Good morning!

Happy Sunday!

Another beautiful Key West day! I am sitting outside writing this blog. In the shade of the tiki hut by the water. Sun bright. Not one cloud in the sky. Colors brilliant.

God is good!

I stayed in bed late yesterday morning. Around noon, I headed over to see Tammy. I was in need of a pedicure.

The contrast businesswise for Tammy from Friday was dramatic. From a full house to literally no customers yesterday. As a result, Tammy spent extra long massaging my feet. Knocked me out! I fell asleep.

Then to Borders to read a bit. Interestingly, very few customers. Fantasy Fest visitors obviously do not visit Key West to read.

I enjoyed the quiet and solitude. It went well with the foot massage after affect.

The cupboard was bare again! Publix time. I enjoy grocery shopping. Something I never did in my other life. I would not waste my time nor would I be seen dead grocery shopping! What I missed! I enjoy seeing friends and making new friends. I have discovered a supermarket is a great place to meet new people.

I had a late lunch at home. After all, I had just bought all kinds of new, fresh foods.

The Fantasy Fest Parade last night!

I rarely see the whole parade anymore. It takes about 2-3 hours. Standing on a crowded street with 60,000 to 80,000 other people and grabbing for beads no longer turns me on. I enjoy watching a very small part of the parade and doing something else during parade time.

Last night it was to be dinner with Marty and his wife Donna at Marquesa at 8. Marquesa is on Simington, one block off Duval. The parade is at one point on Duval.

I got there at 7:30. Walked the one block to Duval. I was directly across the street from La Concha. The parade would not pass by till well after 8.

Duval is cordoned off for the parade. People are permitted to walk Duval in the street till the parade arrives. And they do! Thousands of them! Most in costume. Or lack thereof!

I stood on the curbstone and watched festive party people walk by.

My first observation was that those walking the street were more attractive than the day time reveleers I had been observing. Then it dawned on me! Those a bit younger preferred to party by night. Those a bit older by day. I am in bed asleep by 10 most evenings. So I had missed this group of partyers.

Some terrific bodies! Especially the females! And a distinct and obvious lack of clothing.

Most women had only spray painted a small portion of their nipples. In previous years, the whole chest would have been spray painted. Another difference was their privates. A fig leaf painted or a fig leaf itself. Nothing more! Probably illegal. However, if the police were to arrest, they would have had to arrect 20,000 women.

One woman particularly impressed me. She was absolutely beautiful! Stunning! And she knew it!

50ish. A terrific body. A lovely face. She walked upright and proud. A bit of paint on her nipples. A fig leaf painted below. Strutting on high heels. Every 10 feet or so, someone would shout out and she would turn and stand proudly to have her picture taken.

Everyone well behaved. Whether participant or spectator.

At 8 I walked into Marquesa. Just as Marty and Donna were arriving. Marty’s cousin Billy was with them. They call the cousin Cousin Billy.

Dinner was terrific. Good food. Good company.

Donna is a spectacular woman. Marty is lucky. Now in her 60s, Donna is originally from Poland. Her true name is Donata. She is lovely and warm. And takes no guff from Marty! She frequently gives him a shot. He takes it well. They seem happy.

Marty still has the gout. But he was drinking last night. He did not care.

Cousin Billy is from Washington, D.C. He has been here before. Not his first Fantasy Fest.

Cousin Billy is Bill Banner. He is in the courier business in Washington. His stepfather has taught at the American University Law School for 55 years. At one time he was Dean.

At a point during dinner, I mentioned that someone had told me that the pool at Dante’s on Sunday was the place to be. Packed with naked bodies. Marty, Donna and Billy laughed. What do you mean Sundays? Every day during Fantasy Fest! They took out their cell phones and showed me the pictures they had taken. Wow! What I have been missing!

Next year, Dante’s!

After dinner, I walked the one block back to Duval. I knew the parade would still be ongoing. It was. Float #35 was going by. That would be mid point in the parade. I watched a few floats. All interesting. And then started walking back to Marquesa.

Parking is a pain on parade night. Recently my car got towed two consecutive years. So last year I started a new process for parking. Which is only possible because I have the best son in law in the world. I park at Lisa’s. Corey drives me to Marquesa and then returns and picks me up when I call him.

I called him at 9:30. I was home in bed sleeping by 10.

I had a good time last night.

Today is Sunday. Things will quiet down quickly. There are few Fanasy Fest events remaining. Most of the party goers/vistors will leave early today. US 1 will be one way traffic north!

I have no idea how I am going to spend my day. Isn’t that nice!

Enjoy your day!

9 comments on “

  1. Friends just send pics of last night,, great.. They had float #32.. Apparently everyone was having a good time..Patrick and JoAnn

  2. All the hung over drunks makes it a very quiet day on the streetts and on the beach and in the stores at all the restaurants for brunch and lunch and that is the best part of Fat Fest for us local Conchs. We got your money and life is so good! Love the free spending tourists for all the wads of money collected for overpriced drinks and parking and those stupid beads! Mark it up and they eat it up! Life is good when you have all the gold!!!

  3. I am not.

    Enjoy Mardi Gras much better than Fantasy Fest which has become more of a spectacle in recent years with drunken fools than a real celebration it originally set out to be. Too bad.

  4. When I was down in KW in July I made a few visits over to Dantes. OBviously it was tamer than it is during Fantasy Fest. Nevertheless, it was a great time. Drinks served to you in the pool, so simple, yet so fantastic. I will make it a point to visit there when I'm down in October 2011. Already counting down the days!! Of course this trip will be different. My fiance and I are getting married down there. We look at is as a vacation w/ a wedding thrown in!

    Matt
    Boston,MA

  5. Dante's has changed names and changed hands so many times it may or may not be there when you arrive in Oct 2011. Things change fast here – you're in biz one day and selling off the stock the next. Old established places may live a longer life but in this economy nothing is safe. You never know so don't plan on seeing Dante's – it may be gone.

  6. Oh and plan on paying a hefty tax to the City of Key West for the right to get married here if you do so on Smather's Beach. They want their piece of the money pie too – just wait!

  7. Thanks for the feedback. Been to Key West a bunch over the years, so I'm well acquainted with things being there one trip and then gone the next. So it goes, right? Either way if Dantes is there, then great. I know I'll have a good time. If it's not, then there's plenty of other places I know I can hit up to still have a good time! As far as the tax goes, we're booked at the Garden Club so no Smathers hassle! Thanks for the feedback.

    Matt
    Boston, MA

  8. Thanks for the feedback. Been to Key West a bunch over the years, so I'm well acquainted with things being there one trip and then gone the next. So it goes, right? Either way if Dantes is there, then great. I know I'll have a good time. If it's not, then there's plenty of other places I know I can hit up to still have a good time! As far as the tax goes, we're booked at the Garden Club so no Smathers hassle! Thanks for the feedback.

    Matt
    Boston, MA

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