VOLCANO DAY

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I think I have the hang of getting the photos to publish. Three yesterday! When I complete the blog this morning, one more. The volcano photos!

This photo/pic thing is a constant education for me. I was unhappy that the pics were so small. Detail is important and did not show effectively. Yesterday, I clicked on a pic. Lo and bhold…..it enlarged! Clicked on it again. Got even bigger!

The message is that if you want a larger and clearer photo, merely click once for larger and twice for largest.

Today the volcano! It was hell for me that day. I realized my age. I also became aware that I was definitely out of shape. You will recall I could not complete the climb to the top of the volcano.

There are 10 volcano photos.

The volcano sits out in the bay off Santorini. The first photo is off the volcano. It was taken from the walkway on Santorini. The volcano is the black island in the distance.

The next pic is of me walking up the volcano. There were about sixty of us. Every one made it but me. I started at the head of the pack. Soon I was at the end. Then I was with the stragglers. Finally, I was the last straggler. This photo is of me at a time that I was third from the rear. Only two ladies behind me. The stress of the climb was upon me.

Fifteen minutes later, I was dead last! No one any where near me. All way ahead. Photo 3. I suggest you click once and then again a second time. I would like you to experience the line of people ahead of me and how far behind I was.

Photo 4 is where I said…..NO MORE! I could go no further. I gave up. Happily.

I stopped several times on the way up. To rest and drink some water. such is photo 5.

Photo 6 is of me walking down the volcano all alone. I was not ashamed!

A boat took me to the volcano and then took me away from it. Photo 7 is of me sitting on the boat as it left the volcano. I was dead! I did not care what happened to me! If I did die, dump me overboard was my thought.

On the return trip, the boat stopped at the island of Thirassis. A small nnothing. Two restaurants and a gift shop. The gift shop was operated by a tall bearded Greek dressed in monk’s robes and a hat. Photo 8 is me sitting alone enjoying lunch.

Photo 9 is one of the best. Double click this one. View it at its largest. It is a pic of the reataurant owner grilling lunch. Note the stove. Look especially at the octopus he was grilling. Octopus was a dish served at every restauant. A tentacle was chopped off. Generally, 10 inches. About 2 inches in diameter. Grilled before and after. Rubbed with oil occasionally. Served thusly done. Tender and delicious! Sweet. No sauce required. Fish suvlaki is the other item being grilled.

The last photo is me dead on the bed when I returned. I had never been so tired!

Good night last night.

Started at Don’s Place. Chatted with Don, Herschel, and Frankie. All team mates. Discussed and analyzed our bocce team.

Then the Chart Room. A crowd. Emily bartending. Che and Captain Peter talking. Jean Thornton her usual lovely self. My Jasper friend Jack Kelly and his wife Sabina. Met a criminakl lawyer from long Island. Michael.

I chatted with Jack and Sabina a while. Then with Jean and Che. Che is a Congress of Vienna expert. Which means he is a Napoleon expert as well. We talked about Napoleon. I made mention of the bridges I observed in Northern Italy on my recent trip. Many were built by Napoleon. The northern Italians did not speak ill of Napoleon. They were proud of what he had done for them.

Decided I would walk Duval a while. A lot of people.

I stopped into Sloppy Joe’s. Planned on grabbing a sandwich. No room at the inn. Not a seat in the place.

Walked by Coyote Ugly. About 20 young guys at the bar. Two young ladies dancing and singing on the bar. The Bull was empty. I thought Yankee Jack might be playing. I ended up at Kelley’s. Enjoyed the wings!

Nothing was accomplished by the Merkel visit to Greece. Why then did Merkel even make the trip? The British press reports this morning that Merkel went to Greece to show the British she was not afraid to face the Greeks. It was show time. Her purpose was to insist face to face that Greece pay every penny owed. Plus interest and penalties.

