This is our last week in Key West. Hard to believe a whole month has gone by and we are leaving this gorgeous island. But we will be back!

For starters, Bob had a serious decision to make. Should he keep growing his hair or get it cut? He made a trip to CVS to buy ponytail bands (because rubber bands pull and hurt like hell!). Now for the big test -- he combed his hair back and I secured the band on his hair. It turned out to be a tiny stump [no jokes from the peanut gallery -- and I mean you Ginny and Jan!] with lots of loose ends hanging from the sides. Growing his hair long was fun all this time but it began bugging him because it kept flopping into his eyes. Hats helped most of the time. Alas, he decided to get it cut so I made an appointment for him to see Courtney at Isle Style (she did my hair a couple of weeks ago.) No point in my just hanging out so I schedule myself for a pedicure. What a treat. First one since leaving on our voyage in October and it felt wonderful. This salon has a great atmosphere and really friendly people. Each salon service area is arranged to open onto an outside courtyard. The courtyard has infinity water walls, tropical foliage, and big soft cushy chairs. I could have stayed there all day. Bob looked like a new man when he was done. But I know deep down he wishes he kept it long. So we may see a reprise in the future.

We enjoyed dinner at Mangia, Mangia after our salon visit. This is a favorite italian restaurant and we opted for the courtyard seating and started off with a nice bottle of red wine. They make all their own pastas which makes for a truly delicious meal. We have never been disappointed and this night was no exception. Walking back to the waterfront, we decided to check out Finnegan's Wake for a nightcap. Bob was anxious to try their Murphy's on tap but was disappointed when they told him the keg was dry. He was looking forward to reminiscing about our 2011 trip to Ireland where Murphy's Ale was flowing at a particular pub one memorable evening. Instead, he went with a Guinness and I enjoyed an Irish Coffee.

The next day our friends Bill and Nancy came over on the ferry from Fort Myers. It's a 3 1/2 hour ride and they were in Key West by Noon. As soon as they arrived, we headed over to Duval Street and ended up at Fat Tuesday where we enjoyed 16 ounce daquiries on this very warm afternoon. Can you say BRAINFREEZE? But we didn't care. We each tried a different flavor and they were yummy. After grabbing a bite to eat, we headed to Mallory Square for the sunset and 'circus'.

The next day we took the Fast Cat to the Dry Tortugas for a day of swimming and snorkeling. Fort Jefferson is built on this island and is maintained by the Federal Government. Construction started in the mid-1800's but was never completed due to the continuous rebuilding that was necessary after each hurricane blew through the area. The most famous prisoner kept on the island was Dr. Samuel Mudd -- who conspired to kill Lincoln and was caught aiding JW Booth who broke his leg during his assination of the president. It's an interesting walk through the fort to see how people lived back in the day with no fresh running water and no ability to farm or raise livestock. All was dependent on goods coming over from Key West. Nancy and I separated from the tour to take a walk around the moat that surrounds the fort. We were surprised by how much sealife we could see feeding off of the moat wall.
AFter arriving back in Key West at 4:30p, we changed and headed out to dinner at the Cuban Restaurant we discovered the week before. What a cool place. Again, the food was fantastic. On our way back to the boat, we stopped in at The Galleon Tiki Bar. We stayed at the Galleon a few times before and wanted to check it out on this visit. AFter enjoying a nightcap, we headed onto the "boardwalk" that connects the wharf establishments. I realized I left my purse back at the bar so Bill and Nancy to the boat and Bob ran back to get my purse. While I waited on the boardwalk, three men emerged from the AB Marina alongside the walkway. People seated at an outdoor restaurant began yelling out to one of the men but he didn't acknowledge them. Instead he started walking down the boardwalk in my direction. When we made eye contact I smiled, said 'Hi' and he nodded and kept on going. Emeril was in Key West, Bam! It was 11pm and he was heading out for a bite to eat, according to his companions who were busy apologizing to the seated crowd who apparently wanted his autograph.

The next morning we hung out at the pool and enjoyed a late lunch at the poolside a la Dante's Grille. This is all part of the marina complex where we are keeping 4mySanity. Nancy was scheduled to take the 5:30 pm ferry back to Fort Myers and Bill was staying on another night to join us for our sail to Marco Island. We were departing at 4am! So once Nancy waived goodbye to our boat, we started preparing 4mySanity for the 12 hour passage soon to be underway.

We plan to return to Key West often....perhaps by ferry or on our own sailboat. Either way, it's sure to be a blast. Farewell for now to the Conch Republic. We will be back!