DECEMBER 15, 2001
NEWS FROM PARADISE
Greetings from Key West and the Eden House

Hope all is well with you. As an innkeeper in Key West I am not too happy with the mild winter up north. Oh well, I'll keep the 'dolls' in the freezer a bit longer. We were mentioned in an article in the NY Times' travel section on November 25th. It was very flattering to Key West and the Eden House. The article is on our web page, check it out. We got more than 200 calls and made over 50 reservations within a week of the article. We are still pinching ourselves, not each other.

The 'pool cams'. are finally up and they actually work. Big Bill worked on the cams for nearly a month, lots of technical manuals and trials & errors. Kevin and Chris, our night managers, have been super charging the hotel computer, increasing the RAM, the processor and the hard drive (I don't have a clue what this stuff is or means), which they say will help with the cameras. What I want is the 'scratch & sniff' for the cams. That way you can smell the Coppertone (the smell reminds me of my long lost childhood) and the night blooming Jasmine. The way this 'technology' stuff is moving, I wouldn't be surprised if it happens sooner that later.

An update on Sarah. She has passed the Eden House entrance exam (chewing gum and scratching her head at the same time) and will be staying on.

I've added a couple new pages to our web site, what's new, huh? Yes, I do enjoy playing with the site. The first new page is 'Stay in Touch' and is for just that. If you want to get in touch with someone, say something or just rave - go ahead. Keep in mind we reserve the right to censor. No, our site is not a Democracy.

Our 'Insider Trading' page is so that people traveling around the country/world can contact a person in a particular area and ask advice. A nice place to stay, that well kept secret place to eat or points of interest in your area. Being a guest of the Eden House would more than qualify you to pass on this sort of information. If you are interested in serving humanity, enter your e-mail address and were you live or are an authority of. Messageboard.

We now have a child 'technician' on the Eden House staff. If you have need of such a service, check out the page and follow the directions.

Dan & Stretch just left. They were down for R & R and took pictures of some the rooms for the web page. We'll put the new pictures on the 'Rooms & Rates' page. When you click on a type of room, you will see a picture of that room (Dan's web page). He is responsible for all the pictures on our web page. Dan & I are talking about an Eden House calendar for 2002, twelve shots of Key West and the Eden House. Will keep you updated.

We added a piece of suspended art over the Jacuzzi, it's called a helix. It spins with the slightest breeze and at night it reflects the light from the Jacuzzi. We have a 'Lizard' work of art in the pipeline and should be completed soon. It is going to be at the north end of the sundeck, overlooking the pool, I think.

Aziz and Deb are opening the cafe at the Eden House (December 22nd, we hope), it will be called Cafe Med. It will be American food with a Mediterranean twist. Great food at reasonable prices. My staff and I can't wait. Aziz is Mediterranean and has been a chef at Antonio's for the past eight years and Michael's for the past six months. They will start with dinner and move into breakfast and lunch.

D an Hicks & the Hot Licks just released a new CD on Surfdog Records called Alive & Lickin'. I am a big fan of Dan Hicks and I think this is his best CD. Dan has been around since the late 60's and came out of the San Francisco Bay area. I can't sit still while listening to this CD. Take a listen at http://www.sdog.com/cd_danhicks.html

I just read a book (non fiction) called Horses Don't Fly by Frederick Libby, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Libby was born in 1892 in Colorado and was a cowboy until he enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps at the age of 22. He went on to fly 350 hours of combat missions when the life expectancy of a pilot was 10 hours. During World War I he was awarded the Military Cross by King George V for gallantry, became the first Ace (he shot down 24 planes - 14 as a pilot and 10 as an observer) of the war and the first to fly the American colors over enemy lines. He wrote his story in 1961 and his granddaughter published it in 2000. His humble nature comes through in his story.

I hope everyone has a great holiday season and I'll have a drink for you at Happy Hour.

-- Mike & Eden House Staff


New waterfall by the Jacuzzi
Helix


Waterfall Area- Waterfall by Peppers
Come enjoy our new look by the pool.

And while listening to the soothing sounds of our waterfall enjoy a drink on us at happy hour.
Stay tuned for updates.
On another note. Don't forget that tofu and ginger in your diet.
Stay in touch, we will.
-- Mike Eden and the gang