Check out my professional blog

If you have a need for a photographer to create images for your event, web site or just to hang on your wall, please visit my web site  www.garyfordphotography.com   for: Fine Art, Weddings, Mitzvahs, Commercial, Copy Work (fine art documentation), or On Location Portraiture.

New Blog!!!

Thought I would create another blog that is more professional looking to help promote my business.  It is up and running and will be making changes and adding to it as time goes on.
I redirected my web site address for this new blog.

Check out my new blog at Wordpress.     http://garyfordphotography.com

I plan to keep this blog going so stay tuned for more of me.

Can't drive 55 and don't need no cake.............

Well......... "Happy Birthday" to me!   Yep, reached the milestone of 55.  I never could drive 55.  I always thought 55 was too young to receive a senior discount at the movie theater.  But now that I am 55, I have no problem with the senior discount at the theater.  I still can't drive 55 and I'll be damned if I am going to except myself as a senior citizen.  I can still out ski most kids half my age, can pedal my bike faster than most and in better shape than those half my age too.

Its all about me today.  Me, me, me!    Don't need no cake or party to celebrate, but I will take the Mega Lotto if given to me.  Instead, today I will be working in the studio taking pictures of families and giving them a happy moment to cherish for the rest of their lives. 

As for me, I have been working on something big that is on the horizon.  This time next year I'll be doing just fine.  :)   

Happy Birthday to me!

PS, I bake a mean pumpkin pie and that is what I had for breakfast this morning.   :)

Lakewood Police Officers funeral procession

On Sunday morning November 29, 2009,  four Lakewood Police officers were slained in a Parkwood coffee shop while they were working on reports.  A few days later the suspect, Morice Clemmons, was shot and killed by a Seattle Police officer.  Tuesday, December 8, a funeral procession started from McCord Air Force Base and preceeded north on South Tacoma Way to the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma Washington, where a memorial service was held.   Over 3000 Police, Fire and other EMS vehicles from all over the Pacific NW, including British Columbia Canada,  followed the four white hurst that carried the officers bodies.  I photographed the lead part of the procession as the procession approached So. Tacoma Way and 52nd .  Thousands of people lined the street to pay their respects to those four officers and their families.

The lead part of the procession was photographed in black and white film and will be added to this blog page at a later date.   I have included digital images.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Writings from the "Conch Republic"

Writings from the "Conch Republic"

Day 5, 9/15/09

Finally, I found a place were my laptop would allow me to go on-line. Sippin Internet Cafe. So here I am on the Rock of the Southernmost Point in the US.  Margaritaville, the Conch Republic or as most of you know as Key West, Florida. Some say that Key West is a Third World Country that has all the benefits of living in the good'ol US of A.

Back in 1982, the Mayor of Key West announced to secede from the US and declared war.   Needless to say, it was short lived and the Island got the US Border Control to back off.   Key West has always had an independent attitude that has attracted some of the most famous people in the world. Even me! OK, maybe I'm not so famous......... yet! The climate, the water, friendly people, the laid back island life has attracted folks like; Flagler, Truman, Hemingway, Roosevelt, Jimmy Buffett and many more including of course, Gary Ford. Oh ya, not famous yet. Everyone from all walks of life is welcome, even me.

I have learned already that the Coconut Telegraph is alive and well today.
Yes, I have experienced it!   Amazing. I received an email from a church asking if I would be interested in part time wedding work?  Not really sure how they would have found out that I am a photographer or that I shoot weddings. So you have to be careful in what you say because it is faster than the internet.   Jimmy Buffett sings about the Coconut Telegraph.  I always thought it was an inside joke. No way Jose', its very real. The Island is too small for anything to slip by.

If you find that I ramble on, well.......... to bad....... its all about me. But, I do hope
you enjoy!


PS.  All images are shot with a SLR digital camera.  I also photographed with a Nikon FM2 using Kodak Portra 160VC.  I can't wait to see the film. 




Friday 9/11, Seattle to Miami.

