Be forewarned…both this post and the next one are going to be a great big batch of vacation spam…
THE STORY
…Remember when you were little and had to sit through your grandparents’ hellish slideshows (or maybe that’s just me) of their vacations? Well, this is kinda like that only with better photos.😂
Seriously though, Key West was absolutely beautiful aside from the fact the beaches were unusable. That however is pretty much the fault of the human race, not Key West or any of the other tropical destinations in that part of the world. The explosive growth of the sargassum seaweed bloom that has overwhelmed the beaches is due to deforestation in the Amazon among other things. You can read more about it here, and yes, the photo in the article is accurate; the beaches are absolutely covered in it. We did get the chance to swim though when we went out on a boat to see the dolphins. I’ll be writing more about that in the next post.
While I wasn’t loving the aquatic plant life, I couldn’t get enough of all of the beautiful flowers, trees and tropical plants…and the sunsets were incredible! Everywhere we went the flowers and trees were like a feast for the eyes. I took zillions of snaps of flowers and palm trees, but for the sake of not boring you I’ve only included a few of my favorites.
Another super cool and unique thing about Key West are the Key West roosters. They are way more colorful and beautiful then your garden variety fowl and they roam the streets and sidewalks literally everywhere which my husband loved since he’s got a thing for roosters. The rooster in my photo is the one that I referred to as our porch rooster…and that’s actually where I took this shot. Each morning he’d strut up and down the porch crowing his little heart out before hopping up on the fence and heading to the house next door. And yes, I had to beat down my fear of feathered creatures to get the shots, but it was worth it because they really are pretty as far as chickens go.
One of my favorite things about our trip was sitting on the back patio every night before bed and early each morning before everyone (except the rooster of course) got up. I’d sit and sip my coffee and watch the palm trees sway in the breeze over the fence. Two of the nights Mother Nature did me a solid and put on a pretty sweet show with thunderstorms. I love to sit outside and watch storms at home and in Key West it was even better…the storms were more intense and watching the palms sway while back lit by the lightning was a beautiful thing to see.
The whole vibe of the island was something that I could definitely get used to. It was just so chill and relaxed. Yes, Duval Street was always hopping since it is the main drag, but it made for excellent people watching; and excellent shopping! There are so many cool shops and galleries lining Duval Street, trust me, my suitcase came home a lot fuller than it was when I left.
The official philosophy of Key West and Monroe County is something that I support 100%. “One Human Family” was officially adopted as the philosophy of Key West in 2000 when the mayor signed an official proclamation making it so. Three simple words that when put together mean so much. I brought home some beautiful memories from our vacation, but I think that the one human family philosophy is one of the most important to remember in light of the current world climate, especially in the United States. One of the main reasons to travel to new places is to learn more about our world and the people who share it with us, and I think it would behoove us all if we all started living more like we’re citizens of Key West.
THE OUTFIT
When I first saw this pretty little yellow yellow floral sundress I knew that it was perfect for vacation. Normally I’m not a fan of yellow, but this is such a pale buttery shade I couldn’t resist. On a side note, I used my Lightroom preset on all of these photos because it played so well with the tropical colors. It did however alter the shade of the dress so if you look at the very last picture you’ll see an accurate representation of the color.
Because of the heat and humidity I kept things simple. Since the floral print in the dress is blue, I layered it over a blue lace bralette for some extra interest. I showed amazing restraint and packed light so other than my Birks & a pair of adidas, these brown strappy sandals were the only shoes that I took. The neutral brown worked with all of the outfits that I took along and the multitude of straps made them just a bit more special than my Birkenstocks.
THE TIP
Even when the temperatures soar, you can still put together a cute outfit. Keep the pieces lightweight and substitute a bralette in place of a regular bra for additional comfort.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
Sundress: JCPenney; Sandals: Similar; Bralette: American Eagle (Similar)
