Saturday, February 26, 2005

This Week on the Island 12/21/2003

'This week on the Island' is written by Doug Bennett and is an update to friends about happenings in Key West last week. Everything is true except for those parts that are lies.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This weeks book was another by Laurence Shames titled 'The Naked Detective. It is about a 'writer want-to-be' that moves to Key West and his accountant sets him up as a detective for a tax write-off. Someone actually hired him and he actually solves the case. I enjoyed it.

The first of the week was warm (in the 80's), the middle of the week was cold (down to the middle 50's), and now it is warming up again (the mid 60's). This morning, Sunday, it was 58 degrees. Time to walk on the sunny side of the street. The sun here is usually too intense to do that.

The island is packed with tourist. Everyone trying to get out of the cold north. There are 3 cruise ships a day at the docks and on some days there is another one parked off-shore. The hotels are packed and it is hard to get a seat in the restaurants and bars. The island is covered with little birds that look like sparrows. I guess they stopped on their way south for the winter. We also have the buzzards back. They will be here for a few months before going back north.
Christmas: not everybody decorates, but those that do seem to do it well. Flagler Avenue, over need the high school, has a bunch of houses that have a 'few' decorations. I would hate to have to pay their electric bill this month. The Southernmost Parrot Head Club helped with the selling Christmas trees for the MARC House last week was interesting.

Saturday night was the 'Lighted Boat Parade'. They mustered just outside the bight at Schooner Wharf then they paraded into the bight and by the judges stand, next was up to Mallory Square and around in a circle and then back to the muster area. We planned to stand on the pier next to 'The Buccaneer Hotel' which is at the end of Front Street and on the bight, but our daughter, Wyleigh Dog, didn't feel well, so we stayed home. I walked over to the bight about 9:00 PM and watched some by myself. It was beautiful but cold.

Doug Bennett
Key West, you have got to love it.