Once again I have gotten caught up in the local scene and neglected to update the blog. For those of you who are regular readers - I apologize!

We are still hanging out in Key West. The first week was sort of involuntary, but now it is by choice. (More on that later.)

As I mentioned in the previous blog we arrived in Key West at 4 am. After a brief 'unwinding' we fell into bed and slept until mid-morning.

Our first day in Key West had just a couple items on the agenda: clear in customs & immigration and get a new SIM card for our cell phone so we'd have a US phone number again.

Prior to leaving Mexico we had taken preliminary steps to expedite the clearing-in process. For people traveling on boats it is possible to get a decal from USCBP (US Customs and Border Patrol) which is sort of a pre-registration. With the decal number you may call customs upon arrival and, more often than not, the phone call is sufficient to clear in. Sometimes they require you to make a personal appearance in the office, but not always. Alternatively, it was our understanding that if you want to, you could go ahead to the office and clear in there.

We had heard from another boat which had preceded us from Mexico that the USCBP office was very close to the docks. Since we didn't have a cell phone yet, we opted to make a personal appearance. With our decal number in hand we wandered off to officially enter the US. We got to the courthouse to find out that we couldn't enter the building with a cell phone, even a dead one. I waited outside with the phone while Andrew went in to take care of business. Shortly thereafter he was back outside. Turns out it is not an either/or.... The office required that we phone first, get a clearance file number, and then return to the office.

So, we were off to find a pay phone. Have you looked around the streets lately? In this day and age of cell phones and Twitter, finding a pay phone isn't what it used to be? Try plunking yourself on a random block in an unfamiliar city and find a pay phone!

Fortunately we didn't have to wander far (I ended up asking at a tourist info spot); Andrew called, provided all of our personal details (name, DOB, passport #, etc.), and got our clearance number. Back to the office - I waited outside while Andrew went back in to complete the process. While I waited outside I ran into the folks on a couple of the other boats which were part of the flotilla that left Isla Mujeres. We swapped 'passage' stories (ours was definitely the longest and most eventful). When Andrew was finished providing all the same information he had just provided over the phone, I had to go inside long enough for the immigration officer to look at me and my picture and return my passport.

While it struck me as silly that we had to make the phone call first, compared to the clearing process in some of the countries we traveled to - it wasn't that bad.

That done we went off in search of the ATT phone store. We ended up at a shopping plaza which had a couple of useful stores. After getting the phone all lined up, we popped into a Boaters World. Oh My - A marine supply store!!! Only Boaters World is going out of business and the store is getting pretty picked clean.

They did, however, have the one thing I have been coveting since the Bahamas... Our sailing compadre in the Bahamas, Joe on 'Onward,' had a really nifty gizmo - SodaClub. It is a machine that, using large CO2 cartridges, can carbonate water. He had different syrups for different flavors - cola, root beer, tonic, even 'energy drink.' With this he never had to buy bottles of soda - he could just make his own.

Throughout our journeys in the Caribbean, while I searched (at times fruitlessly) for club soda, or tonic, or Fresca, or... I envied Joe and his machine.

Until now! While the shelves were emptying, the section with the soda machines was well stocked. We bought the machine, an extra CO2 cartridge and a sample pack of syrups.

As stupid as this sounds... I AM SO EXCITED!!!! Not only can we replenish our club soda any time we want, but no more plastic bottles to throw away. Convenient, cheaper, and better for the environment. That's a real win, win, win!

From Boaters World I headed off to the grocery store while Andrew headed to Office Depot for a new keyboard (our Spanish keyboard was getting annoying - especially since the letter m didn't work. You never know how often you use a letter until you don't have it anymore). We didn't need much in the store which was just as well.

I really didn't expect to experience any kind of culture shock upon returning to the US. After all, I was only gone two years, and even at that, I was back visiting my Mom last October.

