CHE A NO SHOW

Several of us were at the Chart Room at 5 yesterday to visit with Che. An old friend, Chart Room cohort, one who has an empty hole in the bar awaiting his ashes, a first class debater in any friendly argument, a man soon to be 84.

The meeting had been arranged by Jean Thornton. Che has become a recluse in recent months. His health failing. He would not open his door if someone knocked. We wanted to visit with him.

No Che. Failed to appear. Probably decided he simply did not want to do it. No problem. Che has earned the right to call them as he sees them.

We sat at the round table and enjoyed ourselves. Jean, David, Cori, Nic, Captain Frank, Valerie, Lisa, and Louis. Later, Quincy Perkins showed up.

Jean made a batch of deviled eggs and brought them for all to enjoy.

Later, Jean and I had dinner together at Hot Tin Roof. Sheila bartending.

Jean and I are a match. We get along well. I consider her a benefactor. Escaped Irma by staying at her home in Birmingham for 12 days.

The Ocean Key House pier was severely damaged by Irma. The contractor waited six months to get back to Ocean Key that he could not do the job for the price bid. Another company has stepped in. They are swiftly working. A huge crane, huge wood posts, etc. I understand the entire pier is going to be redone in concrete.

My sunday afternoon was spent writing this week’s KONK Life column. Sit At Attention Or Die. A Kim/Trump tale. Mostly, Kim. It hits the stands wednesday evening.

The article was well researched and wrote swiftly. I had time left over. Skimmed the internet a bit to determine what the following week’s article will be.

Came up with the subject! Sand! The world is running out of sand. A black market has developed. I did some preliminary research. Interesting.

What a difference 100 years make! Price of Key West Hotel rooms.

In 1914, the Panama Hotel was located at the corner of Eaton and Elizabeth Streets. A new hotel. Running water in each room. A big deal! Rates $1.00, $1.50, and $2.00.

A sad situation. Paul Donnelly was the Key West Citizen Controller. In a management restructuring in March, Paul was one of the those let go.

Paul got in trouble last thursday in Plainview, Michigan. He robbed a bank. Walked up to a teller, handed her a note saying this is a robbery and my bag contains a bomb.

Paul walked out with $4,700. Eight hours later, he was arrested without incident.

Paul was in Plainview visiting relatives. The relatives claim Paul was suicidal, the bank robbery a call for help, he was fighting alcoholism, the sudden loss of his job had affected him, and he had recurring problems from a brain tumor.

Several years ago, I wrote a KONK Life article re Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo. The Waterloo battle was waged this day in 1815.

I discovered in my research at the time that the popular reason for Napoleon’s defeat was not correct. It was not the genius of the Duke of Wellington, though his military prowess probably did make some contribution.

Napoleon had hemorrhoids. They were extremely painful the night before. He doped himself with some narcotic that evening and in the late morning when he woke to kill the pain. He overslept. Did not get to the battlefield till just before noon. The battle had started in the early morning.

He could not sit comfortably on his horse. As a result, he did not move around the battlefield to personally view and assess conditions.

The battle was lost early evening.

My research clearly indicated it was the hemorrhoids that did him in.

The immigration children problem disturbs me as it must most of you. Children separated from parents. Sort of a Sophie’s choice, though not as final.

Totally un-American. Not what good people do. I am ashamed my country is doing this.

The problem has to be resolved like yesterday. Realistically, by the end of this week.

How would Trump have felt if his three oldest when young were taken from him and his wife in a fashion similar to what is occurring at the borders? Or, Barron today?

Cock fighting in the lower Keys was a big deal back when. Perhaps even today. I recall a few years ago a group was arrested for involvement with cock fighting.

BOB reports British Peter had a cock fighting experience.

The time would have been the mid 1990’s. Peter was driving cab for a living. New to the job. Got a call asking if he would go to Rockland Key to pick up a fare. Peter jumped at the chance. The fare $17 plus tip.

