It is after 8 in the morning. I layed in bed for a while.

A beautiful day! Every day is beautiful now. Finally!

I spoke of humidity yesterday morning. Hot hot!

Turns out it was not humidity. I had a fever.

And the fever lasted into the middle of last night night. I spent the day in bed, except for the radio show. I was hot. Sweaty. And chillls in between.

Then in the middle of the night, the fever broke. But not before I sweated through the pillow case and my tee shirt. I had to change both.

I feel terrific this morning!

The radio show went well. I did not know I was sick at the time.

I received 2 negative comments about the show afterwards. Both concerned my dissertation on the Crimean War and the cardigan sweater. The point made to me was why did I make it part of the show. It did not seem to fit.

The comments are probably correct. The Crimean War/cardigan sweater episode did not fit.

I have a problem. I enjoy reading poetry aloud and quoting from famous novels. The Crimean War bit gave me that chance.

The topic concerned Alfred Lord Tennyson’s The Charge of the Light Brigade. I could not pass up the opportunity to say aloud…..”Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred…..Theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die.”

I was so turned on by the quote, I recited it 3 different times in 3 different places in the segment.

Sorry. I will be more careful in the future.

Big day today and tomorrow. The Blue Angels are flying over Boca Chica Naval Base. About 5 miles to the northeast of me. I should be able to watch the show from my second floor balcony.

Enjoy your day!

Hot this morning! Humid is a better description!

Very little breeze. The water not moving.

I am sweating as I write this morning.

I am not complaining. Two weeks ago we were freezing our asses off!

My radio show this morning!

The Key West Lou Legal Hour!

10 am. KONK 1500 AM. Better yet, dial up www.konkam.com on the internet. You can see as well as hear there. Modern communication is amazing!

I spent the day doing paper work. All day! Except for a break at lunch time. I went over to the Shrimp Shack on Stock Island.

What a beautiful setting! I sat out on the dock under an umbrella with the shrimp boats only 5 feet away.

The place was packed. To see the Blue Angels.

The Blue Angels will be doing a public show at Boca Chica Naval Base on saturday and sunday. Yesterday they were practising. And repeatedly zooming over the Shrimp Shack.

The noise was a blast!

Bocce last night. We won the first game and lost the next two. Such is life! One compensating factor is that we played one of the best teams in the league. Not an excuse. A fact. The best players on my team are not as good as the worst players on their team.

I am ashamed to admit that the reason we won the first game was that one of the opposing players did not show up on time. That meant our opponent only had 3 players to our 4. And 2 balls to roll to our 4 every other turn. In other words, we beat a crippled team! It is like fighting an opponent who has one hand tied behind his back.

As bad as it may sound, we were happy to do so! A win is a win! We have had few this season.

Norm made a brief appearance. He is our captain. He was involved in a terrible accident about 3 weeks ago. Had to be airlifted to Miami for some heavy surgery. He came to briefly cheer us on. With a strange looking neck brace that kept his head tilted up, a limp and a cane. He is on the mend and will make it. Thank God!

I stopped at Don’s Place on the way home. Chatted with Rob and Nate. Both good guys.

Rob wanted to play golf today. I said, no. Radio show.

Nate played on the pro golf circuit for a couple of years. A hell of a golfer! Hits the ball a country mile! He offered to take me out and give me some tips. I am the world’s worst golfer!

Have to move my butt! Need to get ready for the radio show.

I had a cup of coffee while I was writing today’s blog. A mistake. Tied in with the humidity, I am sweating profusely.

Enjoy your day!

Busy day yesterday!

Started with golf.

Glorious weather to play! Absolutely perfect. Just warm enough. A tinge of wind. No humidiity.

I played with Tom, Yankee Jack and Tino. Good guys all.

I played well. Was the big dollar winner. All of $8.

I was hitting the ball long yesterday. My putting sucked, however. They were just not falling as they have been the past few weeks. But I am not complaining. I still won!

As usual, I was tired afterwards. So it was home to bed for a nap. The nap took longer than anticipated. I slept till about 7.

I had planned on attending Larry Harvey’s 89th birthday party at Aqua. 5:30 to 7:30. Obviously I could not make it. Shame on me!

Larry Harvey is the most well loved man in Key West! That says it all about him.

There is a coconut telegraph in Key West. It tells me the party was a fabulous success. Crowded. Bobby Nesbitt sang. Lynda Frechette did the decorations.

Well deserved Mr. Harvey! I promise to be at your 90th!

