KEY WEST MODEL RAILROAD SHOW

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Key West has a model railroad club. It has an annual show. This year it is at the Moose Lodge on Eisenhower. Today.

It has been years and years since I saw a model railroad. They were a big deal back in the 1930s through 1950s. Remember, people primarily traveled by trains in the 1930s and 1940s. Significant commercial aviation did not come into play till the late 1940s.

My parents bought me a Lionel model train for Christmas 1940. Actually, it was from Santa Claus. They had to have saved all year to buy it. It was top of the line. A very heavy engine, several cars, and an oval track. Motorized, of course.

Christmas Day, my father and uncles monopolized the train. They were on their hands and knees around it. I could not get close. I recall my mother coming into the room and telling them to let the baby play with it. I was the baby. A lot of good it did.

I played with the train set for years. When I became older and lost interest, we placed it around the base of the Christmas tree every year and ran it.

Somehow, I lost it. I recall it being in a box in the attic of our first home. Where it went from there, I do not know.

My yesterday began with a manicure with Tammy. We talked about Thanksgiving. I asked if she would cook a turkey this year. She said no. She did it last year and no one ate it. Fortunately, she cooked a Vietnamese meal also and had it on the table. She told me her 5 and 7 year olds do not like American food. Even MacDonald’s. At some point, there will be an Americanization of Tammy’s children. She will then have to cook American food special for them.

I walked afterwards. Back into a good health kick. Parked the car at the airport and walked Smathers Beach and back. Got a little difficult towards the end.

I spent several hours writing next week’s KONK Life column. Putin The Winner So Far. Compares Putin and Obama’s accomplishments this year.

I went off the beaten track last night. Had dinner at the Boathouse. A seat at the bar on the far side. Gave me a view of the whole restaurant.

The place was packed. It is strictly a tourist spot. Rush them in, rush them out. No chatter with the wait staff. Prices about $2 higher than a comparable eating place elsewhere in Key West. In spite of my comments, it is a place to stop and enjoy. It sits on the waterfront. A dock immediately in front. Boats lining the marina.

I mentioned yesterday that I wanted to see the Cole Porter show at the Waterfront Playhouse. I called Jenna. She agreed to join me this evening. Later when I was reading this week’s KONK Life, I noticed that the show is next week, not this week. I keep making these mistakes.

Jenna and I will be going next friday.

This morning’s Key West Citizen in its Today in History section notes that on this day in 1939, Franklin Delano Roosevelt laid the cornerstone for the Jefferson Memorial.

Two years ago,  I did the tourist thing for a week in Washington. I was most anxious to see the Lincoln Memorial. The imposing figure of Lincoln sitting in a chair. I saw it and was duly impressed. A WOW, until I saw the Jefferson Memorial. More imposing and impressive. Jefferson stands about 20 feet tall. See both the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials if you have the chance. Take the kids. The trip will be good for them.

Nicholas Kristoff is a syndicated New York Times columnist. In a recent article, he wrote that one third of American teenage girls become pregnant. He claimed a birth by a teenager occurs one every minute. The thrust of his article was that our young people need to know more about sex and have available to them birth control.

Alabama and Mississippi State this afternoon. The game of the season thus far. Should be terrific! I plan on watching it either at Don’s Place or home on the couch.

Enjoy your day!

 

NOT A GOOD YEAR FOR THE ORANGE

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Syracuse got whipped last night. By Louisville. 28-6. Syracuse now 2-3. Not a good year in the making.

I watched the game at Don’s Place. I was the only Syracuse fan, the only one interested in the game.

Jimmy, Joanie and John sitting near me. Jimmy still complaining about the new Key West parking ordinance which went into effect October 1. For some a benefit, others a detriment. For Jimmy, a detriment. For me, too. Such is life.

One of the reasons, and probably the primary one, why Syracuse is doing poorly again this year is money. A university sports department does not run the program. Academia does. The faculty. Which includes the intellectuals who never played sports in their lives.

