MINIMAL REGATTA A KEY WEST TRADITION

Yesterday was the 23rd Annual Minimal Regatta held in Key West. The race takes place in the harbor in front of Schooner Wharf. The race is also known as the Schooner Wharf race.

The requirements for the race say it all. Teams of six must create/build a vessel. Vessel construction is limited to one sheet of plywood, two 2 x 4s, 1 roll of duct tape, and 1 pound of fasteners. Makes for less than a sturdy vessel. Most never make it to the finish line. They sink beforehand.

One more example of Key West being a playland for adults. As it should be.

The race gained national attention this year. I woke early this morning. At 5:45 am on MSNBC’s First Look was 20 seconds of the race and sinking boats.

Today is Memorial Day. To commemorate our war dead, to recognize the sacrifice they made.

Not all war dead are remembered. I refer to those present and former military members who have opted to commit suicide.

Since January 1 of this year, 1,892 active members of the armed forces have committed suicide. The Veteran’s Administration additionally claims 22 veterans take their lives daily.

A new scenario. War dead were war dead. Few were suicide victims. Recent wars have changed the situation.

There is a further sadness. Military benefits are not generally available to families of suicide victims.

Another blot on how we take care of our men and women in the military and our concern for them thereafter. Hopefully with the VA hospital disgrace on the front burner, we will give more than lip service to those who are fighting and have fought for us.

Yesterday, for the second day in a row, I worked on the Greece book. It is taking time. I am getting there, however. I am still on Santorini. I was getting a manicure from a Grecian beauty and discussing Greece’s economic woes.

Dinner last night was Roostica. Sunday, “gravy” is the special. Spaghetti with meatballs, sausage and pork. Delicious. The sauce is typical tomato. However, it is called gravy.

I never heard gravy used till Roostica opened. Roostica cooks southern Italian. My Mother was born in southern Italy. My father’s people came from southern Italy. My former wife’s people from Sicily. It was always sauce! I never heard it referred to as gravy.

By whatever name, it was good!

My blog talk radio show tomorrow night. Nine o’clock my time. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou.

You may wonder why I always add “my time” when advising the time of the show. The reason is that my listeners are world wide and have to figure out what time my 9 is for them.

Topics of interest include Greece announcing it is selling 110 of its beaches to raise money, Hewlett-Packard’s announcement it may be cutting 16,000 jobs, Great Britain so desperate for soldiers that it is taking 16-18 year olds, Russia and Iran preparing to announce that Russia will be building 4-8 nuclear reactors for Iran, how while we sleep Putin marches on, Detroit being labeled as a third world country because 1 out of every 3 pregnancies ends in abortion, and more. Interesting material. Join me. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Insanity is everywhere. Affects many. KONK Life publisher Guy de Boer and I have been missing each other the past several days. Re my next week column involving present day crucifixions. I heard from him this morning. He has been without internet service.

Guy is camping in the Everglades. A bit away from civilization. He has to be crazy! Normal occupants of the Everglades include crocodiles and Burmese pythons big time! He is lucky a python has not wrapped itself around him and kissed him good night!

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

 

 

COW KEY CHANNEL BRIDGE RUN

The 1st annual Cow Key Channel Bridge Run is scheduled for Saturday. The race begins at noon. Registration is at 10. The post race party is at the Hurricane. Alcohol will be served. There are a number of friday night spaghetti parties all over the island.

The race is unique. Whereas most races/marathons are the full 26.4 miles, some are less. Five and 15 K races are popular all over the United States. The Cow Key Bridge race is of a lesser distance. Zero K. Zip.

Cow Key Bridge is 360 feet long. That is the length of the race. It is assumed most will walk. It depends on each participants’ athleticism. A water station will be located mid way on the bridge.

The Cow Key bridge is the last bridge into Key West and the first one going out.

I hope to participate. Depends on my back. I was getting in shape by walking Publix and Home Depot.

Perhaps Robert and Ally will be with me. If I falter, they can carry me across the finish line.

Lunched at Schooner Wharf today with KONK Life’s publisher Guy de Boer. At Guy’s suggestion, we ate upstairs in the open. A great view of the harbor! First time up there for me. I was under the impression the new part was the restaurant upstairs. I went up. Special stairs. It was enclosed. I thought how nice. Air conditioning! No food and drink. It was Schooner’s offices.

