This Week on the Island 12/04/2005

'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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The picture above is Boondocks at MM27.5. They are building a miniature golf course next door. I guess now we know why Hurricane Wilma came here. She was looking for caveman Fred. He appears to be at the golf course.

The Weather: Wonderful. You know how you enjoy Spring after Winter is over? Here in Key West we enjoy Fall & Winter & Spring after Summer is over. Also Hurricane Wilma brought in a lot of salt water. All the vegetation turned brown and it looked like a cold winter day and we are not use to that. Things are starting to turn green again and everything looks much better.

Hurricane Wilma. The wooden bridge between Mallory Square and the Hilton has been rebuilt. The Hilton Docks, where the cruise ships dock, has been rebuilt. The wooden walkway around the Key West Aquarium is still destroyed.

This week was 'Pirates in Paradise', pictures at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KeyWestPictures/ , click PHOTOS. There was a great Pirate encampment inside Fort Zack. At 2:30 PM on Saturday the Pirates attack Fort Zack. There was much cannon fire from the fort, the pirates, and the pirate ship. The Pirates tried to sneak around the Fort, but some troops were waiting along the trail. The Pirates won. It was a beautiful day and everyone had a good time. In all the fighting the only pirates that fell down were on Duval Street Saturday night.

'Goombay' was held Dec 2nd and 3rd. Jo and I took Wyleigh and Sassi and enjoyed the good food. I liked it better this year because it was a bit cooler.

Saturday, Dec 3rd was the Christmas Parade. A bunch of us, including Wyleigh and Sassi, met at Margarittaville and set on the curb and had a few 'adult beverages' as we watched the parade. We have a Santa on almost every float and some floats have dog treats. Sassi and Wyeligh made out very well.

'Key West Seafood' that used to be next to 'Willie T's' and Walgreen's is now 'Cowboy Bill's'

This weeks books were (1) 'Going Under' by Virgil Suarez. It is about a Cuban-American Life Insurance salesman living in Miami who's life 'goes bad' and he ends up driving to Key West and diving in the ocean at the Southernmost Point in order to swim back home to Cuba; (2) 'Once Upon an Island', a collection of short fiction, poetry, and non-fiction from new Key West writers; and (3) 'Confessions of a Key West Cabby' by Michael Suib. I really enjoyed this one.

Dec 7 is start of 'Fantasy Fest'.

Key West, You have got to love it
'Meet me at the end of the road' - Conky Tonkin'- Jimmy Buffett
Doug Bennett
Lat 24.5597N, Long 81.8016W