My flight was boring. Fortunately for me there was an 18mo old behind me who's timing was impeccable. He would kick the back of my seat or give out blood curdling screams that would wake me from my slumber.   Each event was earth shattering.  I once woke up thinking the plane crashed. You had to be there. The poopy dippers was the best.  I had the pleasure to experience the creative aroma that creeps around and over my seat. I believe it was essence
of puréed peas and carrots.   Please, get me off this plane!

The drive from Miami to Key West was kinda fun. Those that know me, know that I like to drive. I left Miami around 11:45PM Friday night and arrived in KW around 2:30AM Saturday. Its funny how car rental companies have jumped on the bandwagon by offering GPS.  Of course I wouldn't think of adding that to the rental fee.  Besides, are there that many morons out there that can't read a map?  All I had to do was to make a left, a right, another right, a left and I was on the Freeway....................................... at one point when I stopped at the
toll booth to pay my $1.00 usage fee, I had to ask if I was heading in the "right" direction or was that left?  The Toll Booth teller laughed at me.   All I really needed to do was follow the thunder storms to Key West and that is what I did. What a great light show it was too.

I made it to the Conch Republic and was ready for that cold beer. Of course I stopped along the way on some Key (one of 1700), bought a Cuban sandwich and a 6 pack of Land Shark.  When I arrive at the B & B, Author's Guest House, I was greeted by their security guard. I was escorted to my room and the guard was even kind enough to make sure my room was secure.

For a security guard she was very attractive and had a calico look to her hair. I found out later that her name is Cali and her main job is to keep the roosters and rats away.   Ahhhhhhhh........... that cold beer taste so good. :)

9/12
Saturday

The Shrimp here is unreal. The seafood is unreal, ok its real. I have never tasted fresher seafood except fish I have caught myself. There are seafood warehouse places you can buy fresh seafood from that has come right off the boat. Within hours. Get this, I bought a pound of large shrimp for $5.80.   Ya, and it made a meal for three days.   I like conch fritters, never ate them before until now. The oysters are ten times fresher than what you get in Seattle.   I'm sure you get the picture that good food is not a problem in the Conch Republic.

Speaking of good food. I had to pay my respects to the Man. Yes, I am talking about Jimmy Buffett and his Margaritaville. Cheeseburger in Paradise is worth the visit.  I took a picture of my Cheeseburger in Paradise for your viewing pleasure.   No self respecting Parrot Head would say they have been to Key West and not gone to Margaritaville.
 
After I had booked my trip to the Conch Republic, I found out that I was arriving in time for an annual festival. Women's Fest!   Wow, how cool was that!  Such fortuitous opportunities? Yes it is, if you are Lesbian.  I have never seen so many same sex couples having more fun.
I almost felt left out.  That is Key West.  I saw some really funny stuff.  One of which; a Women's Fest group had booked a night cruise on a large catamaran sail boat and it was packed with women. The sister ship next to it was packed with men. You had to have been there to see it. A picture could not do justice for what I saw, for It was a very funny moment. It might not have been funny to others, but I find humor in the littlest things in life.

Its too easy to spend money here unless you have a ton of it and I don't. So I rented a bike to get around the island. It really is the best way. Between the temperatures in the 90's and the humidity about the same, its a sure bet for a weight loss program.

Parking for cars is a challenge and people ride scooters like idiots. I heard that during Spring Break the number one hospital visit is from riding scooters. Helmet laws don't exist here and I have no problem with that. If you choose not to wear one, well......... that's your decision. But, I have to admit not wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle is heaven. Love the feel of the wind in my hair.

Its sunset and the T-storms are brewing on both sides of the island. The clouds add to the beauty of the sunsets. 

I mentioned earlier of thunder storms driving to KW. Tonight, the craziest thunder storm came over the island. Wow what a show. I have never seen a light show like that. Seattle gets thunder storms but nothing like this. Next morning I over heard some of the locals talking about how intense the lighting was. I agreed. I tried to sleep through it but the lighting was so bright I could see it with my eyes closed.

