Cayo Hueso

Old Key West light house

We had planned on taking a pilgrimage to Key West by bus and chose Friday as the best day for us.  We checked the weather and rain was coming to Marathon.  We checked the weather radar as we passed the office.  I went to take a shower and gave tin the following job...

"Take the trash and after I take a shower you can run the back pack to the dinghy"

Here is what happened.  It started to rain when I was taking a shower.  My first thought was Tin was resilient and would be in the laundry room when I was done waiting on me.  Reminding me of a episode of Desperate Housewives we recently watched.  Tin would handle the killer monkey.  So all finished with the shower I went to the laundry room to gather Tin.  He was soaked!  And we were going on a two hour bus ride!  How did he get soaked?  He had plenty of time to dump the trash.  So what went wrong?  He took the back pack I had planned on taking with us to the dinghy and the rain hit when he was on the dock.  Why?  I still don't know but as I started to get mad that he soaked the other back pack since the shower pack is just rags (don't buy a Calcutta fishing back pack).  Then after a couple of minutes I cooled down and was so pleased with his explanation.  See, he thought I meant the one he had just brought from the dinghy, with his PSP in it needed to go back to the dinghy.  He did manage to get his PSP out.  So as far as from his point of view he did what he thought I said.  And in doing what he thought I said he got soaked.  So we shook it off, walked through the rain and had breakfast at the pig before getting on the bus.  It was a long cold ride with our clothes wet

Our day only had a small agenda,

1. The Southernmost Point
2. Mel Fishers Museum
3. Sloppy Joe's
4. Old Town
5. Mallory Square

Now trying to keep him occupied and curious from an 11 year old view point was challenging.  

First, the bus ride from Marathon is two hours long so it was a good thing he brought the PSP.  Also this bus ride has had a rate increase since last year from $3 to $4 a ride.  This is a GOOD thing for the cruiser day tripping to Key West!  Why you ask?  Last year it ended a Publix and you had to take another bus to Old Town for another $2 making the trip actually more expensive last year.  Plus it now goes through Old Town, across Duval St and out to the Southernmost Point making it not only cheaper but one bus.  We made it to the Southernmost Point and did your photo session for the record.

the Southern Most point in the USA

Second,  We took a field trip for boat school through Mel Fisher's museum on he actually had some hands on time with cannons, artifacts and silver.  It was information overload for Tin.  As from my pessimistic management point of view they show their concern with the abnormal amount of light bulbs that are out making presentations dull and dark.  Rent the video and save the $12.50

Treasure be in thar matey!

 Bars of gold and coin of silver

Real lost treasure and he is more thrilled with the silver bars than with his picture being taken again.

Third,  Sloppy Joe's was an experience for an 11 year old (lunch time and calm).  Live music that wasn't bad and a festive atmosphere.  Just one thing... Tin hated the Sloppy Joe!  After years of the sweet Manwich sauce he just did not like the darker sauce.  So I guess I can keep feeding him the $1.50 fake sandwiches instead to the $8.75 real ones (without fries).

the Fisher King having a blast at Sloppy Joe's,  Too bad he hated the sandwich.

Fourth,  Old town was not expected to excite him too much but we did find some things to interest him.  

 What's black and blue and sticks to trees?  the Fisher King 

He discovered that School House Trees have thorns while he was stalking a rooster.

Why did the chicken cross the road?  To get away from the annoying tourist!

Kapok tree

Flowers, He has always been a botanist.

Lizards,  He loves reptiles too.

He also found the end of US1

Some art work

 He took time to hang out with giants and naked ladies

After the sun was about to get to us we stopped for an ice cream.  Do you know you could by the Fisher King and ice cream in the upper right column?  

Fifth, Mallory square,  this is where my little man started to return to his younger years!  He was always the performer when he was younger and over the last two years he has become more serious, more resolute and more with drawn.  When no one is watching he still dances with fishes, as when he fell in the bay way back in PC, and I crowned him "the Fisher King".  No matter how hard I tried to catch those little dances he kept catching me.  It all started with the juggling / high wire act.  He was coming back out of his shell.  He and the performer started back and forth on the wise cracks during the juggling.  Then as the performer was climbing up on the wire he "sold" his act as the most dangerous and having returned from a recent injury he asked for 3 heavy set volunteers to lay down under the wire.  Tin didn't even flinch and went right up and laid down under the wire.

volunteering for the high wire safety team and cracking up the performer.

There was the British guy doing dry humor and magic.  Tin just fires away anytime the interact with him in the crowd.  Always polite, of course.  

We then watched on guy get strapped into a straight jacked after some more juggling but got bored and wandered off.  

Then over to the "Red Trouser Show" of acrobatics and juggling.  See a juggling pattern here?  This is the show I wanted Tin to see but he took it to a new level.  

The Red Trouser Show

Tin as part of  the show

Rehersal

Tin's premier street show video.  He earned 6 bucks from the performers for helping out.

After the "Red Trouser Show" we stopped by the next straight jacket show.  I didn't remember at first but last year I blew this show off.  Now I remember why but I am trapped in audience assistance.  I got railroaded into helping him,  with 3 others, fake lock him self in chains and a straight jacket!  Compared to the other guy this one is a joke!  Jacket number one had his elbows pressed in making it harder to undo,  this guy held his out to keep space in the jacket.  Jacket number one had the chain wrapped all around, under his legs etc but number two kept control of the wrapping and only wrapped around the elbows and nothing under the legs.  Too bad we didn't watch number one get out as watching number two was just stupid.  All this elaborate talking and wrapping and all he did was just lean down and shake the chains off.  IF YOU EVER VOLUNTEER FOR THE BITTER, HATEFUL, BLACK GUY THAT BITCHES AT THE CROWD MOST OF THE TIME,  BE SURE TO CATCH THE BUCKLES OT THE STRAIGHT JACKET WITH HE LOCKS BEHIND HIM.  The chains wont fall over his head so easy and you will enjoy the show much more!  But don't was your time here unless you have seen ALL the other acts.

Oh yeah, now I remember I watched the Bag Pipe Guy last year instead.  He wasn't here this year.

So overall we had an excellent day at Key West.   

Note:  There is a missing bus (not scheduled) at 6:30+- if you miss the 5pm bus you have to wait until 8:20 for the next one at the post office.

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Next stop Bahia Honda