Heat of Summer

August 8, 2022

Heat of Summer

This summer has been a hot one, it seems that every year I complain that the summer is the hottest one ever, but it could be that I just don’t deal well with extreme heat and it seems like August and September are the most brutal months as far as heat goes in Key West. Of course, I could stay inside hiding in the AC, but there is just too much to do and with Kathy still gone to Colorado, I have been seeking out stuff to do to keep busy.

One of the things that I found myself doing was heading out to see live music. At the largest venue in Key West at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater and at many small clubs and bars to watch my friends. The first concert I saw was with my buddy Trevor who had tickets to the Slightly Stoopid show at the amphitheater. 

The San Diego based band headlined a packed show of mostly younger hipsters who enjoy their casual beach jams that are a mix of folk, rock, reggae and blues with hip-hop, funk, metal and punk. Normally I most likely would not have attended the show, as it is somewhat outside my normal listening, but I am really glad that I did. They were really good and it was a lot of fun. It is exactly the sort of show that I would have absolutely loved when I was in my twenties and which I can now really appreciate.

It was also fun hanging out with Trevor on a beautiful Key West summer evening. In addition to that show, I had a friend and former Key West resident who was in town to play a series of gigs. Miguel Perez and his girl Mia, moved a few years ago to Maine and they were in town to visit old friends and so Miguel could play a few shows including a sunset show at the Sunset Pier.

A group of his old friends and fellow Key Westers showed up to see and support Miguel and enjoyed a great performance that was cut just a little short by a passing summer rainstorm. The summer has been very hot and the storms are an almost daily occurrence during this time, which just turns the island from merely hot to hot and steamy.

This time of year is known for its heat and it seems that Lobsterfest weekend is always blistering. I made a stroll down Duval during the Lobsterfest street fair, but the lobster prices were way too high and it was way too hot as well. Instead, I took in a movie at the Tropic then headed over to a pop-up art show on Applerouth Lane at the empty lot that was once Two Cents restaurant.  I had a number of artist friends who were exhibiting and ended up going home with a wonderful painting by Tom Flip.

One activity that is not affected so much by the heat iis snorkeling at my favorite on shore spot at Higg’s Beach. I hadn’t done a snorkel there in some time so I took the opportunity to snorkel out along the former pier ruins and the old rip wrap that is now home to all manner of sea life.

The water was fairly clear, though the algae content was pretty high, still there were plenty of fish to see and the snorkeling was as fun and enjoyable as always. I need to take advantage of the natural world that is available here more often, which is something I continually tell myself but rarely do. Thankfully this week I actually (literally) took the plunge.

While I have been here enjoying the heat of summer, Kathy has been in Colorado at our house there. She has been visiting family, dealing with a few family issues and also taking some time to do some hiking and enjoy the nature there. She also took a quick trip down to see our friends Andy and Dakota and their children (our faux grandchildren as Kathy calls them) Sloane and Norah.

They were spending their final few weeks at Cannon Air Force base before transferring to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Kathy was on hand to witness Andy’s “Fini Flight” in the U-28 plane that he has been piloting for years. It was his final flight before the transfer, and it was celebrated in the military tradition in what was I am sure a bittersweet moment. 

While all this is going on, back in Indiana, the midget race team that I own a very small percentage of has been having a great year in their first year of running. Our lead driver Maria Cofer has spent the summer racing on dirt tracks across the country and has been having some decent success for a first year team. She competed in the BC39 midget race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and will be racing most weekends into the fall.