Ollie Ollie Oxen Free!!!

Alright... it took me enough time but I've been tagged by the lovely Talei of Musings of an Aspiring Scribe and I have not yet passed it on. BUT! I have the perfect excuse!!!! I've been on blog vacation (just look at the beautiful pictures I've been posting for the past few weeks and see what you've been missing by not tagging along!) and (in the real world) I've been working the last nine days with one day off (does that make sense? I worked 5 days- had one day off and then worked 4 more days) and I could only just bring myself to do a little writing that day. Nothing has gotten done- dishes are piled high, house needs vacuumed and the laundry is done but needs hung up so I haven't had time to play tag. BUT! having made my excuses I am adding a caveat to the game that appplies to the rest of the players (which I am glad Talei didn't do to me or I would have been doing this) so you better read to the end to see what happens to the loser... 

 1.  Do you think you're hot?

I am ze locksmith of love, no? (Who did I steal that quote from and you win... something)
2.  Upload a picture or wallpaper you're using at the moment.
I am (illegally- did I say that???) using a picture of a talented artist named  Marth de Poo.  The picture is called 'Francis Street'.
 
3.  When was the last time you ate chicken meat?
Sunday- Quesadillas! 

4.  The songs you listened to recently.
I wake up with a "theme song" each morning that I must have running through my head during the night. Sometimes it sticks with me all day- sometimes not. Here are a few that I often wake up with: 
Aimee Mann: Red Vines
Bird York: Wicked Little High
Melissa Ethridge: Fearless Love
Dido: Don't Believe in Love

5.  What were you thinking as you were doing this?
That I have waited way toooooo long to get this done!

6.  Do you have nicknames?  What are they?
Just a few: as a kid my cousin called me Donut, my brothers called me Nette, friends have called me "D" a few dared to called me Danny- about once. And some real morons called me Damn-it. LONG STORY but it's what happens to kids in really restricted private Christian school environments. 


7.   Tag eight blogger friends.
Ann Best
Donea Lee
Alberta 
Patrick
Trish
Lisa M Potts
Mary
Michael


Who's listed as No.1?   Ann Best! She's been tagged recently but I'm going to tag her again with the hopes that you will all go visit her and wish her the best as she gets her book underway. Congratulations Ann!!!! 
Say Something about No.5.  Trish, it was a pleasure finding a kindred spirit! 
How did you know No.3? I met Alberta in the Crusader Challenge- we were in the same group together. It has been interesting to learn about her disability and how she has adapted in order to write. 
How about No. 4?  Patrick  was also in the Crusader Challenge. I have found him to be a witty and thoughtful blogger.
Leave a message for No.6. Can't wait for the Running of the Roses next year, Lisa!   
Leave a lovey-dovey message for No.2.  "come wiz me to ze Casbah - we shall make beautiful musicks togezzer!" Did I mention Pepe Le Pew was my hero? (Hope you can sing Donea- 'cause I can! And that's it-- there will be no real lovey dovey stuff.)     
Do No.7 and No.8  have any similarities? As most of my blogging friends- they love to write I met them early on in a blogfest but perhaps more importantly they enjoy life and having a good laugh! Such Fun!!! 

Now here's the rub: In the real game of tag the last one caught was IT! Well you've all been tagged so the last one to post your list gets to include either an embarrassing picture of yourself or your most embarrassing moment - you get to choose. 

*shew, now I can head back to the beach*

  

The Hemingway home

As much as I love dolphins I decided against the Dolphin Research Center. Time at the beach, champagne at a favorite hideaway, and relaxation awaited so why tarry? It was time to finish my journey south.

Of course, the first thing I wanted to see was Hemingway's house. His footprint is visible everywhere-even in the tourist district. 

The first tiny place they lived was here at the Casa Antigua...

Part of the mythos of this particular place is that Hemingway wrote 'A Farewell to Arms' while he lived here. 

Moving on into the tourist district you find more Hemingway memorabilia. It was here at Captain Tony's (then called Sloppy Joe's) that Hemingway spent so many happy hours (literally!) drinking himself into a happy stupor.    

Sloppy Joe's is now on the main drag, Duval, and would most likely be the last place you'd find Papa Hemingway but they like to claim him as their own. (A typical ploy of hanger-onners...don't tell them I said that)

Photo compliment of Key West Diary . 

Enough of the dilly dallying around at the sideshow hangouts. Time to see the The Legends home.... 

 Ernest "Papa" Hemingway... 

was completely enamored with Key West (at least initially) and only left after he became enamored with another woman (something he did with some regularity- see wife number two, three, and four) making the small island a decidedly tight squeeze for his (second) wife, himself and his mistress (whom he met at Sloppy Joe's second locale by the way- where she tracked him down, I might add). 

