Category: Keys Disease

Jacob Housman is remembered as the Wrecker King of Indian Key, among other things. After sailing to the West Indies from Long Island, New York, as a young man of about 23 he settled on Key West in 1822 and became a Florida wrecker. Understanding the monopoly Key West had created on the wrecking industry, as well as the money it was bringing into the island, Housman worked to create his own wrecking empire. He set his designs on Indian Key. Housman left Key West and moved to Indian Key circa 1830. On Nov. 19, 1830, Housman purchased a home from William Johnson for $30. The one-story building...

I just got back from a week and a day in Music City, USA — Nashville, Tennessee! Every time I go there, I’m able to (ever so briefly) tap into the energy of that town. Everyone who’s anyone has recorded and played in Nashville, and Bob Dylan even named his country-influenced 1969 album Nashville Skyline. Nashville’s lifeblood truly is music, and its energy is palpable everywhere you go.  The last time I was in Nashville was five years ago, and it’s jaw-droppingly amazing to see how much that town has grown. My first visit there was in 1983, and I got back in 1996. Both of those times,...

All 50 states are now reporting COVID-19 surges as the super-contagious delta variant runs rampant — primarily among the unvaccinated. I could go on and on … but my words are insignificant compared to the words of others, experts and health care workers, and those who are paying a stiff price for not having been vaccinated. Why get a shot?  “The Kaiser Family Foundation recently analyzed much of the state-reported data and found that breakthrough cases, hospitalizations and deaths are extremely rare events among those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The rate of breakthrough...

After a somewhat stressful drive out of the Keys to Fort Lauderdale International Airport last Saturday, it would have been very easy to go off on the people working the Allegiant Airlines counter when they told me my flight was just canceled. No advance notice was given, there was no other available flight at a reasonable cost, and the concert I was supposed to have played in Vermont didn’t happen. No matter what I think about how horribly Allegiant Airlines must be managed, the ladies at the counter weren’t responsible for canceling my flight. They were just the front lines, having to break...

My friend and luthier Dean Nickless (he builds amazing acoustic guitars and takes great care of my herd) recently shared a pertinent bit of wisdom with me. He told me about the two main side effects from the COVID-19 vaccines, and they are: relief and euphoria. He’s not kidding. As Monroe County is in the top 3 counties statewide for total vaccinated population, we are getting back to our version of normal. That’s a really great thing! As we come out of the pandemic, it’s so wonderful to have real honest-to-BBQ-goodness events back! There’s a big one on tap for this weekend — the inaugural...

Before the embers could cool from the Independence Day fireworks, the Keys got a visit from our first tropical event of the 2021 season: Elsa. Thankfully, Elsa wasn’t much of a system as she passed our islands on her way north. The season, however, is just beginning. Elsa is already the fifth named storm in this young season, with Ana, Bill, Claudette, and Danny having come and gone. Ana actually formed on May 22, more than a week before the official start of the season. But these systems don’t always play by the rules — and in a few instances, these storms kept forming even after running out...