Took care of the food problem. Did some grocery shopping at Publix. In anticipation of the Cow Key Bridge race, I walked the aisles pushing a cart two times!

I intended to play bocce tonight. My back is/was better. Around 5, I fell in the garage while taking out the garbage. I missed the one step in the garage. A step I have traversed several times a day for 16 years. My back is twitching. I am not gambling. Telephoned Captain Dave and told him the team would have to win without me.

I seem to have a sense of humor this morning. Good!

Love my Italian friends. They have seen my TV show, read the blog and KONK Life column, and listened to the archived portion of my blog talk radio show. They think I am big time! I explain not, but they do not listen. I am their American celebrity.

They email or Skype me when something newsworthy occurs in Italy. A couple of days ago, it was Venice. Home of the gondolas.

Economically, Italy is in the toilet. Unemployment is sky high. Real property taxes have been increased several times a year for several years. People are getting desperate. Desperate people do desperate things.

There is a group in Venice who wish to secede from Italy. They are serious. This is not a Conch Republic thing. The group has been preparing. They created/made a tank. A bulldozer covered with metal plates with a phony cannon on the front.

The Venice police became concerned. Especially with the arms they were gathering. The arms were for real as opposed to the tank. The police concluded they had become terrorists. Twenty four were arrested.

After Greece, Italy is in the worse financial shape in Europe. The police fear real protests, fights, physical confrontations, etc. as have occurred in Greece.

Parliament is seriously considering a new child abuse law in England. Parents who drink alcoholic beverages in front of their children will be guilty of child abuse. The thrust is the children would be learning a bad habit. A similar law in Key West would find most parents in jail charged with child abuse.

Benghazi seems susceptible to fights and war. We know what occurred a couple of years ago. On this date in 1941, the Germans conquered Benghazi.

Enjoy your day!

 

SOAP BOX DAY

My apologies up front. I am on a soap box today. Two issues. Yesterday’s Supreme Court decision and the cost of food.

We need a new Supreme Court! Plain and simple. The Court has gone so far to the right that it appears to be a tool of the 1 per cent. In a 5-4 decision yesterday, the Court rendered a decision that basically allows more personal private money to political candidates. The millionaires and billionaires can donate effectively with no limits.

Government of the rich, by the rich, for the rich.

Breyer in his dissent said the decision creates “…huge loopholes in the law…that undermine, perhaps devastate” a free and unbridled election system.

At issue was the right of the super rich to donate as much to a political campaign as desired. The majority said it was the rich guy’s right, that the rich should not in effect be limited in their giving because they are rich.

I am concerned. You should be also. I include my Republican friends. Never forget that he who pays the fiddler, calls the tune.

Food. I have become close to the issue in recent days. My back kept me down for almost a week. Ergo, no grocery shopping. The refrigerator, freezer and cupboard are bare. Easy to fix. Go to the supermarket!

The situation has brought to the forefront an issue I have addressed many times in this blog, on my TV show, on the radio, and in my newspaper column, the past few years. The ever increasing cost of food!

It has been reported that the cost of food went up a staggering 19 per cent last year. Wow! Lets examine the cost of meat as an example. The food  industry claims two reasons.

The first is the cost of whatever cows eat to make them plump and fat. Foodstuffs like corn and soy beans. The cost of items such has these has risen.

The second is the growing middle class world wide. Most of the developing countries now have a middle class. They want all the goodies our middle class enjoy/enjoyed. Especially beef and protein. The demand is up, the supply low. Simple economics. The price of meat must go up.

The preceding may be a contributing factor. I believe there is something else. Four large corporations control 85 per cent of the meat packing business. Cargill, Tyson Foods, JBS, and National Beef Packing. A monopoly, in effect. They control so they can charge whatever they like. Even if it amounts to gouging the public a bit.

I remained in last night. Wanted to be sure my back was really ok. Today, I plan to be out and about. Besides grocery shopping, a business lunch on the new roof at Schooner Wharf, and bocce this evening. It has been 4 weeks since I last played. I look forward to the evening.

Even more, I look forward to tomorrow evening. A few drinks and dinner! I need to get out!

Enjoy your day!

KEY WEST NEW YEAR’S EVE HIGHLIGHTS

 

The big night is tomorrow. New Year’s Eve. It has a flavor all its own in Key West.

