Key West part II
We went to Key West last weekend for work and our 9th wedding anniversary. Normally when people think about Key West, they think about drinking large amounts of adult beverages, fishing, snorkeling, and wild nights along Duval street and Mallory Square.
Now I'm not one for the drinking so we didn't go to any bars. Stacy does not like fish so we didn't go fishing. Stacy is pregnant and gets seasick laying in bed, so we didn't go on the glass bottom boat tour. Alayna is not a very strong swimmer yet and quite poor at holding her breath, so we couldn't go snorkeling. So we were left with walking up and down Duval street and Mallory Square.
I was able to go to Key West on the company dime because of a job that needed done in the area and I am the only bi-lingual (semi) person qualified to do the job in the company. So Monday morning I left the hotel room and went to work while Stacy and Alayna got to linger in bed, enjoy the continental breakfast and walk a short distance to the Butterfly Conservatory.
While they were enjoying the butterflys I was in a 100 year old house wrestling a toilet. Yes, in addition to all of the high-tech wheelchair stuff I do, I also do some minor plumbing. My job was to remove a toilet, install a 3" pedestal underneath, and reset the toilet on top of the pedestal so the client will not have to sit down so far and make it easier to stand up. In theory, this job can be done in about half an hour. I predicted two hours, but was afraid it may take up to six. Because the house is so old and the flange and piping was so old, it took four hours and two extra wax rings to accomplish my mission.
So keep in mind that I started off my anniversary up to my elbows in another man's sewer pipe and toilet.
So the highlight of the day is picking Stacy and Alayna up after spending the morning with the butterflies. Alayna was ecstatic and of course very cute in her picture on the butterfly bench. Alayna had her picture taken on the same bench during her last visit, but the picture cropped the bench. As cute as she was, people wanted to see the whole bench, so here's the picture as requested.
And if you like the bench enough, here's the pricing. You'd really better like that bench if you purchase this. Alayna is sitting on the large bench. She has expensive taste.
Key West is also famous for the chickens that roam free throughout the island and are protected by law. Some people have taken to feeding them and keeping them around their homes, but many of the chickens walk around and eat the scraps from tourists. Alayna was fascinated by these baby chicks and their mother and father. She told us that the baby chickens and the mommy chicken stay home and the daddy chicken is getting ready to go to work.
Another chicken on Mallory Square
Mallory Square is the home of the nightly sunset celebration on Key West. The crowd gathers and street performers entertain for a couple of hours. There are fire jugglers, acrobats, a guy that trains cats (no really), the one man band, and the ever present "guy painted in silver". The street performers are fun to watch for a while, but they are very aggressive in making people feel guilty until they give them money. A little bit of a turn off.
After the Sunset Celebration, and dinner at an incredible Cuban restaurant, we head to Duval street to look at shops and find a dress for Stacy we noticed in a window the previous day. On our way back to the hotel, I have Alayna on my shoulders to help speed up the walk. And I notice that my back and neck are suddenly warmer and wetter than they just were.
Already resigned to my fate, walking down Duval street in Key West with my daughter on my shoulders, her urine rolling down my back, and my pregnant wife trying to keep up, I feel even warmer and wetter as an even bigger stream pours down my back. Luckily Key West is warm enough that a man can walk down the street with a soaking wet shirt back and nobody thinks twice. In fact, I'm sure there are plenty of people that come home with stories about being pee'd on while walking on Duval street, my story just doesn't involve any alcohol consumption.
This little bugger was nearly 4ft long all stretched out. He has been around the house for a while. Last year he lived in a hole in the bricks in the bathroom window sill. He would sun himself right outside the window and Alayna would watch him. This year he got big, ventured out into the yard and took up residence under the shed. He has been seen all over the yard and startled Stacy and Alayna on the front walk. He also found a friend about his same size and I saw them get into a fight. There is at least one more snake living under the shed. It is actively being stalked each weekend.
This turtle was found on the road just down the street from the house while Stacy and Alayna were on there morning constitutional. A neighbor moved the turtle to the grass to protect it from oncoming traffic. Alayna was a little intimidated by the turtle and wouldn't have her picture taken with it.
The day before Easter, Alayna was invited to a birthday party for a friend that also included an egg hunt. Again, she did very well picking the brightly colored eggs out of the wild Florida bush.
But she had to be kept on task during the egg hunt. She was much more interested in digging in the sandbox. She dug a hole next to the dump truck and kept going until the dump truck was completely hidden with sand and she was digging in moist sand. Very persistant.