I went to the Chart Room. Got there a little later than normal. Captain Peter and Sheila at the bar. Engaged in a friendly argument over some unimportant thing. I enjoyed the company of both.

Then to the Hot Tin Roof for dinner. A good choice as it turns out.

The place was jam packed. Never saw so many people waiting to fine dine. Valerie and John worked their butts off!

I was at the bar. Tried the tuna. First time there. Wow! A large thick piece of tuna, seared on the outside and otherwise raw throughout. God’s food!

Many friendly faces at the Hot Tin Roof.

Myra.

Generally a waitress around town. In between jobs right now. Doing census work for the government. She had many interesting tales to tell about the job.

Myra is the adventurous sort. Last summer she wanted to do something different. So she went to Alaska and worked on a whale watching boat.

Brian and Amy were there also. Brian works in the County Attorney’s office and Amy at the Conch Guest House on Truman. Nice people. About town people. I always see them out.

Brian told us a story about a woman who called and wanted to know if she could continue keeping her pet goat. Apparently goat pet keeping in against the law in the keys. My thought was let her keep it. Who cares. She has kept it for a while already and no one has complained.

Frank showed up and sat next to me. Frank is a private boat captain. Frank also is Vice Admiral of the Conch Republic.

The Conch Republic war for independence will be fought again next week. Frank is in charge. A lot of work, he said. He will be in command of the several pirate ships which will engage the U.S. Coast Guuard vessels.

There is also a Conch Republic Air Force. Some one else is in charge. Bi planes will be dropping toilet paper bomb rolls on the Coast Guard vessels.

The Conch Republic is also involved in charity work. Frank told me about the recent shipment by sea of 25 tons of material assistance for Haiti. Conch Republic citizens are good people!

Today is the start of the Master’s. I will be glued to the TV set this afternoon watching Tiger Woods.

Then bocce tonight.

Tomorrow morning is my radio show. 10 am. KONK 1500 AM radio. Watch and listen on the internet anywhere in the world at http://www.konkam.com/.

One of the topics I will be discussing is the contentious nude beach issue. Should Key West have one or not?

Enjoy your day!

I spent yesterday morning working on friday’s radio show.

Some interesting topics.

Key West’s proposed nude beach. What a clamor has arisen! The homeless. Even the Key West Citizen has an interest. They did an editorial on the homeless this past sunday. Careers in the legal field for the non-lawyer. Booming! Lucrative! And, of course, weird dumb laws. This time from the home of the Final Four and Butler, Indiana. Strange ones!

Listen in friday at 10 in the morning. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Better still, watch and listen on the internet at http://www.konkam.com/.

A late lunch at Hogfish followed.

Hogfish in the early afternoon is a peaceful place. Few customers. Quiet.

I read the papers and enjoyed fish and chips. However I had them hold the chips and substitute a double order of cole slaw. I felt like Jack Nicholson!

Last night began as usual with the Chart Room. Primarily locals. The season is beginning to slide away.

Sean, Katherine, Che and Captain Peter. And lest I forget, Michael bartending.

Sean and Katherine have recently moved from a walk up off Duval to a condominium at Truman Annex. Big time! They were all excited. I was excited for them.

Sean and I had a big conversation on doctors and malpractice. Che joined in at one point. We also discussed some recent books we had read. Stimulating talk.

I was not that hungry. Yet hungry enough to eat something. So I opted for the Sports Page Bar.

The place was dead. So strange. March Madness is ended. The baseball season has begun. Not that much interest yet in baseball.

I had a fish sandwich and watched the Yankee/Boston game. The Yanks were winning by one when I left.

Chris was bartending. We have become friends. She was the bartender who ripped me a new one the night I came storming in and demanded to know which TV set was showing the Syracuse game. She put me in my place!

Chris is a lovely young lady. All young ladies are lovely. 32. From where, I cannot remember. She bartends 5 nights a week at the Sports Page. For the past 2 years. A charmer. Except when you are all over her as I was when first we met.

Golf this morning. I look forward to it. It is amazing how much I enjoy something I am lousy at.

Enjoy your day!

Seven in the morning. The sun is breaking over the horizon. Another great Key West day in the making!

I never left the house during the day yesterday. Did a lot of paper work that I had let accumulate. Sometimes you just have to get to things.

I mentioned in yesterday’s blog about a Key West tradition which has people going to the beach for sunrise on Easter morning. Harry Truman did it when he was in Key West on Easter Sunday.

Sixty years ago! Easter fell on April 9, 1950. Then President, Harry Truman attended an Easter sunrise service on the beach with his daughter Margaret.

