We'll Get There Fast and Then We'll Take it Slow

No, unfortunately we didn't make it to Kokomo this weekend, but we did make it to that checkered flag in the middle of the sea! I thought that was a pretty cool picture, even better than the one of our cross-country journey from a few months back. We decided to take a trip down to Key West to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary a week early. We'll be in Portland this weekend for Jackie's brother's wedding, or should I say Jackie's friend's wedding. Her older brother is marrying one of her good friends. I guess it doesn't just happen in the movies.

Anyways, we took off Friday around lunch time and made the four hour drive down to Key West. It's deceivingly long because it's only 160 miles away, but with the 45/55 mph, one lane highway down there, it takes a lot longer than it feels like it should. We got to our bed and breakfast about 6:00 pm and walked two blocks to this site below:

It's not really the Southernmost point in the continental U.S., it only is if you discount the naval base that is right next to it.

We then went and had dinner at the Souternmost Beach cafe. We snagged the free apetizer and dessert coupons from the bed and breakfast. Nothing like a big plate of nachos, followed by mahi-mahi, and then a key lime pie to wrap things up. This is where we first realized that Key West has mosquitoes and that they love Jackie's legs.

I'm starting to get the self-portrait shots down

We walked off all of that food by taking a stroll down Duval street. Key West is a wild place and Duval is where it all happens. We had only gone a couple of blocks before we received our first invitation to go clubbing with transvestites. We passed. A few blocks later we walked by man that said, "Hey man, you doin' alright! Hey, you know what I'm talking about, I'm a black man!" I responded with a silent head nod, acknowleding that yes, I knew what he was talking about.

We were about a 5 minute walk from our place when it started to pour. We ducked under somebodies front porch to wait it out a little. Turns out the place was a house owned by the Westin and used for some of their employees. A man from Jamaica walked out and told us it would be $20 to hang out during the rain. He told us he was joking and then came over and chatted with us for a few minutes. After about 10 minutes, it had calmed down a little and we made a run for it.

We woke up Saturday morning and had breakfast with a grandma from Boulder, CO. We chatted it up with her and she was really impressed with all of my baseball knowledge. She was a Red Sox fan and asked me if she needed to plug her ears when I told her who I cheer for (she didn't want to hear 'the Yankees'). She turned out to be the mother of the owner of the Bed & Breakfast. I love making friends at those places.

We signed up for an all-day water adventure activity on Saturday. We got to go snorkeling, jet skiing, parasailing, and swimming. They feed us breakfast, lunch, and provided free drinks all day long. Of the 84 people on the boat, I believe the two of us, along with the 3 teenage kids were the only ones to not have any alcohol. When they started the soda line, it was only me and this 12 year old kid. Kind of funny.

Snorkeling was first and that was pretty fun. I didn't see anything I haven't seen before though. I almost got kicked out of the water for swimming too close to the federally protected coral reef. The guy on the boat was yelling for the lifeguard in the water to kick me out but I just pretended I didn't know what was going on and swam away from the lifeguard.

In the afternoon they took us to this area where they had a designated swimming area. My goal was to be the first person on top of the inflatable iceberg because that is how Emmett's do it. In the 5th grade I was the first person to ascend the mighty whale in the water at the Dunes in Newport Beach and two years later my little brother was the first when his 5th grade class went.

Jackie was in the water when I actually was the first so this is just a reenactment photo. Boo yah!

Camera lag, notice my splash though!

Parasailing was awesome. One of the most peaceful things I have ever done. If anyone ever asks me again if I would rather have the ability to fly, super strength, x-ray vision, invisibility, or any other super power, hands down it is the ability to fly.

We have lift off. We asked some people to take a few pictures while we were doing it. The guy went ahead and took about 50.

I pretended to walk on the water.

June is Pride month and Key west is the place to celebrate it. Duval street had a big gay & lesbian parade while we were there.

On Sunday we went to the "Little White House". Truman spent 175 days while he was President in this house. He would bring his work from Washington so it would be considered a working vacation. It's a neat little building. Obama has already accepted an invitation to go stay down there.

Notice the glasses in my front pocket...

...ahh, that's a lot better

I stayed in my long sleeve shirt because I got sunburned on Saturday. Pretty sure I was the only one on the island wear long pants as well as a long sleeved shirt

On the way home I stopped to get this picture. Storm on the left, sunny skies on the right. It was pretty spectacular.