FANTASY FEST ALMOST OVER

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All good things come to an end. This is the last day of Fantasy Fest. A children’s party this afternoon. The grand finale is a tea party at La Te Da. Called this year It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over.

Last night was the major event. The Fantasy Fest Parade. Fifty some odd floats making their way down Duval. Exciting!

I did what has become my normal Parade evening. I no longer stand for a couple of hours to watch the parade and get tousled around. I do what I call The Marty Leshaw evening.

Marty is a dear friend who spent many years in Key West. He has been away so long now it is beginning to feel like many years also.

Marty had had it with the Parade. As many of us after a while. On parade evening, he used to go to Marquesa and enjoy a long slow dinner at the bar while the parade was moving along. I joined Marty on occasion.

Marquesa is one block off Duval. I still had the itch to see some of the parade, feel the atmosphere. etc. After dinner, I would leave Marty for a short time and walk to Duval to see some of the floats and people.

I did that routine again last night, except no Marty at Marquesa.

I watched 20 minutes of the parade. The floats were fantastic. Those on the floats jovial. Thousands of people on the sidewalks. Most costumed. Many bare breasts.

It rained big time most of the week. Not last night, fortunately. The rain did not dampen the spirits of visitors. Not in the least!

Babysat yesterday afternoon. Don’t know why I use the term babysat. Ally and Robert are 9 and 10 respectively. Their Mom and Pop were costumed and downtown working the Montessori booth. Fundraising for the grandkids’ school. Both looked terrific.  They spent two hours selling jello shots, beer and water. Said they did well.

I had things to do. The grandkids were stuck doing them with me. First was Publix. I needed a lot of things. Took time to shop. Robert and Ally were bored. I felt bad.

Then to Pier 1 to look at some lamps. Pier 1 has great lamps. I thank the person who suggested Pier 1 to me. I bought none. Merely shopped. I will return tomorrow to purchase. I am sure I will be buying a table lamp. All lamps are on sale. Beautiful and reasonably priced.

Robert remained bored. Ally brightened up. She helped me select a lamp. She had a comment for each of the 20 odd we looked at.

Sloan is due soon this morning. We have work to do. I have to hustle.

Enjoy your Sunday!

UGLY…..

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Ugly. A descriptive title.

I was sitting at the bar at Roostica having dinner last night. The buzz centered around one thing. The shark caught off Stock Island earlier in the day. A goblin shark.

The shark was 18 feet long. Appeared to have a double head. Not really, however. It has a long snout. Underneath and hidden, a jaw that comes out like a second head. The jaw comes out when prey is about to be caught. Big teeth and all.

I say ugly because I saw a picture of the goblin shark caught. Nothing you would want to cuddle up to.

The story of its capture is most interesting. A shrimp boat caught it. Shrimp boats fish daily off Stock Island.

The shrimp boat had its nets down 2,000 feet scooping up shrimp. The net was heavy coming up. There it was! This 18 footer! No one knew what it was at the time. It was still alive. All the shrimp fishers knew was they wanted the thing off their boat!

One of the fisherman took his cell phone out and recorded the event. That is how a definite identification was made.

The fish is actually pink in color. Down 2,000 feet, it takes on a black hue.

Before the shrimp fisherman today, it is estimated there are only 10 people alive who have ever seen a goblin shark.

The goblin shark has been described as a living fossil. It is prehistoric looking. Especially its wicked teeth.

The fisherman who took the pictures is to be complimented.

The other fisherman threw the goblin  shark overboard. They hoisted it up and dumped it back into the ocean. They were not going to screw around with the ugly 18 footer!

I babysat yesterday afternoon. Robert, Ally and I did Burger Fi again. They loved the cheeseburgers the last time and wanted to return.

Some things are too difficult for me at 78. Don’t laugh. These machines where you fill your glass with ice and then your soda selection confuse me. I could not figure out the ice nor could I get diet Coke. I kept coming up with an orange drink. I told Ally, you do it for me!

After lunch, we stopped at Joy Gallery. Jim and Theresa Wallace there. Nice people. I am glad to have made their acquaintance.

Robert and Ally could not understand what I was talking about as we headed to the Gallery. They could not put together that my Barons were now hanging in a different place. When they saw them, they understood. They kept pointing out which had hung where in my home.

Crystal Marie is an avid fan of this blog. She was in Key West yesterday to be married. Two in the afternoon at Smathers Beach. She invited me via e mail yesterday morning to stop by if I could. I could not because of the babysitting. Crystal Marie, many congratulations! Next year when you return to celebrate your first anniversary, we will get together.

Tonight, Montessori! Robert and Ally’s school. There is an open house at 5.

Robert and four other classmates designed and built a 9 hole miniature golf course. Even goes upstairs, Robert says! You have to putt the ball uphill from the first to second floor.

