Humans of the Keys

11/07/2024

Shay Ferguson - Key West to Islamorada

My Name is Shanna Kay Ferguson
-Prefere Shay -

I have the most Irish Name and didn't really know that until I moved to Key West at 23... quickly learning that there was a Bar with my name! I was told what Shanna Kay Means - the best Story teller. Well, my spelling and grammar may need work but I have one hell of a story...

My Life In a Conch Shell
Being in your beginning adult years is already fun all by itself... Adding the Florida Keys? PARADISE

I have always lived close to the ocean. I'm drawn to the mystery and the perturbation of the massive Hurricanes that you shouldn't wanna chase . But I do.

Knowing I could sing and dance and laugh a lot with people I knew was a plus, but I couldn't seem to get it together around crowds. I had a hard time finding who I was due to the fact that I thought that being everything that everyone wanted me to be would make me happy. And I learned, when I moved here, that people mostly liked me when I was just me.
I grew up in Chesterfield Virginia right outside of Richmond Virginia in a middle class (maybe lower class sometimes) suburb - LOL depending on life and money. I love that my mother has always taught me to be frugal and she is always taught me to work hard so when I moved here my work ethics stood out more than anything and I was quickly accepted into the boating community in downtown. My first job was on the water in Key West doing the charter to the Dry Tortugas - Sunny Days Catamarans. They had about 5 boats at the end of green street (Fury owns some now). Sunny days catamarans established in 1991 was also closed by 2010 due to the oil spill. They were amazing! We did trips to the Dry Tortugas, trips to the reef and the turtle tours, it was the most fun I had ever had in my life. I quickly I fell in love with everything to do with the water! The trip to the dry Tortugas is two and a half hours so my days were very long I used to call it my office LOL.
I still remember the day that Jared... Jared from Wicked Tuna - walked down my dock and asked me if I wanted to drink. I remember hanging out with Mikey Tillson at the bar and singing when his mom was in the hospital trying to raise money; it was an honor! I also remember my first Fantasy Fest, sort of, LOL and feeling so beautiful.
This place has truly brought out so many amazing things I didn't know I could do. I've always struggled with self-confidence and I carried a lot of pain that was erased by this beautiful water and beautiful people, who also had come here to find something. I never felt like I was running away, I just always have felt like I was running towards something that I couldn't find.
I have my mom in Big Pine and she runs Lower Keys tackle. She truly changed our lives.
We have had loss with my step dad and Brother gone. My children and my mom are all I have left in blood family. I do know this, that no matter what, when you live here - there is always someone around the corner that will listen, there's always someone that may have something else that is way more tough than what you are going through.

My brother Daniel Pendleton used to work at 801, when he first moved here. He was definitely scared of the word gay but how crazy that he was loved by all of these amazing people. He soon loved everyone there too. He died in 2014 and it was very tragic for me and my mom. We scattered his ashes over Lucy and Big Pine his favorite place to go down and hang out with the fish. Struggling from a little bit of addiction myself, I Can Only Imagine what my brother was going through. I will say, that this place was one of the best places I could be for support, forgiveness, and help to get my life back. There are people here that are so extraordinary. They make sure that I had a Christmas for my children a couple years back, and people who truly helped when we lost everything during Irma in Big Pine.
I honestly don't feel like I am from Virginia anymore because everything that happened to me that was life-changing has happened here - good and bad.
I moved to Islamorada when I found out I was pregnant with My two-year-old. I have to say each Key is so distinctive.
Everyone came for one reason or another. I know with my ups and downs that this is where I wanna be; even though I'm poorer than I have ever been. Everything about the keys makes the sacrifice of money seem small.
I make beautiful sunsets on canvas because of this place and I sing all the time, out with different bands. I dance to the rhythm of my own music and I finally see something inside myself that no one can ever get to, it's just mine.

All of my experiences have contributed to and led me to being who I am today. If you are ever having a hard time or just want to talk, I am one of those people that is always around the corner and always willing to listen. I live for what makes others happy, because without that connection what else is there in life? I feel that it has been lost. The one thing I love is that in the Keys, we still connect with each other.
I hope to keep singing. I hope to keep painting and dancing to the beat of the amazing drum circles.

10/02/2021

Scott Franzen, Marathon
The last Marathon Chapter..........