The bars and restaurants will be full. Not just on Duval, everywhere. Duval cordoned off in certain spots. People mobbing the streets.

The biggies are Key West’s own rendition of the ball falling on Time’s  Square. Three places for sure. Perhaps one more.

The Bourbon Street Pub drop will be crazy. Probably the best drop on the island. Sushi comes down in a red shoe. People yelling in the street.

Sloppy Joe’s has its own drop. A conch shell from the top of its building. For a couple of hours prior to midnight, a band plays on Sloppy’s roof. People in the street watching, dancing and raising a bit of hell.

Schooner Wharf is an exciting place to be, also. Schooner’s party is known as New Year’s Eve Madness. There will be a schooner docked nearby. A pirate ship for the evening. A wench will be dropped from the mast.

I understand the Ocean Key House Pier will also have a drop of some sort. I believe this year will be the first. Bound to be good.

What I enjoy most New Year’s Eve are the fireworks at the White Street Pier. Magnificent! The whole community comes out to watch. Many families. The fireworks can be seen as far away as Duval Street.

Yesterday was Sunday. A good day. However, things were not as anticipated. I was lazy once again.

I did my blog early morning. Then back to bed to watch Meet the Press. I had completed my research for next week’s KONK Life column the day before. Tax Bicycles? I wrote the article. When finished, I felt tired. Back to bed, this time for a nap.

I planned on going out in the evening. Hogfish. I did not want to battle the tourists downtown. My plans changed when I saw that Lawrence of Arabia was going to be shown on the Turner Classic Channel at 8. A great movie! Four hours long. I fell asleep four times during the movie. Probably viewed less than half of it. Such is life!

Since tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, I will not be airing my blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. I doubt very many would be listening. I suspect I will be out also.

Enjoy your day!

BREAKFAST AT SCHOONER WHARF

I was up early yesterday morning. I had to be at Lisa’s by 8:30 to babysit. Robert, Ally and Jake were waiting when I arrived. Jake went in the cage. Robert and Ally in the car.

We discussed where to have breakfast. I decided to give them a special treat and take them to a new place. Schooner Wharf.

About fifteen members of the breakfast club were at the bar. My friend Angus bartending. I called over to him. We waved, including Robert and Ally.

We sat at the row of small tables with white plastic chairs next to the boardwalk. Docked boats were less than 10 feet away.

The closeness to the boats and the large number of boats blew the grandkids out. They got excited each time one pulled away from its dock.

Robert and Ally had pancakes. I, eggs benedict. Screw the diet!

The pancakes came with bacon. Robert asked if it was the real stuff. Their mother Lisa is all health foods. She serves turkey bacon.

Robert was on a one week trip for cancer survivors last summer. The one sponsored by Miami Children’s Hospital. Kids 6 to 16 make the trip. About 30 of them. Some as Robert are cancer survivors. The others still in treatment. The purpose of the trip is to celebrate life by those who are cured and give hope to the others that they too can be cured.

On the trip, Robert had real bacon for the first time. Pork bacon. Loved it! Lisa will not buy it. It is still turkey bacon at home. however when out, Robert wants the real stuff. He asked me, is it for real? Yes, I told him. Go for it!

Robert has Ally hooked on it also. She too had bacon with her pancakes.

After breakfast, I took them home. Showed them Poppa on TV via You Tube. One segment. Eight minutes. Had them listen to one 30 minute blog talk radio show. They were good about it. Asked a few questions. When the showing were concluded, Ally asked if they could go play now. I realized they were being kind and humoring me while watching.

Interestingly, Jake sat there watching and listening also.  Perhaps he liked it.

My afternoon and early evening were spent watching the Syracuse/Clemson game. A disaster! Clemson won 49-14. Not worth going through the details. Except to say the Syracuse defense was impressive in the third quarter. They held Clemson to 6 rushing yards most of the quarter. Then the roof fell in again!

The Vegas line was 14 points. I write earlier this week that if Syracuse lost by 14 points, it would be a victory. I projected a 30 point defeat. I was close. It turned out to be 35.

Clemson deserves to be ranked #3. A fine team. A great quarterback. The team could end up #1 in the nation.

I am glad Syracuse moved into the ACC with its football program. There are several good teams in the league. Top 10 and top 20 teams. Syracuse will have to up its game to play at their level. which is good. Syracuse will and some day we will be ranked #3 striving to be #1.

