I would like to start by saying I love the Florida Keys. Since I was a kid my neighbor and friend in Miami use to take me down to Marathon Key to work in thier lobster business. I was fascinated with so much ocean and the seven mile bridge. Most of all I really liked the easy going lifestyle that everyone there enjoyed. Although everyone was working hard in the lobster business people were so friendly and happy all the time. These were the 70's and the keys were a much different place than they are today. However my friend now owns the family lobster business in the same location since then and the easy going lifestyle and happy people are still there. I have to believe it has to do with being so close to nature and the ocean. Since my childhood I dreamed of having a home and living in the keys. Living in Miami it was very easy to visit and I did lots of that. As a teen every girl I dated went with me to the keys. My wife liked it so much we were regulars throughout our dating period and in 1999 in one of those moments in life when you know it is something you have to do I told her I wanted to move to
Key Largo and within 2 months we were living in Key Largo fullfilling one of my dreams. This is when I really got to know the keys. I did not know about the disease that goes with living in the keys and soon fell ill to it. It is called "keys disease" and basically what it is, is a chronic case of I don't want to do anything except fish, drink, eat and fish some more. Many people here not only catch but can't ever be cured from it. That is the carefree lifstyle that many people here enjoy. They come from everywhere but mostly the northern high stress, snow shoveling states and when they get here they just don't care about anything else other than just being here. The sunny skies, warm waters and shorts all day can make you feel right at home. There is so much to do here. Apart from every type of fishing it is one of the great diving spots in the world for both snorkeling and deep sea. Plenty of restaurants and lots of community events. After being raised in Miami and seeing the change to a major metropolitan city it is nice to have this gem of a town just one hour south. I moved away in 2005 for the sake of my children who were going to college in Miami and I did not want them to drive so far. Of course they say you should not follow your kids because they will move and that they did. My daughter is the only one left and she will be graduating this summer allowing us to return to our home in Key Largo and see our crazy keys friends that we miss so much. This time I will not get the disease that caught me by surprise in 99. I really like these folks, simple people with a simple plan. Be Happy!