I tried to determine if another of Key West’s favorite sons ever did sunrise on the beach on Easter. Ernest Hemingway. I could not find anything on the topic.

I have a recollection that the Hemingway House used to have an egg hunt on Easter Sunday morning for children. That would be when I first started coming to Key West 20 years ago. I know there is none any more. It is a recollection. I could be wrong.

Hemingway enjoyed Key West. He behaved like a native Key Wester! Sloppy Joe’s, fishing and what have you.

He also did some serious work while he lived in Key West. His time here was only 9 years. But he wrote 70 per cent of his works in those nine years. Among them For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Snows of Kilimanjaro.

Hemingway also wrote To Have and Have Not. The novel was set in Key West. Interestingly, it was the only book he wrote whose setting was in the United States. Hemingway seems to have taken his earlier travel experiences and put them into print during his 9 year Key West stay.

Last night I had a date with June and Bill Nelson. They took me to dinner. At La Trattoria. They are my good friends from Delaware. We have known each other for about 15 years.

They return to Delaware thursday. I will not see them again till October.

They are true Key Westers. They built their keys home in Sugarloaf back in the 1970s.

Bill is a former divorce lawyer and a Republican. A black hearted Republican. To the bone! We have some great political conversations.

Kathy was bartending. Love her new hairdo!

Becha hosting. Lovely Becha! I got a hug and kiss when I arrived. I got a hug and kiss when I left. I am gong to start going to La Trattoria every night!

I hurried home after dinner to watch the Duke/Butler game.

A classic!

I was pulling for Butler. The underdog from my perspective. All of their starting five returns next year, except for one player. Beware! Butler is going to be a big time threat. At least everyone will know it. They snuck up on a lot of good teams this year, including Syracuse.

Enjoy your day!

Another Easter has come and gone.

Another joyous day experienced.

Lisa’s Easter starts early in the mornig. With an egg and toy hunt for Robert and Ally. In their backyard. The grandkids go crazy. They each carry a bag which is quickly filled with goodies. Ally’s cry soon into the hunt was….my bag is full….. I have no room!

May her bag, and Robert’s too, always be full!

Lisa must have arisen at sun up. Her table was covered with all sorts of goodies for her Easter brunch. I ate and ate and ate.

Donna and Terri were invited. But 8:30 was their sleeping time.

After the huge brunch, I walked. Farther than normal. I needed it!

My walk took me to Louie’s Back Yard. I was tired and wanted to sit. So I headed for Louie’s deck.

Valerie was there! Valerie from Hot Tin Roof. Clayton’s Valerie.

She works Louie’s deck bar on Sundays and Mondays.

We exchanged holiday greetings.

I finished my walk and headed home.

It was around 1. Donna and Terri were outside on Louis’ deck having breakfast.

I sat and chatted with them for a while. Lisa, Corey and the grandkids showed up to say hello and good bye.

Donna and Terri left about an hour later to drive back to New York. Terri has Carnigee Hall, Feinstein’s and 3 months of Chicago ahead of her. Plus the Tony nominations in early May. She is hopeful.

I shall miss them. Though we spent little time together, I enjoyed having them.

Terri spent her last hour at my home working on her sun tan. I still do not understand why black people need to tan.

I spent the balance of the afternoon home. Watched the golf tournament.

I intended to go out last night. The weather is magnificent. But my head cold that began at the Seder monday started bothering me. So I did the wise thing and stayed home in bed.

Enjoy your day!

Happy Easter!

I am up early. Like 6 o’clock. I have to be at Lisa’s at 8:30. Easter egg hunt time in the back yard.

Lisa warned me yesterday. Be on time! Robert and Ally will be anxious to get started. For them, it is like getting up Christmas morning and wanting to rush to the living room to see what Santa has brought.

Many Key West locals will be up early this morning also. They gather at the beaches to watch the sun rise Easter morning. A bit of a tradition.

My day started in the morning yesterday with a visit from Lisa, Corey and the grandkids. Lisa and Donna are friends. Lisa wanted to see Donna and meet Terri.

Good luck, I told Lisa! These are theatre people. They sleep late! No early to bed and early to rise for them.

Makes sense. Terri works till close to midnight. Then they have dinner and drinks. They are to bed around 3:30-4. They sleep till 1:30-2.

They are like babies. On a different time schedule!

Later in the morning, I went to Lisa’s. Egg coloring time! I love it! Did it with my children! My other grandchildren! And now again with Robert and Ally! God is good!

We did the deed at the kitchen table. Lisa had it covered with newspapers. Several small soup dishes filled with different colored fluids.

