Key West

First things first.

Key West equals key lime pie, right? 

We decided that we should share a piece of key lime pie every day.

We didn't know the story behind key lime pie so we did a little research.  Most recipes include sweetened condensed milk, key limes and egg whites. I assumed the canned milk was a modern replacement to cream in the original recipe.  While it isn't clear who created the first key lime pie, one thing is clear, the original recipe did include sweetened condensed milk. Refrigeration didn't come to the keys until 1930, so the invention of sweetened condensed milk in the 1850's was huge. With no need for refrigeration, and the ease of bringing a can on ship made it a hit with the fishermen in the area. 

A chemical reaction happens when fresh lime juice is combined with sweetened condensed milk, resulting in a creamy tart deliciousness without curdling. No baking is even necessary, so this delicious dessert was easily made while out fishing. Some recipes add egg white for extra lightness, and baking to avoid salmonella was a modern adjustment to the recipe, thickening the filling even more. Even with the simplicity of the recipe, we were amazed at how many different outcomes we discovered. A tasty science experience!  We all agreed that the Key Lime Pie Company tied with Blue Heaven (pictured above) for the best slice!

We had only planned on staying a couple days, but it's a long drive to get down to the keys, and it was beautiful. We had some projects to work on, Steve had some works days on the calendar, and we had a comfortable place to stay. We decided that it was a great place to spend a little more time!  

One of our favorite meals was at Blue Heaven. The food was great, but the atmosphere really adds to the experience. Jim, who lived above the restaurant for thirty years, was painting on site. We watched as he painted, and told stories of Key West. The island is heavily populated with roosters and Jim captures their proud personality well. Strangely, they are considered protected animals, even though they are not native, rather were brought to the keys for eggs and cock fighting. Half the island hates them, the other half loves them. 

We met a couple of sweet kids while we were waiting for our table at the ping pong table. We ran into these same boys a few days later at the Sunset Celebration and the kids reconnected like old buddies.

Fort Zachary Taylor park got the win for the best beach on Key West.  Picture perfect views, a sandy beach (not common for this island build on a coral reef!), and great snorkeling!  The fort itself didn't capture our interest quite like Fort Pickens, but we were also distracted by the beautiful beach as the sun beat down on us. 

Established Banyan trees add a powerful element throughout the downtown, impressing us with their size and dramatic root system. 

Photographs advertising for the aquarium must have been taken in the one spot where you can see everything, because this was the smallest aquarium we'd ever seen.  Our initial skepticism quickly dissipated as we began talking with the very enthusiastic and knowledgable staff. Almost every hour there was an informative tour highlighting one particular animal group. We went to every one, sometimes as the only visitors. These never felt rushed and always stimulated more questions and dialog. 

The kids loved the two touching tanks, one for rays, the other filled with a variety of marine life. 

Claire got brave with a horseshoe crab (above) and a hairbrush anemone (below)

The pass gave two days of admission to come and go, so we did. The kids each chose one marine animal to research more deeply. We spent a morning at the little public library, then went back to the aquarium do finish up our project. Jackson dove into sting rays in his research, and the second day he spent almost our entire visit at the sting ray tank.  

"Now that I know so much about sting rays I really care". 

Knowledge is so powerful!

The shark feedings were open for the kids to participate. Did you know that a nurse shark makes a sucking sound as it devours its prey?

Key West's eclectic architecture reflects the diversity of its history. From brightly colored bungalows to magestic Victorian manors, the buildings represent Cuban immigrants, Bahamian fishermen, spongers (those who harvest sea sponges), wreckers, and New England natives. The natural environment of hurricanes, salt air, direct sunlight and thick humidity have also influenced building, with the additions of metal roofs, shuttered windows, cisterns to collect rain water, and pier elevations. 

We learned that a person who is born in Key West is called a Conch (pronounced "conk"), after the conch shell. 

Fifteen years ago I took a road trip with my dear friend from Seattle all the way to Georgia, back across the south and up the coast. It was a whirlwind tour, and we found that the further south and east we went, the worse the coffee became and the better the sweet tea.  We are finding a similar pattern fifteen years later!

We hadn't found excellent beans since we ran out of our favorite Minneapolis beans weeks ago. Then we landed at Cuban Coffee Queen in Key West. The coffee was great, and they even remembered Claire's name when we returned. 

The Florida reef is the third largest coral reef in the world (after the Great Barrier Reef and the Belize Barrier Reef) and the only one in the continental United States. A visit to the Eco Discovery Center opened up our eyes to the fragile coral reef system. Coral can be easily damaged by the oils in our skin or merely numbing into it, snapping off pieces. Changes in the oceans temperature, certain ingredients in sunscreens, cyanide fishing, her codes and increases in sedimentation can cause the coral to expel the symbiotic algae that the coral relies on for photosynthesis, turning the coral white. This is called bleaching, causes great stress, essentially starving the coral, and often results in its death. Overfishing, shipwrecks and even storms can damage coral. Mote Marine Lab is doing incredible work to repair the damage we have done over the years. The lab is finding success developing culture methods for hard corals, and transplanting them back to the reef!  

The Eco center is sponsored by the Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Park, National Wildlife Refuge of the Florida Keys and water management. Each of these sponsors had informative exhibits. 

We had to visit the Southernmost spot, because we were this close!  

A rainy day was spent touring the docks, talking with fishermen and spotting more nurse sharks (hovering around the cleaning stations) which Claire easily identified because of her up close and personal experience feeding one at the aquarium. 

Just as the rain began to downpour, we spotted this taco stand with four seats right at the open "window". What a great view of the busy street and the rising water. 

We certainly don't eat out every day!  Our home is the RV right now, but how often do you take photos of your daily meals at home?  Steve tried his hand at key lime chicken tacos one evening and impressed us all!

Two days of rain didn't stop the kids from enjoying the pool at our RV park, which was a great break from our work.  I heard the word "paradise" spoken nearly every day.