THE WALL…..BILLIONS OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS

Recall Trump’s words during the campaign…..We are going to build a wall and Mexico is going to pay for it.

Government contract notices listed on a federal website ask for proposals for construction of the wall by March 29. The wall to be 30 feet high.

Trump’s budget as sent to Congress requests monies this year. Tax dollar monies to commence construction of the wall. Described as a down payment. $2.6 billion.

Allocated between a pedestrian wall and vehicle barrier. Broken down, $6.5 million a mile for the pedestrian fence and $1.8 million a mile for the vehicle barrier.

Estimated cost for the entire project vary depending who is being asked. Anywhere from $12-21 billion.

I thought Mexico was going to pay for the wall. Trump has changed his tune. We are going to build and pay for it and then pursue Mexico for reimbursement.

Good luck!

The Syracuse basketball season ended yesterday. Syracuse lost to Ole Miss 85-80. I’m glad it’s over. Most of the games were painful to watch.

I watched yesterday’s game. Same story. We did not have it together. Took forever to make the first three pointer. Defense not what it should have been. Etc.

Villanova lost! Wow! Winner of the Final Four last year. Number 1 seed overall this year. Wisconsin beat Villanova 65-62. Such is the beauty of the NCAA Tournament. You never know when a lesser team is going to be up enough to beat a favorite.

Villanova was my choice for #1. Saw the team as the big winner.

Dee took me to dinner last night at Berlin’s. Two pound Maine lobsters. Delicious!!!

Dee just returned from Bali. Interesting stories to tell.

The William Hackley saga continues. His 8 day clock was not working. Would run down before 8 days up and was not keeping accurate time. He brought it to be repaired.

The verbiage immediately brought to mind 5 Day Deodorant Pads. Such was the name of a deodorant that hit the market in the early 1950s. Small circular pads soaked with deodorant.

I was in high school when 5 Day became popular. Used it. Did I use a deodorant before? Don’t recall. I do not think many, if any, used deodorant till the early 1950s.

Did we all have body odor before deodorant became popular? I do not recall.

Another interesting question was whether people did not daily bathe back then. Otherwise, why the 5 Day name? My mother made sure I took a bath every day. We did not have a shower.

The Studios of Key West has an interesting show scheduled for 8 tonight. I hope to make it.

It will be a reading and discussion of Tennessee Williams’ love letters.

Williams was gay. Had several lovers over the years. One was Frank Merlo. I wrote a column for KONK Life two years ago re the relationship. I thought Merlo to be the greatest love of Williams’ life. Williams wrote his best works during the 14 years they lived together in Williams’ Key West home and a New York City apartment.

The greatest love theory was mine. I am curious what I will hear this evening.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced that the recent battle with screwworms has been won. The flesh eating maggot problem eradicated.  Florida’s deer population, among others, saved. Especially the little deer living in Big Pine and on Little Deer Key.

Credit be given where credit due, Florida is on top these things.

Two significant Key West events March 25.

The last season tour of the Key West Cemetery. Three separate tours that day. Make a reservation. Always crowded. Attend if you never have. The history of Key West reflected on the stones. Also, some interesting quips by the deceased. My favorite is…..I told you I was sick.

Equality Florida is having its 20th Annual Gala. From 5:30 to 8:00. At the Gardens Hotel. A perfect venue for the event.

Equality Florida is Florida’s largest and most powerful gay rights organization.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

EARLIER ERA DISCRIMINATION

Racial discrimination an in your face item today. Trump’s attempts to limit/stop Muslim immigration an example.

Today, it is Muslims. At another time, the Chinese. The year 1888. On this date in 1888, the U.S. passed a law forbidding Chinese laborers from entering America. Note the word “laborers.” Merchants, extra smart persons and seafarers not included.

California was the tender spot. Over 100,000 had come in. The Anglo cry was they were taking up the white man’s jobs and causing wages to be low.

By 1888, some Chinese had become successful. They owned and operated laundries and restaurants. Both considered women’s work up to that time.

The U.S. continued to discriminate against and exclude laboring Chinese till 1943. The middle of World War II. The Chinese were our ally and such blatant racism could not be permitted to continue.

Spent a little time yesterday reading about turtles and the Florida Keys. A tale of love.

Sloan came by mid afternoon. I called her. Needed her. I wanted to improve on my new Go Live videos on Facebook. Two problems. Quickly resolved.

