So I thought I would share the link to the Key West web cams so that you can share in the Adventure and the Conch Republic Celebration. Last night was crazy and there lots of people everywhere we went.
http://webcam.keywest.com/
Today at noon starts the Conch Republic Pub Crawl down Duval St which we will be participating in. It is possible you may see us on at Hog's Breath (great Key Lime Pie shooters), Sloppy Joe's, Two Friend's (yes we have gotten Tom to sing karaoke there), Cowboy Bill's (no I DO NOT ride the bull), Green Parrot (fiddlers contest there today that is really cool to listen to) or on the Duval Street cam. The Bed Races start at 2 pm so you might be able to see those on the Duval St cam.
Then tonight is the Pirates Ball and Pig Roast at Schooner Wharf. This is our usual hang out and we are there at least every Fri night if not a few other times during the week. We will be there tonight!
If you see us call us on Tom's cell, 305-407-7089.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
The Conch Republic Days 'Drag' Races
So here we are in the middle of Conch Republic Days and I am not sure my liver will survive! We started off last Friday night and have kept on going.....
Last Saturday was KW version of the Drag Races..... in this case the 'Drag Queen' races which were held down Duval St. Tom and I were there and so was MSN. I found a link today on MSN video that they shot about the drag races and thought I would share it with you. Check out the link below.........
http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&vid=bc3f2467-4133-4d50-bc2a-22ad6765d8d6&playlist=videoByTag:tag:viral:ns:Gallery:mk:us:vs:1&from=MSNHP&tab=m137>1=42003
Tomorrow is the parade. It is known as the World's Longest Parade. It is a come as you are, everyone included parade. To quote the KW Citizen Newspaper 'This is a totally impromptu parade featuring floats, Conch Cruisers (painted cars), Snorkeling Elvises, bicycles, motorcycles, decorated truck full of musicians and lots of stuff we don't even know about yet because they haven't shown up, but will. We never have any idea who will show up for this parade because there is no sign up, no fee, and no wonder'.
Tom and I are planning to join in the parade as the Adventure continues..... and of course the after parade party that takes place at one of our favorite bars, Schooner Wharf Bar........
Last Saturday was KW version of the Drag Races..... in this case the 'Drag Queen' races which were held down Duval St. Tom and I were there and so was MSN. I found a link today on MSN video that they shot about the drag races and thought I would share it with you. Check out the link below.........
http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&vid=bc3f2467-4133-4d50-bc2a-22ad6765d8d6&playlist=videoByTag:tag:viral:ns:Gallery:mk:us:vs:1&from=MSNHP&tab=m137>1=42003
Tomorrow is the parade. It is known as the World's Longest Parade. It is a come as you are, everyone included parade. To quote the KW Citizen Newspaper 'This is a totally impromptu parade featuring floats, Conch Cruisers (painted cars), Snorkeling Elvises, bicycles, motorcycles, decorated truck full of musicians and lots of stuff we don't even know about yet because they haven't shown up, but will. We never have any idea who will show up for this parade because there is no sign up, no fee, and no wonder'.
Tom and I are planning to join in the parade as the Adventure continues..... and of course the after parade party that takes place at one of our favorite bars, Schooner Wharf Bar........
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Myrla's Cell Phone Number Change
We have had a busy weekend with the Conch Republic celebration but took some time today to call and get my cell phone number changed from an Arizona number to a Florida number. Below is the new number that is now in effective.
305-407-7000
305-407-7000
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
The Conch Republic
"We Seceded Where Others Failed!"
I thought you all would enjoy learning a little about Key West and why we are called the Conch Republic. The following link will take you to the history of how the Conch Republic came to be. I think you will get a hoot out of it.
http://www.conchrepublic.com/history.htm
Then each year the independence is celebrated with a week of events (or any reason to have a party) so I have attached the link to this years party schedule. We have already planned out which ones we will attending.
http://www.conchrepublic.com/schedule.htm
In the past we have been in KW during this celebration and really enjoy it. Our favorites are the Great Conch Republic Drag Race & the Conch Republic Red Ribbon Bed Race.
