and I find most students to be polite and well mannered in an old fashioned way when I meet them around town. The best of Island Living. So now that the school year is over my wife gathered the staff together at Nan's waterfront home on Sugarloaf Key and they had a blow out. I showed up at my wife's insistence though I was shy about butting in and eating their food but I need not have worried- there was plenty of food and drink for all.Michael made some extraordinary black bean quesadillas with mole sauce. He also introduced me to the concept of filling a watermelon with vodka. There was some discussion about young people on Youtube pouring vodka into their eyes. Among we, the middle aged, there were not takers to try out this novel way of absorbing alcohol. After swimming kayaking and sunbathing the afternoon agenda turned to charades.The idea was to write all the students names on a piece of paper and draw them at random and then act out the students' foibles. Nan, the office manager had seen it all. Cathy and Heather laughed at the quirks but when it came to be her turn to perform Cathy stood up, thoughtful and muttered: " This is work!" Heather, the school counselor countered; "This is release!"The names went round a couple of times and even for an outside observer like me the student types are kids we recognize, that we grew up with and that live in our memories.

Some of us were not impressed. "Miss Goldman! I can't do this!""This is too hard!!" It amazes me how teachers manage to balance their work, their students, the parents, and the bureaucracy of teaching and still they end the year with a sense of fondness for their charges and a sense of satisfaction for a job well done for the year. Other people go fishing to release their stress.

The charades were not limited to students, the teachers took on each other......to everyone's amusement.

And none of this stirred Cheyenne.

They give lip service to teachers while they want to tear down their unions, their pensions, their inadequate salaries. Put Goldman Sachs in charge of schools I say., teach the kids how to cheat and lie and steal from an early age. Much more effective. Besides the bonuses would be gigantic!

Varela Street

Cat sleeping. I saw the cat and so I pulled out my camera and there I was taking pictures of the street. Blame the sleeping cat for this essay.Varela Street runs from Truman south, a part of Old Town away from Duval Street and the main tourist attractions. You too could have a cottage in Old Town. See? Poinciana tree, modest homes, a regular residential street in Key West. Labrador in poinciana blossoms.Varela at Truman dead ends into the former Sunlion Jewelry. The former owner went to jail for 12 years after he was convicted of breaking his probation terms. He had struck three scooter riders while driving stoned.he was stopped while on probation and found to be driving...while stoned. Some people in the community were offended he got 12 years. Drunk drivers freak me, the motorcyclist,out. I see this closed store and rue the power of drugs over us. It's hard not to think of some otherwise decent guy, a businessman in jail when he could be out living an ordinary, everyday life, riding a bicycle, say, or walking his dog and taking pictures.I used to see "notions" stores in the Bahamas, and I love this old sign in the window. I'm not exactly sure what notions are.

This corner of Varela and Truman is a hive of busy business.Padre Felix Varela y Morales was born in Cuba in 1788 and was ordained a priest at age 23. At age 30 we was elected to the Spanish parliament where he spoke out against slavery and was ultimately sent into exile to the United States where he took care of his fellow Cuban refugees. I doubt one in a hundred residents of Varela Street in Key West spare him a thought today. Sic transit gloria mundi. From the sublime to the ridiculous: I am not eligible to park here, obviously.

I wanted to knock on someone's door and point out these bougainvillea and poinciana blossoms clash. I'm surprised the Historic Architecture Review commission allows it. Highway drama! Horns sounding! Swearing, backing up, gears clashing. Island time?Never heard of such a thing! Some people leave food out for stray cats, Cheyenne approves. I should point out she stole nothing from deserving strays.The bowl was quite empty, but she enjoyed sniffing around.

Off street parking. Don't do as locals do if you are in doubt.I saw this fenced over square of dirt and couldn't quite figure out what it was for, if anything.His and hers?

More off street parking. Note the hood of the truck tied down with a bungee cord. In Key West status is rarely conferred my material possessions. that's what makes it so interesting to live here. Freedom is possible, if you can afford it.How cool is that a city where land costs far too much has many old homes not restored, not on display but simply used?And then there are the restored homes with the ugly signs. A front porch is private property, obviously.Every corner is a view. Varela is just one more street in a town filled with photogenic homes and little quirks.

Blocking the driveway is a doubly bad idea here.Take a walk away from Duval and you never know what you'll see.