Big night! Jenna at Berlin’s. We had not seen each other for several weeks. It was catch up time.

Jenna is absolutely amazing. Her professional life continues to develop. Her income accompanies the success.

She was excited I was doing FB videos. She was watching them. She quickly shared with me two things I could do to make the videos better. Love her!

Compared to Jenna, I am a rank amateur when it comes to social media, FB, video, etc.

She shared with me a recent exciting experience.

Jenna has been running the past year. I should be so thin! She has competed in several 5Ks. Comes in 1st or in the top 5.

She works out with Dante. Another thin creature. His abs pronounced.

Jenna ran a short video on FB of her and Dante standing waiting to run. Eleven thousand views! Wow! Even she was surprised. She could not figure out why the video became instantaneously hot.

Would I love to have 11,000 views!

Bria stopped by. Lovely! Enjoyed her singing afterwards.

Tennessee Williams time.

This afternoon at 2 at the Tennessee Williams Gallery at 513 Truman, a talk about the making of The Rose Tattoo. Starred Anna Mangani and Burt Lancaster. Filmed in Key West in a house 2 doors from Williams’ home. The movie based on a Tennessee Williams story.

One week from today at The Studios of Key West, a presentation involving Williams and Frank Merlo. Williams and Merlo were lovers. They lived together in Key West and elsewhere for years. I believe their love letters the basis of the show.

I wrote about the Tennessee Williams and Frank Merlo relationship in an article in KONK Life three years ago. The emphasis was on the influence that Merlo had on Williams life and writing.

The State of Florida took like a 100 years to complete the reconstruction of North Roosevelt Boulevard. The State screwed up re the cross walks. How to long to spell out. If you live in Key West, you know.

Too many accidents at the crosswalks. Serious injuries the result.

The State has been screwing around about correcting the situation. Nothing definite from them.

City officials are trying again. The State has to come in and fix. It is a State highway. Even if the State agrees, I can tell you it will be an additional 2-3 years to get to it because of funding. Not in the budget or proposed budget.

Harry Truman loved Key West and Key West loves Harry Truman. On this date 1950, the President arrived in Key West for a one month vacation. A working one. At the Little White House.

I am fortunate to live on this island. Warm most of the time. Experienced enough snow while living up north.

New York City got hit by a major snow storm in 1888. Began this date. Forty inches in 36 hours. The City was isolated for days. An example being that messages to Boston had to be routed through England.

Here I go again with robots and autonomous intelligence. It is not sneaking upon us. It has. And no one is talking about where those human employees being replaced by robots, etc. will work.

The issue is not bringing jobs back from Europe, Asia and Mexico. Such an issue 20 years ago. Over the next 3-4 years, it will be the robots taking over.

And no one talks about it. Not even Trump who professes to know everything.

California plans to permit no driver vehicles on its highways by the end of the year. No steering wheel, no pedals, no driver.

A biggie beginning at 5:30 today. The NCAA Selection Show. I do not expect Syracuse to be selected.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

THE AWARD GOES TO…..

I am old school. I enjoy the Academy Awards.

Last night turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. Not because of the Academy Awards. Because of Comcast.

My TV screen went dead following the Award for Best Supporting Actress. My computer was non-operational also. Both  services bundled with Comcast.

I was stripped from the world of information. Totally.

Went to sleep at 1. Still no TV. Comcast had a recording advising it might take 24 hours to correct a problem it was experiencing

I woke at 4. Had left the TV on. It was up and running.

Took me till 5 to find out who won the other awards. I missed one of the biggest screw ups in Academy history. The wrong card being opened to announce Best Movie.

It all worked out well in the end. La La Land had a minute of glory. Something they can talk about for years. Moonlight received its just due, though a few minutes late.

Sloan was over at noon. We worked on increasing Go Live’s coverage. Not easy.

Syracuse/Louisville. A disaster. Louisville won 88-68.

Key West will be celebrating Tennessee Williams in March. For the whole month. Williams’ birthday is March 26.

Many events planned. Among others, Tropic Cinema will be showing Williams’ classic screen films on March 6, 13 and 20.

Another weekend of anti-Semetism. More than 100 Jewish tombstones tipped over at the Jewish Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Philadelphia.

It should be noted that many Muslims helped in lifting the stones to their correct positions.

A 1 pm heart doctor appointment. Get my test results.

