Sunday, Funday

April 19, 2010



Steve



Sunday Funday



On weekends in Key West, when the weather is nice (which is generally the case), you can always find people out on the water. There are any number of watersports opportunities to choose from, boating, fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, parasailing, kite-boarding, waterskiing or just hanging out and enjoying the beauty of this chain of islands that we call home. Living on an island, I don’t get out on the water nearly as much as I would like, so I savor each chance.



Sherry

Kathy was gone to Ft. Lauderdale for the weekend to visit a friend, leaving me on my own the very same weekend that our friend Bruce was in town from Colorado- a potentially dangerous mix. The good news is that neither of us are as young or crazy as we used to be and we managed to behave rather admirably throughout the weekend.







Sunday, we made plans to join our friends Rick, Steve, Srea, Carla & Linda for an afternoon of relaxing boating. We were not scheduled to leave till after noon, leaving me time to head down to the Schooner Wharf Bar to take in the Conch Cruiser Car Show that was one of the events for Conch Republic Days.







There weren’t a lot of cars entered, but the ones that were there were fairly interesting. There was a weird mix between true Conch Cruisers, Painted Cars, Street Rods; with even a motorcycle or two thrown in for good measure. My friend Runi entered her car which was recently painted by our artist friend Sherry Sweet Tewell. The beautiful paint job ended up winning the prize for best paint job, an impressive feat as there were many cars in that category.





After a quick check of the car show, I was off to Garrison Bight to meet everyone for our boating adventure. Steve has constructed two amazing paddle boards which we loaded into the two boats we were taking out, the Eco-Cat and the C.O. Jones. I rode with Bruce in the smaller boat and we headed out to a sand bar that is located very close to Key West, right off the main harbor.



Bruce



The sand bar had a few other boats, it is popular with kite-boarders due to its proximity to Key West. It was a pretty decent day, especially when we first arrived, though clouds and a threat of rain grew as the day grew long. The rain held off and we spent a wonderful afternoon sharing a few beers and tales of the good old day. Another great weekend in the books, Kathy was waiting for me when I got home, having had her own fun time with her friend Kristin in Ft. Lauderdale.

Drag Racing

Drag Racing







April 18, 2010

Home again in Key West and right back to the craziness that makes our island community so special and interesting. This week is the Conch Republic Independence celebration, a week-long series of wacky events designed to recognize the Florida Keys 1982 secession from the United States. The secession was brought about by a Federal roadblock erected by the Border Patrol at the entrance to the Keys. The roadblock didn’t last, but the memory of the event is still fresh in the minds of the organizers of the celebration.





The celebration offers all sorts of crazy entertainment options over the course of the week and one which I had never attended previously is the Great Conch Republic Drag Race which is held in the 800 block of Duval Street. Drag Racing in Key West has an entirely new meaning, with contests that do not feature high-octane machines rather, high-heeled Dragsters of a different sort.







Drag Queens, female impersonators all decked out in high-heels, caked on make-up and tight dresses compete in running races through an obstacle course set-up along Duval Street that involves strength, stamina and endurance as well as the ability to navigate the tricky course in high heels. Heels that must be at least 3 inches each to be able to compete.





The races were held throughout the afternoon on Saturday as the Drag Queens competed before a huge crowd that assembled to witness the hilarity, which is all held as a benefit for charity, as most Key West parties are. It was a fun, entertaining, interesting and totally Key West type of event as both the participants and crowd had a great time.





Bruce & Johnny

Saturday evening, I joined my friend Bruce Darby, who was in town for the weekend from his home in Estes Park on his way to the Bahamas, at a cookout at our mutual friends Johnny & Tara’s home. Next, we headed over to Island Alchemy where another friend, artist Elio Hinds was having a showing of some of her new work.

Elio





It was a beautiful night for an art gallery opening, especially one held in the open air courtyard of Alchemy. A great crowd turned out for the show and Elio and her work both looked radiant. Her work continues to evolve and expand and it was great to see it come together at the show. If you are interested, you can learn more by visiting Elio’s website which I have linked below.



Richard, Rick, Mystery Woman & Bruce

Conch Republic Days

Elio Hinds Art

Island Alchemy

Charlotte USA

April 12, 2010

Richard Petty





Charlotte USA

The final stop on my trip through the Carolinas was in Charlotte. My plane home was scheduled to fly out of Charlotte, early in the morning, so I had an afternoon to spend before heading home. I’d never had the chance to see Charlotte Motor Speedway, mostly because the big NASCAR race they have is held on Memorial Day weekend, the same weekend as the Indy 500.





The good news is that this weekend, the speedway happened to be hosting the largest automotive extravaganza, the Food Lion AutoFair. To say that the AutoFair is huge does not do justice to the sheer size and scope of the event. The event featured over 10,000 vendors spread over the vast Charlotte Motor Speedway facility. It was like the world’s largest automotive flea market and you could have found almost any part for any vehicle that you would ever need.







In addition there were over 50 auto clubs with just about every type of classic, muscle and tricked out car you might ever want to see. Thousands upon thousands of vehicles of every description packed the infield of the track with the huge parking lots reserved for the sale. The garage area was packed with just about any sort of automotive vendor that you can imagine as well. It was gearhead heaven and quite overwhelming. I heard an estimate that over 400,000 people attend the show over the three day run and given the masses that were there the day I was there, I would not be surprised if it was correct.









I wandered around the place, taking in all the sights. I was able to meet a couple of minor celebrities, Captain Munnerlyn, cornerback of the Carolina Panthers and the King; Richard Petty, seven-time NASCAR champion and winner of more than 200 NASCAR races. Both were mingling with the crowd, signing autographs and hanging out.

Richard Petty

Captain Munnerlyn



There was all sorts of stuff going on, including a major automotive auction, where cars were being auctioned off for over $100,000 each as well as all sorts of kids activities and games and such. It was really cool, looking through the vendors. There were all sorts of iconic pop culture antiques as well in addition to the car stuff.







Charlotte Motoe Speedway

AutoFair Web Site