Sunday, March 23, 2014

We have officially left Key West - it was fun  - weather was great until last two days then we got a taste of humidity down there!  Paul says "You get used to it"!  I don't wanna.  I will do a brief summary of Key West highlights.  Key West is one of a string of barrier islands - it is only 2 x 7 miles and packed with people.  Main industry used to be wreck salvaging (in olden times), sponge harvesting (also gone), and cigar making.  A major fire back in early 1900s took out the whole community including cigar factories so the economic decline began.  One enterprising man built a railroad and brought the tourists down - ta da - now they salvage and harvest tourist dollars!  Lots and lots of midwesterners and northerners escaping their snowy, icy winter.  I told Paul next to them WE looked tan!!

There's a lot of Key Lime down here - pie of course, frozen chocolate dipped, and yestereday I saw an ad in a cigar window for Key Lime cigars!!

 We had to try the pie of course since it's one of Paul's favorites!!

 This is a picture of the line in front of us and then in back of Paul.  We are all in line to get a picture of the southern most point in the continental U.S.  Butttttt, this really isn't the southern most point.  It's out on a Navy base (the round ball thing below).  The Navy frowns upon tourist visits - so the town fathers demanded that something be built for the tourists and ta-da, the big red/black/yellow weird shaped thing was born and we all go to get our picture there!  :)