Key West continues be a place of beauty, wonder and amazing culture. The people here are very welcoming and eager to share their culture with you.While taking a food tour with the made in key west tours, Analise not only showed me the best Cuban and island fair but she shared her history, her family history and the islands history, and its not hard to find, even your local coconut vender on the street can't wait to become your new best friend or tell you about something they've learned. The people of the conch republic have their struggles just like anyplace does but they don't let it get in the way of life's true happiness....Friendship.
The Dry Tortugas National Park, Fort Jefferson.
This place was amazing, it had a lighthouse, fort, moat and great snorkeling.
The fort was built during the civil war era, but because they ran out of money it was never finished, also because of the poor building choices it started to fall apart and had to be abandoned. The lighthouse, you could walk on the top of the fort and it made for great pictures.
The fort as we were leaving, saw flying fish on the boat ride back and dolphins.
one of the long corridors in the fort, you can still see the tracks on the floor where the cannons would move to get the best aim.
Inside the fort, there were unfinished barracks and old quarters here, as well as a civil war house that is still inhabited, the keeper of the fort lives there.
We went snorkeling while on the dry tortugas, these little Jawfish were in huge schools everywhere.
A beautiful Blue Tang that posed for me, there were so many different kinds of fish, it was like swimming through an aquarium.
Some sea urchins living on a coral and brick wall. I'm always afraid to touch these guys, they look like they would hurt. I touched one in maui and screamed out of fear even though they don't feel like they look, everyone looked at me, it was embarrassing. stupid sea urchins.
Jacques Cousteau gazing at the Jawfish swimming by, or it could just be Dennis wondering when they will get out of his way.
Sargent Major fish swimming through fire coral and a brain coral, very pretty.
Brain Coral with "things" growing on it.
they looked like tiny Christmas trees on it,
but I'm sure they weren't....or were they.
Old Civil War cannon that had sunk that I saw while snorkeling, I didn't find any treasure but this was pretty neat to come across.
Sea Fans, one of my favorite things that I saw just because of all the colors they come in, from purple, blue, to orange and red, they wave back and forth like peacock tails.
This is a mean creature that has attacked me on occasion and made me hate it, the Jellyfish!
though they were in a lot of pretty colors here, like pink as shown, they will never fool me into coming near them again.
And finally my favorite find while here, the Bluehead Wrasse, it was so beautiful, like an underwater parrot, I admit that I stocked him a little bit just to get a decent photo, could explain why he hid from me,....worth it!
The Key West Aquarium was a fun trip, you could see many of the local mammal and fishery, as well as pet some of them.
Spiney Lobster, native to this area, they tasted a little tough to me.
The Stingray, I pet the hard shelled kind of these but couldn't bring myself to pet the Devil ray version, its a texture thing.
Squid.....its a squid.
Sharks! they let you get in on the feedings, I passed but watched others feed them.
Its a life preserving thing.
The Key West Butterfly Conservatory, it was filled with hundreds of different butterfly's and birds.
Hypolimnas Bolina "Great Eggfly Butterfly"
also called the Blue Moon Butterfly, it is found in New Zealand.
Some of the Pink Flamingos that live in the conservatory, they weren't to interested in anyone but themselves.
Troides, " The Queen Alexandra Birdwing" Butterfly. these are in the swallowtail family, they are some of the biggest butterfly and are named birdwing for there bird like way of flying.
They come from, India, Asia and Australasia.
Idea Malabarica " Malabar Tree Nymph"
they a large butterfly found in the peninsular India, also known as the Paper Kite Butterfly due to its wing design.
Junonia Coenia "Buckeye Butterfly"
This large Butterfly is from Canada, Nova Scotia and the United States, also known as a Barn Owl Butterfly due to the spots looking like owl eyes.
Eueides Isabella " Isabella Butteryfly"
These are found in Costa Rica, they have a myriad of different designs but are all very beautiful.
This is one of the types of Canaries that they had there, don't ask me what kind, I'm a butterfly girl not a bird girl.
it was dark blue, its a Canary, what more do you want.
This was some type of Finch,... in a tree, down by the river.......anyone who can pick up that scene quote has my friendship automatically.
Until next time, This island has been a blast, we can say we have lived in key west now.
