A quick look at Key West

I must admit, I was ill-prepared for everything that Key West turned out to be. I mean, I expected beach, and sand, and some lazy days. I had NOT foreseen the turquoise blue waters, the coral reef to go snorkelling in, or the dramatic sunsets.

When I told Richie Rich I was going to Key West, he whooped with delight. "There's that famous writer's house over there - you should go see it!"
"Jimmy Buffet?!" I asked. I mean, how was I to know Hemingway had lived there too.
"No, silly, a writer!"
"Erm, Jimmy Buffet?" I tried again. I mean, he wrote his songs, didn't he?
Richie Rich rolled his eyes at me. "Hemingway," he said, suddenly remembering, "and remember to check out the cats that live there. They have extra digits in their front paws. They're the Hemingway cats."
I rolled my eyes at him as one does at a child with explaining their fantasy world.

The entire vacation was a beautiful one - even so, a few memories stick particularly in my mind.

The early mornings, sitting in the quiet beach alcove by ourselves, reading our books and letting the soothing sound of the waves wash over us gently.

Our first night there, when Mrs. Pooks, Doobie and I sat in the hot tub, sipping our glasses of wine. It was midnight and we were the only ones around. As we caught up with each other, we listened to the waves lapping at the beach, just a stones throw away. And from the other side, trills of soft island music, drifting towards us from a nearby bar.

Parasailing tandem with Bobbis. As we sat together, suspended some 400 feet over the ocean, silenced by our awe of the majestic views around us. Miles and miles of shimmering turquoise in every direction. (I remember peering down to see if there were any sharks below us, just as a safety measure, and I was quite relieved to not find any.) "I could sit here for ever!" I remember exclaiming, as a breathed in the fresh air deeply and took in the panorama around me.

Snorkelling over the coral reefs, watching the waving sea sponges, and the brightly coloured fish weave in and out of the coral fronds. The sight was so magical it was just entrancing. (Just like in "Finding Nemo!", Mum told me when I described this to her).

Lying back exhausted on the boat deck after snorkelling, the sun was setting, and the sky was taking on its reddish hues. Suddenly Doobie had clutched my arm, "look!" she exclaimed. And there they were, a school of dolphins heading out to sea. Bobbing up and down in unison by the boat, and they stayed as though suspended there for a few moments, and then just as suddenly as they had appeared, headed off into the distant sunset.

Going to the Hemingway house the last morning before we left Key West. And as we wandered through the network of beautiful rooms and gardens, I suddenly stopped short, transfixed. There it was, one of the Hemingway cats, and it had an extra digit in its front paws. Well, I'll be damned.