One perk of working for Outward Bound is having OB bases in some of the coolest places in the world, including the Florida Keys. The culture here is so much different than most of Florida, and Key West takes pride in being weirdest of all. The atmosphere is reminiscent of New Orleans French Quarter, but a little more rustic due to its remote location. You can have dinner here in a restuarant where Ernest Hemingway once refereed boxing matches, choosing from a selection of Cuban, Caribbean, Latin, and Americana dishes. Feral chickens roam the island, and adventures in the clear blue waters (diving, snorkeling, sailing) await in every direction.

But I was here for Fantasy Fest, the time of year where Key Westers (and visitors) get their freak on. I had heard rumors there would be naked painted people running loose in the streets...

I wore my Cernunnos/Herne the Hunter costume, and ended up posing for 100s of photos. Pretty half-dressed girls kept wanting to climb under my cloak of leaves and peek under my leather loin cloth - I hate when that happens. LOL - I got all sorts of "recognition" (?) from the drunken merry-makers, i.e., I was recognized as "the Knight who says NI!" (I liked that one), "Key Deer" (a local endangered species), "the Deer Hunter" (appropriate, perhaps, in that I represented both hunter and hunted), "the jaegermeister man" (yuck!), "Rocky" (did he mean "Bullwinkle"?), and "big birdie" (ok, this girl was *drunk* - but she was cute and cuddly). Perhaps most surprising was that a couple of people actually recognized me for who I was - Lord of the Forest.

Fantasy Fest was definitely cooler and more fun than Mardi Gras. Maybe it was because of the Halloween connection, but there was a LOT more crowd participation. Almost everyone was dressed (or more often, undressed) in fun costumes, and the parades were almost an afterthought.

Fantasy Fest was not as satisfying as Burning Man. Too much trash on the streets, too crowded, and no real chance to make meaningful connections like you can in Black Rock City. In this sense, it was more like Mardi Gras or Carnival - a night of debauchery and good decadent fun, a night to behave wantonly without lasting consequences.

Now I have a day or two to soak in the warm sunshine (did I mention that it's always summer in the Keys?) before my next adventure: a week of paddling in the Everglades with a bunch of fellow Outward Bound instructors. Now that won't be *any* fun : )