New faces in town always evoke curiosity; and we wonder who they are, and how they came to be in Cedar Key. Often they have heard of this place from a friend. They come to see if what they've heard about the beauty, serenity and wonderful people is true. Others find their way here totally by accident, a quirky twist of fate that deposits them on our shores. That is how Veronica Robleto and Johni Davis came to visit Cedar Key... just a twist of fate. Veronica had graduated from college, and was visiting a friend in south Florida. They heard about an intriguing place called India House, a backpacker's hostel in New Orleans, and decided to go check it out.
Johni, who originally hails from Sand Mountain, Alabama, had also heard of the hostel and it's friendly communal living style. He and a friend also decided to go check it out.
Both of them felt drawn to this place called India House, and when they met there an instant bond was formed. They shared so many of the same interests and ideals. One of those shared interests was sailing, and it provided their lives with another twist of fate. Johni rescued an abandoned 28-foot sailboat from a marina in Mobile (a Herreshoff cutter) and after some restoration work and outfitting it was ready for a maiden voyage. The plan was to sail to Nicaragua to visit Veronica's family. The vessel they chose is a classic one, with only her sails for power. They both had some experience sailing, but this voyage would be a true challenge of their skills. Once underway, they realized it would not be possible to reach their destination before the beginning of hurricane season. They began to look for a port to drop anchor until the dangerous time passed, and they could continue their journey. At first they thought about Sarasota, as Veronica had friends there, but the idea of staying in a large city did not appeal to them. Looking at nautical maps of the west coast of Florida, what did they find but the tiny dot designating Cedar Key. Why not stop in there and check out that town and see what it had to offer?
Once here, they both fell in love with the artistic, friendly atmosphere and decided this would be their haven till hurricane season passed. Veronica will be teaching dance and costume making at the Cedar Key Arts Center summer children's program, and she is also working at the QuarterNote Café. Johni has been spending time at the Boat Builders Group and making improvements to their vessel. They have already found themselves a niche in the ebb and flow that is life in Cedar Key.
They have so many wonderful stories to tell of their journey thus far, and are happy to share them with whoever asks.
Like the time near Apalachicola after the sun had set and the sky was pitch black, and they seemed to have the world all to themselves. Suddenly on the horizon there shone a light, as if from a city's skyline, but they weren't close enough to land for light of that kind to reach them. As they watched in fascination, the light became brighter, closer, and seemed to spread out across the water in an ever-growing arc. Behind the brilliance, forms took shape, and they could make out the bulky bodies and skeletal arms of a fleet of shrimp trawlers. The huge boats soon surrounded them, like glowing fireflies engaged in a surreal dance across the ocean's surface. It took them over an hour to sail through them, and back into solitary darkness.
Such a marvelous story! If you want to hear more about their travels, and that twist of fate that brought them here to Cedar Key, just stop them and ask, they are more than happy to share. | 
