MISSED XMAS PARADE

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One of the best family events in Key West is the annual Xmas Parade. Many floats. several Santa Claus’, tons of kids vying for candy, etc.

I love the Xmas Parade! I love watching it with Robert and Ally!

Not this year. I missed the parade. It was last night. I thought it was next week.

Nevertheless, I did have a good time. I had dinner with Buffalo friends Tom and Fran Dixon at Hot Tin Roof. Fortunately, we were the only one’s dining in the bar area. We were loud and boisterous. Laughed the whole way through dinner.

Power outages are similar to hurricanes. They come in bunches. We have not had one in a while. We had a half hour one yesterday. The power was out starting around noon. A boat hit a transmission line off the Seven Mile Bridge.

Oh Syracuse, my Syracuse! The basketball season is not off to a good start. I fear this is not going to be the best of seasons.

Syracuse lost to St. John’s 69-57. I am bleeding orange.

The team is not jelling. Especially on offense. I am unimpressed with Joseph, the point guard. Plus, we are not making three pointers.

Today is December 7. Sunday, December 7. On a similar Sunday in 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. A day that will live in infamy, as President Roosevelt said at the time.

I recall the day vividly, in spite of being 6 at the time. There was no television. No home telephones either. The news of the bombing came from people yelling in the street and knocking on doors. Following which radios were turned on.

Not everyone had a radio. We did. Family and neighbors collected. Our radio was in the living room. The remainder of the day was spent with everyone sitting around, including on the floor, listening to the news.

Enjoy your Sunday!

LIFE CHANGES RAPIDLY

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I am down this morning. I just heard about a dear friend in Utica. Her husband e-mailed me. She has been diagnosed with cancer. Everywhere. Breasts, lungs and spine. Plus a mass in the pelvic area larger than a softball. The doctors are still testing to determine if the mass is cancerous.

A sweet woman. Never hurt a soul. Her husband my best friend.

In a split second, the world turns. Life changes.

Don’s 60th birthday party last night at Don’s Place. Packed! Larry Smith and his group entertained. Christine and the lovely Kathleen Peace singing. Ray on the guitar. Skipper on the drums. A loud night.

The crowd was a three way combination. Don’s friends, Larry’s followers from the Wine Galley, and Don’s usual friday night crowd. A good time was had by all!

Don is one of the finest people I have met in my lifetime. I feel fortunate to have met him. We are friends. I wish him sixty more years!

Hershel and Erika are in town. They left Key West several months ago for a northern state. They flew in for Don’s party. Good people! Love them both!

I saw something last night I never thought I would again. Gas under $3! $2.99 at the K-Mart station on the boulevard. My sense is the price will continue its downward trend for a  while.

Every time I think about the price of gas, I recall its cost when I first got a driver’s license. $.16 a gallon! Would you believe!

Today is Joyce Kilmer’s birthday. He died in World War I at the age of 31. He was part of the Fighting 69th.

Kilmer was a poet. Trees being one of his finest compositions. The best lines…..”I think I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree…..Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree.”

Syracuse basketball tonight. Play St. John’s. A former Big East foe. Syracuse is a 7.5 point favorite. I hope.

I recall when Lou Carnesecca coached St. John’s. A short, thin amiable sort. A powerful sense of humor.

I met Lou two times. The first in Utica. My son was chairing the United Fun Drive. The final dinner a big deal. We were able to get Carnesecca as guest speaker with Jim Boeheim’s assistance. We met prior to the dinner. My father was with us. Carnesecca said several nice things about my Dad during his speech.

Lou would not take pay for his attendance and speech. Only asked that his plane ticket and motel be covered. That is the kind of guy he was.

The second time I saw him was about a year later. I was in New York City to see the Syracuse/St. John’s game at Madison Square Garden. My seats were first row behind the St. John’s bench. Lou saw me and came over to chat for a few moments.

Lou Carnesecca is still alive. He is 89. God bless him!

Dinner tonight with my Buffalo friends Tom and Fran. We are meeting at the Chart Room and then off to Hot Tin Roof for dinner. The third consecutive night I have been out on the town. For a while there, I thought I had slowed down.

Enjoy your day!