Fantasy Fest Masquerade March 2013 - partial nudity

 

I was really looking forward to Fantasy Fest this year. I had a list of must do event, including the Zombie bike ride, which coincides with the festival. And then I got knocked down with a case of vertigo that lasted most of October. Finally, on the 25th, I'd had enough. I loaded up on Dramamine, pulled on my sneakers and headed out for the second to last event, the Masquerade March.

This event is as favorite and I can see why. Revelers meet up at the cemetery and party their way to a point on Duval Street. Two routes are offered, to avoid congestion, and along the way, guest houses offer out jello shots, drinks and beads.

The festival theme this year was Super Heroes, Villains and Beyond, and the home made costumes in the crowd didn't disappoint. Masks, capes and political statement were everywhere.

I wish I'd had the energy for the closing party the next night, but after walking two miles and standing for several hours, I was exhausted.

The costumes for this event were definitely tamer than anything you'd see during the closing parade or in the streets after the evening's parties let out.  Not all was family friendly. A few women are topless, with pasties or body paint, so be warned, in case that might not be appropriate for your workplace.

Cruella and her Dalmatians. They stopped now and then and danced to who let the dogs out. 

Is it me, or does her dog look pink? 

Diane Nyad, made a recent historical swim from Cuba to Key West. 

I have a lot of shots with people shuffling along tapping away on their phones. A few could have used spotters. 

There were a lot of ladies dressed up like the girl on the right. I'm not sure who that is. I need to get out more I suppose. 

This guy's costume got a lot of cheers. Here's a shot of the screen

I wanna know where Mr. Greenjeans is. 

More pirates. 

This wasn't the only creepy puppet baby. I'm guessing it's from a movie that I missed. 

Look at those heels! How do you walk in those things? 

My favorite group shot. 

These guys wore the same thing last year!

She looks so familiar. I bet I have a picture of her, somewhere in my files, from last years end parade. 

This guy was my favorite. 

Key West just voted on whether or not to fund a study to look into dredging the channel to allow larger cruise ships into port. It was resoundingly defeated. 

Construction started on the main road that surrounds the island about a year and a half ago forcing long stretches to one way only.  It's a bone of contention for the locals and feels like it will never end. Two way traffic finally opened back up on Oct 12th. Until then you had to drive all the way around the island to get back to a missed turn. I know, it's an island, but still. It was a pain in the ass to go anywhere in a car. 

Several groups in the parade had kegs or blenders and would stop to share with the crowds watching.

I think this is an homage to the Sharknado movie. The girls were all running around attacking bystanders. (The gloves on her arms are teeth)

Fingers crossed that I'm healthy for Fantasy Fest 2014!

Fantasy Fest 2013 - 16 days and Counting

Me and my new friend "Bane" at Fantasy Fest 2012

Heroes, Villains, And Beyond, is the theme to Fantasy Fest 2013, which opens Oct 18 and runs through the 27th.  If you're still debating the trip, it might be too late to book accommodations.  Jump over to Hotwire and double check. Good luck.  If you've already booked your trip, head over to the official calendar  and start planning your days. Events fill up fast, so get your tickets now. 

I will be wandering the streets every day, with my camera, photography the weirdness.  How weird does it get? Picture a 70 year old guy wearing a tutu and a top hat, with his privates painted white. Nope, that's not even close to weird.  I'll post my photo of the day, along with my annual compilation of the best body art pics of the festival. 

Not to miss events for me this year; the Haunting of Fort Taylor, Pet Masquerade and Parade, The Fantasy Fest Street Fair, the Masquerade March,  Duval Street Promenade, and Captain Morgan's Fantasy Fest Parade. 

Be sure to check back on Oct 18th for the first post of the festival. 

Don't know what Fantasy Fest is?  Check out my posts from last year's festival by clicking on the Fantasy Fest label to the right. 

Two great Sportsbars

Football is finally back and I can't stress how excited I am. When we lived in the real world, we'd spend our Sundays at Hooters, parked at a table that offered us a view of as many tvs as possible.
There's nothing like cheering on your team and seeing the regulars each week. (Hey to Kurt) Mark's a die hard Packers fan and I came back to the fold (as a 17 year fan) after I'd had a couple of years to bitch about the whole Favre fiasco.

If you find yourself in town on gameday, there are two places I'd recommend. If you have a crowd with you, check out Jack Flats on Duval. They have a couple dozen tv's and lots of extra large tables that would accommodate parties of 6 or more. Their grouper sandwich is messy but really good.

an old photo of me from last season. 

If you're alone, or your group can hustle, hurry over to JDL's at 920 Caroline Street, there's street parking nearby. (Their meatloaf is to die for) The place is small and gets packed quickly but the manager fills every empty seat. They're pretty good about trying to seat like minded fans together so go with the flow and you'll make some new friends.

Less than 24 hours to kickoff. Go Pack! On Sunday :)

Diana Nyad - Cuba to Key West

Today, Diana Nyad became the first person to swim from Cuba to Key West, without assistance or the use of a shark cage.  An amazing feat and Mark and I were very excited to be there when she staggered out of the surf here in Key West.  

