Key West offers much. Something for everyone.

The Songwriters Festival began yesterday. Runs through sunday. The twentieth anniversary of the event.

There is no other event anywhere to compare. Songwriters from all over the world invade Key West. Over 200. Play everywhere. Most venues free. The bars, restaurants, Tropic Cinema, and San Carlos.

A charity fundraiser. St. Jude Hospital.

A leader in the festival locally is Smokin’ Tuna.

A pleasant easy day yesterday.

Started with a haircut with Lori. Enjoy the lady! For over 15 years. An excellent conversationalist.

Then lunch at what was Lobos. Now Island Queen or something like that. Cuban sandwich place. It is hidden. Like No Name Pub, you have to search for it.

It sits in the corner off the walk next to Antonia’s and the walk in off Southard. Large for a Cuban sandwich place. Lots of sitting room.

Enjoyed a Cuban cheese toast with tomato and Cuban coffee. The cheese toast almost as good as the old Paradise Cafe. I enjoyed!

Bocce last night.

We played the #1 or #2 team. Excellent competition! They almost always win. Lose few games, forget matches.

We went in hoping to win one game. We are fighting to make the playoffs. The first five of the fourteen teams involved make it. Going into last night, we were around 4 or 5.

We won 2 out of 3 games. Wow! The only game we lost was the one I played in. I sucked.

A great victory! Hurt the other team’s standings and may have pushed us definitely into a play off position.

Next week is the end of the season.

This is VE Day. Victory in Europe 1945. Germany defeated.

I was 10 years old at the time. I remember the day distinctly. It was morning when the news came over the radio. Everyone was in the streets and on porches yelling and crying, hugging and kissing. Everyone had someone in the fight against Germany and Japan.

There have been many wars since. Not one has ended with the joy and enthusiasm I experienced that day. Sad. Probably because not everyone has a family member in the battle. We now have a professional military which takes away from the personal involvement.

Three from my family come to mind immediately. An uncle in New Guinea. An uncle in germany. A cousin on the USS Missoula delivering troops to the beaches of Iwo Jima.

Harry Truman. As I continually repeat, Truman loved Key West. Key West loves Truman. He is with us even now.

Today is Truman’s birthday.

Enjoy your day!