A SPORTS DAY

I would like to tell you I ran a 5K and played some softball yesterday. Those days are gone, however. Actually, I never ran a race. I was a runner though for 3-4 years way back when. 2-3 miles a day.

Today, I watch sports. On TV or in person.

Yesterday, TV.

Started the day with the Syracuse/Villanova basketball game. Villanova won 82-77 in overtime. Syracuse played well. Looked the best yet this season. Especially against the #7 team nationally. Syracuse led at one point by as much as 15 points. Were up 5 points with 17 seconds to play and blew it. The game went into overtime.

Joseph played well. Very well. The first time. Cooney played well once again. Our 3 big men continued to get into foul trouble early in the game.

Syracuse should have won. The team blew it in the last 17 seconds of regulation play.

They continue to be less than a great team. Great teams are what we have come to expect. The team is still jelling. I only hope we win 20 games at the least. For the team and Boehiem.

After the game, I headed to Don ‘s Place. Glad I did. There I stayed. Watched the Philadelphia/Washington pro football game. Don, David, Larry, Stan, and Klare. We whooped it up! A very good time!

Larry is a die hard Philadelphia fan. We were pulling for his team. As with Syracuse earlier in the day, it was not meant to be. Philadelphia lost a close one.

One of Key West’s finest traditions takes place tonight. The Christmas show at St. Paul’s Church. Right on the altar. The best musicians Key West has to offer performing. The Church always packed. Have to arrive early to get a seat.

I may not get to St. Paul’s tonight. A conflict. I shall miss what I have come to enjoy for many years.

I was happy to see yesterday that the price of a gallon of gasoline at the Shell station near me had dropped to $2.85. Then last night, I read on the internet that gasoline is selling for under $2 a gallon in 24 states. Come to Key West!

Torture continues to be in the news. A passing thought/comment. Jesus was tortured and hung on a cross to die. A fact most if not all Christians deplore.

New stats came out yesterday. 46 percent of Christians support the torture being discussed. Whereas, 72 percent of non-Christians disapprove.

Interesting.

My friend Anna was shopping in Milan yesterday. She saw homeless/the poor sleeping on sidewalks. Some holding signs…..I am hungry. Anna observed such for the first time.

Italy is second only to Greece in being broke. Many unemployed. Taxes skyrocketing. Stores and businesses closing down. What Anna saw was inevitable. Almost like Greece, she said. Except no maimed and crippled begging.

It had to happen.

Enjoy your Sunday!

DUI SOBRIETY CHECK POINT

I have always thought there was a degree of unfairness when police use radar or a sobriety check point. It sort of gives authorities an unfair advantage. The fact that I might be wrong being immaterial.

Florida is a screwy state when it comes to laws. One good law requires police to give notice when and where a sobriety check point will be established. Together with the hours. Fair.

There is a sobriety check point tonight on US 1 and Cross Street for north bound traffic. It has been advertised in the Key West Citizen twice this week. To be forwarned is to be forearmed. Stay away from US 1 and Cross Street from 7 to 2 tonight.

I am. Not that I get smashed and drive. I drink, but very rarely to excess. However, one never knows. Better safe than sorry. I shall either stay home this evening or limit my out of house activities to the three places that do not require me to pas through the check point. Roostica, Hogfish, and Geiger Key.

Sad that a sobriety check point is being conducted this evening. Tonight is the Lighted Boat Parade. To attend would take me into town. On the way back, I would have to drive through the check point.

I would have watched the Boat Parade from Schooners Wharf. It will be cold enough there. Around 62 degrees. On a boat, the experience 20 degrees cooler.

I wrote my KONK Life column for next week yesterday afternoon. The American Dream Revisited / Torture Pays. There is money to be made it doing sick and  distasteful things. Like torturing. The column concerns the two individuals who were paid $81 million to devise and help implement a torture system to be used on Guantanamo and other located detainees.

An interesting article. Especially where it is spelled out how the government got ripped off.

It was cold last night. Mid 60s when I decided to go out. The Chart Room friday evenings seems to be absent regulars. When  I am out and about, I am first looking for the company of friends. My sense was that the Chart Room regulars were doing the outside Galleon bar fridays. The bar is located on the water.