Robert and Ally did the names first with crayons. Lisa had hard boiled the eggs the night before.

Then came the coloring.

Robert likes multiple colors. No overlapping. He is very meticulous.

Ally likes multiple colors also. But she rolls the whole egg in each color so you never know what the final color will be.

With several dishes of color liquid on the table and the grandkids arms flaying around, I knew it was a disaster waiting to occur. It always is.

Ally knocked over the dish of yellow. Spread it all over the table. No problem. She continued with other colors. Lisa cleaned up.

While the grandkids were coloring, I was also. There are a couple of eggs done by the master himself.

The scene brought me back to when I was Robert and Ally’s age. 4-5. Who had egg coloring in those days!

My grandmother used to boil onions. The liquid residue was dark brown. The eggs were immersed in the dark brown liquid. All our Easter eggs were colored dark brown!

Before colloring the eggs, we used to write names on each egg with soap.

A good memory!

Then I took a walk. Having company and extra food in the refrigerator has caused me to eat a bit more than I usually do. I am a picker. I avoid the eating problem by keeping very little food in the house. However with company, I have to be the good host so the refrigerator is full. And so is my stomach! Bad!

I needed the walk!

Then it was to the Coffee House to read the New York Times. I was hoping to run into Jane who I had met there the day before. But alas, no Jane.

My evening started at the Chart Room. Captain Peter and bartender Michael and I chatted for a while. I bought Peter a holiday drink. He is one nice person.

I was anxious to get to the Sports Page Bar. Two great Final Four basketball games to watch.

The place was packed. The whole world was there watching the games. I was lucky to get a seat at the bar.

I was also thrilled! There for the first time I saw the Syracuse flag hanging from the ceiling. Right in front! In all its glory!

I was proud. I am a die hard Syracuse fan.

The flag hangs at the Sports Page due to the thoughtfulness and genrosity of Larry from Syracuse. He mailed it to me and asked that I have it hung. It awaits his visit next year. We will drink together beneath it.

The Butler/Michigan State game was terrific. Butler won by 2 points. Butler wins because of its ferocious defense. That is why they beat Syracuse and everyone else so far in the tournament.

The second game was not exciting at all. Duke trounced West Virginia by 16 points. Never a game.

I expected more from West Virginia. They were a force in the Big East this year.

I have to move swiftly now. Shower, shave and all that. And then to Lisa’s for the Easter egg hunt. Actually Lisa has more than eggs hidden. She also hides books, games and toys for Robert and Ally.

Then Lisa has planned a brunch for us.

Should be fun!

Enjoy your holiday!

Yesterday’s radio show was the best yet!

How could it miss!

My guest was Broadway star Terri White!

Terri’s story is one for the books. Homeless less than 2 years ago. She could not get work in New York City. Her age and style were working against her. Sixty. Blues singing was not in vogue. She slept on a park bench in Washington Square Park for 3 months.

It was the bottom! The pits! As Terri described it on the show, “It was chin ups from the gutter time.”

How life changes in an instant. Sometimes for the good. She is just coming off her starring role in Finian’s Rainbow. This month she is appearing at Carnigee Hall and Feinstein’s. And then back to Broadway. A three month run in Chicago as Matron Mama Morton.

Wow!

After the show, I was off to the Coffee House. Terri and Donna had a luncheon.

Made a new friend at the Coffee House. Jane.

Jane is older than me. 79. A rarity. Everyone is younger than me these days!

A lovely tiny white haired lady. A glowing smile. Dressed in long flowing atire. Beads wrapping her neck.

She is a retired school teacher from Buffalo. Jane and her husband have lived in Key West since 1995.

Our conversation was triggered by War and Peace. She was reading it. A wow in itself. Over 1,100 pags. She had never read it before. Surprising. I told her about the 1950s movie. The great music in the movie. She is going to obtain a DVD of it.

We talked of many things. I hope we meet again. I enjoyed her company.

Then home for the afternoon. To a minor tragedy. No water. A pipe broke somewhere in Key Haven.

At 5 the pipe still had not been repaired. The girls and I were going to dinner at 8. I telephoned them and told them to shower elsewhere. Perhaps Donna’s daughter’s place. I was off to Lisa’s to clean up.

Dinner was at La Trattoria. Excellent meal. Excellent company. Donna and Terri kept me entertained.

Beecha looked glorious. As usual! I got two hugs and kisses last night instead of one. Wowie!

Ran into Cheryl and Roger. They return home to Chicago tuesday.

