Key West

I have been behind in posting, but I also have had another sinus infection, and honestly the last thing I have wanted to do when I get home is tackle the tons of photos in my camera.

Anyway, el hombre and I went to Key West for Thanksgiving, which despite the start of said sinus infection, was a much needed break. We stayed with friends in a pink shotgun house in the heart of Key West and were able to walk around and scope the weirdness of Key West.

We got there Thanksgiving Day, and after a short break at the house, we hit Fort Zachary Taylor State Park for dinner until sunset:

after eating like pigs, we decided to wander around. I have been to the park but never to the fort, so we wandered the path over and found these guys:

The random skelator statues=ultimate awesome. Of course I took cheesy photos, but will spare you all from that.

We all gathered around to watch the sunset before we got kicked out of the park:


Those of you who know Key West, know that it is home to all sorts of winged creatures:



(monkeys are my favorite, ok?)

The next day we wandered around and saw many awesome people dressed as pirates (I didn't take pictures because I didn't want to deal with them asking for money)
Pirates have a strong hold on Key West tourism, and nerds like me totally fall for it.


And of course we scoped another sunset, this time at Mallory Square:

Mallory Square hosts a sunset festival every night. People gather around to watch the sun sink into the water. Then people wander around because there are street performers everywhere, from bagpipes to animals, you see the full spectrum. These were some of the ones that stood out:



(I had to put two of this guy because he is an absolute wackjob. The Key West Cat Man has been around forever, and he trains/bribes his cats with ham. Cats will do anything for ham. He is also almost completely incomprehensible.

This dog is awesome.

As are these

On our last day we went to the Hemingway house. I have always been a big reader, and my mom introduced me to Hemingway when I was young, and I have always loved to read his stuff. I also like cats.

Our guide was much better than the first time I went, with NerdInChicago. There was also some slightly different details. I suspect some is lore.
Regardless, this is where much of the magic happened:


Key West is a great place. It's laid back and anything goes, and it has the best people watching anywhere. And it's full of randomness:

This guy claims he rode down from the Tampa area. I don't know that I believe him. Especially since he has 3 dogs on his bike.


And this guy told El Hombre that I was too pretty for him. He didn't get a dollar, but we (and by "we," I really mean "I") have had a few laughs over the comment since.

Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better trip. And if I haven't mentioned it yet, our hosts were fantastic, they fed us, educated us and threw down with us. What more can you ask for?

Return of the rooster

Yeah, you know me and roosters.... This weekend at work we had an event, and roosters were included (though not in any santaria form)


Baby!




Spotted rooster

Miami's other citizens - The Rooster et al

See, they're really taking over:

This photo came from a friend "Alejandro" who came home to his parking space - which is reserved for him - being taken over by this rampant rooster and his hens. Adorable.

Mr. Clucky going Hollywood?

Is this true? An update on Mark and Mr. Clucky from Miami Fever:

"Mark and Mr. Clucky are starring in their own movie, which will begin filming soon..."

To read the full post, click here: Miami Fever. This is totally awesome and great if this is going to happen!

Miami cock story

So maybe by now, my cohort and I may seem to be obsessed with roosters, but seriously, they are a plague upon this city. But I still love them, to the point that my ring tone is a rooster call. My boss thought it was hilarious until he was cursed by a rooster and had to call rooster rooters to remove it (it took the company several days apparently.)
So it seems appropriate to share my favorite rooster story. One morning I was driving home from my boyfriend's house. It was almost 7 a.m. and as I am driving through the back roads, I notice there is a house with a fence fairly close to it (SoFla isn't known for vast amounts of space.) Perched upon the fence was a rooster, crowing away. Maybe I was delirious or maybe I'm just demented, but it cracked me up. How annoying would that be to have a rooster on your fence, intent on letting you know it exists?

return from somewhere

So I am back from my week long vacation. I went cruising to Key West and Cozumel (pictures of six-toed cats to follow soon) and then wrapped up my trip with my friend in St. Thomas, USVI. What a strange and bizarre place, and I have never been so ready to return to Miami in my entire life. I don't even know if I can put it into words....