http://www.keysvoices.com The people, places and atmosphere that enliven the Florida Keys & Key West Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:35:02 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en For award-winning writer Brad Bertelli, life is about noticing the little things — especially when he’s hovering over coral heads offshore. His book, “Snorkeling Florida: 50 Excellent Sites,” reveals many of his favorites, and the reefs of the Florida Keys (renowned as North America’s most accessible dive and snorkel destination) ... http://www.keysvoices.com/2010/03/04/upper-keys-author-spotlights-favorite-snorkel-sites/ Before Chris Robinson became a Lower Keys fishing guide, he co-owned the All-Breeds Hot Dog Pound, tended bar for some 20 years at Key West’s landmark Chart Room and Louie’s Backyard, and shared adventures with Jimmy Buffett and other notables. [caption id="attachment_1459" align="alignright" width="250" caption="As a young Key West bartender in ... http://www.keysvoices.com/2010/02/26/tales-from-chris-robinson-buns-buffett-and-bonefish/ Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? In Key West, nobody. And while Key West’s Wolf is certainly big, it’s only bad in the slang sense, where “bad” means seriously terrific. [caption id="attachment_1430" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="The Schooner Wolf under full sail is a magnificent reminder of Key West's seafaring heritage. (Photo ... http://www.keysvoices.com/2010/02/18/schooner-wolf-departs-on-haitian-mission-of-mercy/ Ever wondered why there’s a gigantic panorama of fish and other sea creatures wrapped around a four-story building in the median of the Overseas Highway in Key Largo? Actually, it’s the brainchild of an internationally acclaimed marine life artist who just happens to live in the Upper Keys. [caption id="attachment_1413" align="alignleft" ... http://www.keysvoices.com/2010/02/11/above-water-coral-reef-is-gateway-to-the-keys/ 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. [caption id="attachment_1392" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="New York artist Cameron Gainer settles the Loch Ness Monster into ... http://www.keysvoices.com/2010/02/04/the-loch-ness-monster-comes-to-key-west/ Harry Truman slept in a double bed in Key West in a room that, by day, was warmed by the subtropical sun. Close to his bed was the simple desk where he wrote daily letters to his wife Bess. Downstairs, on a sun porch overlooking a broad sweep of lawn, ... http://www.keysvoices.com/2010/01/28/strolling-through-harry%e2%80%99s-house/ 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 ... http://www.keysvoices.com/2010/01/21/how-dolphins-made-mandy-rodriguez-a-mellow-fellow/ “You just keep fishing with it, Andy. I guarantee you’ll catch a quality fish.” Those words of veteran ESPN angling broadcaster George Poveromo, who also hosts the annual Salt Water Sportsman National Seminar Series, had become permanently etched in my mind for almost three years. But despite logging literally hundreds of trolling ... http://www.keysvoices.com/2010/01/14/touted-lure-finally-snags-a-fish/ There are bars in Key West that open and close in a season, with no one realizing they’ve been there at all. And there are bars that almost effortlessly make a place for themselves in island history, that live on in the collective memory forever, their characteristics affectionately exaggerated with ... http://www.keysvoices.com/2010/01/07/full-moon-memories/ This might be her 31st year in the scuba diving business, but Amy Slate has not lost an ounce of her enthusiasm for diving, ocean preservation or the Key Largo community she’s called home since the 1970s. Owner and operator of Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort, she’s living a dream ... http://www.keysvoices.com/2009/12/31/diving-into-a-dream-with-amy-slate/