Ergo, I did not even stop first at the Chart Room. Went straight to the Galleon. I was wrong. No friends. No one I knew. Cold as hell! The wind off the ocean. JJ bartending. I had one drink and was gone. I decided it was too cold to stay out and went home.

I mentioned the other day that gasoline had dropped to $2.99 at the K-Mart station on the boulevard. The Shell station near my home was still $3.10. Yesterday, it dropped to $2.99.  This morning’s paper says gas prices will continue to drop. About time! We got screwed for too many years.

This morning’s Key West Citizen carried an article regarding the arrest of two local men. Alleged marijuana charges. The article also advised a continuing investigation regarding an alleged illegal gambling operation. The nick name of one of the individuals is Joe Weed. He is an $85,000 a year computer analyst for  the Monroe County schools.

I do not know whether is he guilty or innocent. I really do not care. His business, his headache. What bothers me however is that he is one of the leaders of the group protesting nudity during Fantasy Fest. Hypocrisy, assuming he is guilty.

Street demonstrations are occurring all over the world. Not just in the United States. This week alone, Greece, Italy and Haiti. Not a healthy situation. Sometimes however, it is the only way a people can be heard.

My friend Anna in Novara contacted me yesterday. There were demonstrations in 50 Italian cities. Union led. No one worked. Brought Italy to a halt for one day. Italian demonstrations are riots. Actual clashing with the police. See the pictures on the internet.

The economy is the problem. As with Greece, the austerity measures imposed on the people have become onerous. They won’t take  it any more is the message.

Interestingly, Silvio Berlusconi is back! You can’t keep a good man down. Convicted of income tax evasion and having sex with a 17 year old, he continues to hang in there. The word is he is maneuvering and pulling strings behind the scenes.

Enjoy your day!

INSANITY PREVAILS

Key West is located in Monroe County. Monroe County recently passed what I consider an asinine law. County employees may not smoke. For new hires, not at all. Even at home. Urine testing (pee in the cup) required to catch violators.

Insanity. Next government will tell us how many times and when and where a husband and wife can have sex. Don’t laugh. Overpopulation is a fast growing problem. Why do you think Monsanto has all these Congress passed laws giving them protection in the development of genetically modified organisms.

Key West is now considering expanding the insanity. It was suggested at last night’s Commission meeting that the City look into what the County has done. Five commissioners were favorable. Only a look, however. It is the beginning. I see Key West once again getting involved in what is none of its business.

Insanity prevails.

Speaking of insanity, John Brown comes to mind. John Brown was an abolitionist and anti-slavery advocate in the 1850’s prior to the Civil War. He took matters into his own hands. He was fed up with the federal government’s delay in resolving the slavery issue. Brown and a bunch of his followers attempted a raid October 16, 1859 on Harper’s Ferry in Virginia. The raid failed. Brown was captured two days later. He was tried, found guilty, and hung on December 2. No 20 year Supreme Court appellate process in those days.

John Brown’s home was in North Elba, New York. Brown is buried there. I visited Brown’s home and grave.

North Elba is near Lake Placid. I was visiting a friend who had a summer home in Lake Placid. There was a cloudy deary rainy day. He took us for a ride in lieu of sitting around and drinking all day. The ride took us up a tiny narrow road to the top of a small hill. An equally small house at the top. Brown’s home. It is now a part of the New York State Park, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

The house consisted of three rooms. Two down and one up. Appeared awkward to live in. Especially when I discovered Brown had fathered twenty children between two wives. Brown and Key West’s Captain Tony have something in common. Though I believe Captain Tony had more wives.

The family slept closely. Very close. Made sense. Besides insufficient space, Lake Placid is brutally cold in the winter.

I found Brown’s grave off to the side. He lies beneath a monstrous tombstone. The words on the stone reflect what today is perceived as a heroic act by many on his part.

History tells us Brown was a nut. He was obsessed with slavery. He thought it was his God directed duty to rid the country of slavery.

It was reported in yesterday’s Key West Citizen that two Disney cruise ships will be docking in Key West for two days during Fantasy Fest. These are family type vacationers. Many children.

Some kind of screw up here. Disney was made aware of what appeared to be a booking mistake. Nevertheless, Disney is still bringing the ships into Key West.

Hurricane Gonzalo is hurtling down upon Bermuda. A 4, sometimes a 3. Bermuda getting hit bad. Sunday it was tropical storm Fay. One thousand homes still without electricity. Now a major hurricane.

Saw Dr. Mc Ivor yesterday. My heart doctor. Concerned about my swollen ankles. So am I. He has prescribed a super water pill to be taken with my normal water pill. What a way to lose weight! He has also ordered an ultra sound of both legs. One ankle is swollen more than the other. He wishes to eliminate a clot factor. I love getting old!

Bocce last night. We won only one game, the last. We killed the opposition. The two lost were close. The team we played we should have demolished. We did not. We seem to play to our opposition. When we play a good team, we are at the top of our game. A so so team, we play to their level.

My Italian friend Anna e mailed me yesterday. She was in Milan. There is an Asian-European Meeting going on. Many Middle East countries represented. Anna has spent time in the Middle East. She said the Arab women were in and out of all the best stores on Milan’s most fashionable street. They were dressed as everyone else. Not black robes and face covers for them. They were attired in the finest, happy and giddy. Buying today’s most fashionable clothes. She also mentioned their faces were perfectly made up.

Bet they cannot wear their new clothes at home.

I woke at 5 this morning. Could not get back to sleep. Decided to walk. Left the house at 6. Dark. Cool. Comfortable. A great time to walk. I need a flashlight, however. Not so I can see. So the cars can see me.

Enjoy your day!

AUSTRALIAN INSIGHTS

I flew from Athens to Milan yesterday. I had the good fortune to be seated next to a woman of beauty and intelligence. She was from Australia.

The young lady is a public servant. Civil Service type for the Australian government.

I obtained significant insight from our chat.

From the 1990s into the early 2000s, Australia was on the verge of an economic crisis. Jobs and cash flow were needed. The two political parties running the government got together. They passed laws appropriating monies for infrastructure. Jobs were created, money flowed. The stimulus plan worked. A financial crisis was avoided.

Note that the two Australian political parties worked together. Politics in Australia is as adversarial as in the United States. However, when the chips were down, the parties joined together to do the necessary.

The United States needs an infrastructure stimulus program. Obama pushes it. The Republicans reject the idea. When will country over politics reign in the United States?

Australia biggest export customer is China. They export more goods to China than any other country. China needs everything. They are buying. Australia imports Chinese goods, also.

Obviously, no balance of trade problem between Australia and China.

Why does the United States have one and not Australia? What is the United States doing wrong with regard to its China trade policies? Why can’t the United States and China work together as Australia and China are?

Australia did not experience the bank problem we have had in recent years. The reason is that Australia required the banks to have more liquidity. Higher surpluses and reserves.

United States banks have not been held to the same high standard as the Australian banks. Probably because Australia’s leaders are less prone to favor banks over the electorate. I have a feeling corporate/banking lobbyists do not have the same influence in Australia that they do in the United States.

It is interesting that a democratic nation similar to that of the United States appears to operate more intelligently and effectively where economics are concerned. Perhaps it is the air they breath on the other side of the world.

I was shot when I arrived in Novara late yesterday afternoon. First time I have really been tired this trip. I was in bed asleep at 7. Woke at 4. Stayed in bed till 6. Feel a hell of a lot better this morning.

I have started working on next week’s KONK Life column. The Beggars of Athens. From Diogenes to present day. Guaranteed interesting!

Enjoy your day!

THE LAST SUPPER

Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper is the feature item today. I saw it yesterday in Milan.

Yesterday contained so many interesting happenings. To avoid confusion, I am going to trace my day as it occurred. The Last Supper fits into the day at a certain point.

My day started sometime in the morning. A train and two subways to The Last Supper in Milan.

It has been said Mussolini made the trains run on time. Forget it. My train from Novara was 10 minutes late. My return train 35 minutes late.

First came a 20 minute wait in line to buy a train ticket. The Milan railway station is old and filthy. Contrasted with the Metro Underground which was shiny new and clean. The Metro Underground is Milan’s subway system.