When a college is doing well sports wise, the faculty start making noises to the effect that we are nor a sports institution. We exist to teach. The sports budget is then slowly cut over the years. As the budget goes down, so does the quality of the team.

I have seen it happen several times over the course of my life time and relationship with Syracuse.

Then comes the dawn. There is a recession, not enough students applying, money becoming a problem. The solution. Increase the emphasis on sports. Bring in more revenue. The pendulum swings.

Syracuse has not reached the point where the faculty sees a need for an influx of new dollars. When it occurs again, Syracuse will field a good football team.

Basketball is another story. I do not know how Boeheim does it. He is subject to the same faculty pressures.

Lunch at Outback yesterday. I like the place for lunch. Quiet. Good food. I can sit for a couple of hours and read the newspapers. Yesterday it was potato soup, hamburger and a diet Pepsi. $9.85. You can’t beat it!

I had dinner last night before the game at the Boathouse. It has been years since I ate there. No particular reason, except it is sort of out of the way for me. The Boathouse sits under the Commodore on the waterfront.

A definite tourist place. I sat at the bar and watched people come and go. Everyone happy! How could they not be vacationing in Key West.

I had a double order of wings. The bartender to told me only 6 or 8 came with an order. They were delicious, though on the small side. Not as good as Kelley’s.

I had need to be in Radio Shack and K-Mart in the afternoon. Things appeared bad in both stores. A shortness of merchandise. Empty shelves.

It does not surprise me. It was reported this week that Radio Shack might go under. It does not have the money to stack the shelves for Christmas. I have heard nothing re K-Mart.

Earlier this year, I commented on my blog talk radio show that retailers would have a hard time surviving over the next couple of years. Specifically, retailers who sold to the 99 percent. The group did not have enough money to support their usual retailers. I mentioned some companies who were already experiencing the problem. Today, it is Radio Shack. Perhaps K-Mart, also.

As with most other things in the country, the legal system is breaking down. It took only 11 days to indict the fellow who jumped the fence and got into the White House. It is now 56 days since Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson. No indictment yet. It makes you wonder where justice for the little guy has gone.

Fantasy Fest around the corner. Only 12 more days till Goombay.

Enjoy your day!

ML PARTY AT THE GALLEON

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I finally made an ML fundraiser. ML is running for Fantasy Queen. The winner is determined by who raises the most money for AIDS Help. There are several candidates and big money involved.

ML’s party was at the Galleon outside bar. The place was packed!

I got to see JJ. My old friend from the Chart Room. He is now bartending at the Galleon.

Howard Livingston and wife Cindy were in attendance. Howard was performing. Howard and I have been friends for 16 years since first we met at the bar at Mangoes when we both were involved with house remodeling and construction. A nicer person does not exist!

Relatively new found friend Susie was busy working. She is one of ML’s co-chairs. Susie bought and brought a number of my books. The World Upside Down was an auction item. I did some book signing before they were put out.

Met Fiona and her brother Johnny. Fiona was a law office administrator for 20 plus years somewhere on the Jersey Shore. She has retired to Key West. Has an apartment somewhere off Duval behind the Grand. Her brother Johnny is from Chicago. Spends some of his Key West days working at Home Depot.

Key West publisher Guy deBoer and I chatted a while. I like Guy. He works hard. It is the only way.

Guy publishes KONK Life where my weekly newspaper column appears. More importantly, Guy and ML are a couple. For several years.

Met a lot of nice people. Unfortunately and apologetically, I cannot remember all their names.

Though it is obvious, I want everyone to be aware. ML is my choice for Fantasy Fest Queen.

My day started with the x-ray I was supposed to have had wednesday. Purpose to determine if I have any disk impingement which is causing my sciatica type pain.

Then to Don’s Place. I had a meeting. Great atmosphere in which to conduct business. My desk is the Truman corner of the bar. Hemingway had his Sloppy Joe’s. I have Don’s Place.

