After Lion Country Safari, my friend Rob and I headed down to Key West on Wednesday. His sister and brother-in-law were to join us on Thursday, and all of us were staying through Saturday.
I had last been in Key West about 35 years ago, so I was curious to see how it had changed. The answer is, not that much really! There is more there, but the available land is limited. The restaurants and shops have changed ... but there are still some of the old ones left. There were a LOT more people than I remembered seeing last time. Oh, and the chickens are still there, wandering the streets. The story supposedly goes as follows:
Settlers brought their chickens with them when they came to the island in the early 19th century. They were prized for their eggs, their meat, and the roosters were used in cockfighting.
Storms in that part of the world probably contributed to the chicken's escape from any coops that were there. Also, the original communities in also valued the chickens for insect control and as a natural part of the island's ecosystem.
Over time, Key west adapted to free-roaming chickens and in 2004 they became an official bird of the island.
We visited Ernest Hemingway's House, something I had not had the chance to do last time I was there.
Also, Rob and I went out for a sail on schooner. That was great; I absolutely love being out on the water!
Of course, we had key lime pie (one of my favorites. Amazingly, I had the best sticky toffee pudding I have ever had at a restaurant down on the pier (dinner after the schooner ride).
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