SLOPPY JOE’S 80th ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR

Sloppy Joe’s.

Infamous. A Key West tradition. Hemingway hang out.

Proprietor Joe Russell began business at the Greene and Duval Street corner site 80 years ago on May 3, 1938. Russell a Key West icon in his own right. A bootlegger, fishing boat captain, speakeasy operator, etc. An original Key Wester.

Russell had previously operated where Captain Tony’s is located on Greene Street today. A speakeasy at first. When prohibition ended, as the Blind Pig. Put a dance floor in and renamed the place the Silver Slipper.

Hemingway and Russell became best friends when Russell ran Greene Street as a speakeasy. They drank, fished, and gambled together.

The Silver Slipper sold whiskey for 15 cents and gin for ten. A far cry from today’s bar prices.

The move from Greene Street to the present location of Sloppy Joe’s took place at midnight. Russell lost not one penny. Customers, including Hemingway, helped carry the furniture and bottled booze to the new location where they continued drinking.

The old location had ceramic troughs where the men piddled. Russell had no need for them in the new place. Hemingway carried them home to his house on Whitehead. To this day, Hemingway’s six toed cats drink from the ceramic troughs which are fresh water pipe fed.

Syracuse lost in double over time to Florida State yesterday afternoon. An excellent game! Syracuse played well till the second overtime. The final score says it all. 101-90.

Telephoned Catherine while watching the game to invite her to the movies. I wanted to see the Post. She declined. Catherine is an active Rotarian. The Rotary sponsored a marathon over the weekend. Catherine has been working on the race since Thursday. Even in Friday’s pouring rain. Crazy!

She said she was tired. I understood.

I do not enjoy going to the movies alone. Ergo, my evening changed. Started at the Chart Room. Packed! The Eagles game.

Remained for one drink. Chatted with Shaun and a friend he introduced me too. Noel or Noelle. Not sure which. She has managed a couple of restaurants in Key West.

She and I bonded immediately. She is starting on a diet Monday. Keto. Sister to Atkins. However more fatty foods than protein. She told me to beware of dairy products on Atkins. Even though carb free, inhibit weight loss. Maybe that is why I hung in at only a 10 pound loss since 11/27 when I started the diet. I have been eating a ton of cheese.

Beginning today, I eliminate cheese from the diet.

I finally lost 2 pounds yesterday. One more today. After forever at 10. I do not understand why. Cheese part of my diet through yesterday.

Dinner last night at Tavern ‘n Town. I have not eaten there since I started the diet. I was welcome back like a war hero returned home. Enjoyed a prime rib. So delicious! Great on the Atkins diet.

Cold! Heat on. Fifty six degrees at the moment. High today 63. The cold front will be with us till Saturday.

Shaun’s mother is visiting from Minnesota. Exceptionally cold weather up there. She is freezing in Key West, however. Even though warmer. In Minnesota, she has heat. Shaun’s apartment does not have heat.

Stopped at Donna and Terri’s on the way home for a drink. I worry about Terri. She is doing well. Returning to Tampa in a week for a week of tests. My concern is the flu. Key West is rampant with the flu. Terri’s immune system might not be able to handle it should she get the bug.

In spite of the cold, hope to make Hot Dog Church and Gardens today.

La Te Da’s infamous Sunday afternoon Tea Dance has returned. From 4-7. Party time! Described by some as a little outdoor Studio 54. Men dance with men, women with women, men with women, young with old.

Christopher Rounds is to be complimented in making sure the Sunday afternoon Tea Dance lived on.

The last time I attended a Tea Dance was years ago. At the time, it was held at Atlantic Shores. A WOW place!

Last but not least, the false missile alarm yesterday in Hawaii: Ballistic Missile Threat Inbound. Seek Immediate Shelter. This Is Not A Drill.

The report caused by human error in Hawaii. Took 38 minutes for the populace to be advised the incoming missile not for real. In the meantime, panic. Understandably so.

This is a perfect example of what could happen with two nuts out there. Jung-U and Trump.

Trump was playing golf when he found out. We have not been advised yet whether it was before it was discovered the attack was not a real one.

Assume the report to Trump was incoming missile headed for Hawaii. Assume further Trump decided to retaliate immediately. Most likely with one or more nuclear missiles. A nuclear war. North Korea would then have retaliated immediately against the U.S.

The beginning of World War III. All because two nuts head the governments immediately involved.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

10 comments on “SLOPPY JOE’S 80th ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR

  1. Regarding the missile threat. Just how can anything regarding this be blamed on our President ? I believe he acted correctly. An over reaction did not happen.
    The blame is to be put squarely on a government agency. The Pacific Command allows one person to be in charge of such a threat and this person made a mistake. It took app 15 mins for an informal retraction and 35 mins for a formal one. Changes are now being implemented to correct this.

    • Thank God Trump WAS playing golf. One can only imagine what might have happened had he gotten first news of this while watching Fox and Friends on television.

    • No Patrick, he played golf through the entire incident. The pool report had Trump not leaving the golf course until 138 PM ET and not arriving back at Mar-a-Lago at 149 PM. The missile alert was originally posted at 109 ET and not declared false by Hawaii congressperson Gabbard until 119 & then by Hawaii at 120 ET. Like I said, we were probably spared catastrophe that he was NOT getting his first news about this, WHILE watching Fox and friends on television. The only correct answer to what was really just a sarcastic statement would have been “YOU GOT THAT RIGHT.”

  2. If you don’t think he was made aware of the situation while on the course then your head is stuck in the sand once again. I would think that even our previous president was trying to work while playing.

    • Patrick – yes, that is quite likely, but if so, that would make it worse, wouldn’t it? The alert was made in Hawaii at 1:09 PM, while he was playing golf. Presumably he would have been notified fairly soon after that, and that initial notice would have been along the lines of “we’re checking it out NOW.” but he apparently kept going, kept playing golf. And even if he was notified that is was a ‘false positive,’ that wouldn’t have happened for a few minutes, at least, probably a bunch of few minutes. No report of him leaving the golf corse and head for a secure place or anything like that, he apparently kept going with the golf thing. It wasn’t until 1:38 PM ET that he left the course, and did something, but who knows what. Every other President would have gone someplace and prepared a speech (or prepared to read a speech), assuring the country that he was “on it” and “not to worry, we’ll get to the bottom of this, I’m in charge, relax, chill, everything all right.” But he didn’t do that and in fact, we haven’t heard from him at all since, at least nothing I’ve seen and I’m looking for something.

      Obama would of, Bush did. etc.

      Now wouldn’t you think that his reaction (first, second or third) would have been, Oh s**t, before or even after the “all clear” (which would have taken several minutes, at least), this doesn’t look good, I got to get off the links and out of these golf clothes? Or, Don’t you think that maybe someone in his entourage, perhaps the ranking officer who came to tell him about the incident would have said, “come on, we have to get out of here, besides this might turn out to look pretty bad?”

      Or maybe they didn’t tell him at the time, thinking that would put him in a bad mood and maybe even ruin dinner.

      Now, we have to sit through you and your Alias Army, pontificate and protect your Fuehrer with soft porn about how he’s human and crude (say nothing of Vulgar) and should be again forgiven for NOT doing the right thing? He seems to me like he’s more proving what Michael Wolf said EVERYONE in his ‘White House, was saying about him – “he IS incompetent!”

    • I can’t see how your posts, all of them – pseudo and otherwise, allow you to make any kind of fair judgement on that subject. Even the pope is worried.

Leave a Reply to michael Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *