Key West Reflections Post 1

Well I’ve finally pulled together most of the images snapped during our recent trip, and uploaded some to my Flickr page. I thought I would post a summary of our vacation. Remember to check out other blog entries from Ian, Bobby, and Chris. Each have their own perspective of the trip (and I’m sure you can email them for the real story).

After heading down to Fort Lauderdale on Thursday (June 9), we acquired our car and headed over to South Beach for a bite of dinner. We found (note, we didn’t look very hard) a little place that served one of the better mojitos consumed by our travellers. It became the instant “drink of choice” for Gary. We then found our hotel for the evening, and crashed (hotel was not worth blogging about).

IMG_3168Friday morning, we got up, packed the van and headed towards Key West. There was a lot of damage along the way, and in some parts we were not sure if this was storm damage, or through some of the renovations that were taking place along the way. Either way, it was a great drive down the Keys – and no matter how many times I’ve done it, I always enjoy the trip (mainly as I don’t have to drive). After a few connecting phone calls, we met up with Bobby and Ian at the store, and did our shopping adventure. Then it was off to the house which was to be our home for the next week and a bit. After we unpacked, and cars were returned, we fell into the pool for a drink and some relaxation. An early dinner was had a PT’s Late Night Grill, and for the first time, we were mostly disappointed with the food and service (first time in four visits).

IMG_3012Saturday was the day of the wedding, and after getting ourselves up and ready we marched over to the Hemingway House where Bobby and Ian were to be wed. It was a great day, a little overcast (which meant the heat/glare was kept much lower, remember it was outside). Everything went perfectly (see other blog entry). Afterwards, Bobby and Ian held the reception at Square One, and you should read Ian’s blog post for a great summary of how that event went.

After a short relaxation break, we meandered over to Ian’s family’s temporary home for dinner and a post-reception party. Let’s just say that a good time was had by all. We followed the evening dinner with a hunt-down of the Key West Pride Parade, which was to wander down Duval Street. It was late in starting, probably because of the rain, but it made it to the group (after we had wandered down Duval a little). It was very funny to have most of Ian and Bobby’s family out in Duval, in the rain, with alcohol (either consuming it, or having consumed it) whooping it up for the parade marchers. It’s not quite as much fun as the Sydney G&L Mardi Parade I participated in a few years back, but this one is a close second!