Diana left Hemingway Marina in Havana, Cuba on Saturday and reached Smathers Beach in Key West today at around 2pm.  She spent 52 hours, 54 minutes and 18.6 seconds in the water and covered 110 actual miles.  Can you image swimming that far? Incredible.  This was her fifth attempt since 1978. Jelly fish stings, rough seas and shoulder pain thwarted her until today.  

Mark and I had been watching her progress since she jumped in the water in Havana. For some reason, we had a really good feeling about this attempt.  

This morning, when we got up at 5am, she was 13 miles from shore.  We got in a quick run and a nap, and then biked down to Smather's Beach to cheer on her arrival.  

The early crowd was small which was good for us, we were able to get a great position right behind the barriers and the EMT's who were waiting for her. We would have a fantastic view as she came to shore.  As more people arrived, we became packed in against the wooden barriers. I'm very claustrophobic, so I made sure not to look behind me. 




Diana is somewhere in the middle of the boats that are headed to shore. She's probably a mile out at this point. She had ten boats and kayaks around her, watching out for jelly fish and keeping boaters from running her over. At one point, in the middle of the night, a cruise ship diverted it's course to steer clear! Mark and I were concerned, at one point, by 5 or 6 jet skis that blew threw an area near where she was swimming.

Unfortunately for us, after pausing just off shore, Diana opted to swim towards a different section of the beach than the area set up for her.  Once people realized she wasn't going to come to the reception site, the crowd just dissolved into chaos as everyone ran down to be near the landing.

Mark and I were quickly separated and neither of us ended up with a clear view of her arrival. I got some shaky video holding my phone over my head, along with a couple hundred other people, and then gave up and headed towards the sidewalk. Somehow, I ended up being in the path the EMT's took, taking Diana to the ambulance, so I got a shot of her face as they wheeled her by. 

It was an amazing experience to watch this lady complete such a phenomenal athletic feat.  We were really pleased to see the size and enthusiasm of the crowd and felt quite privileged to be a part of it.

Here's a link to the best video of her coming ashore. 

Chuckie Lives!

Well...sort of...
I'm sure most of you are familiar with the movies about Chucky the Haunted Doll.  They were inspired by a true story from right here in Key West. Why don't you lean back for a minute and let ole Mark tell you about it.

Robert Eugene "Gene" Otto was the son of a wealthy family on the island in the early days of the 20th century.  They lived in a gorgeous house near Duval Street. (Now knwn as "The Artist's House," it's part of the various Ghost of Key West Tours.)

The family wasn't always kind to it's servants, including a lady of Bahamian descent who was rumored to have background in voodoo.  Robert didn't have a lot of friends so the maid crafted a 3-foot doll to keep him company.  Gene named him Robert, after himself, and they were immediately inseparable.  Gene carried Robert everywhere. They could be seen throughout town dressed in matching sailors suits.

After an episode where Robert's mother, reportedly, locked her in her room for three days, the maid quit - cursing the family as she huffed off.  Go figure! The early 1900s were a time when superstition was common and the neighbors and family took due notice of this unfortunate circumstance.  Soon after, people began claiming to see the doll moving around through the windows or watching the kids play in the street.

Eventually, the youngster realized that it was quite convenient to blame Robert whenever he got into trouble.  His parents and the neighbors would casually accept that explanation but insist that he make Robert behave better. The idea of Robert as a living being got so far advanced that Robert even had a chair at the dinner table. Even after he got into his late teens and early 20's Gene carried Robert with him around town and continued to use him as a scapegoat.  (I guess the town just rolled with it.)
Eventually, his family thought it wise to send him to Europe for awhile to develop his artistic skills.  When he returned with a fiancee, Anne, they were thrilled.  Clearly Gene was growing up. The couple was soon married and the family gave them the house as a wedding gift. In short order, Anne and Gene announced they would be parents.  Certainly fatherhood would push Eugene to become a fully mature man.

Soon, he was disappearing into the upper floors of the house with wood and tools and he could be distinctly heard building furniture.  Anne waited anxiously for Eugene to ask her upstairs to unveil his surprise nursery.  When she finally couldn't stand the suspense, she snuck upstairs for a peak.  Shockingly, Gene wasn't in the baby's room - but she could still hear hammering.  She followed the noise into the attic and found her husband feverishly building a room for the doll, instead - complete with miniature furniture.

When Robert Eugene Otto, died in 1974, the doll was left in the house until it was purchased by a new family with a 10-year old girl.  She began to wake up screaming in the night claiming the doll was attacking her.  The donated the doll to the Key West Art and Historical Society and Robert now resides at East Martello Museum, near the airport.  It's said that, if you take his picture without asking permission first, bad things will happen.  Robert is forgiving, though.  You can always write a letter ans ask him to lift the hex.  They say it works.

Here is a picture of Robert today.  His life is a lot more casual now but he's about 100 years old so that was to be expected. These days he just sits in his chair and poses for tourists.

You gotta be impressed with the workmanship. That maid stitched him by hand.

It's said, that if you take Robert's picture without asking his permission, bad things will happen.  Melissa made me ask.  :)

Take a few minutes and go see him for yourself.  He likes visitors.