I spent the afternoon working on tuesday evening’s blog talk radio show. Preparation is everything. I came across an interesting item involving bigotry. The New York Times’ David Brooks commented on the topic recently.

First, Louis’s recollection. There was a time in the 1950s and 1960s, and probably before, when Jews and Gentiles rarely married. A religious thing. Primarily from the Jewish side. A parental no no. I had a law school Catholic friend who married a Jewish lady. They were head over heels in love. The marriage lasted three years. The family pressures were too much.

Now comes Brooks’ item. It involves political bigotry. He wrote that in 1960,  5 percent of Republicans and 4 percent of Democrats said they would be “…..displeased if their children married someone of the opposite party…..By 2010…..numbers had jumped to 49 percent and 33 percent.” No wonder the two parties cannot get along! The dislike/hatred runs deep!  So much for the enlightened era we live in.

I had some time to kill before the ML party. I stopped into the Island Dogs Bar for a drink. First time in several years. A cute place on Front Street. The building sits next to the Pier House parking lot. The Bar is primarily frequented by tourists.

Colorful! Pleasant! I sat and watched happy tourists come and go. The Islands Dog Bar provides them with a a perfect space.

Island Dogs Bar is owned by world famous Jim Croce and Dave Thibault. Dave is Michael and Nancy’s son in law. He has made a huge success of the Island Dogs Bar. They are very proud of him.

I like Michael. In another time, we played golf together He bartends for Don. Nancy was Don’s business manager for years. She is now involved in the Fausto operation.

I like Michael. Love Nancy.

Tonight, Syracuse/Notre Dame at the Meadowlands. Syracuse will lose. Unfortunately. However, that is the way it is. I plan on watching the game at Don’s Place.

I am into my last two days of steroids. What happens when I go off?

Enjoy your day!

 

NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN

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Lazy is becoming my middle name! This is the second day in a row I have stayed in bed late. 10:30. Watched Meet the Press and Chris Wallace. For whatever reason, I am treating this holiday weekend as a holiday.

The older one gets, the more that person believes he/she knows everything. It is the result of the aging process. You have been alive so long, that your experiences make you soooo smart.

And then something happens to prove the error of your thinking. Or maybe that exceptions are common place.

I spoke of my disappointment in not being able to see a blue moon in yesterday’s blog. I actually thought the moon was going to be blue colored for whatever reason.

I was wrong as to the meaning of blue moon. I received more emails, telephone calls and personal comment regarding my error than for anything else I have ever written. As a result, I have learned something new. Which is another way of admitting you are never too old to learn.

One of blue moon’s meanings is two full moons in one month. Not a frequent occurrence. Never in all of my 77 years did I know. Because it is such a rare occurrence, the phrase “…once in a blue moon” developed.

I did a little home work. I wanted to know more about blue moon.

The term has been bandied around some 400 years. It was associated in its earlier times with betrayal.

The significant date for our purposes is January 31, 1980. Relatively recently. There is an observatory at the University of Texas. The McDonald Observatory. Studies the stars, astronomy, space and the like. McDonald Observatory also sponsors a daily radio show. Star Date. The show is very popular. It broadcasts on more than 300 stations. In Star Date’s radio show of January 31, 1980, the term blue moon was used to describe the two full moons in one month phenomenon. Blue moon took off in popularity from that time forward.

For the record, the term had been mentioned off and on in the years immediately preceding 1980 referring to the two full moons in one month, but never achieved notoriety.

College football has returned! Syracuse played Northwestern yesterday. Syracuse lost by one point, 42-41. I caught the second half of the game. Syracuse was down 22 points. But came back! Northwestern was just one play better at the end.

I am not disappointed in the loss. Syracuse’s problem appears to be defense. This is still rebuilding time. I suspect we will have a winning season in spite of this loss.

Shopped yesterday. The cupboard was really bare!

Sloan stopped over in the early afternoon. We are still working on You Tube, amongst other things.

Later in the afternoon, I wrote my weekly column for KONK Life. It will be published next Thursday. The article is entitled Texas Judge Warns of Civil War.