9/13

Sunday

I have gotten into a routine. I wake up around 9'ish AM. Brush my teeth, put on un-sweaty shorts and tee shirt. Walk to the patio (or office if rained the night before) make tea, eat a bagel w/ cream cheese. Go back to my room, figure out what to do for the day (tough life). Today I rented a bike for the week. Much easier to get where you want to go. I'm going cruising. I rode all over the island looking for Kodak moments and got a few. I rode up to the North East end of the Island. There was a decent size bay with lots of boats anchored and large bushy things growing out of the water. I gues they call those mangroves. These tree like things did not grown from dry land. The tide was running out and right through the roots of the trees. I thought I might get a chance to see a bone fish or cobia or both. I waited and sure enough, in classic form, a large fin came out of the water and was chasing prey. How I wished I had my fly rod at that moment.

 9/14
Monday

 
Its Martini Monday!!! :) At Virgilio's, they serve $5.00 martini's after 9PM on Monday nights. I figured ½ priced you get a watered down shortened version of the real thing you would pay
$10 or more for.   NOPE!  Not only did I get a full size martini glass, but it was generously poured with top shelf vodka. I had two!!  Barely was able to ride my bike back to my room that night.  :)

Today I made a discovery. A few days before I left for this trip, Ryan and I were looking at Google Earth. I gave Ryan the address for the B & B and Goggle zeros on it. Not much to see. So we went satellite cruising and not far from the B & B we found what appeared
to be a shanty town. After all I read about Key West, I was amazed that the Island government would allow such a thing so close in town. But there it was. Fast forward to 9/13.

As I was riding my bike to find an internet cafe, I discovered that the shanty town was really the Island Cemetery. I had a good laugh over this. I made it a point to check it out within the next day or two. No such luck in getting this lap top to accept a wifi signal today.

 

9/15
Tuesday

                                                                                         I spent most of the day at the beach and in the ocean. The water was very very warm and must have been in the nineties. Got to go back tomorrow.

Sunset pictures at Mallory Square and from the top of the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

9/16
Wednesday

Woke up, got out of bed, ran a comb through my hair................... What's not in the song is; I brushed my teeth, put on my shorts and headed out the door for a cup of tea.  Man I am telling you, I think this Island is starting to take effect on me. Its raining so I ended up talking to the general manager of the B & B for several hours. That is the luxury one gets when they are the only guest with a booked room. It will be this way until Friday. Then the bikers come to town. I have been told that bikers ride from all over Florida for this three day event. The numbers are roughly 10,000. Its a Florida Harley Davidson sponsored Poker Ride with the benefits going to charity.  Nice.

The rain stopped around noon. I hopped on the bike with my lap top in tow to search out the friendly internet cafe that likes my computer. I decided I should take a side trip through the cemetery. Its an above ground cemetery and the highest point on the Island. Some of the crypts I saw date back to the early1800's. Family crypts are stacked on top of each other.
Some family plots have roofs over the plots and this explains why the cemetery looked like a shanty town. This place is old, very old. 
It is filled with lots of history that include sailors from the Battleship Main.

I found an internet cafe that was friendly. Sippin Internet Cafe.  Its a great local coffee shop and they provide easy access and good service. Good coffee and pastries too! Better yet, its not that giant
coffee shop from Seattle. Besides, some of the best local character hang out there.

I scored today and have a list of the local spots to check out.
I was totally done with Duval Street.  My list includes a few watering holes that are local favorites. Alonzo's serves a drink called Stormy Weather.  Its a mix of rum and ginger beer. Ohhh it is so very good. The conch fritters are good but I can get better calamari in Seattle. Met Jim and Tracie at Alonzo's.  A super cool couple from Gainesville Alabama.  I am glad we had the chance to meet. Thank you!  Here is the view from Alonzo's.

Next was Pepe's.

Its more of a steak house and the prices are right up there with the best. It's a non-descript place from the outside. I rode by it many times thinking nothing of it. It's really cool once you are through the door. $1.50 beer all day and the Baked Oysters are awesome. I will be back a few more times. Another place that I will go to is the Half Shell. Will let you know about it in a few days. 