Enjoy your day!

 

I FOUND MY BIRTH MOTHER

I found my birth mother. A touching statement. Made not by me, but by another.

Let me share her story.

I was in Aqua last night watching Dueling Bartenders. Jean and Joe Thornton there, also. Jean introduced me to her sister. I was not aware Jean had a sister. A half sister. Her name Laura.

Jean was 37 when she received a telephone call from Laura. Laura then 25. Jean did not know she had a sister. Laura said, I am your sister, I am looking for our mother.

Jean was in Birmingham at the time. Laura in Nashville.

Their mother had not made Jean aware she had given birth to another child when Jean was 12 years old.

Laura was taken in by another family and eventually adopted by another.

Laura told Jean she wanted to meet her mother and Jean. Jean made the necessary arrangements and in due course the three met. Their Mother told Jean she had kept the birth secret.

A glorious meeting. Tears and joy. A unit since.

Laura is in key West visiting. She will be here till the end of the month. She now resides in Louisville.

Laura told me she refers to the woman who adopted/raised her as her Mom and her discovered mother as her birth mother.

Jean and Laura loving sisters. So they appeared and acted. Jean could not wait to introduce her sister to me.

God is good. He provided the path and determination for Laura to successfully discover her birth mother and sister.

A lucky threesome.

While still at Aqua, a lovely young lady approached and asked if I was Key West Lou. Her name, Pat Grady. A Key West resident. I am fortunate. A loyal blog reader. Thank you, Pat.

Great game last night! Clemson beat the perennial victor Alabama. By a touchdown made with one second remaining on the clock. The final score 35-31.

Wild!

Tonight Syracuse/West Virginia. West Virginia a 4.5 point favorite. I will stick my neck out. If Syracuse plays as it has in its last two game, Syracuse will win decisively.

I continue to learn.

Enzio Pinza was a great singer and movie actor in the 1950s. He was vacationing at the Casa Marina.

The mood at various times of the day at the Casa can be revealing, overwhelming. At some point one evening, Pinza was seated on the Casa’s terrace overlooking the ocean and moon. He was so taken by the sight, he stood and sang Some Enchanted Evening. A song he had made popular.

The Casa and Pinza singing a fitting combination.

I am listening to Session’s Senate confirmation hearing. Just began. Two Democratic senators have already spoken who have failed the Nation. Both were supportive of his nomination. Disgusting. The man is an obvious bigot. Will work to restrict civil and voting rights. Not support them.

I am ashamed of the two Democratic senators. They lacked the courage to do the right thing.

I have to hustle. Barb is visiting for two weeks. I pick her up at the airport in an hour.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

GIBRALTAR OF THE SOUTH

There was a time and a man who viewed Key West as the Gibraltar of the South. It was the mid 1930s. The man, Julius Stone.

The 1930s was depression time across the United States. Key West especially hard hit. It was the end of the world. Hard to get to. Little business. No work. Monroe County had filed for bankruptcy.

Julius Stone was the WPA administrator for the State of Florida. He considered things so bad in Key West, that he opened a WPA office there. Only the second in the State.

Stone saw tourism as the way for Key West to improve its economy. He was a precursor. He saw what men like David Wolkowsky would envision in later years.

One of his efforts to improve quality of life in Key West was to have a play locally produced. The Pirates of Penzance.

The historical goodies I share with you I did not find. Credit belongs to snowbird Diana Millikan. Diana is writing a play about Julius Stone and The Pirates of Penzance endeavor. She keeps me informed.

Diana has discovered a rich source of information. The Kennedy Cafe mornings. Elderly conchs meet every morning for coffee and talk. A breakfast club of sorts.

Diana says it is like pulling teeth to get information out of them. She is succeeding, however. A step at a time.

She met Jesse. A woman in her 90s. Her married name she was not able to get. However, her maiden name was forthcoming. Watkins.

Jesse was in attendance at the play on February 19, 1935. She recalled the event vividly. She said George Wills was the leading man. Handsome.

She attended the play with her two older sisters. Diana reported one of the sisters became President of a local bank. Sounds strange for the times. It might have been the woman’s husband.

The write up in the newspaper the next day listed a Mrs. Joseph Cates as seamstress. Diana is trying to find out if the 1935 Cates is a relative of today’s Mayor Cates.