There is a judge in Lubbock County, Texas, who believes that if Obama is reelected there will be a civil war. He claims Obama will turn the government of the United States over to the United Nations. Where this nut theory came from, I do not know. In any event, the judge claims the people will not put up with it. They will take up arms. It will be Concord and Lexington all over again. Obama will send in United Nations troops to put down the revolt. The civil war will then begin in earnest.

The Chart Room first last night. JJ bartending. Many drinkers. I knew none. All tourists. I stayed a while and left.

There is a new restaurant/bar on the waterfront. The Boathouse. It has been there less than a year. It is downstairs from the Commodore. The people who own the Commodore opened the Boathouse.

I tried the boathouse for the first time. Good! Great location. Open aired. Excellent food. Reasonable prices. I recommend it.

Enjoy your Labor Day Sunday!

 

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

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What a difference a day makes.

Yesterday morning the TV news, TV talk shows, and internet news were bombarding us with a $5.5 billion default by the U.S. Postal Agency within 24 hours. This morning nothing. Not on TV. Only a brief back page article on the internet.

The Post Office is still going to default. At midnight tonight. The government does not seem concerned. The default will not affect the day to day operations of the Post Office. Congress goes into recess Friday for the month of August. Congress takes the position that the problem can await resolution till it returns in September.

A disgrace! An example of Congressional irresponsibility! First in passing the 2006 law that primarily created this postal crisis. Second, in failing to timely correct the problem.

Whatever happened to pride. This is an agency of the United States government. There should be no waiting. The problem should be resolved now instead of four weeks plus from now. The Washington genius’ know what they are going to do. They should do it now and avoid embarassing the government.

I am beginning to think that not paying bills on time is no longer considered an item of shame. If the U.S. governemnt can do it, why not the people. The economy would really fail if everyone payed their bills one month late.

I walked yesterday morning. In the blistering humidity. My tee shirt soaking wet when I finished.

Then to the Plantation Coffee House. No coffee. A bottle of cold water. Diane working. I also had one of her blueberry muffins. She bakes them herself. Delicious.

I was getting ready to leave the house last night for the Chart Room when Dotti called. She has recently returned from Mexico.

Meet me at the Commodore and I will buy you dinner, she said. OK by me. Rarely does anyone purchase my dinner. Especially a beautiful lady.

I met Dotti at the Commodore a half hour later. We drank, ate and laughed. Dotti is an old friend from Key West who married and ran off to Mexico to live several years ago.

It has been at least four years since I dined at the Commodore. The food was terrific! Better than I remembered it. I enjoyed a delicious prime rib. I plan on returning soon.

I rarely get to the end of Front street where the Commodore is located. It is only two blocks from the Chart Room, but out of the way. Front Street dead ends at the Commodore.

There has been much talk of late of the Boathouse. Everyone has told me it is near the Commodore. The Boathouse has become a new and exciting place to drink and eat. I had never been there nor seen it.

Turns out the Boathouse is directly under the Commodore. Boathouse first floor, Commodore second floor.

What a lovely place! Made for the oceanfront. It sits on the ocean. Open aired. The place was packed. Looked like fun. I must try it soon.

Donna and Terri have been here since late afternoon Sunday. I rarely see them. Our bodies operate on different time schedules. I have seen Terri for a total of 30 seconds. Donna 5 minutes. Show biz people!

Two major figures passed on in the past 48 hours. Tony Martin and Gore Vidal.

Tony Martin was 98. A popular singer in the 1940s and 1950s. Married to two different Hollywood stars. First the singer Alice Faye. Then the dancer Cyd Charisse.

I remember and enjoyed Martin’s movies. All good time happy ending ones.

Gore Vidal was 86. A novelist, playwrite, and political commentator. He was often described as a political troublemaker. He called them as he saw them! He was a non conformist and controversial. More of his irritating type are needed in today’s world.

May they both rest in peace.

Enjoy your day!