Life in Key West is strange, pleasant, creepy, loud at times, lazy or is that a disguise? Lots of things happen and right now it is so hot that everyone is crawling around like lizards. A typical day is a ridiculous collage of events followed by a long dingy ride over moonlit ocean swells as we cross the channel to the anchorage. One day I had my guitar strapped on my back as I rode my bike up to Caroline Street Music to buy strings. There was a drunk dude with a straw hat playing the piano I had helped move a week or two earlier with Andy(also from deep chatham) and the owner. I have already moved two pianos and a keyboard since we got to Key West. Last year I did a grand piano. This particular piano came from the Red Barn Theatre on Duval St. This dude playing the piano was playing Pink Floyd. His style just makes your jaw drop cause you aren't expecting this Key Bum to be able to play that well. He asked me to play something and I said after I make my purchase, give me time to think about it. He was really good. He had played on cruise ships and probably everywhere else. That piano sounds like crap when anyone else plays it. That's why the Red Barn bought a new one. I came out after buying some strings and played him one of my songs. He asked if that was an original and I said, "yes it was". He thought I was really good and said he liked the words a lot. That was cool and then his friend Woody walked up and he played his songs on a guitar which were very funny and loud. Billy Crow was there playing harmonica with the pianist. They started playing another Floyd tune and Woody flipped out because he had never heard this guy play piano. They only knew each other hanging out on the Duval Street. Woody called his mom and made her listen on my phone because she had met this guy and thought he was just another drunk (which he is). It was fun. All this continued until the shop manager came out and said we needed to take a break so he could work on a customer's guitar. Every night when we pass the the music store by the dingy dock, we hear them playing while the rest of the city sleeps. The owner likes having the guy play the piano.



I jumped a bucket at Mallory Dock. Now I am officially a Snowbird.



This cute lizard ran out of wire during birth. It only has three legs. Sadly, Americans nor Europeans are very interested in purchasing this one. An artist at Keys Fest in Islamorada showed interest in a trade of some kind. Hopefully, we find a home for him.



We have been helping our friend, Melanie move her cart to Sunset every night. She was one of my first customers last year. She said she would put it on her house and I would get a lot of business. She was right. I get a lot of customers that say they saw it and are so glad they found me.



































Piper is learning music.



On Conch Republic Day they battle out on the water. The Coast Guard vs. everybody else. It's a re-enactment of the battle for secession that took place back in the early eighties. In an attempt to curb the flow of illegal aliens and drugs coming in through Key West, Border Patrol put a checkpoint up in the northern Keys on the only road in or out. It was very successful but it also killed tourism for the lower Keys. The three-hour drive from Miami to Key West became a six-hour traffic jam. The final straw was when the beer distributors said they would no longer deliver to Key West because it took too long. Key West seceded from the Union then promptly surrendered and applied for aid. The stunt generated enough publicity to end the "border" checkpoint. These days they squirt each other with firehoses. In years passed, people threw tomatos and sometimes an outbreak occurred on the pier. So I decided not to set up. It turned out to be pretty tame.










Down by the dingy dock we see lots of big fish, like tarpon, parrot fish, barracuda and nurse sharks. One day, we started noticing fish carcasses. They were around for days and started stinking up the marina. The sport fisherman do this. They aren't supposed to throw them in the bight. It's actually illegal. All the fish leave the area when this happens.



Here's a shot of me enjoying a morning dingy ride.



We've been helping Andy and Vicki look for a sailboat. I drove with her to Marathon one day to look at a real heap. It's amazing what people think they can sell. It was a beautiful drive. It is a great way to see the keys really. The drive is incredible. Never do it at night! Pull over and sleep until morning.



I kept telling them that there is bound to be something here in Key West in the 3-4 thousand range that is worth the money. We looked at this crappy Pearson. I don't know why people say things like, "It doesn't leak at all, we left it alone for a year until it chaffed though the line and started drifting during a storm and still doesn't leak even though someone stole the compass and there is a 6 inch hole in it's place." I looked in the bilge and there was water. The chainplates were dissolving from salt water exposure.












Thank God it has a temporary rudder! Does it come installed?





