Key West Florida

Last week, while visiting my inlaws in Coconut Creek Florida, I had a most charming adventure. I experienced the unexpected, not often felt at my age. On a whim at 8:30 in the evening, my 21 and 26 year old daughters and I, decided to drive to Key West, a 3 and a half hour journey from Miami, down a dim, one lane road. We gathered our provisions at a nearby Walgreens. These necessities included toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, and various snacks to fortify us on our journey. With both excitement, and some anxiety on my part, we steered our rental car down the never ending Route 1 towards the southernmost point in the continental US. We travelled on an inky, snakelike road south ward, accompanied by the black, silent ocean on either side. There are atleast 60 bridges to cross including the shoulderless seven mile bridge.
Arriving close to midnight, we wound our way along the deserted lanes to our bed & breakfast, the Nassau Inn. A letter left for us explained that our abode would be around the back and up two sets of steep stairs. On the way, we noticed a deep blue lagoon, open all hours and complete with whirlpool jets at one end. Too tired to try it out, we collasped into our beds. Noone told us that Key West's similarities to New Orleans and Charleston included unbearable heat and humidity which were a worthy match for our malfunctioning air conditioner. Tossing, turning, and giggling, we finally somehow closed our eyes and dozed off for a few hours.
Waking bright and early, as we only had one day before we had to scurry back, we partook of a continental breakfast. It boasted Key Lime pie, a delicacy for which the Keys are famous. We set off to tour the charming town, lined with wooden turn of the century homes. Most of the homes are adorned with eyebrow windows, meant to keep out heat and humidity. Our first stop was the Hemingway house tour. The famous author lived in this home for 30 years. Notable was the lack of fans due to his first wife's love of venetian chandeliers and the 6-toed felines, descended from Hemingway's original 50. The furry cats loll around on the grounds and sport such names as Charlie Chaplin, due to its black mustasche. We viewed the actual studio where the genious penned 9 of his novels. Sadly, manic depression ran through Hemingway's line and along with his father, brother, and granddaughter, he took his own life at the too young age of 61.
The next stop was the entertaining Duval Street for some shopping and a stop at the Key Lime Pie Factory where my daughter relished Key Lime pie, dipped in chocolate and served on a stick! Other hightlights were a visit to an art studio where we had an in-depth lesson on new techniques to get paint on canvas. One innovator uses only pigments that come from nature (saffron, bone, etc.) and then fingerpaints these substances onto his canvasses, forming the most vibrantly colored fruits, animals, and flowers that I have ever seen. Another artist, using bright acrylics, applies the paint with a spatula, causing the colors to run together and form an Escher effect, whereby the negative space forms birds, fish, or whatever your imagination conjures up.
The trip wouldn't have been complete without a visit to the southernmost point in the continental US, only 90 miles from Cuba. The water here is 87 degrees and can only be described as heavenly. Our small group of 3 also tasted local specialties such as conch fritters, Florida lobster (no claws), and fried ice cream topped with Belgian chocolate sauce.
Sadly, we departed at 5:30 pm and, on the way back, discovered a state beach along Route 1. Here, one could walk several football fields out from the shore and only get wet up to ones knees. The water is so crystal clear, we could observe sea anemones breathing in and out and colorful fish circling at our feet.
Arriving back to Boca Raton after midnight, we showered our tired, clammy bodies and fell into bed, savoring the memories of our impromptu journey to Key West. We then realized that we had only been gone for 28 hours.