I started out in Marathon on the lobster boats. Getting stopped and searched by the coast guard with a 50 caliber machine gun pointed at the boat. That can be a pretty exhilarating. Skip said 'don’t say a word let them board look around and they’ll leave'. We did and they did. All good so let’s go catch lobsters.

After sometime I took a job with a construction company pumping concrete foundations. Walking around with a hose full of concrete got old fast for somebody used to being on the water. I then went to work for another boat catching lobsters. however. part of the job included scraping the traps on a regular bases. Nope not for me. I wanted to be on the sea.

Now I thought about joining the coast guard, but after seeing the amount of drugs coming through that area and the types of people coming through from other countries (remember it was the late 70s early 80s) - too much discipline makes a pirate bored and dull so the coast guard was out.

I went to Lum's and washed dishes for a while. The most exciting place to be is in the Keys but, like I always say, you get swallowed up and stay in the Keys or you take a different path. Either way it’s hard to get out because once you experience it you never really get out.

For me. I decided to come back home and join the Newport Kentucky Police; take on the mafia, who use to have a strong presence there, and the biker gangs that started taking over. That’s where I ended up after my time and training in the Fabulous Keys. That’s a story for another time.

09/27/2021

Scott Franzen, Marathon

Scuba diving or The Seafood Festival?

"I got my certification before I left for the keys I wanted to be ready to find pirate treasure and I heard pirates visited there often and gold was in the waters there. The gulf on one side and the Atlantic on the other. This should be fun I thought.

While on the lobster boats we had wooden traps. They were expensive to buy so losing one was a problem. Occasionally the ropes would break and The Skip would go nuts and threaten to take it out of our pay. He never did but it was his way of letting us know how important it was not to loose one. Since I was now a certified diver I volunteered to go snorkeling for them if we lost one. They tied a rope around my wrist and slowly dragged me through the water looking for the sunken trap. I had a mask and snorkel to help. The water in the gulf is relatively shallow and the water crystal clear. My problem was keeping my body below the surface so after a couple passes of the spot we decided to tie a weight to my chest to hold me down. While going through the water being pulled by a rope, I pictured the fisherman trolling for the big ones and I started to feel real uncomfortable 😳. After several passes I saw no traps, however, I did see an open wooden chest with many shiny colors in it and one color was gold. I tried to signal the boat to stop but Skip kept pointing to the rear of me and was screaming for me to swim to the boat. I looked behind me and saw a huge fin in the water about 100 yards heading towards me. Skip hooked the rope to the w***h a quickly got me to the ladder and on deck. 'I saw a sunken treasure chest in the water and it was filled with color.' 'Don’t know about that' said Skip, 'but that thing in the water coming toward you was a shark 🦈. If you want to jump back in be my guest', he said laughing at me. 'Did you see the trap?' he asked. 'No', I said, and we headed back to the fish house to sell our catch.

Next day was Seafood Festival so we couldn’t wait for it. The festival then was like a big party and so cool; all the fishermen and their crews were there. The biggest thing going was arm wrestling amongst the crews. There were tons of stories about who had the best boat and caught the most fish, which is what they called the lobsters, and I never figured out why unless they were to lazy to say lobster. I was pretty stout in them days. I worked out with weights and spent most of my free time at the gyms. I would always get asked to arm wrestle someone and test my strength. We would lay on the pavement and compete. This wasn’t how I saw it on tv and the ground was hot. Being a briar from Kentucky I didn’t care, I just wanted to be in the Keys and have fun. I could beat most of the other crews but these old captains whose hands were huge, rough and calloused from all that fishing, grabbed my hand like it was in a vise and put it on the ground pretty quick. Now there’s a certain respect you get from the captains when you challenge them and loose. It was all fun and the experience of the Seafood Festival is one I always cherished.

Later on my daughter got certified in scuba and joined me on trips like in the picture. The treasure chest and the gold I saw that day are still there and perhaps my daughter and I will go looking for it.

09/21/2021

Scott Franzen, Marathon

I had a roommate but no car while living in Marathon. We walked everywhere, even to the store for groceries. It was a mile there and back and we sweat the whole time. The brown paper bags would bust and cans flew everywhere - but hey life in the Keys wasn’t always fun or easy.

We passed places where small planes sat on pontoons on the water with signs that said 'Cuba 50 to 76 dollars'. This is a chance in a lifetime I thought. I went up and asked a guy, who said he was a licensed pilot, if he would take me. 'Sure', he said '50$'. I get paid Friday. 'No worries', he said, 'come back Saturday morning around 8am.' Cool, I said I’ll be here. I asked him if I needed a passport. 'No'. Do we go through customs? 'No.' Then he said if I asked one more question he wouldn’t take me. So I said 'only in the Keys'. I met him Saturday morning and we left for Cuba. On the way he named several things he could get me; Ci**rs, drugs, woman, rum. Bingo I told him I want a little grog as we called it. No problem he said and he called ahead to have his friend meet us at the airport.

As we approached, I remember asking him where the airport was. He laughed and said 'we don’t use the airport we land just off the beach.' Lord, I thought, I’m finished. Ok, I said, whatever. As we started to land I saw some guys standing in a clearing with a suitcase. Are we picking up somebody? 'Naw', he said 'they got your grog'. I started laughing and said great. He said 'when I land jump out and run over and give him a fifty'. Cool, I said, and as the plane stopped I jumped out and ran over to the man who looked like he wanted to off me, showed him a fifty. He smiled at me like we were best friends, opened the case and handed me a gallon jug. 'Enjoy the Rum' he said. You mean grog - All pirates drink grog! 'Yes Grog' he said as he flipped me the bird. I ran back to the plane, got in quick as I could. and said get me the heck back home. The pilot said 'don’t you like Cuba? Your lucky they let you come back.' Thanks a bunch just get me home. He laughed loudly and often. As we approached Marathon I asked if we were going to customs? He let out a loudest laugh and said 'kid we only fly under the radar.' He let me out and I walked home. That’s Life in the Keys.

I let the jug sit about a week, let a few friends try some. They didn’t get sick so I drank some. Mmmmmm not bad I thought. I love Marathon.

09/17/2021

Scott Franzen, Marathon

Oh to be a pirate.......
I use to sit and listen to my story record; Robinson Crusoe two or three times a day, Long John Silver, Benn Gunn, Flint, the admiral Ben Bow. We didn’t have a lot to do as kids and no money so we found ways to entertain ourselves. I wanted to be a pirate.

I told myself that’s the life for me! As I grew up, the carefree life of a pirate always appealed to me so you can imagine my excitement when my mom came to me and asked if I would like to go to Marathon Florida and try lobster fishing. 'Great', I said, and I started packing.

It suddenly hit me 'Where is Marathon, Florida? I got my world map out and saw a picture of the Keys. 'It’s Treasure Island' I thought, my dream life! I finished packing and said to my mom 'I’m ready let’s go'. 'Hold on' she said, don’t you want to think about it? 'No', I replied; it’s just like the treasure island record I use to listen to as a child.

'I’ve already made the plans for you and you can leave in a few days' mom said. An old high school friend of hers said he had a nephew down there building houses and wants to try lobster fishing, only thing is he can’t keep steady help. They come to the Keys, he said, work a week, fill up their motorcycles and leave. He needed someone he could depend on so I got on a plane in Kentucky with $65 in my pocket and headed for Miami.

Finally! I’m going to get my chance to be a pirate. I got off a big plane and was directed to a small 6 passenger plane headed for Marathon Key. We landed at what they called an airport and I remember the pilot saying 'good luck captain Scott go get em'. I looked around, made two fists, flexed my guns and said finally I’m here and I can be a pirate. Then reality set in.

Where is here? No cars or people to greet me. The Gulf on one side of the road and the Atlantic on the other. Panic and fear started to set in as I thought back to waving goodbye to my mom and my comfort zone. Hey, I’m a pirate, I thought, and there will be no fear here. I picked up my belongings and headed for the only street I saw.

I found a cab and gave him the address of the people I was going to work for. He said 'Key Colony Beach, it’s a little up the road. Hang on captain' and we headed north. Nothing much here I said. 'You get use to it' he said. 'You a fisherman? he asked. No, I’m a pirate. He laughed and said 'here you go it’s your address'. I pulled a fin out of my pocket and asked how much. He said 'your first time?' Yes. He smiled and said 2. As I walked off he yelled 'HEY!' I thought I forgot something. "Go get em captain'.