Burt Lancaster was one of America’s great actors. He died at 80 this date in 1994. Lancaster and Key West touched two times.

Lancaster’s first movie was The Killers. The movie was based on Ernest Hemingway’s short story of the same name.

He actually filmed a movie in Key West. The Rose Tattoo. The movie was based on Tennessee William’s play of the same name. The movie was filmed in a house on Duncan Street. Williams lived on one corner of the block and The Rose Tattoo house was on the other.

The Cannonball Run is coming through Key West saturday. Will be on Duval and Front Streets around 3.

The Cannonball is composed of a group of men who own special cars. They like to drive them on strange roads in strange places. Duval not one of those places. However Key West not the destination. The group is headed for Havana, Cuba.

I have a neighbor down the street who participates. He is on in years. The Run is one of the more important events in his live. He has a 1906 or 1914 Rolls Royce. In tip top shape. When last I spoke with him, he had just returned from a run in New Zealand. The cars at some point are shipped to the final destination.

Screwworms on the move. No longer just on Big Pine and No Name Key. Have expanded into Big Torch Key, Middle Torch Key, Little Torch Key, Cudjoe, Ramrod and Summerland Keys. Flies have been found in each place.

The last time there was a screwworm infestation was 30 years ago. Things have become sufficiently bad that the State of Florida has declared a State of Emergency exists.

Tammy for a manicure/pedicure yesterday. Ran into Kate Miano who was getting a pedicure.

Kate is one of Key West’s most dynamic women. Owner of The Gardens. Note that Sunday at the Gardens has opened. Sundays from 5-7. Great music. Good drinks. Excellent company. Mostly locals.

The Judy Wood memorial celebration this evening from 5-7 at Tavern ‘n Town. Sad. Her death continues to bother me. And I did not know her well. Only from the bar.

Afterwards, I shall be off to bocce to watch Don’s Place play. Numero Uno!

Goombay tomorrow night!

The third and final Presidential debate was last night. Trump consistent. An ass. Hillary handled herself well.

Enjoy your day!

 

SURPRISES

Last night was one of surprises.

One good, one bad.

The good one first. It was first last night, also. My dinner at Outback.

The Key West Outback has a new owner. Jessica Hughes. Changes are obvious already.

My drink arrived swiftly following order. The meal, also. Prime rib. The best I have ever had at Outback. A Commodore cut.

I asked the waitress if the new owner had made some changes. I described and complimented the services. She said there is a new multi colored sign in the kitchen. Its purpose to move things. She said it has. Several people have complimented the improved service as I had.

I never got into the quality of the meat with her. I shall try to talk with Jessica the new owner the next time I dine at Outback.

The bad had to do with Regal Cinema. Went to the movies after dinner.

The movie was Bridget Jones’s Baby. The third in a series. I had seen the previous two. This one lacked the quality of the first two. Not the problem, however.

The seats. It has been a while since I have been to the Regal Cinema. New seats! The worst ever! Not comfortable at all!

The first thing I noticed was the seats were considerably narrow. Like a tourist airline seat. More narrow, in fact. The seats and back poorly designed. Impossible to be comfortable. I tried every possible position. Sat up right, slouched, sat on a hip, etc.

Regal Cinema lost me last night. Henceforth, I shall only attend Tropic Cinema.

Let me play movie critic for a minute.

Renee Zellweger  has aged. It has been a while since her last Bridget Jones movie. Looked like she had some plastic surgery done. Not for the better. The bubbliness gone. She looked too old for the part.

Attention grammar critics. The title of the movie is Bridget Jones’s Baby. Is the Jones’s spelled correctly? I think it should have been Jones’.

The Rose Tattoo was filmed in Key West. The movie based on Tennessee William’s play of the same name. Hal Wallis arrived in Key West this date in 1954 scouting for locations to shoot the movie.

Much of The Rose Tattoo was shot on Duncan Street. 1400 block. The house where the movie was shot at one end. Tennessee William’s home the other.

Lisa lives on Duncan two blocks away.

The Rose Tattoo house was allowed to fall into bad shape. Unoccupied for years. Renovated recently and rented out. Nothing special about its appearance. Nor was there anything special about it in the film.

Tennessee William’s home is magnificent! Still in great shape. Maintained as it was.

This morning’s Key West Citizen front page had a huge photo and story re Burmese pythons. The story reported baby pythons are being discovered in Key Largo. Suggested there are 10,000 to 100,000 in South Florida.

