A Small Example of How My Brain Works

If "works" is the right word...

Backstory: Because my TV isn't new enough to be able to connect directly to the ESPN+ app, which I use to get hockey games, I have a small Roku device to do it. 

I do nothing else on the Roku, but they still pointlessly send me marketing emails from time to time. (Don't get me started on how ESPN+, who of all people should know I only watch hockey, sending me emails about things like boxing events.)

So I got an email recently with this subject line:

Now, maybe you react differently, but when I got to the word "Howdy" there, I laughed involuntarily, the same way I do every time I see one of these stupid "trucks":

I don't choose to laugh at them: it just happens.

Meanwhile, back to "howdy": my brain immediately popped word-associations into my head. 

Hey look at me I'm a lamp I'm a cowboy howdy howdy howdy

Which seems like gibberish, right? 

Well, there was a teaser of a connection to Sandra Boynton in there, so I pulled out my copy of her classic book, Don't Let the Turkeys Get You Down:

And found this:

So there's the lamp, but not the howdy.

I searched online but couldn't find it. Let it sit for a day or two, and my subconscious finally popped up that, hmmm, wasn't the cowboy part from a Far Side cartoon?

Ah ha! Score one for the weird way my brain cross-indexes information. Sandra Boynton and Gary Larson don't have a lot in common, but "hey look everybody" brought both of them to my mind.

For what that's worth.

(Once I figured out those things, it appears to have cleared the way to remember the Spic and Span commercial with Minnie Pearl ["Howdy! Anuthuh new flo-ah?"]...my brain is such a pack rat.)

The Rest of the Key West Trip

All right, it's time for trip recap part two, aka the part actually spent in Key West. Most of the group met up in a bar at the hotel for a drink before going out to dinner Tuesday night, and I was amused by this sign on the wall:

As a person who rarely drinks alcohol, I can vouch for this! It also made me think of the sign I saw at the restaurant the night before:

Just one of the many, many reasons I would be a bad bartender.

We walked to Bagatelle, which was near the hotel, for dinner. It's a nice place, good food and service. I had a delicious steak, and took the leftovers back to the hotel for tomorrow's lunch.

When a party left the table next to us, I was struck by the light through the glassware.

Our group was celebrating a birthday, and they brought us all out slices of lemon meringue pie with sparklers on top! A fun surprise. After they were all put out, I heard one of the servers say he was surprised it hadn't set off the smoke alarm (there were eight of us). Glad that didn't happen.

As I didn't want to go on to a bar with most of the others, I walked back to the hotel (with one other person) and had a relaxed early night of it.

The next morning, roosters crowing woke me a bit on the early side for vacation, which is a thing that happens in Key West: roosters are everywhere, and not quiet about it. I pulled myself together and went out.

A building near the hotel had this fun art on the side:

Shortly after that, I happened to pass a park filled with busts of people from the early history of Key West, and wandered through looking at them.

I didn't read them all, but as there were more men than women, I did take the time to read about Lena Johnson. Doesn't she look alive?

I like that "she was able to support herself" but am less fond of the idea that she founded a group "to help introverts get over their bashfulness"!

The ship's going down!

On to the real point of my outing, Cuban Coffee Queen:

That's a delicious Cuban caramel coffee, and a pina smoothie for breakfast. Yum!

After a bit of wandering, and a stop at CVS to pick up chips and a Coke, I went back to my room and had those with my leftover steak for lunch. Hotels with mini fridges for the win! Then I got a swimsuit on and went down to the beach area.

Bonus points that you get not only towels, but chair covers for the lounge chairs.

However, I was a bit turned off by the sea grass, which was visible in the water as well as piled along the waterline. 

It didn't tempt me in, so I moved to the pool instead. Passing this nice hammock: it was too hot and not breezy enough to tempt me in, but I love that it was there.

I found some of the others by the pool, and settled in to alternately read and knit.

And watch the iguanas.

And yes, I did get in the water as well! It was a nice peaceful afternoon.

For dinner, we ate at Nine One Five (which is unsurprisingly at 915 Duval St). The service was ... not the best I've ever had, but not awful, and the food was good. I had what they called airline chicken, which had a yummy glaze on it, and was served in a funny stack over the zucchini and potatoes:

On Thursday, I went for a wander around the area, though I was a bit thwarted by the heat. 

Funny name for a place, but I bet the employees get tired of hearing the horseplay and tomfoolery jokes.

I enjoyed a nice long wander around Key West Island Books, and a nice chat with the woman working there. I then walked over to Books & Books, but I was hot and it was not cool inside, so I moved on. I did have a good wander through it last time I was there, and I encourage you to try it if you go!

I chose my lunch spot by walking in a place I was passing and asking, do you have air conditioning? (There are a lot of places there that have both inside and outside seating, but some are only outside, and I couldn't take it at that point.) She said yes, and First Flight it was. A/C, a cold drink, and a flatbread, that's better!

