Where the banana trees grow

Living on an island is cool but sometimes you can make it even better. We planted the banana tree in June this year with some other fruit trees in the backyard. I figured we would maybe see some fruit in a few years. I obviously never raised a banana tree. When we planted it it was only waist high and now 5 months later it is probably 15 feet in height. The best part is we already have a bunch of bananas growing on it. I have never seen a plant grow so quick and I barely have time to perfect a banana daiquiri recipe at this rate.

It is makes me smile as I look out everyday and see the tree and think of the Howard Livingston song “Where the bananas grow”. At least nature times itself well as the key limes ripen in the summer for margaritas and the bananas in the winter for daiquiris.

Here are some pictures of them growing…

Fantasy Fest 2012 has finished

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Fantasy Fest 2012 has ended and now the recovery week has begun. It was a great night spent with friends and new people who became friends. While most posts I do I try to explain what is going on Fantasy … Continue reading →

Fantasy Fest 2012 starts and the craziness follows

Fantasy Fest 2012 has started. We went to the Blue party and listened to Howard Livingston and had a great time on Sunday.  It was the normal assortment of party goers but this year it was even better as we ran into friends we have made over the last year.  Proving that friends make everything better.  Thursday night was a Burlesque show at Sunset Pier and a stroll down Duval where we had a great time and made a new friend from Wisconsin named Anu.  He is the Indian gentleman who was a blast to hang out with for a bit.  His group was actually playing Boobie Bingo (a game they created) and it was fantastic.  I would say market it but I have a feeling it would only work on our little island once a year. The great part is the main party starts tonight (Fri) and the Captain Morgan Parade is Sat.  More post to come once I recover…Fes

Snow days have nothing on the Keys

I am writing this post on Friday morning of Fantasy Fest here in Key West.  I have posted before that our niece is living with us while attending high school and thanks to that I have this story to tell.  Sandy the latest hurricane is blowing by us to the east and will not cause any damage hear (hopefully) but we got the notice yesterday that school will be canceled today due to high winds.  If the winds are over 40 mph they automatically cancel classes for safety of the students as the buses do not handle bridges and high winds well.  At least I can say I have seen school canceled due to weather that most people up north travel to for vacation.

Happy Birthday to the Hogfish Bar

I realized I had forgotten to post a Happy Birthday to my favorite hangout. Hogfish Bar celebrated its 10th anniversary the other weekend with a HUGE party. The little restaurant located in downtown Stock Island is a local’s favorite and a second home for this Bald Guy. They had a celebration on Saturday Oct 13, 2012 and provided free food (with an amazing selection to choose from) and $1.00 draft beers. The place was packed but everyone felt like family and had a great time. The band was from Columbus, Ohio and they were really good. I have featured the place numerous times but they deserve to be recognized once again as the goto place when you need great food combined with great people and location.

On a side not they were just named one of the top 3 seafood restaurants in the US by Yahoo travel. It’s not fancy but it is authentic. So next time your in town take a drive out of the chaos and go to downtown Stock Island for a real treat.

The manager Ben and Assistant Manager Tim run an amazing place but our favorite is Kristine the best waitress in the Keys. The staff brings the personality to a great location and for that we thank them.

Jury duty in paradise

I got selected for jury duty here in Key West. I am a huge believer in civic responsibilities so I was glad to go and do my part. Having said that I might consider a root canal next time as it is quicker.

When you first arrive you enter the courthouse through the screening process which is similar to the TSA but you get to keep your shoes on. We waited to catch the elevator to the third floor but since only one was working it was a slow process. When you get to the jury room you hand them your summons and they scan you in as present. They never did ask for an ID so I guess you could hire a surrogate to go in your place. There was about 180 jurors in the pool and we all sat an waited till our number was called. Half of us were called before lunch and the rest of us broke for an hour and a half to get lunch and stretch our legs.