Karthy bartending. She has a new hair do. Lovely!

Then to the Keys Piano Bar.

The place was packed. They were waiting for Terri.

Terri was not working. But they knew she would sing.

When she finished her first series of songs, she received a standing ovation from her family of friends.

Terri’s singing is better. Her voice and appearance are more confident. The off shot of success.

Today is Easter egg coloring. With Robert and Ally at 11:30. I love it!

Enjoy your day!

Big radio show today!

Don’t miss it!

Broadway star Terri White my guest!

What a story she has to tell! The highs and lows of life. She has experienced them all.

Listen on radio at KONK 1500 AM. Watch and listen on the internet anywhere in the world at www.konkam.com.

I spent a bit of the morning yesterday sitting outside by the water with Donna and Terri. Actually Terri. Donna was off to the side on the telephone. She now manages Terri. She was working all morning.

Terri has spent about an hour outside each day on the deck. She is working on her tan. Black people want to tan also.

White people tan to become black. Black people tan to become blacker.

Does not make sense to me.

Terri and I chatted a bit about today’s radio show while she was working on her tan.

We then separated. I have not seen either of my guests since yesterday morning.

I did an hour at the beach in the afternoon. Working on my tan! The reflection off the sand helps.

The Chart Room was my first stop last night.

Catain Peter was there. He was holding court at the far end of the bar.

The Captain was smoking a cigar. First time I recall seeing him do so.

At some point, he placed his cigar in the ashtray. When he picked it up, it had a large gob of chewing gum attached to it. The Captain was upset. The gum stuck. He finally had to cut off part of the cigar with a knife.

Then ensued a discourse on the propriety of placing gum in an ashtray, where gum should be disposed off, etc. An earth shaking conversation! A typical Chart Room one!

The Sports Page Bar was next.

I brought the Syracuse flag which fellow Syracuse fan Larry had sent me.

Spoke with Sports Page owner Patrick as to where to hang the flag. He was delighted to have it. We finally settled on a spot. He will be hanging it today. Larry, I will e mail you a pic as soon as it is up.

I had dinner at the bar. The special was turkey.

Turkey is sold in just about every Key West restaurant on thursday evenings. It is a tradition.

The meal was delicious! Just like Mother’s Thanksgiving dinner. Too much, however! I could only eat about half of it.

I watched NIT basketball during my meal.

That’s it for today.

Again, please listen or listen and watch The Key West Lou Legal Hour this morning. Should be one terrific show!

Enjoy your day!

Hello! And good morning!

I rose late. It is close to 9. The sun is up. Shining bright. No clouds in the sky. Going to be a beautiful day!

Show time tomorrow. My radio show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. At 10 am.

I have a very special guest for the whole hour. Broadway star Terri White.

What a story she has to tell!

A year ago she was homeless and sleeping on a park bench in New York City. Six months ago she opened and starred in the revival of Finian’s Rainbow on Broadway.

It has been good luck ever since.

Listen to her story.

KONK 1500 AM radio. On the internet for viewing and listening at http://www.konkam.com/.

When I came down to the kitchen yesterday morning on my way to go play golf, Donna was sitting at the kitchen counter. With an ice bag on her head. I laughed. She said not so loud. She had had a big evening. I smiled and walked on.

There was a big reunion group to greet Donna and Terri at the Keys Piano Bar tuesday night. The big head requiring the ice bag was one of the fall outs.

Golf was teriffic yesterday!

I played with Don, Aaron, Mike and I can’t remember who else. Alzheimers. It happens. I remember. Larry Smith! How could I forget!

I played well on the front nine. Very well. Shot a 50. First time in years.

The back nine was another story. I started getting tired and my game went to hell. However…..I still won $5. The front side saved me.

Tom usually plays with us. However his daughter and a friend were in yesterday. So he played in a group ahead of us with Tino. It was nice to watch Tom enjoying his daughter’s company.

I napped after golf. In preparation for a party last night.

I was invited to a dinner party/picnic at a friend’s home. About 25 people. I knew half of them. And got to know the rest before the evening was over. Good food. Interesting people.

Mick Barnes and his wife were there. Mick is one of Key West’s top attorneys. He got the $8 million award last year in the Duck Boat case. Need I say more about his competency.

Amy was there also. She used to own Mangoes. A frequent traveler to Africa.

I had not seen Amy in about a year. We now both share a common situation. We drink no more. Made for some interesting talk. But…..she still smokes. Lucky her! Not really.

Bocce tonight. Donna and Terri are coming to watch.

Enjoy your day!