Merkel has an election coming up. Her opponent has been attacking her regarding the Greece pay back problem. He claims Merkel has been too easy on Greece. Ergo, the trip. The Greeks still have to pay, suffer austerity. Merkel was in and out in six hours. Nothing accomplished to assist the Greeks.

No Internet show tomorrow. The Key West Lou Legal Hour will miss another weak. KONK Broadcasting owner Guy de Boer will be in Miami for heart surgery. Good luck, Guy!

Bocce tonight. Bocce tomorrow night. A make up game.

Enjoy your day!

PETER

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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!

FROM SLOPPY JOE’S TO MICHAEL’S

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Good morning! From glorious Key West. Where it is raining! And looks like it is going to rain all day.

I am sorry there are so many photos of my trip. Over 600. To be expected I guess from a seven week trip.

I spent the better part of yesterday going through the pictures. Selecting the ones I thought best to share with you. I did not finish. Selected too many. They are all good!

I have been advised I cannot run 600 pics. Would slow down everyone’s computers. A decision has been made. I am going to break the photos down to each of the seven places visited. Plus an extra category or two for some unusual experiences. Like the volcano. Then select the best ten of each category.

I feel bad. Like I am cheating everyone. Any ideas, let me know.

I walked Duval a bit early in the evening. Hemingway Days in full swing. Booths along the street selling all kinds of things. One of the most active booths was selling food. Greek food. I looked. Nothing looked like what I ate in Greece. I passed. Did not try any of the items.

Worked my way into Sloppy Joe’s. More people than the fire laws probably allowed. The Hemingway look a likes were on stage. It was the finals.

The heat was too much for me. I left Sloppy’s and Duval. Headed for the air conditioned Chart Room.

JJ bartending. Sheila and Captain Peter at the bar.

I sat next to a lovely woman. Turned out she was Greek. Her name Elena. Likes to be referred to as the Key West Greek.

I had never met her before. Elena has been in and out of Key West her whole life. She has lived elesewhere, also. All over the world!

Elena is an artist. A mixed media artist. Paintings, woood burning, etc. Her work is being shown at Hogfish, the Greene Street Cigar Company, and the Estate Liquidation Warehouse.

I enjoyed her company. She knew Greece intimately. Great conversation!

Elena made me feel good. She brought up ages. Told me she was older than me. I said no way. I am older than everyone. She said she was 59. Blew her mind when I told her I was 77. I think it is the beard. I may never shave it off.

Sheila had a friend. Mary Antoine. Mary was down from Fort Lauderdale. She is into cruising and franchising.

I desired a veal chop. To Michael’s.

Sat at the bar.

Two gentlemen next to me. In their early 60s. We chatted. One started talking about Woodstock back in 1969. He had been there. For all three days. Made sense. Once you were in, you could not get out.

He told us about his experiences at Woodstock. Except for one. His friend and I asked simultaneolusly…..But did you get laid? The laughs were gut wrenching. He did. In the mud and rain.

It was celebrity night at Michael’s. Paula Dean came in. With a large group. Her husband is a contestant in the Hemingway look alike contest. Paula is the TV chef. Oprah loves her. She is world famous.

Paula was well received. Most knew of her. I did not realize so many people were into cooking. She was gracious. Acknowledged everyone. Enjoyed her evening.

Robert got home last night. Lisa and Corey drove to Miami to pick him up. Lisa said he was tired. He looked like he had not slept in a week.

The family and I are having dinner together tonight at the Yacht Club.

It is 10 am. The British Open is coming up on television. Must hurry to watch it.

Enjoy your Sunday!

FROM INTERNET SHOW TO BP RELATED DOLPHIN DEATHS

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Yesterday’s internet show a winner! The Key West Lou Legal hour was back to normal. The trip is yesterday’s news.

I was bombarded following the show with e mails and telephone calls. People telling me what topics interested them most. Yesterday’s were the two stories concerning Presidents.

The John Holland story. Holland was a forefather of FDR and the two Bushes. Said a better way, FDR and the two Bushes are Holland’s descendants.