I wrote a KONK Life column re pythons five year ago. Title: Pythons Are Coming. Wrote a follow up a couple of years ago. One of the thrusts was that the Burmese pythons were on the move southward from the Everglades to the Keys. Only one had been discovered in Key West at the time. Along a runway at the airport. Remains the only Key West one reported.

The number of phytons in the paper is grossly understated. Florida authorities suspect the number could be as much as one million. No exaggeration. There are so many that their growth is out of control. The State admits it cannot eliminate them. Hopefully only control their growth and spread.

My KONK Life column this week is An american Revolutionary War Hero Who Lost His Head. Interesting reading. It is on the stands today. The article appears in this morning’s KONK Life E-Blast and was linked also to my Key West Lou website.

Enjoy your day!

ROSE TATTOO / TENNESSEE WILLIAMS / DUNCAN ST.

The time is this week 1954. The place Duncan Street in Key West. The filming of the movie The Rose Tattoo began.

A great movie. Loved it! Starred Burt Lancaster and Anna Mangani. Mangani won the Academy Award for her performance.

The movie was an adaptation of a Tennessee Williams play. Tennessee Williams lived on Duncan St. He wrote the play while living on Duncan St. The house where the movie was filmed was on Duncan Street. Two doors up from Tennessee Williams’ home. Both Williams and the Rose Tattoo houses still stand on Duncan.

Lisa lives on Duncan. Her home is 1 1/2 blocks from the Williams home.

Key West loves Harry Truman. Harry Truman loved Key West.

On November 2, 1948, Truman was elected President. He defeated New York Governor Tom Dewey. Truman was not favored to win. A big underdog. No one gave him a chance. Except Truman himself.

Congress at the time was Republican. They blocked him at every move. Some what like today’s Congress and Obama. Only worse. Truman campaigned against the worst Congress ever, as he put it.

Corporate America disliked Truman. Vehemently.

An example is what occurred while Truman was campaigning. Campaigning was done from the back platform of the last car on a train in those days. The train traveled all over the country.

Truman was short on funds. Again, he was not expected to win. Few were contributing to him. The train and crew were leased. The bill was overdue.

The train was stopped by the railroad somewhere in the middle of nowhere between two towns. Truman was told the bill had to be paid in full. If not, Truman and his entourage had to get off.

Truman threw in what he had in his pocket. His supporters did likewise. They had just enough to pay the bill. Truman proceeded on his way.

The distaste the railroad owners had for Truman obvious. Doing this to a President of the United States! Disrespectful!

Politics played the same all the time. Hard ball.

Did my blog talk radio show last night. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Love dong the show!

One of the topics clearly reflects government waste.

The Department of Defense built a gas station in Afghanistan. Nothing special. A run of the mill gas station. The contracted cost for construction $3 million. A lot for a gas station. Especially since a similar one had been built the previous year in Pakistan for $500,000.

The final cost of construction was $43 million. Wow! $3 million for the construction. $40 million for overhead.

The gas station built was a compressed natural gas automobile station. So built because of the great supply of natural gas in Afghanistan.

The only problem was the people had cars that were petroleum operated. They had no use for the new station. Making the necessary adjustments to change over to a natural gas operated vehicle was not financially feasible. The cost was more than the average Afghanistani made in a year.

The Defense Department had a task force in charge of spending with regard to the closed gas station. When the Department was asked why the increase, they said they did not know/ could not tell because the task force had closed down in March.

And they want to cut Social Security! Cut waste!

I would like to know who made out on this Afghanistan gas station.

Last week, I reported on my radio show that the Muslim immigrants in Germany were overloading the hospitals. One problem was they refused to be treated by female personnel. Doctor, nurse, or otherwise.

Yesterday, it was announced that Muslims presently in camps in Germany would not accept food from women.

Beggars can’t be choosers. They should be grateful they are receiving free medical and food.

European banks are beginning to hurt. Good! May their American counterparts do likewise.

European banks are cutting costs. A large Spanish bank with 2,300 branches     now cleans windows only six times a year instead of twelve. Another Spanish bank with many branches kills the electricity at 7 pm. Another bank requires staff to clean their desks every wednesday. Called Wet Wipe Wednesday. Office space is being reduced.

One hundred thousand banking jobs in the Eurounion have been cut since 2012.

