Swimming with Sharks

"You can drink while driving here. Nobody cares. This isn't like other places". Those words should have been a big red warning flag flapping in my face. I was not prepared for how different things are in Key West. Not in a bad way, mind you. But shocking if you are not ready for it's legions of bums, Margaritaville atmosphere and early morning drinking binges. I guess pretty much anything goes there, or at least that's the image they like to project. The Conch Republic, cessation from The States, and all that. They even have their own flag, like a lost pirate colony. Once acclimated to the different pace of life and apparently legal looped-driving, we all had a great time.

The occasion was my niece's wedding, which was wonderful, complete with mojitos, lobster, and hand rolled cigars. We also took the opportunity to explore this crazy place, from it's six-toed cats to its old forts and pirate past. Chickens are everywhere. Wild chickens, whatever that means. Wild or not, they don't look very dangerous, unless maybe you trip over one. We rented a golf-cart and saw the place in style.

We also went SNUBA diving. SNUBA is like SCUBA, but instead of wearing a tank you are fed air from a floating tank on the surface. The main advantage of this is that it gives you more freedom of movement in exchange for adding at least ten new potential failure modes to the diving experience. We had a famous time with the exception of a brief fit of terror upon seeing a black-tipped reef shark slowly swim by, eyeing us. A shudder went down my spine, but when I realized the dive master wasn't scared, I relaxed. I even got up the nerve to snap a couple pictures of the deadly fish.