One final observation. Syracuse’s quarterback is green. Only a sophomore. He will be much better next year and dynamite his senior year.

The ankle pain came back last night. Horrible! Again this morning. I am sitting here with the big black boot on.

A reminder. My Friday TV/internet show The Key West Lou Legal Hour is available on You tube. In case you missed the show, it can be viewed there. Go to You Tube and enter Lou’s Legal Hour.

I telephoned Jenna this morning. No answer. She is a big Church goer. Left her a message to call. I would like to see Gravity tonight with her.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

 

NEW YEAR MIDNIGHT DROPS

 

Midnight New Year’s Eve, the world watches the ball drop on Time Square. In person and on television.

Key West has its own drops. Three traditionally. Perhaps a fourth this year.

The original drop is Sloppy Joe’s. A ball drops onto the roof. There is a huge clock marking the seconds.

The Sushi drop is at the Bourbon Street Pub. The drop is about 15 years old. Sushi is one of Key West’s most infamous and beautiful female impersonators. Sushi sits in a huge red slipper which is dropped at midnight.

The third is the drop near the Schooner Wharf at the Historical Seaport. A pirate girl descends from a high ship mast as cannons boom.

There may be a new drop this year. Cow Boy Bill’s. A honky talk saloon. A huge property. Famous for its mechanical bull. More famous for its Wednesday nights when it is competitive bull riding time for the ladies. Topless.

Word is that Cow Boy Bill’s will have a lady or ball descending from a tall scaffold.

The Bourbon Street Pub/Sushi drop is world famous. CNN carries it world wide at midnight.

A few observations this day.

We keep hearing about the four Americans killed at Benghazi. Including the American Ambassador. Ten or more injured persons were airlifted out. Why have we not heard their stories? I cannot believe they were not interviewed. They seem to have been lost in the shuffle. No one talks about them.

Syracuse won a double header yesterday!

The football team beat West Virginia 38-14 in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. The team ends the season with a 9-5 record. Good for Syracuse! We have been a poor football team the past 15 years. The last few have seen Syracuse win a game here and there. Last year was better. This year the best. We should be even better next year.

The basketball team won, also. Beat Alcorn State 57-36. Nothing to write home about. Alcorn State plays a different game altogether. The game was merely a warm up for Syracuse. What happens next week when the Big East begins is what is important. Syracuse will do well this year. The question is how well. Much is expected from the basketball team each year. That is the price of success.

Income taxes continue to be a big issue. How much should the very rich pay? Obama wants 39.6 per cent. He will probably agree to less.

France has a taxing problem, also. The President wanted a rate for France’s millionaires of 75 per cent. It got shot down by a Constitutional Council on technical grounds. It is expected to return shortly and may pass.

It has been reported that some French millionaires are considering moving to the United States to avoid a high income tax.

Our millionaires should not complain!

Tuesday, I will be doing my blog talk radio show. My third one. Seven in the morning. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou. A one half hour talk show. Listeners may call in to discuss topics with me.

I appreciate it is New Year’s morning. However, that is the day and time the show airs. If any of you are up, listen in. Enjoy a cup of coffee with me. You will enjoy.

We talk about anything and everything involving current events.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

PREPARING FOR THANKSGIVING

 

It’s like waiting for Santa Claus! Thanksgiving is coming! Only two days away!

Lots to do to get ready for the holiday.

Lisa bought the turkey Sunday. Brought it to my house. I who live alone have two refrigerators. The turkey is sitting in the fridge in the garage. Lisa’s refrigerator is too full to handle a frozen turkey.

Robert and Ally were all excited. They had gone to Publix with Lisa to buy the turkey. They are ready. Told me they were going to watch the Macy parade and then eat turkey, stuffings, gravy, potatoes, pumpkin pie, and apple pie. The litany flowed.

Robert and Ally will help Lisa prepare the meal. They do every year. They stand on chairs at the cupboard and cut things up, mix, etc.

Lunch yesterday was me alone at the counter at Harpoon Harry’s. Eggs benedict. I had a craving.

Walked the waterfront afterwards. Had to work some of the breakfast off. Walked by Schooner Wharf. I was surprised. Construction going on. It appears Schooner Wharf is doing a two floor addition. It will enlarge the place by at least one third.

Then it was home. Did work for friday’s TV show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Insanity does not take a break. Interesting topics already developed for the show.

