THE KEYS – PART 2– Sunsets and “Robert is Here”

Couldn’t fit these bits on the previous blog – bits and pieces of oddities and such.

SUNSETS

The main thing to do in Key West is to go to Mallory Square on the main promenade and watch the sun go down alongside stacks of other tourists.  And all whilst enjoying entertainment from an assortment of jugglers, musicians and various ex-hippie/new age leftovers, all trying to make a buck from the hundreds of people who flock there every evening.  The patter is great, if repetitive when watched each night, and the mood is buzzy and up for a good night out – then everyone adjourns to the myriad of great bars with live music until the small hours – a boozers paradise.  We found an excellent restaurant and ate there outside in the warm evening (no mossies here) doing plenty of people watching – young, old, tattooed, fat, very fat, enormous, dressed up, dressed down, hardly-dressed-at-all, gay, not-so-gay, definitely not-gay-at –all – but all enjoying themselves.

We found an alternative place whilst staying in Marathon, half way down the Keys, by chance at this lovely little cove.  Places like this seem pretty impossible to find as the whole coast either side of the one main road down the Keys has been snaffled up by private homes, marinas and resorts – all with their own sea or water frontage containing their own fishing boat and lifting gear and dock.  But this spot has been bought for the community and every night it is a gathering place for locals with their wine and pre-dinner snacks, and  a few tourists, to watch the sun go down whilst the regulars play a rousing melody as it disappears, followed by community singing.


A very social idea, which would be great to introduce in Beck Head – if only we had the same warm evenings.  We shall just have to make do with the impromptu summer gatherings that we do anyway – and any time soon, if not already, we should be hearing of an extra addition to the BH community – we are thinking of you, Alison and Charlie and wishing you all the best.





ROBERT IS HERE

This is a most brilliant Florida veg and fruit stall – the most humungous avocados, grapefruit etc, as well as a vast range of key lime marinades, fruit preserves and pickles – but best of all and the best we have ever had (a lot over the years in the US and Bermuda) – milkshakes made with this outstanding tropical fruit we had never heard of - Black Sapote.  Tastes like chocolate pudding and shakes come as BS +coconut or strawberry or cherry or ....    AMAZING!  Am starting the campaign to bring BS to the UK.

The name of the place comes from 2 generations ago when 6 year old Robert was told to stand by the side of the road and sell cucumbers.  But he was so small that no-one could see him and he didn’t sell any – so the next day his Dad wrote out a sign saying ROBERT IS HERE.  He sold all his cucumbers and that's the way a thriving business and essential tourist stop in Florida was built.