One train ride and two Metro rides later, I was at the Piazza Del Duomo. Big! Magnificent!

I came out of the railroad station. Mussolini built it. The building survived the war. Huge and magnificent. The construction itself eye boggling.

There was a very large statue of someone on a horse in the center. Sorry, I never got the name.

St. Duomo’s Church. I will tell you more about the Church when I get to the point where I actually entered.

There was a building immediately next to or a part of the railway station where it emptied into the Piazza. An elderly woman told me she saw Mussolini on the third floor balcony when he announced that Italy had entered World War II on the side of the Germans. She said he threw his arms up and shouted…..War! War! War!

She claimed thousands cheered, including her. That was June 1940. Five years later on April 27, 1945, Mussolini and his mistress were executed/shot by Italian partisans near Lake Como. Their bodies were driven to Milan where they were hung upside down on meat hooks at an Esso gas station.

What a difference 5 years makes!

I hopped a cab to Santa Maria Delle Grazie Church. The Last Supper is exhibited in a special building next door. The building is referred to as the Church’s rectory.

I entered the Church. I had 45 minutes to kill. One only sees The Last Supper by appointment. I was early. So I opted to visit the Church itself.

The Church was huge, as expected. Side altars lining the walls.

There was an elderly priest in white robes walking around. We smiled and moved towards each other. Just then someone said all had to leave. The Church was closing. I looked at the priest. He shrugged his shoulders. I said…..You may be failing in my redemption. I do not believe he understood me.

I still had roughly 45 minutes to kill. Saw a bar across the street. Went over. The bar sold alcohol, ice cream, cakes, and sandwiches. I sat down and enjoyed a chocolate milk shake.

I still had some time before my scheduled visit. I looked about and made some observations.

Milan is affluent. It is very obvious. The men and women dress elegantly and carry themselves with that strut that tells you they are somebody. Milan is the business center of Italy. Not, Rome. Ergo, many business and professional persons. The men seemed to all be wearing custom tailored suits. Most dark navy. What I used to call courtroom blues. A white shirt and blue tie.

The cut of the suits was different from in the U.S. The pant leg came straight to the top of the shoe and stopped. Not that baggy bottom of the leg look that has existed in our country for years. I prefer the cleaner Italian look.

The women regardless of age dressed beautifully. Top of the line expensive clothes. They carried themselves well. With a sense of confidence. Each a beauty.

Stephanie Kappel, you would have loved the shoes. Not in the store windows. The ones the ladies were wearing.

I have yet to see a fat Italian. I did not see one in Rome 30 years ago nor in Milan yesterday. The men and women are all thin. Very thin. Clothes drape well on them. I was told they are thin because of their life styles. They drink little alcohol. Perhaps an occasional wine. No sodas. Only water. Eat unadulterated foods. Much fish and vegetables. Occasionally a good cut of meat. And they walk! Walk everywhere. Up and down hills and steps.

There appeared to be more mopeds than cars. A lot of bicycles. Traffic was damning. Horrible! Worse than New York or Boston. Crossing the street was an exercise in danger.

I saw only three beggars. Three too much. Two men and a woman. The woman was elderly. She was sitting on the Metro steps holding a cup out. I noticed her teeth. The best I have ever seen! Better appearing than my implants which cost me $35,000. I apologize, but I think she was involved in a scam. I expect to see real beggers in Athens, however. Many.

It finally was my time. Time to see The Last Supper.

People are taken into the rectory building in groups of thirty every 15 minutes. That gives you about 10-12 actual minutes in front of the painting.

Da Vinci painted The Last Supper in the late 1490s. It was painted on what I would describe as a concrete wall. Not on canvas. Nor is it small. It is a large mural. Probably 30 x 40 feet. Impressive!

Because of its nature (painted on concrete and its age), there is a concern for deterioration. The room temperature is kept at a constant level. Every attempt is made to keep the room free from pollutants.

Which meant we did not enter directly into the room. We had to go through three separate glass rooms and stay for a short period of time with the doors electronically closed in each. To bring the temperature to an appropriate level. Our body temperatures. Also to free us as much as possible from the pollutants human bodies carry.