The tabletop was old wood, so cool:

Not only could you get beer-battered fish, but they specify which beer!

Back to the hotel and back to the pool. Here's how to cool down!

I did a lot of floating in the pool as well. Delightful.

Most of the group went to a local bar to watch the first round of the Hemingway look-alike contest (part of Hemingway Days), but I was overwhelmed by the crowd, and had dinner at a quiet Thai restaurant around the corner. Then, instead of going straight back to the hotel, I walked over to the water to watch the sun set.

Then back to the hotel! To cool off, and start to get my things organized, as we were leaving in the morning. All vacation must come to an end!

There was some strong rain passing through Friday morning: it was mostly done by the time we left, but there was street flooding to show it had happened. Splash!

Some very localized rain there! By the time we got closer, it had dispersed.

A different "old bridge falling apart near the new bridge" view.

Little islands, or I suppose keys, everywhere.

For once, a car with more bumper stickers than mine, but all on the bumper, none on the back! Curious.

I like the colors on these buildings. So much more fun than all the same.

The drive home, being done in one day, is longer than I've been in a car for a trip in a while, and ow! We did get out for lunch (Pinecrest Bakery), but the drive is 5-6 hours, and that's just a lot of sitting. I had some soreness and stiffness after. But it was a fun trip, I got to really relax, and it was worth it.

And that's it, other than some odds and ends of photos that didn't fit in but I'll get to at some point. What did I miss? Any questions?

Before I Forget All About the Trip

I did enjoy my trip to Key West in July, but wow, less than two weeks later it's feeling so long ago! Time to write it up, by which I mostly mean share photos, before all details are lost.

On Monday, part of the group drove to Marathon to spend the night. On the advice of the person who had done the drive before, we stopped at the Skunkape Headquarters in Ochopee along the way east across the state. The gift shop was full of fun things, and the bathroom had various fun signs, like this:

Once we were heading south, we stopped at a couple of farm stands to find one that sold smoothies (some do, some don't). Any idea what this fruit is? I was struck by the size, but the woman working there didn't speak English, so I couldn't ask.

Farther down, smoothies!

The drive down was peaceful, and of course once you get into the keys, it's water views on both sides.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Marathon, which I can now vouch for, it was good. For dinner, we went to Keys Fisheries for dinner with a sunset view.

Right after one of my friends wondered aloud when stone crab season is exactly, I looked up and saw the sign.

I guess they get asked a lot! At least they have a sense of humor about the menu:

This one was on the wall, obviously:

Down below is an all-ages eating area; we were at the bar, which is up above and adults only.

It was really nice to relax and watch the sun set.

On Tuesday, we checked out of the hotel after breakfast (Hampton Inn does a nice breakfast, if you haven't stayed in one, no extra charge), and after our visit to the dolphin place (as seen here), we went to Herbie's for lunch. Another menu with a sense of humor!

"It's not that we enjoy cooking but we love to play with your food."

"All menu items are homemade daily, and no we don't make mistakes but they may vary."

"Our chicken may appear a slight red or pinkish color from the smoking process. If you do not like chicken to appear this way, please make an alternative selection."

I got a few pictures inside:

But the one I didn't get was of the doors to the bathrooms. Labeled "Inboard" and "Outboard."

Yes, it took me a minute.

Anyway! I had a fried chicken sandwich and it was AMAZING. Definitely recommend this place if you're going through Marathon at mealtime.

From there, we drove on to Key West. Along part of the way, the old bridge is alongside the new one, and while at first it appears in decent shape, like it could at least be walked or biked on:

That stops later on.

And the remains start to look much more decrepit. 

It was a bit overcast, but the clouds were appealing in their own way.

I had to search why there was a blimp in the air over Cudjoe Key. (Short answer: radar.)

We made it to the hotel, Pier House, and checked in. They have a nice mural inside.

What they did not have, much to my surprise, was any signs when you got off the elevator indicating which room numbers were in which direction. I dragged my luggage in several directions before finding my room. Very weird. 

I found it eventually, of course, and it was a nice room--not surprising, considering the price. To be frank, from my perspective, this was an expensive hotel, and while it was nice, it wasn't that much nicer than the Hampton Inn, and it was much more expensive. Sure, I like a bargain, and sure, I chose to stay there, but still.

I didn't spend time on the little lanai, because it was so hot, and if I was outside, I was more often by the pool, but it's nice that there is one. 

And even though my room faced a parking lot and toward Duval Street, all the landscaping made it feel less like that.

If you look closely, this is actually made of paper or fabric, but from farther away, it looks more like a photo. It was cool!

Now, I'm not saying it's an el sleazo place to stay. It has its own little beach:

There's an outdoor bar, and the servers come around to you by the beach or pool to offer drinks. There's a restaurant, though I didn't try it so I can't speak to how good it is. It's a nice place! Just, you know. It didn't knock my socks off the way I expected.

This is getting long, so I'll break off here and pick up again!