KEY WEST 2005
The Green Parrot
February 1, 4 & 5, 2005
Key West, FL
The Lamont Cranston Blues Band
The Cranstons finally signed up for a road trip that everyone had been wanting
to do for a long time. Go South in the winter. Our friend from Minnesota, Jim Bean (part
owner) set it up for us to come down and play the bar's annual holiday party and a couple
more nights to top it off.
I flew down and so did Michael and Jim Greenwell. The rest of the crew decided
to drive and see the country. A long drive some of us didn't want to take. I like to get
where I'm going quick and have as much time to enjoy it as possible. We had a couple of days
to enjoy ourselves before everybody got to town.
We even had a whole group of Minnesota friends and fans follow us down. Clem Duffy, Terry and Karen
Anderson, Mark and Jean, and more. We also kept meeting lots of people from Minnesota down
there. They either were on vacation or had relocated.
Once again, I will try to tell some of story in the photos here, but I will add more pics and
stories as I go.
I flew in to Miami and rented a car to take the scenic drive down the Keys on historic
Hwy. 1. I have been there many times back in the day when I was working in the corporate
computer world. Our home office was in Miami, right off the airport runway. I used to spend
a few months at a time down there. We had very long hours, but whenever we got to play, we
used to head down to Key West. So, I knew where I was going. I was excited. I hadn't made
that drive for years. I love taking that 3-4 hour drive down the Keys. All that blue and
turquoise water is so amazing, and the drive over the seven mile bridge is pretty cool.
Terry, Karen and their friends were already there. They were staying at the Speakeasy Inn.
That's where I was headed too. I got checked in and settled and found a place to park my
rental car (which I never touched for the whole week) in a permanent spot. Michael got in a
few hours before I got there because he flew right into Key West. If I remember right, Clem
and Jim got in a little earlier too. I'm writing this 2 1/2 years later, so the memory may be
a little foggy. We hit the Green Parrot right away to look for action. What a relief just to
get out of Minnesota for awhile.
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Michael had already met some of the street musicians hanging out in Key West. He hit it off
with a gal named Davina and they hung out quite a bit. She played guitar and was a great singer.
After the Parrot, we had to do a little exploring. A restaurant called Duffy's - Clem will get a
kick out of that. Ah yes, Sloppy Joe's. Some of the T-hirt design were hilarious. Then, down to
the pier for the famous Key West sunset. Even the mimes showed up.
We had plenty of days to go to the beach and get a tan. There were some beauties down there.
And, some not so-beauties.... We even spent a day at the nude pool at the nude resort. I can
only post a tame shot. Boy, that sun could burn you in some bad places.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Some time right around mid-week, we met up with Tom Green. He was in town
shooting a segment for Jay Leno and the Tonight Show. He does these bits where he travels around the
country going to each state looking for "The most interesting Person in..." He was doing Florida, so
he spent the day in Key West. We saw him interview a few people. Then we caught up with him having
some dinner at an outdoor restaurant. I got to chat with him for awhile and tell him about our
Canadian connection (he's from Canada) and friendship with Dan Aaykroyd. He was a great guy. Very
nice, polite, funny.
Terry & Karen and I went strolling one afternoon and you'll never guess who I ran into. Right
there on the corner was the Queen of England. I couldn't believe my eyes. I just had to greet her
with a big old frenchie. The funniest part was the father who shielded his daughter from "the weirdo"
that was hanging around the Queen. Then, later at the show, everyone had too much fun.
Sorry for these last few photos. My new computer has a temporary fix for the scanner software
because of this stupid new Windows Vista. It caused quite a few compatibility problems. I don't
think they thought of everything. I'll try to re-scan these soon. Anyway, I didn't take too many shots
of the band actually playing, but here's one. We also met Gabe Butterfield down there. He is Paul
Butterfield's son. He lives there. Scott, Gabe and Sally. Greg and I at the sales table. Our
Minnesota buddy Scott Clifford stopped to chat with me for awhile.
The next day was Super Bowl Sunday. So, some of us hung around and watched some on the game.
Some of us just found other ways to relax. One more day to wrap up the trip. Monday would be the
day to leave for home. What a great trip. They want us back next year, and I can't wait.
email: Rico1@aol.com
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