Hello everybody!  I am writing today's guest post in Key West, Florida, where my girlfriend Lara and myself have been staying since this past Thursday.  We flew into Miami, Florida, and headed straight to Miami Beach so Lara could find a bathing suit.  Lara is more concerned about fashion than myself, see; I bought swim trunks for $20 at a place where I could have bought a second pair for only $35.  Lara, however, wants a bit more out of a bathing suit, and as of now she is still looking for one.

Before beginning the four hour drive from Miami to Key West, we decided to get dinner while in Miami Beach.  We could have eaten at many places on the way to Key West that all sounded fairly amazing, but Lara and I wanted Cuban food and could not wait any longer.

More specifically, I wanted to try a Cuban sandwich made by Cubans in an American city as close to Cuba as you can get without flying through Canada to Havana and fibbing upon returning to the U.S.  My mother's Cubanos are one of my favorite things in the world, and I just couldn't imagine how any Cubano could be better!  I had to try one and see.

The Cuban restaurant was fantastic.  But how did the Cubano compare to my mother's?  I'm afraid you'll have to wait for that answer!  In a little over a day here, we've had enough good food that I'll be dedicating a separate post just to our culinary adventures here.  Stay tuned!

And so, onward to Key West.

 We arrived at our rented condo late Thursday evening and went right to sleep, eager to get an early start next morning.  And sure enough, not so many hours later, we were on Duval Street, the central hub of activity in Key West.  The forecast called for rain, which displeased Lara a bit, but for the most part Friday was merely overcast save for a brief afternoon downpour.

 We saw this little lizard along Duval Street.  There are many more like it around here.  Lara calls them 'Wee Ones'.

 Lara standing at the end of a pier with the ocean in the background.

One of the many chickens that live around here.  You can just make out her babies behind the garden hose, though they are very well camouflaged against the gravel and leaves.

A very funny sign we saw along Duval Street.

 Warning: Bad Dog!

 A rooster shouting on top of a car.

 An extremely cute puppy remaining oblivious to the attention she received from many onlookers on the sidewalk.

 Chicken butts!

 One of the many great old churches around here.

 A dog taking a nap in front of a fan.

 An interesting example of local artwork.

 I didn't mind the weather, personally.  The vague gloom accentuated the character of this place.  And although I rarely use the word 'funky', that is the most appropriate adjective that comes to mind.  Although there are some tourist traps here, there is no denying the casual weirdness of this place.

 A cat taking a nap in a parking lot.

 The outside of the art museum.

 After an afternoon of walking around Duval Street, Lara and I went to a kind of indoor mall, at the top floor of which we found a small aviary.

 An African Grey Parrot named BRD.  He's about Thirty-Seven years old.

 The aviary also featured this giant anaconda.  Shudder.

 We took photos of each other with parrots perched on our shoulders.  Lara was joined by Peaches.

 I had my photo taken with Sir Jack, who surprised me quite a bit, as you can see.

After this, we went to a local marine and got to see a multitude of sharks and turtles, but as this entry is already running very long, that will have to wait for another day.  Thanks so much for reading, everyone!

-The Blog Tech