Finally! I thought, A pirate life for me. I headed up the steps toward the door bell and the rest is history.
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09/13/2021

Scott Franzen, Marathon

In 1980 I came to the keys to work on the lobster boats. It was, like, the 1800's. We got our crew from the Idle Hour bar which were just waking up with a hangover.

We went to the beach to find a boat load of Haitians sitting 100 yards off shore waiting for the sherrif to es**rt them in. The only way they could enter the U. S.

We then started for the buoys and the traps. The coast guard cutters came through with their 50 caliber guns searching each boat for drugs. We pulled traps all day then headed back in.

The ma*****na bales were floating onto the beach very water tightly wrapped. We’d eat and then head to the spunky monkey to relax if you could call it that. Arguing with the various people was a given. Most of them had knives and didn’t play around. Listened to Whale ,had a few more drinks then stumbled back to our apartment which was on key colony beach to get a few hours sleep and get ready for day # 2. What a great time to be alive in the keys. 😉.

09/04/2021

Rest In Peace Angie 💔

https://www.facebook.com/1388508628062607/photos/a.1388514888061981/1460484487531687/?type=3

Angie Wittke, AKA Mrs. Mac

My name is Angela, but I am known as Angie. I relocated from Illinois in 1986. I sacrificed marriage and children for the restaurant business. No regrets though, I love having this business, it is my heart. I have a niece and a nephew, so I am good to go! I have a wonderful, very supportive man in my life, which is great!

I love to be on the water! I spent 2 years traveling up and down the Keys with the Boy Scouts, diving every day and teaching boys from around the country to snorkel, clean fish, spear fish, it was wonderful! I am proud that while sailing with the boy scouts I obtained my 100 ton captains license. I love traveling and enjoying the beauty of our world and meeting beautiful people in it. If I could choose how to spend my time, I love being in the water most. I would submerse myself up to my neck in warm water and sit for hours. I also love roller blading and riding horses.

When I relocated to the Keys, I first worked at the old Pilot House Restaurant but shortly after I went to work on the glass bottom boat. I loved that! I learned the names of all 500 fish of the Atlantic Ocean, I enjoyed the 3 trips a day out to the reefs, I found it very exciting but the money wasn't that great, so I went back to the restaurant business. I applied to Mrs. Mac's kitchen because they were closed on Sundays, and I was accustomed to fishing on Sundays!

I applied to Mrs. Mac's as a server but was hired by the originator, Jeff McFarland as a cook. I cooked alongside him for about 6 months, then became a server, and then a manager. In 1987 Jeff decided to sell the restaurant so I purchased it from him. The rest is history!! It was the best decision I have ever made.

In 1994 I opened an original restaurant in The Pink Plaza, South of the Border, a Mexican restaurant. I ran that for 2 1/2 years and sold it to a man named David from California and he ran it for 5 years after that. It closed when West Marine bought out the space.

I went back to Mrs. Mac's, the little one. In April of 2011 I purchased the empty Pizza Hut building, renovated it, and turned it into the new Mrs. Mac's. Dean, my boyfriend, came to me and told me about the Pizza Hut building and encouraged me to buy it. It was so close to the first Mrs. Mac's that I said ok, I want it. My design inspiration has been a collaboration of people and suggestions. I knew I wanted shadow box tables and wanted the Key's history . I went to Jerry Wilkinson with the Historical Society and went through his stuff and picked out the pictures that are around. Julie Waterman from Shell World came in and helped me with all the nautical decorations and placing items in the tables, donating much of the sea life. Kim Brandell, a customer of mine for 20 years at the little place, came to me and said he wanted to design the floor, the bar tops, and the vanities in the bathrooms. We worked hundreds of hours placing things in the counters, etc. The palm tree is his, the jelly fish lamp, and the treasure chest sculpture on the wall. That sculpture was on a wall in a casino in New Orleans when the hurricane hit and the casino was destroyed. He was able to get his material back.

It is my passion to serve people and make them happy. I love to give them good food to eat. Business is in my blood! I will keep them both open as long as they are making money. Is Mrs. Mac's for sale? Well, everyone is for sale for a price but I am not looking for a buyer. I have not listed them. I wish I had expanded much earlier in my career, when I had more energy! There may have been Mrs. Mac's kitchens all the way down to Key West!

Something I do want to clarify....the big restaurant has the same group of wonderful people that the little one does.