He picked up 3 young boys each with a paper bag on a side road off US 1. They asked to be taken to Bahama Village. Made sure they had money to pay. Started up and reached the intersection with US 1.

All of a sudden, a huge truck was behind the cab. Lights glaring, horn blowing, and the driver waving out the window. Peter had no idea what was going on. He immediately called for help. The Sheriff’s Department arrived in 2 minutes.

The guy in the tuck ran to the cab. The boys jumped out and ran onto US 1 emptying their bags as they ran. They assumed the chickens would run into the woods. Not so. The chickens were fighters. They engaged in a mammoth cock fight on US 1 in front of the Sheriff Deputies.

The guy in the truck was arrested. The kids taken into custody. The chickens collected.

A problem arose. The Sheriff/County had no place to keep the chickens pending trial. Evidence. They solved the problem in Key West fashion. The chickens were turned over to the now defendant truck driver who they assumed knew how to safeguard them.

BOB does not tell  us how the case ended. Was there a trial? Were the chickens produced? I doubt it. These chickens were lucky if they saw the light of day following the incident.

The situation bothered Peter. He put a sign in his cab: No Rockland County trips, no Rockland County residents.

Dueling Bartenders tonight.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

SLOAN IN DUBLIN

Sloan arrived in Dublin. Followed by a night’s sleep, she is now enjoying her first day of sightseeing.

Sea gulls. Many sea gulls where she stayed. Noisy. Sea gulls in Key West, also. Sloan commented she never hears them here.

Dinner last night alone at the bar at Hogfish. Continues to be less than full. It’s September.

Finished Orange Is The New Black yesterday. Enjoyed the book. Different from what I had anticipated. Women’s federal jails not replete with lesbian lovemaking and brutal fights. Rather a place of endless time waiting to complete a sentence. Little help or concern by guards or other security officers.

I read the book six years after its publication. It is also a TV series into its third or fourth year. I have not seen any of the TV shows.

The author did wrong and spent 13 months in jail paying what society viewed as her debt. Had to be awful. The one rewarding factor is the success of the book and TV series. The thirteen months brought her a life time of economic security. A fortunate result.

Hurricane Matthew now a 4. Wow! Deadly! Approaching Jamaica.

My day ahead a perfect one! Syracuse/Notre Dame football at noon. Notre Dame a 9.5 point favorite. Tonight, dinner at Tavern ‘n Town and Bobby Nesbitt. Lizabeth, also. She will be with two lady friends. Lizabeth has been a Bobby Nesbitt follower and friend for years.

Poor William Hackley. He is into his third day of hemorrhoids. He refers to them as piles. So bad today that he could not walk.

I appreciate his pain. Mine were horrible some 40 years ago. Finally required surgery. Wish I had had the surgery months earlier.

Yesterday was the first day of the Ryder Cup. I was not aware. Do not know how I missed it. They are playing in Minnesota.

The US up 5-3 as a result of yesterday’s playing. Not so good. They were ahead 4-0 at the end of the morning rounds. Europe came back big time in the afternoon.

I will be watching parts of the Ryder Cup while watching the Syracuse game.

I was fortunate to see a Ryder Cup 20 plus years ago. In Rochester. All four days. Stayed at a hotel filled with NBC guests. A friend worked for NBC. Used the Oldsmobile tent. A client was an Oldsmobikle dealer.

NBC picked up my hotel tab. I was bundled in with all their guests. NBC also provided bus service to the golf course.

The only way to go! A sponsor hotel and tent.

Disney World opened in 1971. Cost $3.50. Today, one day for 10 year olds and up $105.00.

Today, a big day in baseball history. On this day in 1961, Roger Maris hit his 61st home run. Breaking Babe Ruth’s record which had existed for years.

A required observation. Maris did it, and Ruth before him, without the benefit of steroids or drugs.

Enjoy your day!