Key West - Corned Beef and Cabbage

Fish flipping in Key West - see the fish flying to the pail - headed for the cooker

Ahoy! Today marks the 4th day in Key West. Today was an exploration day. I walked a way down Caroline Street and rented a big\ke for ten bucks and proceeded to explore the island. First stop was the beach at Fort Zachary Taylor. the entrance has been repaved and decked out with brand new sidewalks and a guard house. After a quick nap on the beach which led to the frying of my arms, I moved on to stroll through Fort Zachary. It looked as if there were preparations for a war reenactment with authentic tents and rifles set up in the courtyard. After exploring Fort Zachary, I set out again on my rental. I went as far as the southernmost point where a church group was singing to the tourists waiting in line on the sidewalk to take a picture with the monument. From there I headed back in the direction of the boat. Down Duval Street I went with a quick detour to Mallory Square. The sidewalks and streets were packed with tourists and a cruise ship's worth of folks. On my return to the boat I lounged in the cockpit with Nana and shared some of my musical tastes with her while reading my book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. For dinner we had corned beef and cabbage. boy was it great. Soon we will be off to Schooner to see our neighbors play in their Irish band Blarney Rabble. Here's Matt signing off from Camp Fleetwing.

A look overhead at our table at Schooner Wharf, cover those drinks!

We've not been able to get good corned beef and cabbage in Key West so we've taken to cooking it ourselves during Irish Week. We bought the standard package with included spices and Ann follows her own directions for cooking. I got the last cabbage at a local store and we were all set. The only problem is that we have four to feed: myself, Ann and two more counting Matt. All went well and we had a great meal.

Our next door neighbors play in a band so we're going over to Schooner Wharf to listen for a bit tonight. We'll cheer them on. They are breaking into the big time in Key West when Schooner Wharf has them for night's stand.

Our neighbor is at the far right in the picture - he broke into the big time playing at Schooner Wharf!

On Friday it's predicted to be much calmer than the last few days. If that holds up we may go out for a sail with Matthew. It's also supposed to be much warmer with a high of 78 which is more like normal for this time of the year and with the usual east wind. It is also Matthew's last full day. He leaves for school up north on Saturday afternoon, so sad.