Tomorrow is the big day! I will start publishing the trip pictures! Finally!
Last night was strange. The best of the evening was the last part of it.
We start at the beginning, however.
I stopped by the Chart Room. It was late. About eight. No customers. Just me and JJ. Had one drink and passed the time away chatting with JJ.
My plan was to have dinner at Kelley’s. I desired wings. The rain changed my mind. It was pouring. I opted for the Wine Galley instead. For those of you who might not know, the Chart Room and Wine Galley are both part of the Pier House complex.
Larry Smith was playing. His audience included Rob and Lois from bocce night and Danville, Pennsylvania. Mary Deasy arrived a bit later and sat with them.
I ate at the bar and read the newspapers. Larry in my ear while my eyes scanned the news. It worked well.
Stayed a while. When I left, I had to pass the Chart Room to get to my car. Seated alone at the corner of the bar was Captain Peter.
The Captain is known as Captain Peter and Peter. I shall refer to him here as Peter.
I joined Peter. He was as glad to see me as I him. Everyone likes Peter. I cannot think of one person who does not. He is that type of person.
Peter was lamenting. He volunteered that in six days on September 12 he was going to be 70. It was bothering him. I laughed and said, “Hell, I’m 77! So what? Enjoy!”
We then got into a deep and profound discussion for about an hour. The type of discussion only men in their 70s can understand and appreciate. Peter seemed better at the end of our talk.
Let me share some Peter background with you. He is an unusual man.
Peter is a proud Brit. He was born in England. He came to the United States as a young man. Sometime back in the early 1960s, I suspect. He fought for his new country. He became a citizen of his new country.
Peter has traveled the world. Twice he sailed on a small boat alone around the world. A tough guy. His stories of fighting off pirates in the orient are dramatic.
Peter lives on his sail boat. I do not know if it is the same one that took him round world twice.
The sail boat he calls home is moored some two miles off Key West in the Gulf. A pretty far and pretty gutsy place to live. All alone out there. No boat neighbors. No land to be seen.
Peter has a small motorized rubber dinghy that he uses to get back and forth. Some evenings Peter lingers too long and it is dark when he leaves. Some nights the water is rough. Peter generally can handle conditions. But…..there are nights when Peter may have had a bit too much to drink. He putt putts out to his sail boat and cannot find it in the dark. There have been evenings when it has taken him two hours to find his sail boat. One night, he slipped going from the dinghy to the boat. It took him two hours again before he was able to get out of the water and into the sail boat.
With age comes wisdom. Peter recently bought a used van. On the nights he thinks it not safe to make the trip to the boat, he sleeps in the back of the van.
Peter looks the part of a British lord. Tall and thin. White hair surrounds his bald top. He has a well clipped white moustache. He speaks with a soft unquestionable British accent.
If you run into Peter between now the the 12th, wish him a Happy Birthday!
Read an interesting tidbit in yesterday’s Key West Citizen. It was part of an interesting op-ed by the owners of Schooner Wharf. Their rent is $46,811.86 a month. Wow! However consistent with commercial Key West rents. I suspect the new Coyote Ugly on Duval has to be paying $35,000 a month. Whether Schooner Wharf or Coyote Ugly, these places have to sell a hell of a lot of booze to survive!
Duval Street has received national recognition. It has been listed as one of the 10 Best Streets of 2012. The designation claims Duval is the soul of Key West. It is.
Fantasy Fest around the corner. Starts with Goombay on Octobedr 19 and runs through October 28. Fun time!
Enjoy your Sunday!