My life wisdom, Do unto others as you want them to do unto you. Honesty is the best policy. Keep having fun!

I almost forgot I, love rock - 70s, 80s stuff. When I ask myself if there's anything else I would rather have chosen for a career the only thing I can think of is rock and roll singer. I think I made the right choice. I become hoarse after a big singing event and probably wouldn't have been to successful!!"

12/05/2020

Fred's dressed and ready for the Holidays!

Thanks to Marathon resident Ashley Elgersma for this beautiful shot of the me from last night while she drove home from work 🎄so peaceful.

09/14/2020

Don Bailey

“I have been on the front page of the local paper about 5 times. The Keynoter, I think.

My billboard on Adam’s Cut has been there since the 1970’s, with one exception of about 6 months.

My Billboard?

What happened is, I had worked 14 years for Harry Ridge and I had resigned to start my own carpet business. I had a little store at 660 NW 98 Street, Miami. A couple hundred thousand cars saw that building every day, but customers couldn’t find me because they had to go down 7th Ave and you couldn’t see the building from 7th Ave; it was blocked by 2 tall buildings.

I had to do something to let people find me.

Burt Reynolds came out with his Cosmopolitan centerfold in 1972. I never met him, but my friend, Lee Corso was his roommate along with Ron Fraser. My two friends told me all about Burt and how he always got the beautiful girls and they just hung around him and would scoop up dates! I said ‘Damn, that’s what I should do. I should pose like Burt Reynolds and people will find me!’

I had started as a janitor at the Harry Ridge store, then truck driver’s helper, truck driver, salesman, manager, and finally vice president, all by the time I was 25. I really hustled! So anyway, I didn’t have the money to paint the sign, I had just started my business with a limited amount of money. My brother was a pictorial artist working for a billboard company. He did it for free. My billboard is all me, in Burt Reynold’s Cosmo pose.

I got 3 – 5 people a week in my shop. The first day after the first billboard went up 20 women came in!
They wanted pictures with me, my autograph. I continued getting 15 – 25 women a day coming into my shop. I outgrew that store within a year, I had to move to a bigger shop at 14831 NW 7th Ave which was right on 7th and I put that sign on the side of the building. That area was kind of remote back then but they started coming to my new shop.

My first 3 billboards were in the Keys. The first ones were in the n**e, like Burt’s, but they eventually made me paint a little bathing suit on it. It led to tremendous growth. I expanded to 5 stores, sold 1, and we are a 4th generation shop.

We were in Ziggy and Mad Dog’s once when Al Golden, head coach of UofM was there with about 4 of his coaches and their wives and then another table had Gary Dunn (played for Pittsburg – 3 Superbowl rings - and owns the OV, Ocean View and a great friend of my Sons who played with Gary), and Joe Zagacki (voice of the Miami Hurricanes) in there. I called Randy Kasowitz, the owner at the time, over and said you have 3 great celebrities here tonight! He said ‘Don, nobody wants a picture with them, you’ve had about 6 pictures taken with you in the last hour. You’re the celebrity, not them.’ I replied ‘Say it again Randy, I want my wife to hear that!’ When we go to Ziggy and Mad Dogs, people still want their pictures with me.

I decided to update the sign. I put me 40 years later. Then I decided I wanted to update it again, I wanted my son on there.

This is the story of my Billboard.”

To read more about this unique man and his generous and helpful spirt towards minorities and those less fortunate, please check out his book The Don Bailey Story; From truck driver to Multi-Millionaire with Jim Martz. Don has bought houses and cars for people, as well as many other acts of kindness!

09/09/2020

A memorial vidio by John Balderston for Bill

09/09/2020

We woke up this morning to very sad news. Bill has passed away.

Apparently Bill had Jeanne's phone number in his wallet as she was a very close friend of his, so the police called her.

This news has been confirmed by Jay Law, the admin of a page from Bill's first trip, from Marathon. Jay has also confirmed there is no foul play suspected.

Bill was a wonderful Human. He spread hope, positivity and love everywhere he went. We should all take a page from Bill's book. In today's world where hate, dark hearts, and bullying is running rampant, he is a WONDERFUL example of how we are to treat and talk to each other.

Bill, you were a good and faithful servant. May you rest in eternal peace. You were loved by so many, and spread hope everywhere.