838 November 3, 2022 Fort Zachary Taylor State Park

I began the day with breakfast by the water.  Does anyone else see the irony in having the paddleboard rental right next to the shark feeding station…feedings at 1pm and 5pm…if the sharks show up!

I walked on the northern edge of the island along the seawall.

I saw a guy on a trike cycling toward me.  He was trying very carefully to put his beer bottle down on the walkway.  As he did so, he tipped over and fell off his bike.  I was still a way off but I was watching to see if he needed help.  He struggled to his feet and got himself back on his bike.  As I got closer, I could see that he had cuts and scrapes on his legs.  I tried to reach out but he was not interested in help and gave me an angry response.  There are a lot of homeless people here in Key West and it is very clear that many of them have mental health issues.  I wish there was something that we could do to change their circumstances. 

When I got back to the hotel, I was hot and sweaty.  I sat on the small beach at the resort.  The tropical breeze cooled me down.  The ibises were out looking for breakfast.

We took the Jeep and our bikes to the Truman Waterfront Park.  We biked into Fort Zachary Taylor State Park.  We tooled around, riding on the various paths.  We found a bench in the shade and sat. We saw a manatee feeding in the seagrass near the rocks.  We saw lots of silvery skipjacks thrashing and jumping around in the water.  We saw some bigger fish swimming through the schools of smaller bait.  It is rare for Tim to sit still, but we stayed there for 45 minutes.

We watched this shrimp trawler move across the water, followed by a huge flock of gulls.

We went back to feed our parking meter and biked over to the cruise ship terminal.

We then cycled into town to see the Custom House.  Built in 1891 with intricate brickwork, terracotta, and brownstone, Tim had dubbed this a masonry masterpiece.  He is not a person to bestow this title easily.  This building is magnificent. 

Old US Coast Guard Building.

We found a Cuban restaurant, El Meson de Pepe, near Mallory Square.  I enjoyed the most delicious Cuban sandwich I have ever had with plantains and lots of cold water.

This chicken sat on the table next to us.  Was it rude that Tim was eating a salad with grilled chicken right in front of her?

We went back to the hotel and took afternoon naps.

We took the 6pm shuttle to Duvall Street.  We had 6:30 reservations for dinner at Bagatelle.  We sat on the balcony overlooking the street below.  It was an excellent meal and great ambience. 

We watched a rooster fly up and settle in the tree.

We walked across the street to listen to some live music at Hogs Breath Saloon.

We walked after dinner through town and to an empty Mallory Square.  We caught the 9 o’clock shuttle back to Ibis Bay.  The past two days here in Key West have been a real treat.  A vacation for us.  Staying in hotels and eating out so often is not part of our usual schedule.  We enjoyed our time here and as always we are so grateful.