We come and go. Death a certainty. Inevitable.
July 6 was a major milestone in my life. My 80th birthday. It was a sad day in Roger and Mary Ann Westerlund’s lives. Roger died. He was 83. The world lost a good man. Key West one of its favorite persons.
Roger was a retired anesthesiologist. He retired from the NYU Medical Center. He and Mary Ann moved to Key West sometime in the late 1990s. They were already here when I bought my Key West home in 1998.
My wife at the time and I were strangers. Knew few people. The Westerlunds were always quick to introduce us to others.
It is sometimes hard to describe the real person. Roger can best be understood by his plaque at the Tropic Cinema. The Tropic was raising money for the new location. Roger made a donation. A urinal donation.
There are two urinals in the men’s room. Roger paid for one of those urinals. On the wall over the urinal is a plaque. Eye level. It reads…..THIS STATION FOR YOUR RELIEF PROVIDED BY ROGER WESTERLUND.
Roger will be remembered by those who use the urinal and those who do not. Robert was a well known figure around town. Loved and respected by all.
My day began with my friend the anti-gravity treadmill. A real work out. I have increased the miles per hour and inclines. Thirty minutes and my tee shirt was sticking wet.
It was lunch time. The Cuban Coffee Queen. A cheese toast and large Cuban coffee. Sat there a while reading the newspapers.
The new location of the Cuban Coffee Queen in Key Lime Square behind Antonio’s has turned into a gold mine. Good for them!
Dinner last night at Hot Tin Roof with Rick and Cynthia. Wonderful people. We are relatively new friends. It was at their home three months ago that I suffered the first of my three consecutive days of falling. Not their fault. My body’s fault.
Rick writes. For KONK Life as I do. He is openly against anything he senses is wrong. He brings lawsuits on his own to fight what he perceives Key West injustices. No lawyer. Rick feels he is qualified, however. He did a year at Yale Law School.
Charlotte and Skip stopped by our table. I have seen neither in a couple of months. Skip is a premier radio broadcaster. Was the man in Key West. Relocated to another station in Islamorada where he and Charlotte now live.
Charlotte is from one of the Carolinas. She worked for United Health Care. I beat her up many times with my complaints about the company. United Health Care my AARP supplement.
If my recollection is correct, Charlotte is now associated with the dolphin facility in the Keys.
Charlotte lived many years on her boat in the Carolinas. Not taking well to apartment living. She intends to bring her boat down to Islamorada for her and Skip to live on.
Charlotte runs. The big marathons all over the country. She told me when last we met that she was going to do the 50 mile run from Marathon to Key West. She told me last night she did. Completed the run with no difficulty. I who cannot walk very far! I hate her sometimes!
Jean Thornton back in town. I looked for her before and after dinner last night. Could not find her. Emily at the Chart Room told me Jean and Sheila were participating in the Mel Fisher Treasure Hunt. The winners received $5,000. I don’t know if Jean and Sheila won.
Jean already won. Some years back, Jean was diving with Mel Fisher. She was either his guest or paid a small fee to do a one day dive. Jean found emeralds and gold. Changed her life! No more the Indiana school teacher. She and husband Joe now live in Birmingham and Key West. They have a condo in Truman annex.
Jean has come to be known as the Key West Golden Girl because of her find.
This morning’s KONK Life E-Blast carries my KONK Life column for the week. Illegal Human Trafficking. Not about prostitution. About Uber. An historical walk re a relatively new company.
You have picked up I am sure that I have not written re Greece the past few days. The situation confuses me at this point. My lips are sealed till there is a result/conclusion.
Enjoy your day!