Dolphins in front of Key West

They move fast so it’s hard to get a good picture.  Every time we drove up to them they’d dive and disappear only to emerge later way far away.  Here’s the closet we could get.

Dolphins Playing Just South of Key West

March is windy in Key West.  Winds probably average almost 20 knots some weeks and you have to be hale and hardy to get out on the water.  We’ve had our share of seasick visitors on the boat this month and we’re ready for calmer days already.  The past week, with winds from the South and Southeast, even the shallow lobster spots we frequent on windy days when we can’t get out to the reef and the Bar, are stirred up.  A short walk out to the end of White Street Pier gives us a good idea of what the vis is like on those spots.  Take a look:

Really Bad Vis in Key West Shallow Water

People were fishing from White Street Pier.  If you look closely, you can see where the vis changes from pure mud to pure milk.

Bad Vis at White Street Pier

Hardly anybody knows about the Key West Wildlfe Center.  It’s hidden, even though it’s steps away from White Street Pier and South Roosevelt Boulevard, the main thoroughfare for people going to the beaches.  We lived here two years before stepping inside, and then only because visiting friends had an obsession with rescuing baby orphaned chickens from the mean streets of Key West.

The people at the Key West Wildlife Center will gladly take in baby chicks you find around the island, which have been abandoned or which have been temporary pets and now need care and attention.  The back of the center is dominated by large, clean pens for the chickens, although when I visited they had all been rounded up and taken to a farm on the mainland to live out their lives.  (I hope that wasn’t just a line they gave me, but I think it’s true).

There are some permanent residents at the Key West Wildlife Center:  a great white rooster in a cage on the porch:

Permanent Resident at Key West Wildlife Center

If you have extra feed, bedding or anything a chicken might need, feel free to drop it off at the Center.  We did when we took some chickens there, and they seemed to really appreciate it.  They do great things for the Key West chicken and any other critter that needs rescuing.

The Key West Rescue Center

Back Yard of the Key West Rescue Center

Clean Chicken Pens at the Rescue Center

Well, it’s been blowing almost 30 knots for days now.  March is windy in Key West, bad for casual snorkelers and fishing.  Bad for anyone who wants to go out in a boat.  We are land-locked, going stir crazy.  This is what it’s like to live in Key West and not ever go out on the water.  How do people do it?  The water, the coral reef, the marine life…that’s what makes Key West extra special and exciting.

We went in search of land-based adventure, and found a super place to explore on Geiger Key.  It’s called Boca Chica Beach, around mile marker 10.  Take a right onto Boca Chica Road and go as far as you can, then park and get out.  You’ll walk along a narrow strip of rocky wild beach facing the Atlantic, in front of a military fence that keeps civilians off the base.

Boca Chica Beach is unspoiled and untouched, except by nature.  Hurricanes have wiped out a lot of the beach and moved things around.  There are rocks everywhere between the beach and the water:

Boca Chica Beach near Key West

If you park and get out, walk the beach and eventually you’ll come across a boat washed up on the beach.  It’s a Cuban freedom boat.  Next to it there is a stone fortress.  Some kind of  artsy project built to shelter kids or hobbits, it’s a winding, fabulous network of rooms, passageways and trinkets woven into the driftwood walls.  Climb up on the roof for a good view of the beach and ocean beyond.  We didn’t know what to make of it, but what a great discovery.  The explorers in all of us were definitely satisfied.  Take a look at this:

Cuban Freedom Boat on Boca Chica Beach

And here’s the hobbit hut.

The Stone Hobbit Hut on Geiger Key beach

If you go up Calda Channel there’s a shrimp boat that ran aground.  We got up close to it to get a picture on our way out to go fishing.  This really is a bad day for whoever owns that boat.  Did they save the catch I wonder.

This Shrimp Boat Ran Aground

Key Lime Pie is a staple of the Kest West dining experience. There are dozens of Key West restaurants serving this famous dish for dessert. There are even Key Lime Pie stores, totally dedicated to the dish, 100%. Some visitors make a point to try at least three or four different versions, and each restaurant has its own recipe.

You can make your own Key Lime Pie (Key Lime Pie recipe below), without too much fuss. Some pies you buy, especially at the supermarket, have a chemical aftertaste. Maybe it’s the green food coloring who knows. But I do know there’s not much in the Key Lime Pie recipe that would make the pie turn out as green as a mint shake from McDonald’s. Here’s the recipe and a picture of the results, without green food dye. The hardest part is letting it cool completely before serving:

Key Lime Pie Recipe

Yield: one 9-inch pie

2 cups sugar, divided
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup fresh key lime juice
1/2 cup cold water
3 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon grated fresh lime peel
GREEN FOOD COLORING: maybe not!
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
9-inch baked pie shell

Mis 1 1/2 cups sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Add in the lime juice, water, and 3 egg yolks and blend well. Add the butter and gradually add the boiling water. Heat the mix and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Cook it for 3 minutes, and stir constantly. Stir in lime peel then remove from heat. Let cool 20 minutes.

Place egg whites in mixer bowl and whip until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and whip until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

Pour cooled filling into the pie shell. Carefully place the meringue on top and spread it to the edges. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until it’s lightly browned.

Cool completely before serving.

Key West is a sub-tropical island. To those of you in offices up in Manhattan, or St. Paul, or Green Bay, residents of Key West have no right to ever utter the words “it’s cold out”. But yes, we’re saying it.

It’s Cold Out

We have had temperatures down in the high 40s this winter, and the wind howls every day. Howls, like 25 knots every single day. Temperatures are in the mid 60s and combined with the wind chill, combined with driving in an open boat, brrrr.

But It’s Still Lovely Outside

But it’s still lovely here, nevertheless. Know why? All you need to adjust to the slightly cooler weather is a light sweater. And some tourists don’t even notice at all! Yes, you still see people in sleeveless tops. Our coldest weather is still vacation paradise weather. The only people who get really cold are the ones riding scooters and riding on boats. No problem at all!

Snorkeling is Still Great

When the water temperatures get lower in the winter time here, you can still spend hours in the water snorkeling, diving, or just taking pictures. All you need of course is a wetsuit. All the big Key West snorkeling boats provide their guests with rental wetsuits so you’re golden.

While you can overcome the cooler water temperatures while snorkeling, it’s hard to beat high winds. Our solution is to stay close to Key West in your boat and go shallow water diving or snorkeling. There are coral heads and other things to see under water all around the island. Take a look: