What does a former president do when he wants to take a laid-back holiday vacation with his family? If he’s Jimmy Carter, he gathers up the clan and heads for the Florida Keys.

Former President Jimmy Carter grins delightedly as he holds a juvenile green sea turtle at Marathon's Turtle Hospital. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Actually, former President Carter, his wife Rosalynn and assorted family members spent a post-Christmas sojourn in the Middle Keys, staying at the lovely Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key. But while the visit wasn’t widely publicized, they didn’t hibernate in their Hawks Cay villas (which I can tell you from personal experience are casually elegant, pleasantly private and perfect for hibernation).

Instead, like other vacationing families, they immersed themselves in the Keys’ activities and water sports. They even did some light-tackle fishing, catching more than 70 fish from 12 different species (including about 15 snapper and Spanish mackerel that they took home for dinner). And according to their captain, Rich Tudor with the Saltwater Experience, the former commander-in-chief is quite an agile angler.

As president, Carter had experiences beyond most people’s wildest dreams — yet he seemed to be genuinely fascinated by one Keys experience in particular: helping Richie Moretti, founder of Marathon’s Turtle Hospital, and his crew release a rehabilitated loggerhead sea turtle named Danger into the Atlantic Ocean.

Former President Carter (right) displays a Spanish mackerel he caught while fishing off the Florida Keys with Captain Rich Tudor (left). (Photo by Derek Rust, Florida Keys News Bureau)

The 102-pound turtle had spent three months recuperating at the hospital, the world’s only licensed veterinary facility dedicated to treating and rehabilitating sea turtles, after he was found lethargic and floating off the Lower Keys.

The Turtle Hospital crew treated Danger with antibiotics, IV fluids and a healthy diet of squid, shrimp and fish. By Christmas, he was thriving and ready for release.

When the Carters arrived at the Turtle Hospital, they first took a tour of the unique facility. Jimmy Carter’s famous smile flashed out when he “met” the  patients, with Rosalynn by his side and family members gathered around, and then held a turtle with gentle hands.

Jimmy Carter and his family watch Danger, a loggerhead sea turtle, walk into the ocean off the Florida Keys. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

“To see the care that’s given to the individual turtles, even those that can’t be released and are cared for all their lives, is really a wonderful indication of altruism in its finest form,” the former president said.

Afterwards, President Carter helped Richie and his crew carry Danger to the water’s edge in a special white container. When they set him down on the sand, with unerring instinct, the rehabilitated turtle headed straight into the water.

“It’s an exciting thing not only for the people that work [at the Turtle Hospital] but for people who can visit and see this relationship between human beings and nature that you don’t see often enough,” said Carter, who watched Danger swim away into his natural habitat.

The holiday vacation in the Keys wasn’t the first for Carter and his family. In 1996, they had New Year’s Eve dinner at the Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West, former President Truman’s “vacation White House” and Florida’s only presidential museum. The Carters returned there for a visit in December 2007 during a cruise ship stopover.

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Events, Highlights, Marathon, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

Key West is going to the dogs. It’s not enough that the island city’s canines can often be spotted as passengers on scooters or in bicycle baskets, or that a popular eco-outfitter offers “doggie paddle” kayak excursions for pooches and their people, or that dogs have their own beach next to a popular restaurant.

Dressed in sporty bonnets, Bella (left) and Daisy (right) stroll past an Old Town storefront during the Key West Dachshund Walk.

No, there’s also the annual Key West Dachshund Walk at noon on New Year’s Eve, a short stroll for long dogs with short legs.

This might surprise you, but a stunningly large number of the small critters either live in or visit Key West during the holidays. A couple of years ago the wacky walk drew 165 dachshunds, some of them costumed, who trotted down Key West’s famed Duval Street.

(In case you’re doing the math, at an average of four cute stubby legs per dog, that’s 660 legs trotting down Duval — not counting the longer limbs of the canines’ human companions.)

“People in Key West embrace these crazy things,” said island resident Ruth Reiter, who founded the informal walk with her husband Dan Metzler after learning about group dachshund events in other locales.

For the first several years, Ruth and Dan’s standard wirehaired dachshund Schumann was among the leaders of the pack. Sadly, Schumann is no more — but other dogs have appeared to provide a touch of offbeat canine style.

With characteristic style, Ruth and Dan's beloved Schumann leads the 2008 procession.

According to Ruth, walkers traditionally include a wide variety of dachshunds from miniature to standard and longhaired … plus a few dogs bearing a suspicious resemblance to other breeds.

“I think maybe there are some imposters who sneak in, but we don’t check pedigrees here,” Ruth said — which means even dachshund “wannabes” are allowed to strut their stuff.

Prominent pooches in past years’ events include the lovely Lola, a miniature longhaired dachshund who wore a pink sequined “gown” and a feathered headdress reading “Happy New Year” as she ambled around Key West’s picturesque downtown.

Last year, the dachsie duo of Winston and young Goodman wowed crowds dressed as the Skipper and Gilligan from the 60s TV series “Gilligan’s Island” — riding in a nautically decorated “SS Minnow” wagon pulled by their owners.

Dachshunds Goodman (left) and Winston, dressed as Gilligan and the Skipper from the 60s sitcom "Gilligan's Island," were among 156 pooches parading in last year's Key West Dachshund Walk.

Other dogs have turned up costumed as spacemen, hippies, court jesters, hot dogs nestled in “buns” and even “Superdog” in a red cape.

The sidewalk walking route is deliberately kept brief, by the way, because of the canine contingent’s short legs. A supply wagon generally accompanies the dachshund delegation, carrying plastic bags for quick cleanup of any accidents and water for pooches that get parched.

Not surprisingly, the quirky procession stops traffic as the dogs embark (sorry!) and draws crowds, laughter and applause throughout the route.

“This is all about crazy people taking their dogs for a walk,” said Ruth, who directs each year’s event with humor, class and a hint of nanny-like firmness. “When you see one dachshund, they make you smile — so when you see many, they’re really funny.”

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Events, Highlights, Key West, Local Color, Quirks, Voices Main Archive

Maybe it’s because the Florida Keys, the southernmost islands in the continental United States, have never experienced a traditional snow-filled Christmas. Or it might be simply because Keys residents love to celebrate special occasions.

Santa skippers a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter in a Florida Keys holiday boat parade..

But whatever the reason, despite our subtropical climate, we go a little overboard with our holiday decorations, parties and spirit. (Don’t misunderstand … this is NOT a bad thing!)

In fact, from Key Largo to Key West, the December calendar is packed with events designed to spread holiday cheer — including lighted boat parades featuring everything from kayaks to tall ships adorned with Christmas trees, multicolored lights or whatever other decorations their crews can dream up.

For many of us who live in the Keys, there’s one holiday tradition that tops all the others: getting a photo taken with that special someone whose smiling face has come to symbolize the season.

I don’t mean Santa — I mean Santini.

Santini occasionally sports a red cap with a white bobble, but there his resemblance to St. Nick ends. Santini doesn’t have a white beard, a red suit or a little round belly.

Actually, Santini is a dolphin.

He and his flippered friends live at Dolphin Research Center, a highly acclaimed educational and research facility just north of Marathon. Established in 1984, the not-for-profit DRC is home to a family of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions, and has done groundbreaking work relating to dolphins’ understanding of number concepts.

All year long, visitors to DRC can take part in enjoyable programs to learn about dolphins, their environment and their remarkable abilities. And from somewhere around Thanksgiving to just before Christmas each year, if you participate in the Meet the Dolphin program, you can also pose with Santini or one of his cohorts for a holiday photo.

At Dolphin Research Center, visitors can swim the resident dolphins -- not to be confused with the Miami Dolphins, despite this one's apparent fondness for football. (Photo courtesy of Dolphin Research Center)

As if a posing with a smiling silvery dolphin isn’t enough, DRC can supply plenty of props to use — Santa hats, reindeer antlers, holiday wreaths and more. And I can pretty well guarantee that the results will make a world-class Christmas card.

Last year, not long after their stint as holiday models was over, DRC’s dolphins enlivened another big event on the American calendar: the Super Bowl.

In honor of Super Bowl 2010 being played just up the Florida Keys Overseas highway in Miami, dolphins Tursi, Talon and Pax tried their skills at football as part of their exercise repertoire.

Admittedly, they couldn’t throw as well as star quarterback Peyton Manning, or catch as well as famed running back Reggie Bush, but they could sure swim faster — even with a football in their mouths.

Meeting DRC's exuberant, engaging dolphins is an experience you'll never forget. (Photo courtesy of Dolphin Research Center)

According to DRC staff, the dolphins really seem to enjoy playing with the football. In fact, even during the sport’s off-season, pigskins are provided to them as part of their enrichment programs.

(FYI, the three football-playing dolphins are descended from two of the dolphins that played the part of Flipper in the first “Flipper” movie.)

Whether you’re looking for an amazing holiday photo or not, and whether you’re fanatical about football or not, I highly recommend stopping at DRC during your next Florida Keys vacation. You might even consider planning a trip around a visit to the center — because believe me, meeting DRC’s engaging dolphin clan will be an experience you’ll never forget.

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Environment, Highlights, Local Color, Marathon, Voices Main Archive

One year during Key West’s Fantasy Fest celebration, a local chiropractor friend of mine went crazy. Renowned for healing people in pain, Dr. Steve Stevens (not his real name, for reasons that should become clear almost immediately) shaved the fur off his dog Tabasco (not HIS real name either) and painted his own skin to match the dog’s.

The fur flies when party animals take center stage at Fantasy Fest's Pet Masquerade. (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Then he donned a brief Speedo and pranced across a stage in front of 4,000 spectators, leading the understandably bewildered Tabasco.

He hadn’t lost his marbles, Dr. Steve later reassured patients who questioned his peculiar action. He was simply trying to win first prize in the pet/owner lookalike category of the Fantasy Fest Pet Masquerade.

With that explanation, it all made sense — because the Pet Masquerade can affect people that way. The annual costume contest for animals and their humans is one of the most eagerly anticipated events of Fantasy Fest, Key West’s internationally famed ten-day masking and costuming festival.

In fact, the Pet Masquerade draws dozens of entrants each year to perform onstage antics on the oceanside lawn of an elegant local resort. These “party animals” generally range from dogs and cats to potbellied pigs, snakes, exotic birds and even a duck that became a regular competitor.

Many entrants put on far more elaborate shows than Dr. Steve and Tabasco did. One year, for example, featured a rescued racing greyhound whose owners dressed her as Tina Turner. The dog stood stoically while her eight-member human “back-up band” proceeded to mangle a Turner classic.

Okay, so they're not pets. But these engaging creatures were favorites at Fantasy Fest 2009 anyway. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

The “animal house” benefits the Lower Keys Friends of Animals, but entry isn’t limited to local people or pets. A few years back, Jeff Hrizuk brought his Australian cattle dog, K.C., from Georgia to participate after attending two previous Fantasy Fests.

Dressed as a black widow spider to complement Jeff’s gauzy spiderweb outfit, K.C. seemed completely comfortable in his costume — which included six spider legs made of felt-wrapped wire.

“It took two weeks to train him to wear the costume,” Jeff reported. “The first time we put it on him, he was afraid of it. Then we started giving him a steak, putting the costume on, and giving him another steak afterwards. Pretty soon he was really eager to put it on.”

Pet Masquerade, however, is far from Fantasy Fest’s wildest event. Scheduled for Oct. 22-31, the 2010 festival is themed “Habitat for Insanity,” and it includes more than three dozen masquerade balls, marches, costume competitions, and late-night soirees guaranteed to sizzle.

These "ladies" look ready to indulge a fantasy or two during Key West's wild and wonderful festival. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

The unquestioned festival highlight is the Captain Morgan Fantasy Fest Parade in Key West’s historic downtown. This year set for Saturday, Oct. 30, it’s expected to draw as many as 70,000 spectators to Whitehead and Duval streets.

Glitzy, glamorous and unabashedly excessive, the annual parade features brilliant floats whose riders toss beads and baubles to the near-hysterical crowds. Floats are interspersed with Caribbean-style bands, dancing groups in lavish robes and headdresses, and assorted characters whose dress (or undress, since many wear little more than body paint) can elicit gasps of awe.

Speaking of body paint, two of the most engaging painted parade spectators I ever met were Jim and Judy Thorson from Omaha. Both in their 60s, they wore matching fish-printed sarong skirts and bright green sequined headdresses, their torsos adorned only with aquatic-inspired body art.

“I lost my pasties — I didn’t have adequate pasty glue,” confessed Jim Thorson, who was a professor at the University of Nebraska. “When you prepare for Fantasy Fest, you should bring one more bottle of glue than you need.”

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Districts, Events, Festivals, Highlights, Key West, Local Color, Quirks, Voices Main Archive

The Florida Keys’ National Key Deer Refuge is an incredible environmental success story — but many people don’t know that one of the story’s main characters was a gun-toting lawman who loved Key deer.

The late Jack Watson, shown here in an undated photo, was the first refuge manager of the National Key Deer Refuge and a passionate protector of the endangered deer. (Photo courtesy of the Watson Family, Florida Keys News Bureau)

When the refuge was established in 1957, its first manager was Jack C. Watson, who wasn’t above using some pretty unorthodox tactics to thwart poachers targeting the deer under his protection.

“If he found somebody’s car up here and knew they were hunting and running the deer with some dogs, he would disable the car — putting a few bullet holes in the gas tank or the engine,” said Kip Watson of Big Pine Key, who happens to be Jack Watson’s son.

During his 17-year tenure as refuge manager, Jack Watson spread the word that he was a no-nonsense guy who would do whatever it took to protect the Key deer. His tough approach helped save the entire species from extinction.

For example, Kip recalled a time when his father discovered people were hunting deer on Little Pine Island, which was reachable only by boat. He heard shots, found the poachers’ boat, and stationed himself nearby to catch them when they returned to it.

A big-eyed Key deer peers through brush in the refuge. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)

“They didn’t come back around as quick as he wanted them to, so he just set the boat on fire and said, ‘I’ll come back in the morning, and I’m sure they’ll be ready to talk to me by that time’,” said Kip. “The next morning we went back out and they were sitting there trying to figure out how they were going to get back to the mainland — and he was happy to give them a ride.”

A few years ago, the National Key Deer Refuge celebrated its 50th birthday. The refuge measures about 9,100 acres, with lands on Big Pine Key and other islands of the Lower Keys, plus backcountry land and water areas. An amazingly diverse environment, it includes mangrove forests, freshwater and salt marsh wetlands, pine rockland forests and tropical hardwood hammocks.

But it’s best known as the home of the small, shy creature called the Key deer.

Jack Watson is memorialized on Big Pine Key by a street named in his honor. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Male Key deer weigh approximately 90 to 100 pounds full-grown, and stand about the size of a large dog. Females are a little smaller, averaging 60 to 70 pounds full-grown. Male or female, they’re big-eyed, graceful and startlingly rare.

“The Key deer is the smallest of 30 subspecies of the North American white-tailed deer, and are only found in the Lower Florida Keys,” said Jim Bell, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee at the refuge. “As a population, they’re not found anywhere else in the world.”

In the early 1900s, the miniature deer were a legitimate food source. By the 1930s, they’d been over-hunted to the point that extinction was a real threat. Although Florida outlawed hunting Key deer in 1939, poaching continued.

In 1957, when the refuge became a reality and Jack Watson became its manager, the deer got the champion they so desperately needed.

A Key deer doe, one of a thriving herd that owes its existence in part to Jack Watson, licks her chops after grazing on a plant. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Since then, the refuge’s population has increased from 50 or fewer deer to a thriving herd of 600 to 700.

“The National Key Deer Refuge, protecting the habitat for the Key deer, has brought them back from extinction,” said Jim Bell.

Today, more than 90,000 people visit the refuge each year, exploring popular areas including a wildlife-rich freshwater quarry and a nature trail named for Jack Watson, who retired in 1974 and died in late 1982.

“Since the refuge has been established, the herd has made probably one of the best recoveries of any endangered species,” said Kip Watson. “It’s a wonderful thing that my father helped leave to the world.”

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Environment, Highlights, History, Local Color, Voices Main Archive

The theme song of the popular Disney Channel children’s television show “Phineas and Ferb” describes kids’ ultimate summer dilemma in its opening lines: “There’s 104 days of summer vacation, and school comes along just to end it. So the annual problem for our generation is finding a good way to spend it.”

At some Keys centers, even young children can participate in magical dolphin encounters.

You can solve that dilemma in the Upper and Middle Keys, an area jam-packed with activities sure to make summer days unforgettable for kids and families.

For example …

Make friends with herons, owls, pelicans and egrets at the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center. The Florida Keys Wild Bird Center is a bird rehabilitation facility located in Tavernier at mile marker 93.6. An Upper Keys landmark, it’s home to more than 100 ill, injured or orphaned wild birds — all housed in a natural setting on more than five acres of land. The main attraction is the daily pelican feeding, set for about 3:30 p.m., that typically draws hundreds of wild pelicans hungry for fish.

The Florida Keys Wild Bird Center is open every day during daylight hours. There’s no admission fee, but donations are requested.

Marine life and lively parrots intrigue young visitors to Islamorada's Theater of the Sea.

Swim with stingrays, dolphins or sea lions at Theater of the Sea. A lush 17-acre tropical oasis located in Islamorada at mile marker 84.5, Theater of the Sea is filled with scores of fish and marine life, native birds, colorful and engaging parrots, sea turtles, crocodiles and exotic plants. General admission includes live performances by dolphins, sea lions and parrots, a guided tour of marine-life exhibits and a glass-bottom boat tour of their natural saltwater lagoon.

Theater of the Sea also hosts special swim programs with dolphins, stingrays and sea lions for kids as young as 5 — and dolphin wade programs for kids as young as 3. The park opens daily at 9:30 a.m.

Discover shells, fish tanks and history at Crane Point Hammock in Marathon. Crane Point Hammock is a 63-acre environmental and archaeological preserve that offers a wide range of intriguing activities for kids and families.

Several Keys facilities teach kids (and grownups!) about the exotic-looking featured denizens of the island chain.

The historically curious can visit Adderley House, a simple home built in 1906 by a Bahamian immigrant who was a sponge fisherman, boatman and charcoal maker. Adventure seekers can get up close and personal with the museum’s touch tank that features sea urchins and starfish, or explore a large lagoon inhabited by nurse sharks and tropical fish. Nature lovers can hike along one of the nature trails or visit the Marathon Wild Bird Center, a haven for feathered friends in need.

Located at mile marker 50.5, Crane Point Hammock is open Monday though Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

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For kids (and kids at heart), a world of excitement awaits during “summer vacation” in the Middle and Upper Keys. To discover more “keys” to enjoying the island chain, just click here.

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Environment, Highlights, Islamorada, Key Largo, Local Color, Marathon

Watching a turtle release, and seeing the rehabilitated “patient” returned to the blue Keys waters where it belongs, can make you cry.

Ryan Butts of the Keys' Turtle Hospital releases Kentucky, the loggerhead sea turtle, into the Atlantic next to the Seven Mile Bridge. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

At least, it can make ME cry. There’s something about seeing the turtle slip into its saltwater habitat and swim joyfully away (okay, I’m anthropomorphizing here, but trust me — their entire shell-covered bodies radiate joy) that touches the heart and inspires a powerful sense of oneness with the natural order.

Such was the feeling recently when Ryan Butts, administrator of the Florida Keys Turtle Hospital, released “Kentucky,” a 10-year-old loggerhead sea turtle, into the Atlantic Ocean next to the Seven Mile Bridge in Marathon.

Even before the release, Kentucky (named for his discoverers’ home state) was one lucky creature — because the Turtle Hospital is the probably the best place in the world for a sick or hurt turtle to wind up.

Located in Marathon, the hospital is the world’s only licensed veterinary hospital dedicated to treating sea turtles. It’s so highly acclaimed that airlines have been known to fly turtles injured in the Caribbean to Miami, where hospital staffers meet them in their turtle ambulance (yes, they really have one — I’ve seen it!) and drive them down to the facility for care.

Governor Charlie Crist (shown here at right) helps release a sea turtle in the Keys after its treatment at the Turtle Hospital. (Photo by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

The hospital’s primary goal is to treat injured sea turtles and return them to the wild whenever possible. On top of that, founders and staff work tirelessly to raise public awareness about sea turtles and their needs, collaborate with state universities on sea turtle research, and work toward environmental legislation that makes the beaches and water safer and cleaner for their charges.

Each time a “patient” is returned to health, its release is a joyful occurrence. Even Florida’s governor, Charlie Crist, has helped send a couple of the recovered creatures back to their watery homes — including a 140-pound green sea turtle that was serendipitously named Charlie.

But turtles aren’t the only marine denizens that find help in the Keys when they need it. Ailing dolphins, whales and manatees encounter willing and dedicated rescuers ready to lend a hand.

Caring professionals do their best to assess and provide what these marine mammals need so they can return to their pods or habitual territory. Assisting the trained professionals are volunteers — parents and kids, energetic 20-somethings and weathered seniors, first-time visitors and longtime residents — drawn together by the need to help.

Rescuers from the Keys' Marine Mammal Conservancy extricate a stranded infant whale from a mangrove island. (Photo by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

The volunteers are particularly vital during whale strandings, when one or more whales are found in shallow water, disoriented and often seriously ill. Such whales are generally moved to sheltered lagoons for care and rehabilitation — and people are needed 24/7 to stand in the water holding the “patients” upright to make sure their blowholes remain above water.

A few years back, one of those volunteers was my husband. He doesn’t look like a whale rescuer — he’s stocky, laid-back and not very athletic. But when a pygmy sperm whale was found just a few feet off a popular local pier, he spent 18 hours in the water holding her. And that was after he nonchalantly hopped on a jet ski (for the first time in his life) to provide escort while the whale was transported several miles to a safe lagoon in an in-water sling.

I too had a volunteer assignment: driving the whale’s blood samples to a lab for testing and picking up fishy food rations in my trusty Chevy Explorer, which was quickly nicknamed the Squidmobile.

But what we did wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Each time there’s a turtle or marine mammal in need, dozens of people appear, seemingly out of nowhere, to help with whatever might be necessary at the time.

To me, that’s one of the things that makes the Keys such a magical place. And Kentucky the turtle, if he could reached in his blue-water habitat, would almost certainly agree.

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Environment, Highlights, Marathon, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

News flash … there’s a quartet of new kittens at the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum.

Don’t head over to the property, the Key West home of the legendary author throughout the 1930s, expecting to see the tiny bundles of fur just yet. Born on Valentine’s Day, they’re living in a secure and secluded corner with their mother until they get older, well away from the crowds that flock to the literary mecca every day.

The friendly felines that inhabit the Hemingway home have become almost as big an attraction as Ernest's legacy. (Photo by Rob O'Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau)

After all, the house may be the place where Hemingway spent the most productive years of his life, writing 70 percent of his classic works — but at this unique spot, the cats come first.

According to Dave Gonzales of the Hemingway house, that’s nothing new; Ernest himself was fascinated by felines.

“Hemingway was very much a cat lover,” said Dave. “He preferred the polydactyls — the six-toed cats that are world famous and sometimes called Hemingway cats.”

Hemingway lived in the Key West home, a Spanish colonial villa at 907 Whitehead St., from 1931 through 1939 with his second wife Pauline and their two sons. During that time he worked on many of his best-known novels and short stories — among them “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” and the Key West-based “To Have and Have Not,” his only novel set in the United States — in a small second-story writing studio behind the house.

Fittingly, the property was recently designated a literary landmark.

Today, visitors touring the home-turned-museum are likely to find a cat or two unconcernedly sprawled on the studio table or napping on Hemingway’s former bed. Scores of them roam the grounds, seemingly secure in the knowledge that they belong there — and probably aware that they’ve become as big an attraction as the legacy of the author himself.

Toured by large numbers of visitors daily, the Hemingway property became a museum in 1964 and was recently designated a literary landmark. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Most are named for Hemingway contemporaries or noted personalities (for example, Spencer Tracy, Gertrude Stein and Emily Dickinson) and many of them have oversized, slightly comical six-toed paws.

They owe their extra digit, Dave explained, to Snowball.

Snowball was Hemingway’s first polydactyl cat — given to the author’s sons, Patrick and Gregory, by a sea captain after the boys ran some errands for him. Captains, it seems, had a particular fondness for six-toed felines.

“They were thought to give the captains calm seas, prevailing winds and safe passages on their journeys,” said Dave. “They were considered lucky cats or mystical cats — therefore, captains being very superstitious, they had the cats on board the ship for their mystical or magical powers as well as their ability to catch mice better with that extra digit.”

Did Snowball’s “magic” have anything to do with Hemingway’s literary prowess during his Key West years? Who knows — but, for Ernest and family as for many other island residents, one cat led to another. Eventually, according to Dave, some 50 cats roamed the property.

Felines loom even larger at the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum today than they did in the legendary author's day. (Photo by Andy Newman/ Florida Keys News Bureau)

About the same number live at the Hemingway home today, and they’re pampered as befits the descendants (whether actual or honorary) of a literary giant’s muse “meows.” Their lives consist of good food, naps in sunny spots, admiration from an unceasing stream of visitors, and health care from a veterinarian who makes house calls every Wednesday.

Naturally, the birth of a litter of kittens is an occasion for great joy.

“We average one litter a year, and that litter carries the bloodline of Ernest Hemingway’s original clan of cats,” said Dave.

The mama cat is still very protective of the property’s four newest arrivals, so it’s hard to tell if their tiny paws have extra toes or not. But either way, their place in the world is assured — as members of the famed feline family at Key West’s Hemingway home.

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Arts, Highlights, Key West, Local Color, Quirks, Voices Main Archive

The Loch Ness Monster spent the winter in Key West a couple of years ago.

Actually, a lot of celebrities have wintered on the subtropical island where daytime temps in January and February generally exceed 70 degrees.

New York artist Cameron Gainer settles the Loch Ness Monster into its winter home in a Key West pond at the beginning of the 2008 Sculpture Key West exhibition. (Photo by Rob O'Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Robert Frost, for one — the renowned poet abandoned New England for a cottage on Key West’s Caroline Street each winter from 1945 to 1960.

But until a couple of years ago, though Key Westers had seen plenty of snowbirds flocking to the southernmost city to escape the northern cold, they’d never seen anything like the Loch Ness Monster.

Nessie journeyed south on a boat trailer with New York artist Cameron Gainer, who was participating in the 2008 Sculpture Key West exhibition. The annual juried exhibition features work in many types of traditional and experimental media, displayed beside the island’s Civil War-era forts and public gardens — and in several other “surprise” locations around Key West.

Nessie, who turned out to be quite a surprise indeed, was destined for a winter home in a local pond at the entrance to Key West’s picturesque Old Town. But installing the 12-foot by 12.5-foot foam-and-fiberglass monster in the pond was no easy task.

Nessie isn't the only sculpted creature to visit Key West during the annual Sculpture Key West display. Here, artist Doug Makemson introduces "Henry," a nine-foot steel dog that starred in a previous exhibition. (Photo courtesy of Sculpture Key West)

Cameron was inspired to create Nessie by a 1934 photo that supposedly showed its humped back and long curving neck rising out of Scotland’s Loch Ness. To settle the monster in its warm-water winter home, he donned a wetsuit and jumped into the pond to guide the installation.

A Bobcat tractor, a small floating platform and a thick rope “leash” were required in the effort, which drew double-takes and laughter from passing drivers.

For the rest of that winter, much to the delight of absurdity-loving locals, Nessie startled unsuspecting passersby as they entered the historic Old Town district.

The 2010 Sculpture Key West exhibition doesn’t feature any legendary monsters — but that’s perfectly okay, because it includes plenty of other intriguing examples of artistry.

