I asked around and not one person I work with went to Conch Republic Days. I wonder why?
Summer is the time of year when the people in charge of attracting tourists dream up all sorts of events and gatherings and parties and tastings to draw people into town. I have never been too attracted to crowds and noise and these events tend to leave me cold. Which in my own mind has made me feel a bit of a goofball. Everyone else likes standing around in the sun eating good food off a crappy paper plate, right? Why not me? It seems I am not alone. Kristi, speaking of one such event sniffed. "It's for tourists," and went back to texting her Conch (the "h" is silent) friends.
I had a conversation once with the owner of Fast Buck Freddies, one of the seminal organizers of Fantasy Fest. he described summers in Key West, "back in the day" as a time of extreme boredom (no wonder I took off for California immediately upon arriving as a youngster on a Vespa!). Duval Street was the proverbial place where a cannon could be shot and no one would be hit. Indeed it was a domestic dispute between bored crazy neighbors that prompted the first parade, a way of distracting people in the exceedingly hot dog days of summer in hurricane season. It was a short parade with a lot of drinking to celebrate the hardy few still in town.
Nowadays Fantasy Fest has become an occasion for people to come to town, take off their clothes and act stupid. It's a shame really because the innocent nudity and stupidity has been turned into something rather unpleasant and weird. I try to approach that week with an open mind and inevitably I end up feeling prudish and a little unclean. Unhappily the locals' parade seems to be succumbing to the commercialization disease as well. And yet how can one apportion blame? Without the visitors there would be no money and Key West has already gone bankrupt once in it's history- that was what precipitated the drive toward tourism!
Summer is the time of year when the people in charge of attracting tourists dream up all sorts of events and gatherings and parties and tastings to draw people into town. I have never been too attracted to crowds and noise and these events tend to leave me cold. Which in my own mind has made me feel a bit of a goofball. Everyone else likes standing around in the sun eating good food off a crappy paper plate, right? Why not me? It seems I am not alone. Kristi, speaking of one such event sniffed. "It's for tourists," and went back to texting her Conch (the "h" is silent) friends.I had a conversation once with the owner of Fast Buck Freddies, one of the seminal organizers of Fantasy Fest. he described summers in Key West, "back in the day" as a time of extreme boredom (no wonder I took off for California immediately upon arriving as a youngster on a Vespa!). Duval Street was the proverbial place where a cannon could be shot and no one would be hit. Indeed it was a domestic dispute between bored crazy neighbors that prompted the first parade, a way of distracting people in the exceedingly hot dog days of summer in hurricane season. It was a short parade with a lot of drinking to celebrate the hardy few still in town.Nowadays Fantasy Fest has become an occasion for people to come to town, take off their clothes and act stupid. It's a shame really because the innocent nudity and stupidity has been turned into something rather unpleasant and weird. I try to approach that week with an open mind and inevitably I end up feeling prudish and a little unclean. Unhappily the locals' parade seems to be succumbing to the commercialization disease as well. And yet how can one apportion blame? Without the visitors there would be no money and Key West has already gone bankrupt once in it's history- that was what precipitated the drive toward tourism!Perhaps the dilemma lies, once again with the size of the land mass available to us. It's difficult to avoid the mass of people that come to town be it for a very loud Bike Week, or Fantasy Fest or Conch Republic Days. In response to the complaints listed in the Citizen's Voice one can usual read anonymous advising to leave town if they don't like it...But there is too the feeling sometimes that there should be more to Key West than frenetic consumption, and happily there is, for those that want to and that take the time to seek out that quieter more contemplative place. I guess I should not feel too annoyed at myself for not going into town and wading into the happy crowds and watching the Conch Republic Navy bombard the Coasties with bread. They had lots of people already down there doing their bit and helping out the economy...
http://www.conchrepublic.com/schedule.htm
My wife has an astonishing capacity for making friends. Growing up in California she had tons of friends over the course of the years and she works really hard at maintaining those connections. She corresponds with friends from college, former co-workers in various law firms she worked in and so forth. Kathy masked by the light ( I hate using the flash even when I should) and Jan lounging in my reading chair:
Jan rides a BMW, a slight lapse in judgement, made better because it is a 30 year old RT airhead with full touring fairing and bags from that era. When we moved permanently to Key West a dozen years ago and started again, my wife spent a few years in despair. We lived on a boat and old timers viewed us as transients, people likely to leave at the drop of a hat. People come and go so much around here that one doesn't want to forge a bond with people obviously not here for the duration. Lucy, always a bright spark and a source of hilarity at any gathering (Jan's wife):
And Jean, not a teacher at all but a healer: 
The rain they produce can be impressive too, sheets of it starting out with big fat drops and gathering in intensity as the cold winds die down and the rain falls like a leaden sheet. It makes for great drama and variety to break up the continuous sunny days.
I guess these clouds are a preview of coming attractions. I hope this weird dry hot weather isn't paving the way for some weird wacky hurricane weather this summer. That might suck. 
This is the corner of Olivia and Duval but there are lots of locations around town clearly labeled. Park here after hours and you will bet towed. So pay attention. I admired this guy for not riding and talking on the phone at the same time. Indeed he looked quite comfortable in the shade.
This kid was drinking and driving, but not alcohol, though he was one handed.
People who ride powered two wheelers and are fussy about wearing all the protective gear all the time would have a shit fit in Key West. But I don't think anyone in Key West is losing any sleep over it. 
And slowly they grow, poking their long red fingers out into the water and digging in. Actually they are a pain in the ass too, as they have a tendency not to stop when you need them to. My dock is getting rather overgrown by them and their red roots. 
For some reason it never bore me this view.
As far as I could tell in passing it is still condemned and the building appears unoccupied. It was owned by a local non profit that rehabbed homes and rented them for the low income population but things went sour amid clouds of scandal and the net result was a period of chaos and uncertainty which was a shame as the program did a lot of good for a long while.
This very tall tree must have a genus and name etc... etc...but I'm buggered if I know what they are. I just like it's unusual look in Key West.
