Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go?

The table is covered with stacks of plastic cups and empty food baskets, evidence of a successful night out at Sharkey's, the favorite hangout of Key Largo.  Boats line the canal beside the bar and people hop on and off occasionally to unite with friends here for their daily end-of-the-day ritual. The hard work of the diving world is eased with laughter and a cup of Shocktop beer completed with an orange. The term local refers not only to "Conchs," but also transplants from all of the world who love to call this place their home.

These people all have a common purpose whether they are travelers, locals, or passer throughs...they fell in love with something fantastic here in the Florida Keys. Life-long dreams are realized, accomplished, and created.

The dress code down here is simple. T-shirts, shorts, tank tops, flip flops. I stored all of my high heels and nice dress clothes away for another time, maybe never to open them again. Tanned skin and sunkissed faces suffice for "makeup." I think I could get used to this life.

The Keys people are resilient. Outlasting tropical storms, hurricanes, floods, and crazy Keys wildlife, it's a strangely intoxicating place...yet something about it sticks. I have yet to figure out exactly what that mystique is exactly, although I have a feeling that it's the adventure of seeking it that makes it what it is.  As for now, I sit with my legs crossed in my chair, new friends by my side in a place where no matter what happens, your cup of beer is always half full.