STONE CRABS

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U.S. politics is at its worst. The world is in turmoil. All take a back seat. Pure unadulterated pleasure the reason. Stone crab season opens tomorrow!

From my perspective, man’s finest food. I cannot wait to gorge myself tomorrow night.

Yesterday began with a noon haircut with Lori. Lori is moving. Was supposed to be this week. Told me yesterday it will be at least another month. Typical of Key West. nothing ever begins or finishes on time.

It’s the sun! Slows everything down, including people.

Lori had to take delivery yesterday of her new chairs. New place not available for storage. They are sitting on the sidewalk in front of her present place of business on Southard. Ain’t no one going to steal them. Hercules needed to move them.

A few doors down Southard is Jay’s new sandwich shop Cuzzy Bubbaz. His grand opening was to have been this past tuesday. I stopped in for lunch after my haircut. Doors locked. Looked in the window. Place a mess. Still under construction.

Ran into Jay at bocce last night. The electrical screwed up. He is required to make changes. It is in the process. He hopes to be open for Goombay.

Can’t win.

The best thing that happened to Don’s Place in bocce was my retirement. The team remains in first place. 16-2. Alone in first place.

Hell’s Rangers had already lost two when I arrived last night. I do not know the result of their third game.

Don’s Place won two without David and Norm last night. David sick and Norm out of town.

Watched Michelle Obama speak yesterday. Outstanding! Trump has to be having trouble walking today.

Several news broadcasters have mentioned that when husband Barack was first elected, she hated public speaking. No more. The woman is another Eleanor Roosevelt!

This morning’s Key West Citizen notes that Trauma Star carried 471 patients in fiscal 2016. Eighty six more than 2015.

The new helicopter has arrived. Not in use yet. The crew still training.

Trauma Star is the County’s free helicopter service for patients who need rushing to a Miami hospital. There is also a private service. Rip off big time! $60,000 a trip and not covered by insurance.

I have mentioned the past few years in this column, in my daily blog and on my podcast show that Putin has become rich as the head of Russia. He gets a piece of everything. Ten to 20 percent.

I might be wrong as to the percentage. Thomas Friedman in a recent New York Times article wrote, “Putin owns some $30 billion in property, hotels and factories.”

Trump has to be doing business in Russia. Borrowing money, especially. Whatever, Putin could own a piece of some of some of Trump’s American properties.

The Cuban missile crisis began today. A U.S. reconnaissance plane took 900 plus photos over Cuba this date in 1962. The photos identified Soviet mid-range ballistic missiles. Pointed at the U.S.

By October 23, Key West had become an armed camp. Fifteen thousand troops. Some berthed in the Casa Marina. Anti-missile weapons and machine guns on Key West beaches.

Cuba was John Kennedy’s first test. He performed well. Russia blinked and the confrontation came to an end.

A visit to Dr. McIvor late today. I continue to tire easily and sometimes gulp a breath or two.

Enjoy your day!

VIOLENCE BEGETS VIOLENCE

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Dallas last night. St. Anthony and Baton Rouge a few days earlier. Multiple black killings by police officers the past several years.

You know the facts. I want to share a few sayings that from my perspective apply to the Dallas killings: Violence begets violence. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. You hit me, I’m going to hit you back harder. What goes around, comes around.

The problem is now totally out of hand.

One positive: Cell phone cameras.

A couple of items involving Key West notables.

Ernest Hemingway. Beloved Key West resident for ten years. Hemingway was wounded this day in 1918. Severely wounded. He was 18 years old. An ambulance driver with the Red Cross. Stationed on the Italian-Austrian front.

A mortar shell landed nearby. Some were killed, others wounded. Though severely wounded, Hemingway carried one of the other wounded out of danger. Hemingway had no recollection of the event afterwards. The Italian government awarded him a medal for valor.

John Spottswood. A Key West icon. His name will be remembered for all time as one of those who made Key West great.

Spottswood was a four term sheriff and a four term state senator. Also, a big Democrat. He owned at one time the Casa Marina and La Concha hotels.

He fathered four sons. All successful business persons today. All contributors to the Key West scene.

I only know one. Robert Spottswood. And, his wife Elena. Two better people do not exist. First class in every respect.

