HEMINGWAY RECALLED

The past few hours have been Hemingway time! Hemingway time recalled.

I stayed in last night. I was tired. Watched TV. Hit a gold vein! Hemingway’s For Whom The Bell Tolls. The 1943 movie starring Gary Cooper.

Woke at 4 this morning unable to sleep. Turned on TV. The gold vein had not run out. Hemingway’s A Farewell To Arms playing. The 1932 movie starring Gary Cooper.

I believe A Farewell To Arms was Hemingway at his best.

More Hemingway.

Hemingway frequented Sloppy Joe’s. He and Joe were best of friends. Hemingway started drinking at Sloppy Joe’s when it was located on Green Street.

Late in the evening on this day in 1935, Joe moved his business to its present location on Duval. Hemingway helped him move. Carried tables and bar stools. Took the ceramic urinals home. Those urinals today are hooked up to the water system and supply the cats who make their home at the Hemingway House on Whitehead.

A special morning weather wise. Absolutely no breeze. Water calm. Like a mirror. Sky blue. No white clouds. There is a taste/smell in the air. Of spring, not summer. Interesting since the past two weeks have been humid and I have been describing it as summer time having arrived.

Lunched at Waterfront Restaurant yesterday. Business poor. Few customers. I ate at the bar. Was not crazy about my lunch. First time I have felt that way. I am concerned for the viability of this generally fine Key West restaurant. I wish the proprietors good luck. They have big dollars invested.

Road construction in the area did not help. Lower Caroline and the huge parking lot being repaired at the same time. What idiot in City Hall made that decision?

Big race saturday morning! The Zero K Race. Course is the length of Cow Key Bridge. Three hundred feet. 1,500 runners expected. Many dressed as cows. Record time 23.1 seconds. Some will be out to beat it.

This week’s KONK Life column is titled When education Fails, A Nation Fails. It is on the stands. Also linked to my Key West Lou website this morning. .keywestlou.com.

Navy Seal commandos have returned. They are training in Key West harbor waters.

Merle Haggard died. A country music icon. He had 38 #1 country hits.

When we think of the American Revolution, it is of the land battles. Concord, Lexington, New York, Trenton, and Saratoga are recalled. Rarely do we hear of the naval battles.

Today is significant in the annals of naval battles at the time. On this day in 1776, there was a second Lexington battle. The U.S. warship Lexington defeated and captured the British warship Edward off the coast of Virginia. A big win for our new country.

Part of Key West folklore/history is Count Carl Von Cosel. His lady love Elena Hoyos died. He stole her body. Kept her in a bed for several years while treating her in every possible way to make her appear alive.

An attempt is now being made to memorialize the event. The Morbid Anatomy Museum is located in Brooklyn. Ronni Thomas is a filmmaker in residence and director of the film.

Funds are being raised to produce the film. $50,000 the goal. Thus far $5,550 raised. Deadline for the fund raising is April 26.

Von Cosel’s a Key West bred story.

Take a look at the website re the film. An historical document. Interesting. http://bit.ly/voncosel.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

LET MY PEOPLE GO!

Let my people go! Famous Biblical line. Moses speaking to Pharaoh.

A similar situation exists involving Florida keys’ residents. This morning’s Key West Citizen in a major front page article told the story of Aziza Petro and her two children 11 and 4 who are being held hostage in Turkmenistan.

Aziza has dual citizenship. U.S. and Turkmenistan. She was born in Turkmenistan.

She lives and works in the Key West area. Married to Mike. Mike is a well known realtor and political figure. Their two children are Mercedes and Mikey.

Aziza’s mother died two years ago. Aziza and the children returned to Turkmenistan to visit her mother’s grave. They were to return home July 1. The Turkmenistan government refused to let them out. The government did not recognize Aziza’s American citizenship. Claim she is stuck in the country. The fact that the two children were born in the United States and have no connection to Turkmenistan appears immaterial. They are not being permitted to leave.

A tragedy!

All members of the Petro family suffering.

I make mention of Aziza’a story because I met her some four months ago. I was at the outside bar at Louie’s. As was Aziza. She had an hour to kill while waiting to pick her husband up at the airport.

The conversation was interesting. I was impressed with Aziza’s sense of community responsibility. She proudly showed me pictures of her children and husband. We spoke of my Albanian friend Flora who I met on Amorgos. Albania and Turkmenistan are both former Soviet Union block countries. Turkmenistan still being run like one.

I wrote about my meeting with Aziza in my blog the next morning.

Aziza and her children cannot get out of a country. There is also the story of another local who cannot get into a country.

Friday, Secretary of State Kerry will be in Havana for the raising of the American flag at the U.S. Embassy. The Cuban government is refusing to allow who they describe as “dissidents” to participate. Credentials to enter Cuba are being denied to some. One such person is Key West’s own Rob O’Neal.

Rob’s relationship with Cuba goes back years. He has lived there. Married a Cuban. Spent years trying to get his wife to the United States. Rob has not had a kumbaya relationship with the Cuban government. Ergo, he is not being permitted to attend the Havana flag raising.

My relationship with Rob is limited. However, he is well known and loved in Key West. He is a friend of my daughter Lisa. He took her wedding pictures. Rob is a professional photographer and is the Citizen’s photographer. His press credentials could not gain him admission to Cuba for friday’s event.

Jimmy Carter has cancer. Sad. Not a Presidential great, he has become the best ex President ever. His good works since leaving office are world wide. I wish him well.

Bocce season begins tonight. I am excited!

This week’s KONK Life column is Hemingway’s First Love. It was linked to my Key West Lou website this morning. keywestlou.com. Read it. You will find the story interesting and informative.

Enjoy your day!