After I got back from doing the water front, it was time for a late night swim. I have been doing this for several days now. I am all by myself at this B&B and can get away with most anything. So, with a margarita ( no alcohol in the pool the sign says) in hand I float in the pool watching the stars, the palm tree's gently sway and the clouds roll by.  After an hour its time for bed.

9/17
Thursday

Thursday, where did it go? I remember that I was at the beach. The one the locals use the most. Its Fort Zachary Taylor National Park and it is on former NAS property. The old Fort that was built in the mid 1800's, is still standing and is surrounded by a moat. Was wondering if they kept alligators in the moat when it was built? It is a very clean beach and park. I like it, and it cost $2.50 to enter with a bike.

Time for a night on the town. I started with the Green Parrot, a local favorite
for beers.

Then over to the Half Shell for a bowl of shrimp and ½ doz of some of the best oysters ever. Oh so yummy!!!

I cruised the Historic Water front docks for photos.

                                            
                                            

I ended up at Schooner Wharf Bar and Grill.
 
After all the shrimp and oysters , I was still hungry. Fish Tacos is on the menu. But not just any fish tacos. It was mahi mahi. Best I have ever had, so far. I noticed there was a large party sitting behind me having some fun. They were trying to get someone to take their picture so I popped up and volunteered. Not only did I get a beer out of the deal but made some friends too. I ended up taking a group shot that included yours truly. Gave them my business cards and was introduced to two beautiful women from Russia. The girls asked if I would do a photo shoot on the beach Friday. I gave them a price and later rescinded it. Other words, Free. I thought I would get at least a beer out of the deal. I rode back to my room in the dark that night. What a great day!

9/18
Friday

I woke up early expecting a call from the Russians. Nope. Oh well. Rode over to the Sippin Internet Cafe to go on-line and guess who emailed? The Russians! We are to meet at the Holiday Inn at 5PM. I went to Fort Zak Park for the day. Came home, changed and rode to the Holiday Inn to meet the girls. Yana and Nadia. Oh ma gwad. It turns out that one of them, Yana, has done some modeling, mostly commercial work. Her friend Nadia, is finishing her masters degree in business.

They were surprised I showed up riding a bike and thought I was local. Ha!  After trying to understand where to park my bike, we hired a cab and we were off. We ended up at Smathers Beach. Yana knew what she was doing so shooting her was very easy. She brought three clothes changes and we ended up with some great shots. Nadia started out not comfortable in the water. She got used to it. Good thing I did not mention the fish that are everywhere and small barracuda are always swimming around too.  Nadia, hope you forgive me? Over all, got some beautiful pictures and maybe some new friends. I hope to see them again some day.

9/19
Saturday

Woke up. Like I said before, got this routine thing going. Went down stairs for
tea and pastries.  Headed over to Sippin.   For lunch, I went looking for a particular Cuban joint to eat. Ended up on the wrong side of town but found the local favorite instead. To survive on this Island you got to find cheep but good eats and there is plenty of it.  5 Brothers, a grocery and sandwich shop, is all Cuban. I ordered a Cuban ham and cheese sandwich.  Ohhhh, I thought I died and went to food heaven. Under 5 bucks and it was a real winner.

It was a hot one today. I rode back to my room via the cemetery to take a short siesta and woke up around 6PM, five hours later. Hungry, I rode my cruiser about 2 miles to Albertsons to buy some belly fillers. Tonights entrée: Sabetts hot dogs, buns, chips, apple sauce and a liter of Pepsi.

The night before at the Ship Wreck, I bought a local cigar. I thought it was a great idea. After I got home from the grocery story, I made a margarita, a plate of chips and salsa. Went out on the deck with my concoction of pleasure, lit the cigar and watched the thunder storm brew. Jimmy Buffett was playing. And as I write this, his song "Lets get drunk and screw" is playing. How romantic and no one to share it with! If you have not figured out by now, I am on my third super sized margarita. :) Where was I..........................?

How many of you have every danced in a swim pool? I'll wager that most, if not all, have never. I can make that claim! It was time for a dip. My I-Pod was clipped to my hair, (long hair has its advantage) and Jimmy was playing. I danced to: Fins, Brown Eye Girl, Cheese Burger in Paradise, Margaritaville and many more. 