Fortunately, the three rooms were glass floor to ceiling. Otherwise claustrophobia would have set in.

There was a special feeling when you entered the room containing the painting. It takes up an entire wall.

I sat on a bench and pondered. I was in the presence of something.

The painting is subdued color wise.

Mary Magdalene was in the painting. Standing near Jesus. A baby was on the shoulder of some young person next to the both of them. There exists a school of thought that Jesus and Mary ultimately married and Mary bore Jesus’ child. I do not know. I am Catholic. I almost feel sacrilegious in mentioning this. However, it is part of the mystery. The tour guide made reference to it.

What was my emotion as I sat there. Simple, yet awesome…..I just visited with God.

We left in the same fashion as we entered. One door less.

I was tired by this time. Too much hurrying and walking. I opted for lunch.

Dante Street is one of the top high priced store areas in Milan. Smart stores. There is no vehicular traffic. Street cafes were set out. I ate at the Majestic. A small table under a huge umbrella.

What a lunch!

I started with a gin and tonic, diet soda and bottle of cold water. I was thirsty! My meal was lasagna bolognese. I had been dying for pasta since I arrived in Italy. Delicious and unbelievably light!

After lunch, i walked back into the Piazza. There were people screaming on the other side from me. I walked over. There were thousands of spectators looking up. Most young girls 8-16. Four stories up, four young men and two young ladies were leaning over a balcony. The men were constantly waiving and blowing kisses to the young ladies below. Peope were hanging out windows taking pictures of the four young men. Swooning is the word which best describes the female reaction.

I could not discover who they were. I suspect they must have been some popular musical group. Giorgio Armani was having a one night opening show in the building later in the evening. Perhaps the young men were popular singers who were to perform. Such is a best guess.

I was tired and wanted to get out of the heat. I have always found a church to be the best place to cool down on a hot day. I entered the Saint Duomo Church. Interestingly, I had to go through security first.

The Chuch is magnificent on the outside. Much larger than St. Patrick’s in New York City. I have never seen so many spirals in my life.

I sat down and within minutes fell asleep. A half hour later I was hearing…..Sir…..Sir…..Wake up. It was one of the Church staff.

The entrance to the train station is a Galleria. Beautiful! Spacious! I opted for one final drink before I took the train back. The train and Metro.

I sat at one of the sidewalk cafes. Watched the Milan world walk by. Enjoyed not one, but two drinks.

I had to go to the bathroom. The cafe had one downstairs. I saw a first. There was no toilet. Only a hole in the floor. Porcelain circled and lined. No toilet as we know one. Fortunately, I only had to piddle.

As I left, I saw the door to the women’s bathroom open. I looked in. The ladies had a normal commode. To sit upon as usual. I could not understand why the difference. What is good for the goose should be good for the gander. And vice versa.

The train back was 35 minutes late. It was hot. You wait semi-outside. No air conditioning. The subway to the train was even worse. No air conditioning. Interesting smells. Not everyone uses deodorant.

The train and Metro were a different experience. The last time I did trains and subways I was in college. I do not expect to do it ever again. I am a car and driver person.

This afternoon I am back to Milan to catch the plane to Athens. The car and driver will pick me up at 2:45.

I got back to the Novara appartement around 8. I had it. I stripped and fell into bed into an immediate deep sleep.

Enjoy your day!

ARRIVED!!!!!!

I am in Italy! Novara to be precise. Northern Italy. Near the Alps.

The trip over uneventful. I took a sleeping pill this time. It did not work. I think I was the only one on the plane awake. I read instead. A new book. Paris. A history based on three different families and how they grew and progressed over the years.

Time wise, I am all screwed up. It ia 5 in the morning here. Eleven friday night in Key west.

I enjoyed a new experience flying in. I would like to tell you I joined the 1,000 mile club. Unfortunately not. The last 50 miles was over the Alps. Above the clouds. Snow covered. Awesome!

Seventy one degrees when I arrived. A bit nippy. I was told it was in the 80s the day before and rainy. Italy weather comes up from Africa.Yesterday the wind brought sand. All cars were covered with sand.