Going into the grocery store, however, Oh My Goodness!!! I stood in the produce section absolutely overwhelmed. We had been in large grocery stores along the way, particularly in Colon and Cartagena, but this was unbelievable. Perhaps it was the sheer enormity of the store, or the quantity of goods, or perhaps it was that for the first time in a long time I knew what everything was. My head was swimming. I ended up leaving the store with only a loaf of bread and a package of bagels - I couldn't deal!

Since then we've been back, equipped with canvas totes, and I have come to terms with the store... and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to find all the things I have missed while traveling abroad. (Oh, and for those of you who are keeping track - we still haven't had to buy toilet paper. I guess I did that one ok!!)

Apart from that we have been enjoying the sights and sounds of Key West, and there certainly are a lot of sights and sounds. Clearly Key West is the 'end of the road' for a lot of people. After all, there is no more road from here - Route 1 begins (or ends depending upon your perspective) here. We laugh at all the "Southernmost' establishments we've seen (hotels, scooter rentals, eateries, dry cleaners, hockey rinks you name it). However we did end up in the Southernmost Red Sox Nation bar last nights and couldn't resist buying the t-shirt.

We arrived in Key West just in time for the culmination of the 'Conch Republic Days.' Apparently in 1982 the border patrol decided the best way to stem the tide of illegal immigrants and drugs coming into the states was to put a road block on Route 1 - the only road from the Mainland to the Keys. They wanted everyone crossing to prove they were US citizens. Needless to say this caused chaos and havoc throughout the keys with huge traffic delays, interrupted shipments of food and supplies, etc. (Who carries a passport to travel to the keys? and a driver's license doesn't prove citizenship). The mayor of Key West got fed up, seceded and declared war on the United States, created the foundling Conch Republic, promptly surrendered and asked for International Assistance to "rebuild." Every year they celebrate the occasion with a reenactment of the great navy battle that never happened.

We had a front row seat even if it was a little ways away. The Conch Republic Navy (any ships which signed up to participate) patrolled the waters of off Mallory Square and the big bad US Navy Warship (a US Coast Guard cutter playing the part) attacked the Conch Republic Fleet. The Conch Republic Fleet opened fire (blanks and water cannons) on the "US Navy" warship. The "Navy" ship signaled its surrender (an orange smoke flare) and then slunk off, leaving the Conch Republic Navy the victors in this epic battle. All the while the Conch Republic Air Force did fly-bys, bombing with bread and toilet paper (a number of local plane owners including a nifty bi-plane and a group from which even flew in formation over the engagement.)

Earlier in the day they had Bed Races down Duval Street - Yes, beds on wheels.

It was all quite silly and good fun.

Apart from all that we've spent our time doing more provisioning (once I got over my shock in the grocery store), getting the fire extinguishers inspected, "interview clothes" shopping (more on that later) which required a rental car and a 150 mile drive to Miami, touring museums, doing laundry (we're back into the world of laundromats...I had kind of gotten used to dropping off my laundry somewhere and having someone else do all the work!), checking out the sunset scene at Mallory Square, and doing quality control assessment at the various eateries in town (of which there are a lot).

Each evening vendors, performers, and sunset watchers all gather at Mallory Square. It is a good vantage point for watching the sunset and looking for the green flash. At the recommendation of Todd on 'Blue Marine' one of the sunset entertainers we checked out was "The Cat Man." He has trained regular old domestic house cats to do tricks ala the lions at the circus. The cats jump from pedestal to pedestal, walk a tightrope (one cat lies down on the "rope" and two others jump over him and land on it), jump through rings, and one cat even jumps through a flame ring. Of course they are doing it for sushi (sounds so much better than just saying raw fish). With that incentive I wonder if I could get Jigger to do tricks? Although looking at the ring the cats jump through... he'd never fit!!!

Once Andrew gets back (more on that later) we will begin the push north.

But for now here we are, wasting away in Margaritaville

It's a tough life - but someone's got to lead it!
C