I finally was called around three thirty and filed off to a courtroom to be screened by the lawyers in the case. It was a spousal abuse case and they asked all the normal questions you would expect. My brother being a cop didn’t even get me disqualified but when I mentioned my wife’s undergrad degree was in Women’s studies I became persona non grata to the defense attorney. So at 5:00 they chose the people they wanted (I wasn’t one) and my duty was over.
I am glad I went and I still believe in the process but they need to modernize the selection process and not have us waste an entire day sitting when a questionnaire before hand would speed everything up considerably.

Not an exciting post but it is good to remember that even in paradise that normal drudgery of life continues.

Songs and the Keys go hand in hand

My favorite island singer has released a new album and the kick off party is this Saturday at Boondocks. If you like Jimmy Buffett you should like Howard Livingston and I think he is much better. Not to mention he is the real deal and lives right up the road. So be sure to check out the new album and enjoy.

Six Pack And A Tan
Well, it’s done! Our new CD is finished and we are ready to party! I have to say this has been my biggest and most fun project ever. and we have had so much fun putting this together. Twelve brand new songs and a 20-page book inside the CD. Whew! Our official CD Release weekend is October 12th and October 13th. However, you can order a pre-release signed CD through our website at http://milemarker24.com/merchandise/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=225 Also, it is available through CD baby for CDs and digital downloads http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/howardlivingstonthemilem. Downloads are also available at Beachfront Radio Music Hut http://www.beachfrontradio.com/howard9.cfm and of course Amazon.com.

Gifts from friends never get old

It has been a long weird month for me here in the Keys. All is well and my absence has been due to professional reasons. I always stated I would never work a normal job and I have maintained that throughout my life. Having said that when I take on a new project some things like posting get set to the side. For that please accept my apologies.

Now for the cool thing I wanted everyone to see….

Life in the Keys is not that different from Ohio. You make friends and enjoy the relationships with them. Just like in Ohio people love to send gifts to each other. In Ohio it might be sharing some tomatoes or cucumbers you had extra of. Here it is the same except for the actual items shared. One of our friends sent over some extra bananas from her tree. These are different from the grocery store bananas that we are all used to but just as tasty. Not to mention fresh as they were literally picked from her tree outside in her yard. She even tossed a coconut in the car as she knows our Mastiff loves them as dog toys. The coconuts last about 15-30 minutes till she shreds them but since they literally grow on trees here they are ideal.

Our banana tree is still new so no fruit has been produced yet but I have started a Papaya tree to add to the yard. It is a dwarf variety which suits our tiny yard. The count in the back yard is a Banana tree, Key Lime tree, Avacado tree, and now a Papaya tree. I love having a produce section growing at the house.

There has been a hundred other great things that have happened but it has been more personal life stuff and not really what I want to post here as this blog is for everyone to see what the oddities of the Keys are and not just my personal ones.

Stay happy!

Random moments in the Keys

Every now and then I snap a photo of something interesting but it is not quite worth a full blog post. I decided to just throw up the tidbits all into one post for this week and quit trying to be clever with them.

1. Pizza at Roostica Pizzeria was a great meal and they take pizza very seriously. I would recommend this place for great pizza and they even have Peroni beer on tap.

2. Odd mushroom growing in the back yard. I will have to say everything has a lot of color here and almost a science fiction feeling with this one.

3. Coke with real sugar and not corn syrup is a favorite at Amigos Taco Bar.

4. Another great sunset photo taken down by the City Marina.

Life is a beach…

We have been hanging out at the beach alot this week as my wife took a week off of work for a mini vacation. Of course where do you go on vacation when you live in Key West? The answer is simple as you don’t go anywhere. They call it paradise for a reason.

The beach we have been going to is Bahia Honda and it was voted the best beach in America in 1992. The great thing is the sand is fantastic and it is waist deep for 100 yards out into the ocean with tons of marine life. Snorkeling from the shore is easy and you see a ton of fish. This week alone we have seen 3 barracudas, jellyfish, stingrays, crabs, and tons of little fish that are amazing and colorful. The first time you see a barracuda swimming beside you is a bit unnerving but you eventually get used to it. It helps that they were juveniles and only a couple of feet long.

As usual the pictures will have to show what my feeble words cannot…