I just got out of bed. It is 8:30 in the morning. I was out late, got to bed late, slept late!

Ergo, the late blog this morning.

Yesterday was simple. I walked a bit. The rest of the day was spent researching and writing. I did next week’s column for Konk Life. An interesting column. It has to do with the Scottsdale Gun Club. Last year and this year  the Gun Club is sponsoring a Santa Claus. People are coming in droves to have their children sit on Santa’s lap and have pictures taken of the child, the family and Santa Claus together.

The oddball twist is that the Gun Club advertises that the pictures will be taken with the child holding a heavy duty gun and guns on display behind Santa Claus. Not too wise from my perspective. I wrote it was not a proper scenario.

Kurt telephoned me just as I was leaving last night. He is back. He has been gone for a couple of weeks. Did Thanksgiving up north with the family. It was good to hear from him again.

Kurt asked what are you doing tonight? I said I am heading to the Chart Room for about an hour. Then I’m going over the Sports Page Bar to watch Syracuse play. The basketball game did not turn Kurt on. He declined joining me.

The Chart Room was empty when I arrived. It was just JJ and me. Then one of the brightest lights in Key West appeared. Jean Thornton! Always good to see Jean. Love her. We had a drink and an interesting conversation.

I made it to the Sports Page Bar just in time for the start of the game. Syracuse was playing Marshall. Marshall is a non-entity. However, my recollection is that Marshall had only lost one game prior to last night. They were supposed to be a test for Syracuse. They were not.

Syracuse was generally 15 points ahead most of the game. There was sloppy play on the part of both teams. Syracuse realized early on they did not have to extend themselves much to beat Marshall. So there was a lot of lethargy on the court. Syracuse won by 8 points. It should have been a 30 point blowout.

Kristin was bartending. We have missed each other in my recent visits. It was good to see Kristin again.

I like Kristin. We get along well. Though our initial meeting a couple of years ago was a stormy one. I came rushing into the Sports Page Bar . Kristin was the first Sports Page employee I saw. I ran up to her and  in a demanding fashion asked what TV set was showing the Syracuse game. She looked  me sternly in the eye and said slow down buddy! We have been friends ever since.

I finally had company to watch a Syracuse game. Scott Brainerd was back in town. Scott is a Chicago attorney who owns property in Key West. He is here several months in year. He was a Syracuse undergraduate. Thereafter, he went to Northwestern for his law degree. It was nice to have Scott sitting next to me. There was constant dialogue involving the game.

I stopped at Don’s Place on the way home. I should not have. I stayed long. That is why I got to bed late. I am damaged goods this morning.

Initially, I spent  time chatting at the bar with the Bebe and Rod.

After they left, I noticed a lovely young lady sitting further down the bar. We started talking. She moved over and sat next to me. The balance of the evening turned out to be most enjoyable. Her name is Steffany.

Turns out Kurt and Steffany live together! A small world! Not the way you think, however. Kurt rents a home near me in Key Haven. He rents with two or three other people. Sometimes it is all male. Other times one of the house mates is is a female. Michelle shared the house with Kurt and some other guys for a couple of years.

Steffany is the new boarder in effect.

Steffany is well educated. She has two degrees. Her most recent occupation was as a dental hygienist of sorts. She knew all about implants! Even down to the diseased bone that had to be removed!

That was my evening. A good one. However, I cannot stay up as late as I did too often. Nor drink as much as I did. Yet….

Today is December 7. A noteworthy day in American history. The day of infamy. Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese in a sneak attack on December 7, 1941. 70 years ago.

I remember so many things about World War II. I was young. However old enough to pick up on what was going on around me. The war covered ages 6-11 for me.

Every family and every person had someone in the service. As soon as Pearl Harbor was bombed, the male population rushed to join a service. Army, Navy or Marines. My father tried. However, he had a punctured eardrum and was classified 4F. My Uncle Maurice finally got into the Army near the end of the war. He was older, married and had a child. His wife had to sign for him. She would not sign till the war was almost over. My Uncle Gee Gee spent most of the war in New Guinea. My uncle Mario walked from France into Germany with the infantry. My cousin Silvio was on the USS Missoula.

The war was everything for those five years. It consumed everyones’ lives.

I have decided to share one World War II event  with you every day from this point forward. Today’s recollection  offering was that everyone tried to join up and what happened with my family members. Tomorrow will be another tidbit. And so forth each day until I run out of recollection.

I’m supposed to play golf this morning. I am not. I am going to give it one more week.

Enjoy your day!

2 comments on “

  1. Louis,

    We also enjoy Kristen at Sports Page. Do you remember our last visit when I left my credit card at LaTeDa? Well, the next day I forgot that you took us to LaTeDa and I was SURE that I had left the card at Sports Page.

    I had the Sports Page owner call Kristen at home to ask her about the card. Later that day the card was found at LaTeDa (thanks to your efforts) and so when we went to Sports Page that next night, Kristen rode me hard about the card. She is a lot of fun.

    When we paid our bill, Kristen said in a very loud voice…."Thank you for coming and I AM NOW HANDING YOU YOUR CREDIT CARD!"

    I just replied, "smart ass".

    We will definitely be visiting Sports Page again in a few months.

    Tom & Cindy

  2. Looking forward to more recollections from WWII, love the glimpses of what life was like then.

    Congrats on the Syracuse victory! Any win is a good one!

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