Interestingly, the Spotswoods today own the Marriott Beachside. One of Key West’s finest hotels. Robert is responsible for the management of the Marriott Beachside.

PT-109 was being filmed in 1962. The story of John Kennedy during World War II. The movie was filmed on Munson Island. Today known as Little Palm Island.

John Spottswood owned Munson Island at the time.

As a side note, Cliff Robertson played Kennedy. Many years later, I was privileged to meet Robertson. He was ancient in appearance. Clear in mind. Dapperly dressed.

He was in Key West to head up an international fund raiser for the Mel Fisher Museum. He was Honorary Chairman.

Oxitec. The British company that wants to test their genetically modified mosquitoes in Key Haven. They found another guinea pig. The Cayman Islands. The testing begins next week.

This does not mean the Key Haven test is dead. Don’t know.

Yesterday morning, it was a haircut with Lori. Her husband’s name is Jamie.

Then a walk. I did it in Home Depot. Air conditioned. The humidity outside too heavy.

My column in KONK Life this week is Who Pays for Booze and Balloons? The financing of national political conventions. It is estimated each convention will cost $100 million this year.

The column hit the stands yesterday. It was linked to my Key West Lou website this morning. www.keywestlou.com. It also was run in this morning’s KONK E-Blast.

Enjoy your day!

HOUSEBOAT ROW

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I am late getting started this morning. Had to be at the hospital early. Heart CAT scan. Part of annual check up.

The Keys History Section  in this morning’s Key West Citizen made mention of houseboat row. A part of yesterday’s Key West. A series of houseboats were tied off South Roosevelt Boulevard. In the area now fronted by an expensive condo complex.

The boats were of all sizes and shapes. Young and old. Some tied in a line. Others, helter skelter. A beautiful sight! A slice of the real Key West.

The houseboats were parked illegally. The State told them to get out. It took more than 25 years before the State succeeded. Most of the houseboats moved to Garrison Bight.

I loved the houseboat scene! I was disappointed when they were finally forced to move. A real Key West site forever lost.

I like the condos. The pristine water view where the houseboats once stood. However, it is Naples to me. I did not move to Key West to live in a Naples environment. I wanted to live in Key West time as my friend Howard Livingston would say.

Watched Jeb Bush yesterday. His Presidential announcement great show. Well orchestrated. One of the best I can recall.

I do not think Jeb Jush has it to win. The Bush family argument does fly. His comments from another time. He is out of today’s loop.

Bush lacks charisma. A necessary ingredient in a national and TV campaign. John Kennedy would not have won without it. Bush does not have it.

Judy Blume still on the road. She is touring introducing her latest book In the Unlikely Event. She is presently on the west coast. Every where she speaks, she is well received. a respected woman. a woman with a talent.

We await Judy’s return to her Key West home.

I started yesterday on the anti-gravity treadmill. I took it slow because of my recent sciatica problems.

Drove over to the Cuban Coffee Queen afterwards for Cuban cheese toast and coffee. I parked behind the new fire station on Simonton.

Key West has crazy parking machines. One gets a ticket out of the machine which is then placed on the dashboard of the car. There are two machines in the parking lot. Next to each other.

Both were broke. A City employee was trying to fix them. Success was not coming easy.

I stood around five minutes so I could get a ticket. No ticket on the dashboard and I would get a ticket! The gentleman from the City saw me standing there. He asked how much time I needed. I told him 1.5 hours. He said, ok. Be back by 1:30. I am calling in so no tickets will be given out till 1:30.

I asked…..Are you sure? No problem he retorted.

When I returned at the specified time, he was still working on the machines. I gave him a thumbs up and smile. He returned the same with a wave and smile.

A nice guy.

Big basketball tonight! Cavs and Warriors. Cavs have to win. Otherwise, it is all over for them.

My blog talk radio show tonight, also. Nine my time. Join me for some interesting comment. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics tonight include getting drunk on the front steps of your home not public intoxication, another police assault involving a 13 year old boy, why big company and government computers are being hacked, banks involved with FIFA scandal being investigated for failing to report money laundering activities, some Jeb Bush, an Austrian brothel owner who is protesting high taxes on his business by offering free sex in the afternoons, a Greece update, and more.

Enjoy your day!