Windy!

It's always somewhat windy here in Key West, but today is WINDY.   Right now inland the wind is just 19 mph, but out at the beaches and in the channel the sustained winds are in the mid twenties.  The gusts are higher.  Most people stayed put today even if they had planned to leave.  As we walk around the marina, we hear flags whipping, windmills whistling, and sail boats clanking. The wind is a force and has a voice.

We had dark skies and rain earlier too.  This dampens our chances for activities since so many things to do here depend on sunnier skies.  It also dampened my mood.  When I made a grumpy comment to a neighbor from Michigan, she replied that I should check the Michigan weather and be glad I was in Key West.  Even a bad day here is better than a winter day there.  She is right.  Detroit this morning was just 30 degrees.

However, I feel some hostess responsibility for my guests' entertainment.  What is there to do on a chilly and windy and grey day?  We considered a movie but couldn't get enough enthusiasm to make a plan.  After a slow start, we took a trip into town to have lunch and listen to music at the Schooner Wharf Bar and Hog's Breath Bar.  I found two quotes to share.  Written in the bathroom stall at Schooner's Wharf:  "Where am I going, and why am I in a hand basket?"

The motto for Hog's Breath Bar is "Hog's breath is better than no breath at all." This supposedly came from a related quote of the owner's grandmother:  "Bad breath is better than no breath at all."  Good ol' grandma came through with her wisdom.

We had some yummy chowder; Jenny bought a sweatshirt and wore it out of the store; we enjoyed a two piece combo with a multi-talented brass player and keyboard/ singer at Hog's Breath.  The brass guy played a trumpet and a flugelhorn.  He used percussion instruments too - a cowbell and a scraper.

Everyone faded into naps and reading back at Aunt Aggie.  Maybe we can get up a game of Hearts in a bit.  The sun is finally coming out now, just in time to set.

Here are a few interesting Key West entrances from previous walks:

This is a low stone wall embedded with shiny stones and gems. It is near the cemetery.

I wish I could grow a hedge to frame the garden entrance as this does.  

An original gate for the white stone wall.