This Week on the Island 01/02/2011

'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 this week (click to enlarge) is ‘Sloppy Joes’, ‘800 block of Duval’ and ‘Lowering the Pirate Wench’ at Schooner.

Weather: This was the coldest December since records began being kept in 1872. Another cold front on Monday dropping the temperature to 48 degrees by Tuesday morning. It was back in the high 70’s for the week end. Many of the houses here do not have heat. Our air/heat has not worked on the heat side since we had them moved for the deck work on the back of the house. It is a bit cool in our house.

This week I read ‘Four to Score‘by Janet Evanovich.

The island has been packed all week. I guess people are wanting to get out of the frozen north. The empty lot across the street that used to be the Harbor House development has turned into an unofficial parking lot. Since it belongs to the M&I Bank of Wisconsin, I doubt anything is going to happen to close it down.

There was an episode in the original Star Trek of a planet that had outlawed war and the planet was over populated. There were lots of people going in different directions all packed together. It is a lot like that here in Key West this week. Like my wife says, ‘Next week they will be gone and we will still be here’.

We have three big celebrations here in Key West for New Years and they are free. One is the lowering of the conch shell at Sloppy Joes on the 200 block of Duval Street. Another is the lowering of Sushi, a female impersonator, in a big slipper on the 800 block of Duval Street, and the third is the lowering of the Pirate Wench from the mast of a schooner at Schooner Wharf. It was 71 degrees at midnight.

My wife and I continued our New Years tradition going to one of these events (we went to Schooner) and then sitting on the front porch with our champain and watching all the people go by.

The Dachshund (wiener dog) parade was Friday.

Part of WWW.KeyWestTime.com this week has Howard at Hog Fish Bar and Grill on Stock Island. They are preparing a shrimp boil. My wife has been doing this for years. Before moving to Key West, when we had a large number of people over she would prepare a shrimp boil by the pool. It is really good eating. (shrimp, corn on the cob, little red potatoes, sausage(.

Is Key West great or what?

Key West, You have got to love it
'Living the life that others dream'
Doug Bennett
Lat 24.5591N, Long 81.8016W

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Sassi dancing to Schooner Wharf Bar Dog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbxD3D-rPqo