A sailboat is framed by the wood sculpture "Forest of Souls" on display at Sculpture Key West 2010. The wooden hoop by artist Jonathan Schork is composed of buttonwood, Brazilian pepper and Australian pine branches. (Photo by Rob O'Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Thirty-some artists hailing from Paris, Berlin and 11 American states are showcasing their work in three venues at this year’s exhibition: the waterfront grounds of Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, the tranquil and inspiring home of the Key West Garden Club at West Martello Tower, and the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden near the entrance to Key West.

Favorite sculptures include an 18-foot-tall wooden hoop-shaped memorial, a commentary on consumerism crafted out of recycled plastic bags, and an interactive “musical chairs” installation made (believe it or not) from discarded brass instruments that people can actually play.

At all three locations, the sculptures will remain on display through April 16.

Take a tip from a longtime Keys local who’s seen many previous Sculpture Key West exhibitions — Nessie might not be lurking around, but even so this is a “monstrously” good show. If you’re in the Keys, don’t miss it!

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Arts, Festivals, Key West, Local Color, Quirks, Voices Main Archive

Some people might dread a mundane workweek, ticking off the days on the calendar until their next vacation. But not Armando “Mandy” Rodriguez. The guiding spirit behind Marathon’s Dolphin Research Center, or DRC, Mandy calls his job a blessing and a gift — one that the Vietnam veteran says rescued him from deep post-war despair.

Mandy Rodriguez, the guiding spirit behind Dolphin Research Center, enjoys a quiet moment with a couple of good buddies. (Photos courtesy of DRC)

In 1984, Mandy and his then-wife Jayne Shannon-Rodriguez founded the nonprofit DRC after working as head trainer and manager of the research facility that previously existed on the property.

Now, more than 25 years later, both remain actively involved in DRC’s operation. Their underlying philosophies — to teach the world about marine mammals’ innate intelligence and problem-solving skills, as well as how to care for and protect them — are the principles that guide the facility.

With its protective environment for dolphins and sea lions, DRC draws national and international visitors to the Florida Keys. It’s also a center where people can increase their awareness of marine mammals and environmental conservation.

In addition, DRC is a great place to learn and work for young people pursuing careers in research and animal behaviors.

Under Mandy's watchful eye, dolphins Kibby, AJ and Tanner have some fun taking turns on a training platform.

Mandy’s connection to marine mammals, however, predates DRC. It began during his childhood in Cuba.

“I was taught to swim before I could walk, exposed to mammals at an early age,” said Mandy, who arrived in the United States at age 10. “I was an ocean brat.”

When he was 20, after fighting in the Vietnam War, Mandy worked at the Miami Seaquarium as “low man on the assistant trainer totem pole.” The experience left him unfulfilled and in search of a teaching institution.

He found it at the New England Aquarium in Boston, where he trained with harbor seals, sea lions and fur seals. Yet it was interaction with dolphins that ultimately captured his attention and became his passion.

A trio of "mellow fellows" share a swim in DRC's protected waters. The center has performed groundbreaking research on dolphin intelligence.

Mandy’s war experiences had left him edgy and suffering from persistent post-traumatic stress disorder. He credits the dolphins — their energy, behavioral responses, ability to evoke emotions and calm the soul — with helping him coexist better with fellow humans, including those who had harassed and persecuted him when he returned from Vietnam.

“The dolphins taught me to live life, accept life and to be … a mellow fellow,” said Mandy.

Now that he has spent decades with the gentle cetaceans, he admits to having a few favorites: Kibby, a resident of DRC for nearly 30 years, 21-year-old A.J. and his 7-year-old son Tanner, whose cognitive abilities earned him a brainiac reputation as the “jock who’s smart.”

The “four boys” like to play and romp together, with the dolphins gathering around for the kisses that Mandy generously doles out — all while maintaining an eye contact that demonstrates the trust between them.

“They taught me to have fun in life, to eat, play and make love,” said Mandy of the dolphins. “Anyone that goes wrong with that is nuts.”

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Environment, Highlights, Marathon, Profiles