The Key West Lou Legal Hour is available via television from two sources. Comcast Channel 87 and U- Verse Channel 19. The U-Verse connection runs through the Keys and Miami-Dade County.

The television show reaches 250,000 homes. I am impressed!

The show is available world wide via the internet. www.tvchannel19.com. People tune in in from 30-40 different countries.

The show is 10 am my time. I spell out the 10 am each week. We live in different time zones. People have to figure out the time I am airing in their country.

I started at the Chart Room last night. Glad I stopped in. Dave, Captain Peter and Che at the bar. I spent two stimulating hours. We solved the problems of the world and problems the world is not yet aware it is going to have. Prospective thinking.

It was a quiet dinner at Outback. A prime rib. Read the newspapers.

Stephanie came over to say hello. No Don. She was there with the grandkids.

Enjoy your day!

PETER

Tomorrow is the big day! I will start publishing the trip pictures! Finally!

Last night was strange. The best of the evening was the last part of it.

We start at the beginning, however.

I stopped by the Chart Room. It was late. About eight. No customers. Just me and JJ. Had one drink and passed the time away chatting with JJ.

My plan was to have dinner at Kelley’s. I desired wings. The rain changed my mind. It was pouring. I opted for the Wine Galley instead. For those of you who might not know, the Chart Room and Wine Galley are both part of the Pier House complex.

Larry Smith was playing. His audience included Rob and Lois from bocce night and Danville, Pennsylvania. Mary Deasy arrived a bit later and sat with them.

I ate at the bar and read the newspapers. Larry in my ear while my eyes scanned the news. It worked well.

Stayed a while. When I left, I had to pass the Chart Room to get to my car. Seated alone at the corner of the bar was Captain Peter.

The Captain is known as Captain Peter and Peter. I shall refer to him here as Peter.

I joined Peter. He was as glad to see me as I him. Everyone likes Peter. I cannot think of one person who does not. He is that type of person.

Peter was lamenting. He volunteered that in six days on September 12 he was going to be 70. It was bothering him. I laughed and said, “Hell, I’m 77! So what? Enjoy!”

We then got into a deep and profound discussion for about an hour. The type of discussion only men in their 70s can understand and appreciate. Peter seemed better at the end of our talk.

Let me share some Peter background with you. He is an unusual man.

Peter is a proud Brit. He was born in England. He came to the United States as a young man. Sometime back in the early 1960s, I suspect. He fought for his new country. He became a citizen of his new country.

Peter has traveled the world. Twice he sailed on a small boat alone around the world. A tough guy. His stories of fighting off pirates in the orient are dramatic.

Peter lives on his sail boat. I do not know if it is the same one that took him round world twice.

The sail boat he calls home is moored some two miles off Key West in the Gulf. A pretty far and pretty gutsy place to live. All alone out there. No boat neighbors. No land to be seen.

Peter has a small motorized rubber dinghy that he uses to get back and forth. Some evenings Peter lingers too long and it is dark when he leaves. Some nights the water is rough. Peter generally can handle conditions. But…..there are nights when Peter may have had a bit too much to drink. He putt putts out to his sail boat and cannot find it in the dark. There have been evenings when it has taken him two hours to find his sail boat. One night, he slipped going from the dinghy to the boat. It took him two hours again before he was able to get out of the water and into the sail boat.

With age comes wisdom. Peter recently bought a used van. On the nights he thinks it not safe to make the trip to the boat, he sleeps in the back of the van.

Peter looks the part of a British lord. Tall and thin. White hair surrounds his bald top. He has a well clipped white moustache. He speaks with a soft unquestionable British accent.

If you run into Peter between now the the 12th, wish him a Happy Birthday!

Read an interesting tidbit in yesterday’s Key West Citizen. It was part of an interesting op-ed by the owners of Schooner Wharf. Their rent is $46,811.86 a month. Wow! However consistent with commercial Key West rents. I suspect the new Coyote Ugly on Duval has to be paying $35,000 a month. Whether Schooner Wharf or Coyote Ugly, these places have to sell a hell of a lot of booze to survive!

Duval Street has received national recognition. It has been listed as one of the 10 Best Streets of 2012. The designation claims Duval is the soul of Key West. It is.

Fantasy Fest around the corner. Starts with Goombay on Octobedr 19 and runs through October 28. Fun time!

Enjoy your Sunday!