Fantasy Fest....day two...are we up to it???

Okay, we had a ball yesterday. We rode the bus full of colorful characters; we ate (very little); we drank (quite a bit); we wandered around saying "gollllleeeeeeee" just like Gomer Pyle; we giggled and pointed and took pictures. Total tourists. Now we're all grown up and ready to go back and behave like our parents would want us to. Or our kids. Or at least we're ready to go back.


We decided to take an early bus, assuming that the younger set (anyone under 60 qualifies for that set) would get a later start and the bus would have seats. Wrong. It blew right past us (which either means it was full or that we looked too seedy to ride, which is a possibility we chose not to consider, given the cast of characters we've seen on the buses before). So there we were, in the blistering sun, all ready to go gawk some more, and no ride. 20 miles. Being enterprising folks, we did what anyone would do, and stuck out our thumbs. But our thumbs must not look too good, because no one stopped. Captain Jaybird accosted 3 guys coming out of a nearby restaurant (Mangrove Mamas, where the guys had already slaked their thirst a time or two during the planning of Getting There Phase Two) and asked if they were headed to Key West. Guess what? They were! They just needed to zip over to their RV park to get one costume out of the dryer (remember this...it'll be important later) and take a shower. Hallelujah! A ride! They really did come back, and we were honored to meet Robert, Henry and Richard. They were very nice guys, all from Florida, who attend Fantasy Fest routinely. Our driver (we were in a pickup truck) was dressed in a crisp white chef's hat and apron (fresh from the dryer). We had a good chat on the way down and they even offered to bring us back or bail us out, whichever we needed. We got a photo of them when we got out at the parking lot in Key West, and were thrilled to see not one tan line.
































There were many options for paint schemes and themes (see poster and do enlarge -- you'll be impressed I promise), and many floats (very elaborate) at the parade on Saturday. The only rules within the Fantasy Zone (when isn't Key West a Fantasy Zone??) were that nudity wasn't allowed. Really?






The floats were amazing, as well as the street people/costumes which were either in or not in the parade (sometimes it's hard to tell). All in all, I highly recommend a trip to Fantasy Fest.....and in the Zone....