This year we will attend more events than before. Captain Frank, a friend of ours (a MF investor, of course, and a private yacht captain) is a Rear Admiral for the Conch Republic Army so we will be watching him in battle along with attending a lot of the other activities. I wish I could explain what all goes on in the battle. Any of the local ships can join in to fight the Coast Guard and in the Keys News today there was a separate section outlining all of the activities along with the list of Approved Ammunition. The boats fight each other with FOOD!!!! Only in KW!!!
Then of course there is the Conch Crawl (along Duval which is the main party street in town) so we will let you know how that goes (it's a good thing we can walk home)!
So this will be an interesting part of the Adventure as we partake in the local celebration!!!!
I thought you all would enjoy learning a little about Key West and why we are called the Conch Republic. The following link will take you to the history of how the Conch Republic came to be. I think you will get a hoot out of it.
http://www.conchrepublic.com/history.htm
Then each year the independence is celebrated with a week of events (or any reason to have a party) so I have attached the link to this years party schedule. We have already planned out which ones we will attending.
http://www.conchrepublic.com/schedule.htm
In the past we have been in KW during this celebration and really enjoy it. Our favorites are the Great Conch Republic Drag Race & the Conch Republic Red Ribbon Bed Race.
This year we will attend more events than before. Captain Frank, a friend of ours (a MF investor, of course, and a private yacht captain) is a Rear Admiral for the Conch Republic Army so we will be watching him in battle along with attending a lot of the other activities. I wish I could explain what all goes on in the battle. Any of the local ships can join in to fight the Coast Guard and in the Keys News today there was a separate section outlining all of the activities along with the list of Approved Ammunition. The boats fight each other with FOOD!!!! Only in KW!!!
Then of course there is the Conch Crawl (along Duval which is the main party street in town) so we will let you know how that goes (it's a good thing we can walk home)!
So this will be an interesting part of the Adventure as we partake in the local celebration!!!!
Friday, April 11, 2008
Salvagers flash their pearly whites
This was the one of the headlines in the Keys News today and I thought I would pass it along since many of you knew about the excitement when the box of pearls was found. I have also included the link to the news story on-line since there are pictures that I can't get copied to the blog. I have posted the story from the paper below so you can read that here.
http://www.keysnews.com/
Our friends who work at MF have been spending weeks and weeks going through all of these pearls to sort them for appraisals so we have been getting weekly updates on the progress.
Division takes place the first week in May and we are hoping to get pearls. I will let you know and post pictures.
BY MANDY BOLEN
Citizen Staff
The lustrous white and beige pearls that now fill an entire shelf bear little resemblance to the saturated mass of blackened BB-like orbs that divers recovered from the ocean floor 10 months ago while searching for the remaining treasure on the Spanish galleon Santa Margarita.
The pearls, now nearly 400 years old, filled a mysterious lead box that divers from Blue Water Ventures found while working on the site in June. The company works in a joint partnership with Mel Fisher’s Treasures to finish the treasure recovery from the Santa Margarita, which sank in the same 1622 hurricane that sent the legendary Nuestra Señora de Atocha to the bottom of the ocean.
The lead from the box had stained the pearls over the centuries, but John Corcoran, head conservator with Mel Fisher’s Treasures, worked methodically and patiently to restore the 16,184 pearls that were inside the box, along with silt and saltwater. “We had to remove the saltwater from the pearls first, but while keeping them wet,” Corcoran said this week after finishing the conservation and cataloging. The pearls were stored in the saltwater since their discovery to prevent the salt from crystallizing on the surface when it dried. Also, a shock of freshwater on the pearl would erode it nacre, or luster, Corcoran said.
Over a period of 14 weeks, Corcoran gradually reduced the water’s salt level by 10 percent every week until the pearls at last were in distilled water. “Then we soaked them in mineral oil for about an hour to restore their luster,” he said. The treasure team hired pearl experts to appraise the find for current market value. The appraisers offered individual evaluations for 251 of the largest and highest quality pearls. Some were irregular while others were perfectly round, which makes them more valuable.
A division committee from the treasure group will meet to assign a “shipwreck value” to each piece, which generally is 10 to 20 times market value due to uniqueness and antiquity, said Gary Randolph, vice president and operations director. “These pearls hadn’t been touched in almost 400 years,” said Sharon Wiley, public relations director for the company.
