I went to Key West and I mostly took photos of cats and chickens.
No, seriously.
If you’ve ever been to the southernmost point of the United States, then you’re aware that chickens – both hens, roosters, and their offspring – freely roam the streets. These so-called “gypsy chickens” are super cute if you’re a tourist, and – I would imagine – super annoying if you’re a resident.
I was a tourist and therefore, I delighted in taking photos of these wild fowl. And since you see them everywhere… well, I ended up with lots of photos of chickens doing various innumerably fascinating chicken things, like pecking at the ground and crossing the street. (Insert eyeroll).
And of course, what self-proscribed literary fan and cat-lover could visit Key West and not stop at the Hemingway museum? I mean, it would be an affront to two of my most favorite, non-human things: felines and books.
Hemingway’s cats were notoriously six-toed, and the Hemingway museum has carefully raised their descendants to maintain a steady population of polydactyl cats on the museum’s grounds. So of course I took pictures.
Although the husband spent much of the time at business meetings (the actual purpose for the trip) we did have several opportunities for oceanfront dining and even a few stolen moments lounging on the beach or exploring downtown.
Okay, so look at the picture below. See this guy relaxing in the lounge chair behind me? We noticed him from our hotel room the first evening. The weather was beautiful, and Chris and I both remarked on how that was the picture of retirement right there: falling asleep in a lounge chair while reading a book.
The next morning, when I got up and was enjoying my cuban coffee on the patio, I noticed the man was still there, asleep in the chair. Only, he couldn’t still be sleeping in that chair, right? Was he dead?! Did we need to notify the hotel? Call an ambulance?
As it turns out, he was stone cold…. concrete. Just a piece of lawn art! He sure did look real, though.