But I am putting myself in front of the horse that is pushing the applecart. . .

Hemingway's home was initially a reject when Pauline first saw it. She wasn't exactly charmed by the piece of drywall that hit her in the head as she looked around the place. But she returned at her best friend Lorrine's urging and decided to give the house another chance and saw the place in a little different light. She spoke to her uncle who then purchased the place for the newly married couple. She began renovations that even by today's standards are lovely. (Why oh why can't I have an uncle like that???)  

The Hemingways had not a few Dos and one might imagine the tales that were told by the Tallest teller of them all as he stood at one end of the table- his wife perhaps sitting at the other end wishing that his fictions were left to the typewriter.

The Hemingway's kitchen is small yet functional even by modern standards. One could easily cook in this kitchen today.  

It is the perfect house for the climate: Breezy and open, with fans to keep the air moving, one can't help but wish the house were available for a little live-in inspiration.    

And a nighttime stroll under the stars would lead you out onto this balcony... (this is the vantage point that I took the picture of the lighthouse at the top of my blog...) 

And the piece de resistance! The studio of a writer's dream! Writer's block? Take a little nap on the reclining chair...

and, just down the stairwell is the pool Pauline built to keep her Writer home and happy. (Too bad it didn't work...)    

When Hemingway saw the cost of the pool, ($20,000!) he handed Pauline a penny out his pocket, laughed and said, "Well, you may as well have my last cent." You can still see the penny built into the cement around the pool today.

Such fun! Such Fun! 

 

We're off on our Blog Vacation!!!! WOOHOOO!!

I've discovered that the cheapest way to get to Key West is to fly into Fort Lauderdale and then rent a car and drive down to Key West-- at least if there are more than two of you going and since there are several of us, we definitely want to take the cheapest route! Besides, the drive down is spectacular (if driven at the right time of day- preferably early in the morning before the day trippers hit the road!) BUT....
We'll need a few things in order to make it a truly memorable drive: Snacks, a good book, and some Music!
In the first group I will have a good stash of the most important food group: Chocolate!!! Lindt Chocolate to be more specific and for dessert we can splurge on white chocolate truffles. Recognizing that you might tire of chocolate (what???? that's blasphemy!) what are your favorite road food treats?
Now book. Currently I am reading The Pale King penned by the late, great David Foster Wallace. Unfortunately this will just not do for beach reading or even passenger seat reading (you are taking a turn at the wheel aren't you?!?! It's about a 5 hour drive and with stops we might make it a full day...) So, I think I will take the fluffiest of fluffs this year and bring the Harlequin Romance Christmas in Key West. Cheesy but how can I go wrong reading a book that contains such phrases like "The warm tropical breeze that she suddenly longed to feel every day of her life washed over her." while sitting on a the beach in Key West? So what are you bringing?

And as for music...This one is important. At least for me. I grew up with music all around me. I was a singer most of my adult life (I was born to play 'Hello Dolly!'- no... REALLY, I was!) and the background music we drive to is important. Sooo... I'll choose one, then you choose! But let's hit the road, then I'll get the music going...

Oops! Maybe I shouldn't take pictures whilst driving! Little crooked... but the effect isn't lost. All right now! Mood music!

The air is so warm and lovely! 

Thanks for driving! 

Sorry to reach over--- but the skies and water are breathtaking! I just had to get this shot! 

In all there are about 4500 keys that extend from the southernmost tip of Florida south and west down to the Dry Tortugas. Some, like the ones we are driving on (and Key West), are large enough to inhabit. Others we simply passover and others, like the one we see above, are merely mangroves that have grown up in shallow waters*.

I was thinking we might stop in at the Dolphin Research Center. What do you think? I've not been before and it could be fun...

*Wikipedia

Nothing funnier!

Women don't usually do physical comedy and they are not always very good at it- in fact I haven't seen a woman who was really good at physical comedy since Lucille Ball. I mean was there anything funnier than the episode with her and Vivian working in the chocolate shop??? But recently Mo discovered a British comedian who is brilliant! He first saw her on "Would I Lie to You" which led him to her sitcom "Miranda". One episode and we were ready for more ... well, actually within the introduction we were hooked! The first line, "Hello to you and thanks for joining. This is exciting, isn't it? Aye? Now, let me get you up to speed. Previously in my life, my mother tried to marry me off...." Well, just watch...
 

On Monday we'll be "driving" down the Keys so this is just a little weekend entertainment! 

Enjoy!!!