Birthday Bash

September 27, 2007

Nancy, Mark & Jason



Birthday Bash



Turning 40 is a milestone worthy of celebration (or a cause for quiet desperation) for most people. Having three friends all celebrating together is an excuse for a massive party and that was the case last Saturday night at the VFW on Emma Street in the heart of Bahama Village in Key West. Nancy Klingener along with her husband Mark Hedden and good friend Jason Rowan all got together, rented out the VFW, bought kegs of beer and invited a cadre of their friends, many who traveled from around the globe to attend, and threw an awesome and fun dance
party.





There were so many aspects that made it such a great event, starting with the location. The VFW hall is a throwback to a different era in Key West; it has its own naturally funky vibe and the felt a lot like the warehouse parties I attended in my youth. There was a certain feel of disrepair and neglect which rather than distracting actually added to the ambiance. Of course, without the people filling it, the space would make little difference and the throng that showed up for the bash included a diverse mix of eclectic, interesting and fun people from Key West and beyond. Familiar former residents and friends made the journey to Key West and added to the sense of nostalgic fun that made the gathering special. The third aspect that made the night was the incredible mix of music that the hosts contributed to the evening. Each of them added their own favorites and the wonderful mix of music kept the place hopping late into the evening.

Time for shots!

Margaret, Eric, Mark, Jason, Nancy,Scott, Kathy & Vernon

Elena, Holly, Betsy, Craig & Haven

It was a great party. The photos here don’t begin to do the thing justice. In addition, there were difficult lighting conditions, which may have been perfect for the mood of the party but were not so great for photography. In addition it takes a special sort of photographer to effectively capture the feeling of a party, which I certainly was not, especially after a few drinks. I even danced a few times if that gives you an indication of how good I was feeling. Kathy pretty much danced non-stop, as did many in the crowd. Sunday morning, I was feeling none too good; one thing about being 40 or beyond is that hangover recovery seems to take much longer. Hopefully Nancy, Mark & Jason had happy birthdays. Thanks for a great time guys and many happy returns. You can see more pix from the shindig on The Rowan brothers amazing blog site “Not the Motorcycle Diaries” via the link below. It’s well worth checking out.

Tom & Eric

Jody, Tony & Bob

Kathy & Michael

Jason & Ian

http://notthemotorcyclediaries.blogspot.com/

Bike Week

September 24, 2007







Bike Week

One of the most interesting of the myriad of annual events held in Key West is the annual Poker Run for bikers, otherwise known as Bike Week. Held in the otherwise slow month of September, Bike Week features thousands of riders making their way down the Keys, collecting cards at five stops along the way to accumulate a poker hand, whoever has the best hand wins a cash prize.
It’s all to benefit charities such as the Diabetes Research Foundation and it also brings a ton of money to Key West during a traditionally slow time.







Organizers estimate the total number of bikers to be somewhere between 10-15 thousand and though I have my doubts there are actually that many, there is no question that the town is overrun with motorcycles during bike week. Some locals can’t stand it; the noise alone from all those bikes can be annoying at best and at times downright obnoxious, but I really do not mind it. I know the bikers have a reputation of being great tippers and they seem to spend a lot of money, have a lot of fun and mostly stay out of trouble.

The city blocks off 8 blocks of lower Duval Street and allow only motorcycle and pedestrian travel and the bars in the area set up a stage for entertainment and all sorts of vendors and food and stuff line the street. We usually take at least on evening to venture down and check out all the bikes and the scene of the organized chaos. It rained pretty heavily earlier in the evening, but it did not seem to dampen the spirits of the assembled leather clad throng.







http://www.petersonskeywestpokerrun.com/

Miami Beach

September 24, 2007





Miami Beach

News Cafe

The month of September is slipping by at what seems like a breakneck pace, even though it is supposedly the slowest month of the year in Key West. And while the pace of activity may be at a lull, somehow with work and homelife, the time seems to be speeding along. At least we have made it thus far into the hurricane season without so much as a threat, of course the very act of writing that will no doubt doom us to an active October.



100 plus degrees

It’s sort of nice to have somewhat of a breather from all the traveling of the summer and the intensity of the fall season, which in Key West is almost nonstop rollercoaster of big events, visitors and holidays that lasts well into the new year. Of course things did not completely come to a stop and there are still a few things going on which keep us busy.





I had to take a recent trip to Miami Beach for a doctor’s visit, nothing serious, just the Key West does not seem to quality and range of physicians so you have to go to Miami thing that residents of the Keys are sadly all too familiar with. Of course, if one has to drive all that way, you might as well take advantage of getting off the Rock and enjoy Miami. So I spent some time on South Beach shopping, having lunch at the amazingly good News Café and hanging out at the beach for an afternoon.





I also took a trip to visit Miami MetroZoo, Kathy & I are zoo members, yet we rarely have the opportunity or inclination to go, so I thought I’d check it out and see some animals and check the progress of their expansion plans. It was a pretty exciting time as at one point I was walking along the well manicured path and was suddenly confronted by a huge bird. Now we have plenty of large, wild birds in South Florida, but this one was so massive it was obvious right away that it had somehow escaped an enclosure. It was making a bizarre shrill chirping noise as if in distress. I made my way slowly past the creature and quickly notified the nearest employee, then watched as a crew slowly surrounded and captured what turned out to be an escaped rare Waddled Crane, one of a pair that the zoo has. Thankfully it wasn’t a Tiger. Anyway it was the first time I’d ever witnessed an escaped creature at a zoo.

Waddled Crane on the loose.

http://www.newscafe.com/

http://www.miamimetrozoo.com/