If you have the best job...where DO you go on vacation?? Key West of course!

I just got back from my forth of July break. I was very lucky to be able to catch a flight down to Florida to see my boyfriend (of four years!!) and take a little trip down to the keys before the oil (damn you BP) gets to them. It was such a great trip. We started down highway 1 on Friday afternoon and were able to get into Key West right around 3 pm, in time to check into our beautiful room at the Curry House Bed and Breakfast and take a walk downtown for some fresh seafood! Yumm...the grouper and mahi mahi were particularly good this weekend. Saturday we rented a scooter, and went swimming and snorkeling at Zachary Taylor Fort State Park, toured the Island, and went out for drinks and yummy (guess !) seafood again (fish tacos, YUM!). Sunday (Happy Birthday Merica!) we went snorkeling at Looe Key, the only Barrier reef in North America. It was so beautiful; we saw sharks, parrot fish, lobsters and tons of other fishies.

It really is sad to see such beautifully crafted natural phenomenon such as a coral reef so close to eminent danger. The newest reports are saying that according to projected models based on previous years' currents and wind patterns, there is a 80-85% chance that oil from the Gulf can sweep around to the keys (and Looe key) by August. Even if you don't care about the environment, the people who live in the keys (not just seasonal travelers) but the permanent residents surround their entire livelihood on the beauty of the keys. Snorkel and dive shops, scooter and car rentals, seafood dealers, distributors, and restaurants, fishing charters, sailboat and yacht clubs and excursions, and beaches, bed and breakfasts, motels, hotels, weddings and caterers all require the ocean and it's estuaries to be clear, plentiful and healthy in order to attract tourists and adventurers. There is no telling how the oil will effect the economy and ecosystem in the Florida Keys. I know I am very lucky to have experienced the keys and their beauty more then once in my lifetime. I plan to go again someday.

We can see and experience nature in the raw by simply boarding a boat and jumping into the water or loading a backpack and climbing a mountain. But it would be impossible to witness these views if we did not have access to carbon based fuels; we would not be able to fly and drive to such valuable destinations like the Florida Keys (people used to get there via one track train!) in reasonable time to make it back to our jobs and family. However, the conundrum goes, we would not be aware of these sensitive and marvelous worlds if we did not possess the ability to travel and have easy access to these places. So while oil threatens what we love, we need oil to fuel our lives, as a commodity and a necessity. We have developed a need to be mobile, all the while Nature maintains their right to breath and live. Where do we go from here?