Now to understand this, please bare with me. This weekend is the Harley Davidson Poker Run to the Keys. 1000's of bikers are in town. I have been the only guest at the B&B until this weekend and the guests are all out at Duval Street for the big partee'. So with my second supersized margarita in a 20 ounce
McDonalds cup, I am in the pool dancing to the tunes. Wouldn't you know it, a bike guy walks by looking at me like I was some freak of nature. His is right!
Gotta love it. But hey it's me, Gary Ford!

I met a wonderful couple tonight staying at the B&B and joined me in the pool. We talked about everything short of politics. Including how to survive courting a respected social woman from Georgia. I am not talking stepford wives, I am talking about a true blooded Georgia State Football hell raising, mouth foaming viper that will take the skin off a man if he were to look sideways during the game. After the game life is good and she is that respected Georgia Peach. Uhmmmm, kinda scary. I'm thinking that I might kinda like the women from Seattle. A little wet behind the ears, wears fleece all year and loves to gut fish. Of course you have to watch which hand the knife is being held in. My back is still sore from the last stabbing.


9/20
Sunday


Sunday, Sunday, Sunday.............. Do I have to get up? Ahhhhhh.......gotta
love this Island life. Did my morning routine, except the couple I sat in the pool with last night is sitting in the garden enjoying their continental breakfast. I joined them for breakfast. We talked a little more about a business idea discussed the night before. We exchanged cards and I will follow up. I do hope to meet up with my new friends someday soon.

I like Fort Zak, warm water, fish to look at, girls to look at, boats to look at and what ever else to look at.......... Ok the truth is, I can't remember what I did today. I know I ate dinner. I went to this highly recommended Cuban Restaurant. I ordered the pepper steak with yellow rice and grilled plantations. I won't tell you how good it was cause you will have to check it out for your self.  :)

9/21
Martini Monday

Morning tea and muffin today. Lunch was a yummy, pulled pork Cuban sandwich from 5 Brothers.  Back to Fort Zak to work on my tan. I bought a dive mask today. Its cool looking and it has reflector lens on it just like Ray Ban sunglasses. I figured why wear sunglasses while riding my bike to the park? Since I will put the dive mask on anyway, I will just wear it riding my bike to the park. I have suddenly become popular, everyone waves at me and takes my picture. Just kidding, its my imagination at work!  But I did buy the dive mask and its a blast. Now I can see the bigger fish lurking from behind the big rocks.

I can't wait for evening time because its $5.00 martini Monday at Virgilio's. So I jumped my trusted steed, the Kona Cruiser, and rode to Duval Street. Its Monday Night Football night and I could not believe the cops are everywhere on Duval Street.  Nearly every bar is empty! Including La Trattoria and Virgilio's, except they are closed until 10/2 for vacation. No martini Monday for Gary. :(   Oh well, so I went back to the room, jumped in the pool and watched the lighting storm develop.

9/22
Tuesday

Finally I woke up early for a change. 7:30AM. I heard some noise outside the door. When it rains here it pours, no..... it dumps buckets.  Back to bed.  Hopefully tomorrow morning I can get up early to watch the sun come up over the water. Later that morning I went to see Nancy's Secret Garden.

I have never seen a garden like Nancy's.

 The garden has various types of palms found through out the world. She ended up acquiring (more like given to her) parrots from various owners that could no longer keep the bird. There are around 23 parrots. Macaw's, African Grays, Cockatoos and many more. The parrots add life to the environment with their friendly, "hello."

Plants, some of which I have never seen before, reach for the sky. This garden has such a natural feel to it, unlike a botanical garden you would visit in a major city with its cement curbs and walkways.


I went to Capt. Tony's Saloon tonight.

It is said that this is the place where Jimmy Buffett got his start in Key West. Had a beer and gave them a Summit Central Ski Patrol patch to hang on the wall with all the police and fire patches from all over the country. It just wouldn't be right without SCSP represented in the Conch Republic.

9/23
Wednesday

I did it!  Well, almost. Was at the beach 15 minutes after sun rise. Gotta try again tomorrow. I have to see the sun rise because that is one of my goals. Took a few pictures and went back to my room. Dropped off to la la land and woke up around 9:30AM for breakfast.

After breakfast I rode over to the Southernmost House.  The House is a B&B guest house and they have a beautiful pool area. The bar, more like a lounge, is open air with a high roof. The pool area is adjacent to it and both look out on the ocean. The view is something to be seen. The gate was unlocked so I started to walk toward the bar and a young lady stopped me and said I had to pay $15 to come on to the property! I told her that I was only going to have a drink at the bar. Nope, pay $15 to get in! The Bar Keep kindly interjected and allowed me to come in without the entrance fee.  :)


The Bloody Mary's are very good and recommend if you can get into this place you have to try one.  I was all set to take some pictures when I discovered I forgot to bring a memory card for the camera. Amazing that I call myself a professional. Ha!

I went back to Nancy's Secret Garden today. Had to check on the garden again.  I thought that I would see something different with the afternoon sun. I was right! I took some nice shots. I am very sure the Parrots recognized me. One of the birds kept telling me that she, "loved me."

Another one was asking: "What are you doing?", "What are you doing?"  " A different bird said, "Hello."

"I love you!" "Hello" "What are you doing"?  All this being said by the tune of three different birds. I really have no idea which of the birds where talking. Every time I turned around to see who it was, they all stopped and stared at me with the expression of, "Whaaaat!"

Its time to head over to Capt. Tony's again.

As mentioned, Captain Tony claims that he is responsible for Jimmy Buffets start. I like this place regardless. And as promised, the Bar Keep stapled the Summit Central Ski Patrol patch on the wall above the bar. It happens to have a light on it so its easy to see. I took a picture for proof. The Summit Central Ski Patrol has left its mark in Key West.
I was invited by some locals to join them on a Guinness pub-crawl tomorrow in celebration for Guinness's 250th anniversary. I'm thinking about it.  I rode back to the room and went for a dip in the pool since I never made it to Fort Zak. I will go to Fort Zak tomorrow. Its now about 10PM and I think I need to take another dip in the pool before bed. Just laying here in the water under the stars...........

9/24
Thursday

Its Friday, about 11:10PM and I am trying to member Thursday again. I remember I woke up and did my routine. Oh ya, now I remember. Got up late and never saw the sun rise. :(    Went to Sippin Coffee shop to check emails, and other stuff. Came back and rode over to the Alexander Palms Court. The sister B&B to Authors. I rode by this place at least a dozen times. The sign out front says, "Heated Pool". Oh ma gawd, who would swim in a heated pool in Key West?   That's what I thought went I would ride by. It turned out to be Alexander's. Really nice pool, really really nice rooms and all rooms have a kitchen.  Next time I come down here I will stay at Alexander's. I played in the pool all by my self for several hours. Went back to my room, showered and took off to meet some locals for the pub crawl. 

Brian the musician from Capt. Tonys, Mark the retired AP writer, Lisa the Buel rider and Chapter President for a Brest Cancer organization, Brian's girl friend, another couple and one of Brian's friends who is big enough to block the mid day sun. By the time we got to the third pub, Lisa and I had enough Guinness. The pub crawl was all about the Guinness Beer 250th anniversary. It was a blast.

I always meet the most interesting people. Last night, Wednesday, I was watching TV on the local station, a program called KeyNote. A reporter was interviewing some candidates for the City Counsel and Mayor position. The Mayor candidate got my attention. His name is Sloan Bashinsky. Our little pub crawl group is together at Jack's on Duval Street. I sit down and look to my right. And sure enough there sitting next to me is the Mayor Candidate Sloan Bashinsky. I introduced myself to him and we chatted a bit.  


9/25
Friday

Now its Friday. The last day. Everyday in Key West is an adventure. I have discovered that not one day is the same. In Tacoma, every day is the same. Seattle, every day is the same. But Key West nope. I did my routine for the last time.

