This Week on the Island 08/02/2009

'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 first picture this week (click to enlarge) is ‘The Schooner Island Belle’. It has been sold. It belonged to Captain Carl that plays guitar with Michael McCloud. The second picture is the Schooner Western Union in dry dock at the Truman Waterfront.
Weather: HOT plus lots of dust in the air from the Sahara in North Africa.

No book this week.

Things Tourist Say: ‘Can you watch the sunset from Mallory Square every night?’

This week was ‘Lobster Mini Season’. We call them ‘bugs’. Lobster season opens the first of August, so mini season is a chance for people to come to the Keys and get lobster before the season opens. Most do not read or follow the rules and many get arrested. You are only allowed a few lobsters a day, they must be the correct size, and you cannot break the tails off until you get back to shore and are checked in. You are not allowed on private property and you are not allowed to raid someone’s traps. It is amazing to me the number of people walking around the streets with spear guns and don’t see anything wrong with it. We only had two people die this year.

Al Roker of The Today Show was in town. There are pictures of him arm wrestling with the Hemingway look-alikes, eating hot sauce at Pepper’s, riding in a peddle cab, etc. Tuesday, July 28th, The Today Show broadcast from the Westin, It is next to Mallory Square.

My friends from Chicago have left town and some friends from Iowa arrived. We spent some time at Schooner Wharf. I met a lady from Indiana at Alonzo’s on Friday night that also reads my blog.

Wednesday we had a friend drop by with a few extra lobsters. We grilled them with the corn on the cob my friends from Iowa brought. It was a great meal.

The Aloe Factory on the corner of Simonton and Green is moving to the 400 block of Duval.

I got to use my Medicare benefits for the first time. My part of the bill was $11.12. Life is good.

Key West, You have got to love it
'Living the life that others dream'
Doug Bennett
Lat 24.55967N, Long 81.80169W

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Sassi dancing to Schooner Wharf Bar Dog. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow_l9kgPmuQ