My left chest which I injured in a fall last week started hurting big time again last night. I don’t know why. Kept me up all night. Not one moments sleep. A pain pill did not help. Feels better at the moment.

I am going to skip the treadmill this morning. Will keep a noon manicure appointment with Tammy, however.

Enjoy your day!

 

PRE-SEASON BASKETBALL POLL…..AN INSUILT

Yes, my blood does flow orange! I am furious this morning. The Associated Press pre-season poll came out. Nowhere is Syracuse listed. Not in the top 25 or at the bottom re those teams that received even one vote.

I am not going to dwell on the NCAA findings and judgment. Syracuse will survive and excel. This year’s team is as talented as prior teams. With or without Boeheim for the fist nine ACC games, Syracuse’s coaching staff is experienced and deep.

Screw the numbers, Syracuse will be in the mix at the end of the season.

Spent yesterday afternoon working on tonight’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou.

Interesting topics. Highlight’s of my Looting of Social Security article, a tea party Congressman retiring after only five years because he wants more time spent with family even though Congress only works one week on and two off, religion and politics, Saudi Arabia afraid U.S. becoming anti Saudi Arabia, a Monsanto update, and more.

Join me at 9 o’clock my time. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Dinner with Don and Chris at Marquesa last night. Good people. Return to Key West several times a year. Don is presently spending a lot of time working in South Korea.

Fantasy Fest is over. It was obvious last night on Duval. Quiet like a cemetery.

Parrot Heads arrive wednesday. Convention time. Jimmy Buffett people. Strange as it may sound, Howard Livingston has been asked to entertain the group saturday evening at the Casa Marina.

Seaking of Howard, the front page of today’s Key West Citizen carries a photo of Howard. A detailed complimentary article. Tells Howard’s story yesterday and today. A terrific human being!

An interesting news bit in the Citizen, also. Keys Energy has a large abandoned building in Bahama Village. It has not been used for over 50 years. Keys Energy wants to give it to Key West. The facility was formerly a diesel generator plant.

Louis says, beware of Greeks bearing gifts. The building is an economic disaster waiting to hit.

Keys Energy admits there are some environmental problems. The some are gigantic. I have not seen the paperwork nor the facility. However, I spent my legal career as an environmental attorney. my work included facilities such as this one. the contamination has to be fantastic It will run down into the soil itself. Contaminated soil is one of the most expensive things to remove.

A point to be considered also is that the law generally requires the owner at the time of a cleanup to be responsible for the cost.

The building is no bargain.

The last play of the Miami/Duke game will not be forgotten. Ever. What bothers me is that post-game, the ACC suspended the referees for two games. The ACC determined post-game that the refs had not made calls it should have made during the play.

Wrong on the part of the ACC. The determination on the field is the last call. In all sports, collegiate and professional. Confusion the only guaranteed outcome of the ACC’s decision and what will follow.

Enjoy your day!

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS…..A LOVE

Tennessee Williams was gay. A well known fact.

 

During his life, he had two great loves. One short lived. The other, 14 years. It is the longer of the two I am writing about. The reason is that during the 14 year relationship, Williams did his best work.

 

Frank Merlo was Williams’ lover and partner. They met and fell in love the spring of 1949. Merlo was younger. Good looking. Of Sicilian heritage. An occasional actor. A U.S. Navy World War II veteran.

 

Williams first visited Key West in 1941. His regard for Key West was instant. He loved Key West.

 

Along the way, he purchased a home at 1431 Duncan Street. It was his permanent residence from 1948 to 1983.

 

Merlo lived with Williams in the house from 1949 to 1963. The house still stands. The home has been owned by a couple from the Midwest for many years. It is well kept and without question the show piece of the neighborhood. During the Williams/Merlo years, the house was not the show piece it is today. The two men lived modestly and had little concern with tidiness.

 

Williams had a sister. Rose. She was mentally challenged. She lived in Key West for a while on Von Phister Street. She spent many years in mental institutions.

 

Rose’s mental condition affected Williams badly throughout his life.

 

Williams and Merlo had an apartment in New York City. However, Key West was home and they spent considerable time in the house on Duncan Street.

 

Merlo acted as Williams’s personal secretary. He assumed responsibility for domestic housekeeping tasks. He provided happiness and stability which balanced out Williams’ frequent bouts with depression.

