Keys Trip 2

Half way down we stopped at a fishing and tackle shop (really a mall). Outside gracious cranes or egrets roamed around...
...and five foot long fish swam nearby. I got dizzy walking out on the long docks and we went into the shop.
Inside that enormous tackle shop was Ernest Hemingway's boat, El Pilar, which he used in Cuba.
We toured the inside...
...and even played with his old typewriter.
As I mention earlier, there was to be a terrifying trip the first night--the night I thought I would be bar-hopping in Key West. Susie wanted to take us on a tour and we went, first, to Big Pine Key; deer walk all around, I guess knowing they are a protected species. They have no fear of humans.
Scary. To me a wild deer is as endearing as a giant tarantula.
But Bambi was just looking for a juicy piece of romaine lettuce, probably a distinct treat considering the dry leaves she usually lives on.
Then we went of No Name Key. The residents have been arguing with each other for years about whether to have electricity brought to the island (electricity equals development). So they live a life of noisy, gas generators. Things like this flip me out. Susie then brought us to The No Name Pub (really on Big Pine Key, so there was electricity). Yet another kooky place I felt like a fish out of water in.
The inside is plastered with dollar bills left over the decades by customers. The bills hang from the ceiling and act as wallpaper, too. Anywhere else, this would be considered a fire hazard, a thought that never left my mind as I kept an eye on where the exit was.
We, of course, had to staple ours to the wall, too.
Hanging things in the Keys from the ceiling is rather common. In Key West we found a bar hanging license plates, bras, and business cards.
But, there were many precious buildings in Key West, like The Strand. How all these wood structures have survived the many decades of hurricanes amazed me.

In any event, I finally understood The Keys by the time we left and look forward to the next trip (especially since Palmer's gave us a free night on our next visit). That is something I definitely understand.