I am using an Italian computer. The keyboard is somewhat different. I cannot find the apostrophe for possession. So if it is missing, it is not my grammar.

I spent hours with Verizon and Sloan to be sure everything worked correctly for this trip. Nothing does. Neither my computer nor data port. Tablet only good for reading books. Nothing has connection. I am using a friend’s computer at the moment. Notice I found the apostrophe. It is under the question mark which is top line immediately after the number 0. Italy!!

Gasoline $12-$13 a gallon. Complain not about $4 a gallon!

All cars are stick shift in order to get more mileage for the dollar. Only handicapped persons have automatic shift.

I arrived 3 in the morning our time. An hour later I was in bed sleeping like a baby. For four hours.

Last night was party time. Some friends from last year arranged a welcome back gathering. The food excellent. The booze flowed.

These people were primarily champagne drinkers. The good stuff. A bottle of gin had been purchased for me. Gordon’s. I had a friend who drank gin. The bottle was empty at the end of th night. Trust me, he consumed much more than me. We drank neat. No ice. A common problem in Italy.

Millie and Mikey. Millie has become a Facebook friend the past 2 months. Fifty one and lovely. Millie had a stroke in January. She is doing pretty good. Her cheery disposition helps. She is an architect by education. Cannot wait to return to work.

Met Enzo and Alice. They brought the champagne. Enzo too is an architect. Alice owns a pharmacy, though she is not a pharmacist.

Paolo. An accountant by education. He and his group manage large buildings.

Then there was Celestine. She and her husband own a contracting firm. She packed it in a few years ago and now keeps house. She claims working as a contractor was easier.

I had a terrific time! I did not understand most of what was said. I am sure they had trouble with me. But we got along and laughed a lot.

It is saturday morning here. Very late thursday night where you are. My tv/internet show in your morning at 10. The show goes on with out me. Watch. It may be a rerun you missed. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Television Comcast Channel 19 and U-Verse Channel 19 up through Miami-Dade County. World wide on the internet. www.weyw19.com. All the shows have been You tubed.

Tonight I dine on Lake Maggiore. Hemingway wrote dramatically of it late in his novel A Farewell Arms. I cannot escape Hemingway. Someone told me last night to visit a nearby town. Gave me the name of a bar Hemingway used to drink at and wrote. When I recall, I will definitely make an effort to visit it. I shared Sloppy Joe’s with him. He knew neither Sloppy Joe’s nor Key West.

Enjoy your Day!

LOVELY EIMY PREGNANT

 

Eimy is a most beautiful woman!

I last saw her two years ago. Sleek. A lovely figure. A radiant smile.

I saw Eimy again last night. Still so beautiful. Radiant. Beaming is actually a better description. Rounded in the middle. Eimy is pregnant!

Congratulations Eimy! Mike, too!

Her family way has not detracted from her natural beauty. Only enhanced it.

Mike and Eimy live in Las Vegas. Mike is a mortgage broker. Mine, actually. Eimy, a CPA. Not working at the present, however. She is a stay at home while awaiting the birth.

They love Key West. Have visited here before. They will return.

We met at Louie’s Backyard last night for hellos. With them was Pete from New York. Pete is an old friend, also. Pete works on Wall Street. He was here with his girl friend Julie.

Pete is a charming guy. Has a unique sense of humor.

Also with them were Tim and Jenny. Engaged. Live up the road in Hollywood.

Jenny is crazy about Key West. Loves its laid back atmosphere. She wants to be married here. We briefly chatted about her options. She is tuned into L’Attitudes. They will have to work overtime to pay for the reception.

Great people! I could not join them for dinner. I had already enjoyed dinner a couple of hours earlier with the family.

We celebrated Fathers’ Day last night at Benihana. Robert was excited. His first time. Ally was haughty. She was a pro. She had been there two times previously.

Needless to say, the eyes of both were glued to the with cook and cooking process.

Robert surprised me. He was wearing a tie. He proudly told me he made the knot himself. It was not a snap on. Cameron taught him how to do it the day before. The knot was perfect. The ends of the tie met. I played dumb. Robert promised to teach me. He told me…..Don’t worry Poppa, it’s easy.