I found riding through the cemetery cuts 5-10 minutes of time and its safer than
riding on the roads. I knew my last day would be full of events. As I was peddling down 2nd Ave ( the Cemetery has street names and is full of surprises )

 Today, I have to make the most of this day. Its my last full day in Key West. I went to Sippin, did the email stuff. Rode back to the room, dropped off the laptop, put on the swim shorts and headed to Fort Zackary Taylor State Park. I laid in the sun, swam with the little fishies, watch a woman ( really hot one ) get hit my a barracuda, (no harm done), watched the "T" storm develop, laid in the sun some more and took my last dip in the Caribbean Sea. Rode back to my room, showered, and jumped back on the Kona Cruiser. Started peddling to nowhere in particular, and ended up riding by Smathers Beach.

Saw a guy trying for the first time to Kite Surf. I ended up helping him get the Kite to fly. He never was able to get his feet into the surfboard and I watched him being dragged by the kite about ¾ of a mile down the beach. Funny!

You asked, what did Gary Ford do next? I just walk to my bike, moved it to a bike rack and tied it up. Then walked back to the beach to see where mister kite rider ended up. :) Mr. Kite rider was still being dragged across the Southern Atlantic Ocean. I figured if he could spot the Southern Cross than Mr. Kite flyer will make it home. I got back on my bike and rode on. Only in Key West, Ha!

I continued to ride to the north end of the Island. Took more pictures of the mangroves,

found a couple of guys fishing

 saw lots of fish and fish eating other fish. I rode back to my room, showered again and headed off to Mallory Square to see the sunset. A couple of big schooners that do local charters came out. They put up their sails and I got some nice pictures.

As the Schooners sailed by, I thought of Bartholomew Roberts (Black Bart), Capt'n Teach (aka Black Beard), Capt'n Kid, Capt'n Morgan, Sir Frances Drake (oh ya, the man was a real pirate ) and others. Most Pirates choose to use small schooners because of their speed to plunder other ships and shallow draft to hide. What a sight to see these big sailing ships sail by.

Got some nice evening and sunset pictures, but I had to get back to my room. I have someone very special waiting for me and I did not want to keep her waiting
to long. I stopped by CVS ( is a super sized drug store) picked up a bag of chips, a teriyaki microwave noodle thing and a special treat for my lady friend. My friend met me at the B&B. She and I went up to my room and I presented to her my special treat. She purred. I popped the lid on the can, using a very nice piece of styro china, I created a very nice presentation. She loved it! I thought she might share, but no way. Afterward she jumped up on my bed and cleaned and preened herself. It that moment I realized that we were never meant for each other. I broke the news to her and set her on her way. I figured that I could not allow this cat to sleep on my bed. All I needed was an asthma attack. Cali is a real cool cat, but like all the women I meet, I dumped her too.

Tonight I received a call from the couple I met at the pool last weekend. They are on their way back to the Conch Republic. I couldn't believe it. They left their home around 6:30PM and arrived sometime after midnight hoping to get together before I leave. We sat in the pool until 2:20AM talking. Super nice people.  Cheers to Alan and Althea.

I have to admit, going to bed at 3:30AM and waking up at 4:30AM was rough. But I made it to the airport by Five O'clock AM. It was "5 O'clock somewhere" and the bar was closed, damn! I'm not so sure now that I can call Tacoma home any more. It never has been a place that is permanent to me. Key West felt more like home to me and maybe it is. We will find out soon enough.


I came, I saw, I drank, I ate good food, I got a real dark tan, I met great people, I rode a bike, I laid on the beach, I swam, I saw fish, I saw a bonefish, I saw a cobia, I saw a barracuda, I saw life in paradise, I saw misery, I saw wealth, but what I saw most was a general acceptance of people and life and it did not matter where you came from as long as you are real. If you pretend to be something you are not, the Island will eat you up and spit you back to the Main Land where you came from. Oh ya, I saw the sun from a latitude that changed my attitude. Thank you Jimmy Buffett for opening my eyes to another place, another world that really exist.  Or does it?

To my Friends:

One day you may find that my phone does not work any more or a very slow response to your email. It will be a safe bet that you will find me living in the Conch Republic. If that is the case, you will always have a place to stay.

Love to all................