The entire cache of gems will be added to this year’s total treasure inventory, which is divided among the company’s investors every spring at a “division party.” “The investors will be happy this year,” Randolph said, estimating the shipwreck value of the pearls to exceed $3 million.
The largest of the stash is 52 carats, making it one of the biggest pearls in the world, and worth nearly $500,000, he said. Along with the box of pearls, divers on the Santa Margarita site also found several gold chains, bars and artifacts in the same area on the same day.
Marine archaeologist Duncan Mathewson, who works for Blue Water Ventures, in June said he believes a craftsman may have been planning to use the pearls for a belt, as divers found several gold belt buckles and fasteners near the lead box, which protected them from decay over the past 385 years. The organic gems normally would not have survived the centuries, Mathewson said.
http://www.keysnews.com/
Our friends who work at MF have been spending weeks and weeks going through all of these pearls to sort them for appraisals so we have been getting weekly updates on the progress.
Division takes place the first week in May and we are hoping to get pearls. I will let you know and post pictures.
BY MANDY BOLEN
Citizen Staff
The lustrous white and beige pearls that now fill an entire shelf bear little resemblance to the saturated mass of blackened BB-like orbs that divers recovered from the ocean floor 10 months ago while searching for the remaining treasure on the Spanish galleon Santa Margarita.
The pearls, now nearly 400 years old, filled a mysterious lead box that divers from Blue Water Ventures found while working on the site in June. The company works in a joint partnership with Mel Fisher’s Treasures to finish the treasure recovery from the Santa Margarita, which sank in the same 1622 hurricane that sent the legendary Nuestra Señora de Atocha to the bottom of the ocean.
The lead from the box had stained the pearls over the centuries, but John Corcoran, head conservator with Mel Fisher’s Treasures, worked methodically and patiently to restore the 16,184 pearls that were inside the box, along with silt and saltwater. “We had to remove the saltwater from the pearls first, but while keeping them wet,” Corcoran said this week after finishing the conservation and cataloging. The pearls were stored in the saltwater since their discovery to prevent the salt from crystallizing on the surface when it dried. Also, a shock of freshwater on the pearl would erode it nacre, or luster, Corcoran said.
Over a period of 14 weeks, Corcoran gradually reduced the water’s salt level by 10 percent every week until the pearls at last were in distilled water. “Then we soaked them in mineral oil for about an hour to restore their luster,” he said. The treasure team hired pearl experts to appraise the find for current market value. The appraisers offered individual evaluations for 251 of the largest and highest quality pearls. Some were irregular while others were perfectly round, which makes them more valuable.
A division committee from the treasure group will meet to assign a “shipwreck value” to each piece, which generally is 10 to 20 times market value due to uniqueness and antiquity, said Gary Randolph, vice president and operations director. “These pearls hadn’t been touched in almost 400 years,” said Sharon Wiley, public relations director for the company.
The entire cache of gems will be added to this year’s total treasure inventory, which is divided among the company’s investors every spring at a “division party.” “The investors will be happy this year,” Randolph said, estimating the shipwreck value of the pearls to exceed $3 million.
The largest of the stash is 52 carats, making it one of the biggest pearls in the world, and worth nearly $500,000, he said. Along with the box of pearls, divers on the Santa Margarita site also found several gold chains, bars and artifacts in the same area on the same day.
Marine archaeologist Duncan Mathewson, who works for Blue Water Ventures, in June said he believes a craftsman may have been planning to use the pearls for a belt, as divers found several gold belt buckles and fasteners near the lead box, which protected them from decay over the past 385 years. The organic gems normally would not have survived the centuries, Mathewson said.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Island Dog!
As you can see from the pictures we now have an Island Dog!!!Yes this is Dyna, the dog who hates water, but for some reason loves the ocean. KW has a small area of beach called Dog Beach. It is the the only beach that dogs are allowed on. This was our second trip to the beach and she is just an crazy about it in this visit as she was in her first visit two weeks ago.
She won't go very deep into the water. Only to her belly where she can still stand. No swimming for her but she still gets plenty wet jumping into the waves and biting at them. She has drank so much salt water we were afraid that it would make her throw up but that hasn't happened yet.
So every couple of weeks we plan a walk to Dog Beach. It's a mile and half round trip so a great walk for all of us and now an Adventure for Dyna.
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