I have to start packing today. I fly to Milan Thursday. I cannot wait. I am looking forward to the trip.

Show time tonight! My blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine my time.

A quick half hour. I share my thoughts on current topics and issues.

Three situations I definitely will touch upon are our involvement in Syria, the new Catholic Church program requiring Catholics to act as Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses in going door to door, and a Boston Children’s’ Hospital program offering free hand transplants to children who have no hands.

Join me. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

TRIP PICS…..THE BEGINNING

This is the day!

Trip pictures being published!

I have grouped the photos into 12 categories. From this point forward, a category a day will be provided. Today’s pics are of the Novara phase.

Novara was my first and last stops on the trip. I flew into Milan. A half hour drive away was Novara. Translated, Novara means new camp. Way back when, there was no Novara. The Roman legions camped there. For a long time. Ergo, the name Novara.

Remnants of the Roman stay can still be seen. The Romans constructed a stone wall around the camp. Portions of that wall remain today.

The City of Novara developed from what was once the Roman camp.

There is a Hemingway tie.

Novara and Milan are cities. Stresa is a town. They are located in the Province of Novara. Novara is both the name of the province and the city. Each community located relatively close to the other.

Hemingway was an ambulance driver during World War I. He was stationed in northern Italy. Received multiple shrapnel wounds to his legs. He was hospitalized in Milan. Fell in love with one of his nurses. Following his hospitalization, he went to the resort town of Stresa for a rest. Stresa is located on Lake Maggiore.

Hemingway years later wrote A Farewell To Arms. The background and characters for the book came from the time he spent in the Milan hospital, at Stresa, and involved Lake Maggiore.

The Novara photos are a set of six.

The first is a photo of the building I stayed in at the beginning and end of my trip. It is a medieval building. More than a 1,000 years old. The exterior has been reconstructed. I was in an apartment on the second floor. The center balcony is off the living room of the apartment. The gigantic wood doors are the entrance way to the building’s courtyard.

The next photo is the building’s internal entrance way into the courtyard. The entrance way has been redone also. Note the fine workmanship on the doors.

The next pic is my bedroom ceiling. Though the outside of the building has been updated, the interior remains as it was a 1,000 years ago. The apartments have cathedral ceilings. All rooms. Huge wide windows. The ceilings are hand painted.

The next photo is a ceiling one, also. Of the sitting room ceiling.

I made a Moroccon friend on the trip. Miriam. She is in the next photo on the far right. It was my 77th birthday. Miriam cooked for me and baked a cake. The picture is of me and her family.

The final photo is me and the cake.

Tomorrow Santorini.

I enjoyed a yesterday, also.

Spent most of the day finishing Bob Woodward’s The Price Of Politics. Excellent reading. Scared me. The novel clearly evidences the inepts governing us. From the President down. Without mentioning it, the book cries out for term limits. Lack of ability and serving self interests permeate the book.

Though not mentioned, the book cries out for term limits. I would do one 6 year term for a President, one 5 year term for a Senator, and one 3 year term for a Congressman. Get them in and get them out! Keep reelection out of the picutre.

Lisa did a Thanksgiving turkey dinner last night. Delicious! Robert and Ally a joy.

I come from the generation that is not mechanically inclined. Corey was trying to show me how to operate my cell phone camera to my blog. Simple to most of you. Not to me.

Those of you who watch my internet show on KONK Broadcasting and read my weekly column in KONK Life via the internet, be advised the sites have been renamed. Sorry. Not my doing.

To watch the friday internet show: www.konknet.com/tv/personalities.

To read the column via the internet: www.konknet.com/konk-life/contributors.

Remember to join me for Santorini tomorrow.

Enjoy your day!

WHAT A JOKE! I JUST WENT TO PUBLISH THE NOVARA PHOTOS. I LOST THEM! SLOAN WORKS WITH ME TOMORROW NIGHT. SHE WILL HOPEFULLY FIND THEM. I CANNOT. WHICH MEANS…..NO TRIP PICS TILL WEDNESDAY. I AM NOT EVEN GOING TO PLAY WITH SANTORINI TOMORROW. I WOULD PROBABLY LOSE THOSE ALSO.