“Don’t kayak in the inner mall. The ocean is yours and do the tourist gig.”  Advice from a local, the mall water is restricted by the Navy, and there’s a compliment in the advice!
(written  Tuesday, Jan. 18th)

    Today was a gorgeous warm weather day with little wind and putting my kayak in the water was not to be missed. This January is much warmer than last year in Key West, but wind and a threat of rain has not been conducive to getting my tail wet in my “sit upon” ocean Kayak. The last good kayaking day was last Monday when I got involved with my nest’s (camper) water pump that refused to work. I got to know it real intimately as I learned how to tear it out and put it back in with two trips to the hardware store for guidance. When I put it back in the second time, it decided to work perfectly fine without repair or replacement and delivered my water needs for the next three months of meandering through Florida and the South West. The episode took up my whole day, though.  The sun shined beautifully as I toiled like the nonmechanic I am.
    Today nothing is stopping me. I’ve packed my dry bag with cameras, a shrimp salad sandwich I made from local shrimp, and ACBs, and I’m heading for the little public beach at the end of Simonton Street, where my kayak is locked to a fence waiting to be used. Being the first kayaking experience of the year in Key West for me, I chose to paddle to Sun Set Key, where there’s megamillion $$$ homes and to its neighbor Wisteria (Tank) Island.
    The Navy formerly used both islands for fuel storage. After looking at the recently built mansions, I paddled to Tank Island, which is uninhabited except for the sail boats anchored nearby, that are used as homes by locals and some hippies that camp on the island, who aren’t always happy with intruders and a little scary. Its shores are littered with nautical debris, shells, and lots of stuff to pick up for souvenirs.
    As I paddled I saw a couple Portuguese Man-O- War Jelly Fish. There were no captures dangling from their tentacles. Don’t let them touch you. You can have a serious shocking reaction. I found a flattened pillow with a fruit tree and monkeys eating the fruit on it, that will make a good ornament to decorate my nest’s front porch, a hitch packer. I also watched two cruise ships depart Key West’s Sun Set Pier. I won’t get to paddle around one today, kind of like a David & Goliath scenario.  I found two of the largest sea urchin shells I’ve ever seen, too.  They‘re so fragile, but I’ll keep them till they shatter.  Then I saw conch (whelk) shells that I knew were here since I collected some last year. I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to take them, but there’s so many and some as big as footballs. As I walked through the shallow water it was hard not to stumble over them. I also knew that being large, they are tough as shoe leather. Someone said you have to pound them to tenderize them.  Why not just collect small ones. They’re tender. The big ones are tough like quay hog sea clams. I put the big clams in the blender at home. That makes them palatable, and good for chowder, but the nest doesn’t have sophisticated appliances. I limited myself to three. I’ll give them to my neighbor who’s sharing the little parking lot near the entrance to Zachary Taylor State Park at the end of Southard Street.  We’ve been looking after each other’s nest where we’ve taken up residence.
    After stowing my collection, the risk of getting caught with them sent me back to my camper.  As I pulled the kayak out of the water, I asked a local, who’d just paddled from his sail boat home to the beach, if it was legal to be on Tank Island or to take the conch there. He said, sorta kinda probably, but who cares, a very Key West response. He was really interested in exactly where I’d found the conchs. Probably wanted some himself. Then he said if “the man” gets excited, just put on the tourist gig! It took me a while to realize, that meant he didn’t regard me as a tourist.  Wow! I’ve blended in!  I think I could live here! I haven’t been hassled where I parked my nest (RV) for the last 10 days, there’s lots of friendly happy people (why not it’s warm in January here, while the rest of the country is shivering) and I can sip a cold one as I wander around the streets enjoying the tropical flowers, street performers (some as good as circus acts), and sunsets that can be the event of the day; many are the most colorful I’ve ever seen.  My nest is my base and bedroom, the Westin Hotel is my comfort station, the lobby of the La Concha Hotel is my living room (TV & computer work space), my eatery is El Sibone (1900 Catherine St.) with scrumptious grilled fish with black beans & rice and plantain, or Finnegan’s Wake (320 Grinnell St.) where I had a delicious Rueben sandwich; and the rest of Key West is my playground. Don’t forget the Eco Center at the end of Southard St. and all the live reef critters in their exhibits. Quite a place.