WAMPSVILLE

Wampsville is Indian derived. Wampsville is a community in central New York. It is the county seat for Madison County. It basically sits between Oneida and Onondaga Counties. My hometown Utica is located in Oneida County.

In addition to Wampsville, note that Oneida and Onondaga are Indian derived names. The Oneidas and Onondagas were members of the Iroquois Indian Nation.

I tried many lawsuits in  the Madison County Courthouse in Wampsville. The Courthouse had a unique Supreme Court Room. It was round. Everything in the courtroom was round also. Counsel tables being an example.

Why the Wampsville history this morning? Blame Ted Kane. I ran into Ted Kane at the Chart Room last night. The third consecutive year we have met there.

Ted is an attorney from Wampsvile. He does not practice law per se. He is Confidential Clerk to Judge Di Stefano.

Ted updated me on what is going on in Madison County lawyer wise. We spoke again of my old friend Hugh Humphrey. Hugh and I are relatively close in age. Ted, also. Hugh and I used to try cases against each other in the Wampsville Supreme Court Room. We had other legal matters together which did not entail the court room. On occasion following a hard day’s work, Hugh and I would share a drink or two together. We were lawyer friends.

Hugh’s abilities were rewarded later in his career. He was elevated to the bench. He became a Judge in Madison County. He oversaw cases in the same court room we had opposed each other.

Joe Thornton was at the bar. Jean was off at Schooner Wharf for some event with Megan. They eventually showed up. The three were then off to dinner at La Trattoria.

Che showed up. Che, Emily and I were chatting away. Emily’s cell phone rang. It was Peter aka Captain Peter. Peter left us a couple of months ago. He went to live in his home on Wibey Island in Washington State. His venerable aged van made it!

Emily put Peter on speaker. Peter had just finished cutting the grass. He told us he intended to plant a garden. He prefers his food organically grown.

The organic thing got Emily wound up after the Peter call was completed. She and Che are organic food nuts. Emily insists I eat poorly, that I should imbibe organic foods. She even wrote me a list last night of what to buy when I go grocery shopping.

At the end of the bar sat a tourist couple. They got into the organic discussion. Both claimed to be organic addicts and proudly so. One of the reasons Emily wants to change my eating habits is so I will lose weight. The tourist couple at the end of the bar individually were much fatter than I. Each was at least two of me.

The organic food discussion made me hungry. I went to Outback for a prime rib and baked potato with butter. Emily will throw her arms up in frustration when she reads this.

I spent most of the day time yesterday writing next week’s COMMENTARY column for KONK Life. Titled it Screwing America. About Timothy Geithner and the banks, off shore banking by major corporations, and the pharmaceutical industry big bucks operation.

I bruised/cut my arm. No big deal. I read somewhere aloe was an excellent healer. I have two urns loaded with aloe on the terrace outside my bedroom. They have sat there for 15 years. Never touched by man.

I decided to try the aloe cure. Cut half a stalk off. Messy. Drippy. Smelly. I applied the aloe to my minor wound. I let it sit for a half hour. Even after drying, the smell was terrible. The odor would not easily wash away. I had just taken a shower. Took another one. Still the smell. Used shampoo on it. That got it!

Bocce tonight. This is the last night for bocce this season. We have to win all three games tonight to make the playoffs. My confidence factor is lacking after the beating we took last week.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE MUSTANG

Automobiles were big in the 1960s. Long and sleek. Sweeping rear fenders.

Ford came out with a new car in 1964. It was presented for the first time at the World’s Fair in Flushing, N.Y. It was called the Mustang.

The Mustang was small. Very small in comparison to other cars being manufactured. Low, also. The Mustang appeared to be part of the road it ran on.

The world went crazy over the Mustang! Everyone wanted one! There was a waiting period from order to delivery.

My sister Joan bought one. A convertible. I loved driving it! I could not buy one. Too small for the family I had by that time.

Today is the 50th anniversary of the Mustang debut at the 1964 World’s Fair.

I spent two hours at the Pier House Beach Bar yesterday. Lunch time. I ordered breakfast. Ham and eggs. Read the newspapers.

A very lovely woman sat next to me to order a drink. We started talking. She came back two more times to talk. The last time with a bunch of friends.

Her name was Robin. A 40 year old nurse from somewhere outside Columbus, Ohio. A lovely body in a modestly brief bikini. Very little modesty.

I told her and her friends about the Chart Room. They were staying at the Pier House. They had arrived two hours earlier. They could not get into their rooms till 4. I suspected I would run into Robin last night at the Chart Room.

If she was there, I was not. I was exhausted at 6 when I finished my afternoon of writing. Instead, I made myself a sandwich and went to bed.

My afternoon was spent writing next week’s KONK Life column. The Catholic Church: Yesterday and Today. You will find it surprising. I had completed the research before yesterday. It took close to four hours to put the material together in column form.

Key West loves animals, fish, reptiles, any form of non human living creatures. Two events are scheduled reflecting such.

There is a pet stroll scheduled for April 22 at 5 pm. It starts at Mel Fisher and ends at the Westin Pier. It is a fundraiser for the Xena Fund. I hope Robert and Ally walk Jake. It will be a first for all three of them.

The Turtle Hospital is constantly busy. In January, a 140 pound loggerhead turtle was found floating and unable to dive. Obviously sick. The turtle was taken to the Turtle Hospital. Healthy once again, the loggerhead will be released back into the ocean at 1 pm saturday behind Salute’s. There will be a couple of hundred people watching, as usual. Always a big event!

Bocce tonight! I hope we win. This has been a tough season.

Enjoy your day!