No Direction Home

This humble blog was started to document our travels around the country during the summer of 2006, We have opted to continue updating it due to the requests from family & friends. Enjoy!

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Life As A Feast


April 26, 2012

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Photobucket Sherry

Life As A Feast

This week has passed very quickly and been incredibly busy for us as we had a number of events to attend and Kathy also was busy preparing for an 8 day rafting trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. She departed last weekend, but prior to leaving there were some interesting and fun events that we attended including the monthly Walk on White, the first event of the local election season, Hometown PAC’s “Call for Candidates” and the day after she departed, the annual local foodie extravaganza, A Taste of Key West.

Photobucket Poetry Winners

Photobucket Elena

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The first event was at The Studios of Key West, which is sadly caught up in a dispute over rent that could possibly jeopardize their existence. We love TSKW and hope that a resolution can be reached with their tenants that will keep them in their Armory home and we wanted to show our support by attending the dual event that they hosted- which included the announcement of the winners of this years’ Robert Frost poetry competition and the opening of a wonderful exhibit featuring the works of the late iconic Key West artist Susie dePoo.

Photobucket Kathy & Cricket

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The poetry completion winners were announced first and many of the winning entries were on hand to read their work. It was especially satisfying to hear the amazing readings by the young poets aged six through high school. They were so impressive and the receptive crowd gave each one a well deserved and rousing reception. There were a couple who were truly exceptional and it gave me hope that in spite of all the negative things that one reads or hears about our schools, that there are still amazing and talented kids everywhere. 

Photobucket Political Candidates

Photobucket Ron Saunders

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The next big event of the week was the first event of the local election season which was held at Salute restaurant on the beach and was organized and sponsored by the local group Hometown Pac which I am currently serving as a board member. This is going to be one of the busiest election seasons locally ever as already there are more than forty candidates who have thrown their hat in the ring to run for all manner of offices that are up for election in the fall. 

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Photobucket Judge Miller

Photobucket Tom & Carol

The huge number of candidates, and the intense interest in many of the local elections for the likes of County Commissioners, School Board members, Sherriff and even Mosquito Control drew over 300 people to Salute to hear two minute introductions from each candidate who has announced or is considering a run for office. It looks to be a very competitive and exciting election season. Wish I had a concession for making election signs; it looks like a boom year.

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Kathy took off over the weekend, heading out to Las Vegas to be transported to the starting point of her rafting adventure through the Grand Canyon and I was left to fly solo for the next eight days. Thankfully the next event I attended is one that is fairly easy to go to alone and still feel like you are with hundreds of friends, mostly because the annual Taste of Key West festival is packed with friends as thousands of locals and tourists pack the Truman waterfront. 

Photobucket Christa

Photobucket Steve

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Photobucket Ann & Dan

Many of Key West’s finest restaurants and eating establishments set up booths and serve small portions of some of their finest offerings, add to the mix a huge selection of tasty wines and beers and you have the makings of one of the most popular events in Key West and the a huge fundraising opportunity for AIDS Help who benefits from all the food and drink sales. It is always a tremendous success and this year was no exception.

Photobucket Charlotte

Photobucket Paul & friends

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The weather was about perfect as a cool breeze was actually blowing in off the ocean and it made it feel light and airy and wonderful. The food was great as was the people watching as I met old friends and made new ones. I even had the pleasant surprise of running in to my former boss and owner of the old IM Wamboz store where I worked many moons ago on Duval Street. Paul is just in town for a visit, but it was great running in to him and it brought back a lot of good memories from what seems like one of the many various lives I have led here in Key West.

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Photobucket Penny & Rich

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