 

Merlo was a constant comfort to Williams. Something he needed. Williams was a schizophrenic. His constant fear was that he would fall into insanity. As his sister Rose had.

 

Merlo was Williams’ crutch.

 

The 14 years the two lived together were the happiest and most productive of Williams’ career.

 

Williams introduced a new style writing. His works portrayed life as it was. In all its rawness. He introduced sex into writing more than had been done in the past. Not the Fifty Shades of Gray type. There was a sense of the sexual involved in the relationships. That sense was more than previous writers of consequence had portrayed.

 

Williams was also a swift writer. His talent amazing. From mind to pen to paper. Almost instantaneously.

 

During the Williams/Merlo years together, Williams writings were the best produced during his lifetime. Many plays. Some made into movies for which he wrote the scripts. He also wrote scripts solely for movies. A slew of short stories. One major novel.

 

Major works included The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Rose Tattoo, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Orpheus Descending, Suddenly Last Summer, Sweet Bird of Youth, Period of Adjustment, and The Night of the Iguana.

 

Familiar to all of us. Turned out by Williams at the rate generally of one per year.

 

The novel was The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone.

 

Williams would not have produced so much and of such quality were it not for the relationship which existed between Williams and Merlo.

 

The relationship became unsteady in 1962 and 1963. Both were guilty of increasing infidelities and drug use. Williams and Merlo parted in 1963.

 

Soon thereafter, Merlo was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Some say Williams personally took care of Merlo till he died. Others that said he took care of Merlo till he could take it no more and left Merlo in other responsible hands.

 

Although Williams’ life became increasingly difficult towards the end of his relationship with Merlo, it skyrocketed downward after his death. Williams suffered catatonic depression, used drugs increasingly, and was committed on occasion to mental health facilities.

 

Williams became dependent on prescription drugs. He received Dr. Freegood injections to overcome his depression and relieve his insomnia. The injections were sort of one shot takes care of multiple problems.

 

The downhill slide was mental and physical. He appeared on talk shows till his responses frequently became incoherent. His public personality suffered.

 

Williams died February 25, 1983.

 

It is obvious Merlo was good for Williams. The two appear to have been good for each other. They were given significant time together. They made the best of that time.

 

It would be remiss not to mention Williams’ impact on Key West itself. By 1979, he was one of Key West’s most famous faces.

 

He was open about his homosexuality. A fact which encouraged other gays to come to Key West to live and work. Key West progressed with their influx. Williams became known as the Gay Grandfather of Key West. A fitting title.

ANNIE DILLARD

Literary giants seem to find their way to Key West for some portion of their lives. Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams and John Hersey to name a few. The three have passed on.

There are famous authors having homes in Key West who have not yet gone to that other place. They write and play here.

One is Annie Dillard. In the company of Hemingway, Williams and Hersey. She and her husband spend summers in Cape Cod and winters in Key West. They have had a home in Key West since the late 1990s.

Dillard is considered a major voice in American literature. All her books have continued in print without interruption. Many have been translated into foreign languages. She is a Pulitzer Prize winner.

President Obama will be recognizing the work of certain artists, including writers, this week in Washington. One of those to be honored is Annie Dillard. She will receive the National Humanities Medal.

Congratulations, Annie Dillard! Thank you for being a part of Key West.

My yesterday began once again with the anti-gravity treadmill. I am in the process of scheduling an extra day a week. Going from three to four. I can handle it. Hopefully in a couple of months, I can do five mornings a week.

Roostica for lunch. Limoncello wings. Broiled, not fried. Delicious.

Poker Run begins monday the 14th. The big bikes will begin roaring in. More than 10,000 of them. Womenfest concludes sunday. As the dainties leave, the toughies come in. Not to say that women cannot be tough. Extremely so on occasion.

Key West has a Washington visitor today. Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy.

He will be here to inspect the Boca Chica Naval Air Base and port operations. Unfortunately, he is in and out. He will not be spending any time visiting our island.

Mabus is a person of distinction. His credentials impressive. He is the longest serving Secretary of the Navy since World War II.

Donald Trump appears to have a limited vocabulary. Everyone is stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Tells me nothing. Criticism is proper. Tell me and everyone else however what it is that makes others stupid.

This week’s KONK Life column hit the stands yesterday afternoon. You may want to read it. The story of Tennessee Williams and one of his loves.

Enjoy your day!