Eventually, They found a boat. It's a very reasonable boat for the money and it is ready to use.



During all the chaos, you have to find time to go dancing. We went to the Green Parrot one night to see the Spam ALLSTARS. We bumped into Sandra outside. She is from Dominica and sells ginger beer on the street. She is a bit of a pushy salesperson, but very interesting. She dances like a hoochi mama. Vicki and Saundra were speaking many different languages. None of them together.




Music at the Green Parrot is awesome. Every local in town comes if there is a good band. It's always free. Often it is so crowded, we just hang hang out on the other side of the street, because they open all the windows and doors, you can hear perfectly wherever you are. It's an all ages show over there. That's Toko's kid, Aaron, riding the skateboard.



Music is all over Key West. But most of it is classic rock and eighties covers. There are a lot of street musicians and performers with originals. Here is another video of Toko at Conch Republic every Sunday.



My Uncle Chan came to Key West and didn't realize I was living here. We were able to reconnect after ten years. He even sang a little song. The guy playing piano also has a tumbling act down at Sunset every night. His former tumbling troupe from NYC made it into the top ten on America's Got Talent. Unfortunately, they got kicked off the night he was going to join them.



In the mornings, we have breakfast with the pirates at Harpoon Harry's.






Often we party on Christmas Tree Island. This time there were two fiddles, a cello, an accordian or two, a bagpipe, hand drums, several guitars, an electric bass powered by marine battery, acoustic bass, recorder, harmonicas, ukes, and I'm sure there was more.

One day, Dusty, another tarheel asked us if we wanted to come over to his Tiki Bar for stone crab claws. We did. And they were excellent. We met his turtle.



































Here is Capt. Michael. He is one of the first boaters we met this year. He decided to wear his pirate suit. He says he always gets lucky when he wears it. Sadly, we were shocked to find out it is true. We heard he left sunset with the new photographer girl.

We often hang out at Melanie's house. It is in the Old Town Historic district. The tour buses always talk about the gingerbreading of her house and how it represented alcohol (during prohibition) and gambling. I built her a new display for her art one week. She lets me keep my art at her house which is close to Sunset. One night we painted umbrellas for a Boys N Girls Club auction til 5 am at her house. What a long night. The auction went well and Piper got to meet the host for the event, Veronica Webb from Tim Gunn's Guide to Style.







Piper worked very hard on her umbrella. I kept going out into town and watching the drunk dude on the piano at Caroline Street Music. I eventually came back and laid some chair cushions out and covered up with a blue tarp. i got a little shut-eye, then she woke me up at like 5.

The auction was held at the Garden Club which used to be a fort.
























OK i gotta get out of this coffee shop. I don't even drink coffee anymore. Just smoothies. The rest are pics of the Keys. A lot are photos from a show we did in Islamorada. There is an electric car expo in marathon today. Unfortunately, I can't make it. Peace Out.





















We had another party last night at Christmas Tree. Piper stayed on the boat and missed it. It was a slow start, but by the end, we had played all kinds of music. Toko's wife, Diane, played some songs that were really good. She has been playing and singing a lot lately. She said that's all she's been doing while pregnant and sea-steading.

Once we made it to Miami Beach, we decided to stay fro a few days to wait out a storm. Mostly, High winds. We read in our guide that there was an anchorage very close to the Miami Beach and decided we would risk the trouble with the law to anchor there. The anchorage was a little out of the way to get to and and we were hoping there would be very few boats anchored there. It turned out to be a very protected lake that was created when developers built islands in Biscayne Bay. Something is very wrong about building an island in a beautiful Bay like this. The canal we puttered up was gorgeous. I hate to admit it. This kind of development is the worst. Below is a pic of Piper in the pretty green canal.




The anchorage was very well protected from weather and we were close to Miami Beach. We walked around the Lincoln Pedestrian Mall and were able to pick up wi-fi there and skype our nephew. We had fun in Miami, but when we returned to the boat we had a letter from the police. They had begun a case against us for anchoring in Sunset Lake. We have a copy of the Florida State law pertaining to Anchoring rights. We are allowed to anchor anywhere we like except mooring fields. Miami is breaking the law. They know it is too difficult for us to fight the city. I felt better after I called the mayor's office and told them that I was planning on staying in Miami for a month and now you are chasing me out? I got a lot of uh's and well's and I then said, " Listen, this is what is wrong with the world today. Just remember that when the water levels rise, I'll be anchoring on top of your police station. click. They make me feel awful and with any luck, hopefully, they'll worry about losing their whole city. Here are pics of Sunset Lake.








Being very aware of the energy crisis and just plain waste, Piper and I were disgusted by the way all of the houses on Sunset lake left all their exterior lights on all night. It is ridiculous. The place is lit up like an amusement park.



However, despite the police, it was so nice waking up in Sunset Lake and watching the palms pass by the companionway. Here is a video clip to give you the full effect of waking up on Delphine.



We finally left Miami Beach. We crossed Biscayne Bay headed for Angelfish Creek where we would anchor for the night and then go on the outside between the reef and the keys to Key West. A thunderstorm quickly caught up to us. It was very cool looking but generally, wasn't the beautiful bay crossing we had last time.







When the rain came down, we took some video.



As we pulled into Key West Harbor, we decided to stay in Key West for a while and not just a month. We need to work and fix things. We love Key West and it's the perfect place to do it. We were hoping to go to the Bahamas, but our window to avoid Hurricane season is narrowing. Bill and Kitty will be a little disappointed, we are very happy with this decision and still hope to get over there eventually. Quite frankly, we don't know what our plans are. Flying back to NC for a summer beach trip is definitely on our agenda. Why sail all the way back? We are against torture.

We anchored near this palm covered boat. I spoke to the guy about where his anchors were and he gave me the scoop on Christmas Tree Island and the fight with the city. Why does our sailing adventure seem to be about fighting for rights more than sailing and having fun? Anyway, the boaters caught the city lying and having secret meetings which is illegal in Florida. The city lost its right to annex without a public referendum! So annexing the island is being held up quite a bit. This is what we loved most about Key West last year. All the boaters hanging out on this island, singing songs and cooking over a fire. Kids playing, building treehouses and exploring this 21 acre island covered in art and gardens that have been here for years. I went back to the island by myself the other day. There are no trespassing signs everywhere. No one really hangs out here much now since the topic is so hot. Our tree house that Piper and I started last year was just how we left it but a lot of the sculptures had been burned and removed. The gardens were overgrown and awesome. Boat Kid Camp had been ransacked. That was sad. However, Rat key is the new place. No one is trying to develop it yet. The same thing is going on there. As of March 18, the city is not prosecuting people that anchor there anymore. This will create a boater surge which I am excited about. However, I still have not been to Rat Key. The trails are manacured and a camp has been established. The boaters are once again caretaker's of their own private paradise.




below is Toko and his family's boat. It doesn't look like much, but they are very happy to be on the water. Their other boat disappeared during hurricane Wilma. This boat was salvaged and sold to them cheap so they could stay out there. Toko is an incredible musician. He is the real deal. A true performer. We heard his family singing songs the first night we were anchored. They are right next to us.



Here is Toko's family in their dink.



The second night in Key West, our friend Cliff, a palm hat weaver, told us Toko was playing at the Conch Republic Bar. We decided to go. During a Bob Marley song, Toko saw me singing along and pulled me up on stage for the "Everything is gonna be alright" part. I knew he likes my high pitched voice, so I gave him what he wanted. It was awesome. It was the first time I'd been on stage in years. Afterwards a man approached me and said," They must have flown you in?" Piper responded, "We sailed in, actually." Only in Key West. This place has so much magic and opportunity. Cliff gave me one of his hats. He also played harmonica during Toko's show. Toko's Daughter also sang a Cindy Lauper song and more. She is incredible. They are a family of stars. Toko's other kids as well as some other children were dancing and playing in front of the stage. A little girl visiting Key West got on stage and played the steel drums upon Toko's request. She actually did very well, but when her parents said it was time to go she demanded, "I'm not going!" It was sad and awesome at the same time.



