Paradise

By Heather

One of the great benefits of living in South Florida is the Keys. Now, the rest of the state, the Keys change as you drive along them. Key Largo . . . ah, yes! You've left the mainland behind. You'll find dive boats and fishing charters, charming little mom and pop inns and bed and breakfast establishments, and ritzier accommodations as well. But it's still rather populated; there's a mammoth Publix (where shopping is a pleasure) and other stores, so . . . though you've left the mainland behind and you're all happy about that, you're still kind of close to the mainland and there's a touch of it that follows behind. But getting there was great--you either came by Card Sound Road or US1, and you passed signs that warned "Alligator Crossing" and "Lake Surprise" (were they surprised to find a lake?) and all the little road markers that told you where you were--countdown to 0, of course, when you reach the southern-most tip of the United States, Key West.

But that's halfway there. Key Largo is the destination for many a Miamian out to pretend for the weekend that they really get to live among the icy drinks, tiki huts, sand, and sun. (Of course, some do!) Heading a bit further south, you find more great places passing Islamorada and other islands in the upper Keys. The further south you go, the further slightly more primitive it may be, excepting Marathon, a nicely populated area that hosts The Dolphin Research Center, and downtown area, and other features. All along are spectacular places where there are gorgeous birds and isolated areas where you can camp and swim and play. Onward . . . pass the little islands where if you're lucky, you'll see a little tiny key deer, Stock Island--yes, they kept stock there--and you wind up in Key West.

I went down for two reasons; a friend in law enforcement was giving me a hand with some Federal research, and to take a walk through Fort Zachary Taylor again.

I've been heading there ever since I can remember. My dad was huge on water sports, swimming and diving, and so, when I was little, we always found the out of the way place with one little dock, fishing poles just handed to you by the old tar who owned the place, a spit of beach, and some laid-back time for my parents. But it always included history. Fort Zachary Taylor included.

Yes, Key West is where folks come for bachelorette and bachelorette parties. Duval Street cranks it up every night with music, and this island--once, in the great days of salvage divers, the rich per capita city in the US--definitely makes half its money off the liquor sold. But, if you're thinking about coming . . .

Fort Zachary Taylor is now home to incredibly well-preserved cannons from the Civil War. The Union holding Zachary Taylor meant that the blockade squadron was able to stop supplies from reaching the Confederacy, and had a lot to do with our great divide coming to an end without a year of battle and a 100,000 deaths. But before that even, pirates had ranged the area, and when the Union went in with "mosquito squadron,' pirates became a thing of the past in the region. The richest per capita meant that there some of the most spectacular Victorian era houses to be found in a concentrated area, and when the Spanish American War erupted, Ft. Zachary Taylor came into use once again.

I love Key West. No one can understand when I'm willing to take the Conch Train again for the umpteenth-million time, but I love the island. I love the history. I love studying about pirates, the Rebs and the Yanks, the salvage divers, and the Conch Republic itself. Yes, the island did secede on its own once; a blockade in the not so distant future was about to starve out the tourist-hungry island once again.

And when that's over, my God. There's the sunset. Amazing seafood, fruity drinks, a cool breeze, and a sunset to die for! You've got to come on down. Everyone there is your friend.

A few years ago, I wrote a paranormal/suspense/romance series Ghost Shadow, Ghost Night, and Ghost Moon.

This time, researching for a bit of Bride of the Night. (Civil War vampires, yes, really.)

And the new Krewe of Hunter series, starting next April, Darkness Falling.