Six Toes and Eight-Eight Steps

On the second day, we decided that we weren't up for another 14 hours on foot, so we rented a scooter.  Believe it or not, I rode behind David.  It was great transportation for the day!

Our first stop was the Hemingway House.  It was another repeat from our first trip to Key West, but we learned new things from our guide Stan.  Many of the 45 cats in the house and on the 1 acre grounds of the house - yes, FORTY-FIVE - are polydactyl and have 6 toes on their front paws, back paws, or both.

I really wish we could have taken a swim in the pool!  Hemingway's first wife had the pool installed against his wishes, costing an outrageous sum of money at the time.  It looks to me like the perfect place to spend an afternoon on a floaty.

 After our tour, we spent some time checking out the gardens...and sitting on benches.

Something we didn't see on our first trip was this cat shelter made to look like the big house.  Funny!

 The parlor of the home is full of these doors to let light and air in.  It's a beautiful place!

 Our next stop was just across the street to the Key West Lighthouse.  We didn't do this our first time, so it was a new adventure to us.  Eighty-eight steps didn't sound so bad, but by the top of the spiral staircase, we were huffing and puffing.  I'm glad we weren't there on a crowded day, as meeting someone going the other way on the stairs made for pretty tight quarters!

 This picture doesn't really show how high up it felt, except that you can see the ocean in the background.

 This one is a little better.  See the little toy train?  That is one of the Conch Tour Trains that we rode the day before.

 These Banyan Trees were several places on the island and were very interesting.  It would be a good place to hide and read a book!

 The weather was just perfect this day.  Look at that BLUE sky!

 This is a lens that would have been used in a light house.  It remind us of Jimmy Buffett's book, A Salty Piece of Land.

 Here's a good panoramic view from the top. I'm glad we went to the lighthouse, but I'm also glad we didn't know how steep those 88 stairs would seem!