The other involved Grover Cleveland. Cleveland was the Democratic candidate for President in the 1884 election. Politics back then as dirty as today. It came out during the campaign that Cleveland had a 10 year old illegitimate son. He was supporting both the son and his former mistress. The Republicans came up with a tidbit for the campaign: “Ma, Ma, where’s my
Pa? Gone to the white House, ha, ha, ha.”

Cleveland won the election. I doubt he could today.

Visited Lisa for a while after the show. Robert somewhere in middle Florida with the cancer survivor group and Ally at day camp. Lisa and Corey pick up Robert today in Miami. The family will be a unit once more.

Then a visit to the dentist. A minor problem.

Last night started with the Chart Room. Big crowd. Many locals. Emily, Sheila, Captain Peter, Sean and Katherine. Hemingway Hank was back with his wife Patricia. Hank was proudly wearing a medal around his neck. For the ninth year, he has been selected as a finalist in the Hemingway Look A Like Contest. Hope he wins. He’s due.

Met Billy and Cindy Schott.

Billy is a true blue loyal reader of this blog. Every day. He and Cindy were married last year at this time on Smathers Beach. Key West is in their blood. Billy occasionally e mails me. He was at the Chart Room last night to meet me.

Billy and Cindy are from the Austin, Texas area. Billy was a kicker for the 1971-1975 Texas University football teams. Later, he played pro ball with the Houston Oilers. Today, he works for the Big 12 as a TV liason. Off season, his responsibilities incude collecting urine samples for testing. He might be described as the Pee Commissioner of Texas.

Cindy is an art teacher and also has her own catering business.

I spent my whole time at the Chart Room with them. Interesting and nice people. I suspect that since they were married in Key West, they will continue to visit each year at this time.

Dinner was at the bar at the Hot Tin Roof. Great food, as usual. I had chicken. I had had it before and liked it. The breast is splayed, grilled, and then quickly seared in a light oil. Magnificent!

A packed house at the Hot Tin Roof, also. Joseph and Valerie were kept busy.

The new Publix opened thursday where Albertson’s used to be. It was pushing 11 in the evening. I decided to stop by and see it on my way home.

The store is set up just as Albertsons was. I knew none of the employees. I suspect they were all former Albertson employees.

Publix is going all out in the customer war with Winn Dixie. Visitors since the opening get a lovely bouquet of flowers. Baskets emptied by an employee at check out. Carts delivered to your car with the groceries by an employee. It will not last. However, it is a nice touch.

I purchased nothing so I received none of the benefits described.

There has been an increase in dolphin deaths in the Gulf area. A significant increase. 186 washed up on shore in a three month period. More than half young ones. Calves. This is occurring in the area between Louisiana and western Florida. The dead dolphins are grossly underweight and anemic.

Some experts attribute the deaths to the BP spill and the cold waters of the last two years. They zero in on the BP spill as a causing factor because tests indicate the dolphins were undernourished and anemic before the cold waters came. It is thought that the BP spill screwed up the dolphin food chain.

BP came out last year and said everything A-OK. Worry not folks. I said no way could such a mammoth problem be cured in such a short time. The effects of the spill would be felt for years. The dolphin problem is an example.

A brief comment regarding the Colorado movie house shootings. There are two schools of thought on how to avoid such a situation. One is better gun control. The other is everyone should carry a firearm for protection purposes. Shoot the bad guy before he shoots you.

The right to bear arms has been clearly recognized by the courts in the past few years. Most people seem to have missed these decisions. In some states, people may openly carry a fire arm. Some college campuses permitt students to do so.

Those against guns walk around with the misconception that laws are in place to protect them from weapon bearing individuals. They are clearly wrong. While they slept, the NRA did its job.

Let me say what I have said before on my show and in writing. Twenty years from now we will be a gun bearing society. Just as in the Old West.

My day is going to be busy. I have to work through the trip photos so they can be posted in due course.

Enjoy your day!