This Week on the Island 07/31/2011

'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 first picture this week (click to enlarge) is ‘Bug’. That is what we call the Key West Lobster. They are small and do not have claws. The second picture is a ‘square grouper’ thanks to www.coconutandcrew.blogspot.com (June 23, 2009). See story below.

Weather: Hot and humid, but still cooler than the middle of the country. The nice ocean breeze is an extra bonus.

This week I finished ‘Hemingway Deadlights’ by Michael Atkinson and started ‘Loitering with Intent’ by Stuart Woods. I love Key West murder mysteries.

‘Mini-Lobster Season’ started Wednesday night at 12:00 midnight and lasted until Friday at 12:00 midnight. This is a two day lobster catching opportunity for people before the season kicks off for the lobster fisher-men. You are only allowed 6 lobster per person. They must be transported to land before the tails are broken off. They must be a certain length. You cannot fish with a spear gun. You cannot fish in the cannels or within a certain number of feet from the shoreline.

Every year people are caught that can not follow these simple rules. This year the first person was caught the week before ‘mini-lobster season’ with only the tails, more than 6 lobster and some of them were undersize. He also didn’t have license. The reason he was stopped is because he had a child in the boat with out a life preserver. They tried to hide the lobster by putting the lobster tails under an adult life preserver on the bottom of the boat. (1) out of season, (2) only tails, (3) undersize, (4) no license, (5) more than six lobster, (6) child without life preserver. He should win some kind of award.

I got a bad case of fungus under the fingernails. A lot of bartenders here get it because their hands are in the water a lot. The VA gave me some stuff to use to help clear up the fungus. I started looking for what had changed and realized that I started using anti-bacterial citrus dish washing liquid soap about a month ago. I switched back to Dawn and everything started clearing-up.

This story was in ‘The Citizen’, our local paper, Saturday. Two brothers are fishing and find a ‘square grouper’ floating by so they pull it into the boat. (A ‘square grouper’ is the name given to packaged drugs that are thrown overboard when the Coast Guard is trying to catch a drug smuggler.) Seems one of the guys decided to cut it open and snort a little. Later he kind of went crazy and started throwing stuff overboard and destroyed all communications devices and the engine and then died. The other guy waved down another boat which called Florida Fish and Wildlife.

Key West--- you have got to love it.

Next weekend is the ‘Waiters Race’ on Lazy Way Lane behind Schooner Wharf Bar.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
My email address has changed from Doug-Bennett@Comcast.net to GDougBennett@ATT.net.

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

You may join this group by going to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ThisWeekontheIsland/

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