I began setting up at Mallory Dock within a few days. We help a woman named Melanie Griffith by driving her scooter and display trailer up to the pier. She bought a big lizard from me last year and mounted it on her house near the Hemingway house. That has given me a lot of publicity being in such a prominent position in the "old Town".





The people at Mallory are very interesting. The Escape artist, Rondini, broke his collarbone in a bike accident. He hangs upside down in a straight jacket wrapped in chains for a living. Everyone donated money because he will no longer be able to do that act. He received a large amount of money in which he was very grateful for and wrote a nice thank you letter to all of us. It's kinda funny that this generosity occurred because these people are constantly arguing with other. That's just standard performer/vendor practice.






Andy, the pier manager, was wearing a Shikori Hills shirt last year and that's how we met. I said to him,"That's deep chatham...my stompin' grounds." He was like, "How come we've never met." He has a new girlfriend this year, Vicki. She's a t-shirt artist. We all hang out at their house making art and drinking coffee. Piper has a new job at the Boys and Girls Club. She passes by once a day as she escorts the kids to the park. The other day I set up my art in the park to show the kids how they can make art and sell it at Mallory Dock. They kept asking, "How much does that turtle cost?"
"50 dollars", I'd reply. One kid said," That's a rip off." I laughed and said, "You're missing the point. You are lucky enough to live here in Key West and could make art and sell it at Mallory Dock. You could get $50 for your artwork."




Below is a photo of a Smart Electric Car. There are several here in Key West. They go 75 mph and have a range of 70 miles per charge. Also for more money you can purchase a 10 minute charger. They are very nice cars available for $27,000. You have to import them. America hates these things.





Our friend, Cliff, made this palm hat. He is the best hat weaver here. He also plays harmonica at Christmas Tree Island bonfires and when Toko is playing he jumps in sometimes.



This iguana barely made it across the street. It is now wild and free. It was probably a pet once. They are all over because they can survive here. They aren't native. But scorpions are. They are all over the streets at night. Careful with your flip flops.





Yesterday, Dusty, another old friend from Chapel Hill, took me out on a fishing charter he payed for. He caught a jack something or another, I caught a 4 foot hammerhead and mangrove snappers. The captain said I caught a world record pinfish. It was like 8 inches long. It was beautiful fishing 15 miles out on the flats. The water was so many different colors there.



Then our friends Dave and Rachael showed up. We took them to Fort Zachary Taylor Beach.

After that we went back to the boat and picked up the snorkels and hawaiian slings and went spear fishing on the Wysteria wreck near the anchorage. Dave couldn't stand it and had to kill something, so he speared a 6 inch snapper. It was pathetic and hilarious. He was so happy. I told him it wasn't too late to change their minds about not coming to Key West and heading back north to New England again. Right now they are in Miami. Still not in paradise. hmm... well see what happens.



Then after that, Piper cooked Thai curry and we went to see Toko play again. Dave and Rachael departed. We went to sleep and woke up as the wind picked up to what seemed like 80 mph. NOAA said it was 35 and over. Later, we heard a few people actually clocked the wind at 57 mph. with on-board technology. Everyone in the anchorage felt as if there must have been a water spout nearby. It was the scariest weather we had ever experienced. We were ready to swim to shore. Christmas Tree island is about 250 feet away. The waves were about six feet in the anchorage. On the radio everyone was reporting lost dingies and boats adrift. One forty footer was headed for the seawall. The next morning we saw bent markers and broken signs. Magic Penny, the salvage boat was hard at work at 2 am. We also heard a man report an epirb floating by underwater. He was unsure if there was a body attached to it. That storm could have killed someone very easily. Swimming 250 feet might not have even been possible with the ripping water. It was raining heavily and nothing was visible. We kept trying to look ahead of the boat and see if any boats were dragging our way. But the rain felt like needles to the eye. Over the course of the next few days, we noticed many boats were anchored in the channel as if they had drug anchor while unattended and still have not been moved. The channel has large vessels maneuvering in it all the time. There is a 4 knot current that will eventually pull up the anchor because the water is about 45 feet deep. You just don't anchor in a channel.

Let's go for a ride in the dingy back to the boat.



Okay, paradise is waiting. Must get back.