Don is coming with me. He is interested, as I am, in the type of job the kids did. Don’s Second Annual Miniature Golf Tournament will take place next year. Don says if the kids did a good job, he might hire them. For real!

Enjoy your day!

 

 

A WONDERFUL DINNER PARTY

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The dinner party I attended last night was one of the best. I have gone to many. This one turned out to be special. From the people to the food to the conversations.

Larry and Christine Smith were the hosts. The party at their lovely home. About 20 people. Christine dressed in season attire. A red dress and Santa cap. A  great hostess. The martini glasses were chilled. I was impressed.

There was one more hostess. Kathleen Peace. Kathleen is visiting and staying for a few days with Larry and Christine. Kathleen did the cooking. Everything tasty. Especially the best chicken I ever tasted which turned out not to be chicken. It was pork! At that point, I only had had one drink.

Kathleen prepared a special sauce. It would have made steak taste like chicken! She cooked the roast seven hours.

I was back at the buffet table for my second helping of the “chicken.” Kathleen was nearby. I told her the best chicken ever! What chicken, she asked. I pointed. She laughed. It’s pork!

John and Ali are visiting Key West once again. They come every year at this time for one month. They reside in Leeds, England. Great people.

Larry is getting along well. He can stand. He can walk with a cane. He is driving. Still in pain on occasion.

There came a time when there was only Larry, Don, and I sitting outside by the pool. Don and I had overstayed our welcome. Everyone else had left. The three of us were having a fun conversation. A lot of Roger Bell talk. I knew I should have left earlier when Kathleen came out of the kitchen and announced she was going to bed.

The party conflicted with the Christmas Boat Parade. I made the wise choice. As good  as the boat parade generally is, the party was much better.

I babysit today at noon. Lisa is going Christmas shopping for Robert and Ally. Gifts from Santa Claus. They still believe.

I never made it to the turtle event yesterday. A once very sick turtle now healthy was being returned to its natural habitat. The Atlantic. I did find out the turtle’s name. Hunter. The Turtle Hospital people want Hunter to go forth and make baby turtles. For real. It is the season.

Enjoy your Sunday!

BREAKFAST AT SCHOONER WHARF

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I was up early yesterday morning. I had to be at Lisa’s by 8:30 to babysit. Robert, Ally and Jake were waiting when I arrived. Jake went in the cage. Robert and Ally in the car.

We discussed where to have breakfast. I decided to give them a special treat and take them to a new place. Schooner Wharf.

About fifteen members of the breakfast club were at the bar. My friend Angus bartending. I called over to him. We waved, including Robert and Ally.

We sat at the row of small tables with white plastic chairs next to the boardwalk. Docked boats were less than 10 feet away.

The closeness to the boats and the large number of boats blew the grandkids out. They got excited each time one pulled away from its dock.

Robert and Ally had pancakes. I, eggs benedict. Screw the diet!

The pancakes came with bacon. Robert asked if it was the real stuff. Their mother Lisa is all health foods. She serves turkey bacon.

Robert was on a one week trip for cancer survivors last summer. The one sponsored by Miami Children’s Hospital. Kids 6 to 16 make the trip. About 30 of them. Some as Robert are cancer survivors. The others still in treatment. The purpose of the trip is to celebrate life by those who are cured and give hope to the others that they too can be cured.

On the trip, Robert had real bacon for the first time. Pork bacon. Loved it! Lisa will not buy it. It is still turkey bacon at home. however when out, Robert wants the real stuff. He asked me, is it for real? Yes, I told him. Go for it!

Robert has Ally hooked on it also. She too had bacon with her pancakes.

After breakfast, I took them home. Showed them Poppa on TV via You Tube. One segment. Eight minutes. Had them listen to one 30 minute blog talk radio show. They were good about it. Asked a few questions. When the showing were concluded, Ally asked if they could go play now. I realized they were being kind and humoring me while watching.

Interestingly, Jake sat there watching and listening also.  Perhaps he liked it.

My afternoon and early evening were spent watching the Syracuse/Clemson game. A disaster! Clemson won 49-14. Not worth going through the details. Except to say the Syracuse defense was impressive in the third quarter. They held Clemson to 6 rushing yards most of the quarter. Then the roof fell in again!

The Vegas line was 14 points. I write earlier this week that if Syracuse lost by 14 points, it would be a victory. I projected a 30 point defeat. I was close. It turned out to be 35.

Clemson deserves to be ranked #3. A fine team. A great quarterback. The team could end up #1 in the nation.

I am glad Syracuse moved into the ACC with its football program. There are several good teams in the league. Top 10 and top 20 teams. Syracuse will have to up its game to play at their level. which is good. Syracuse will and some day we will be ranked #3 striving to be #1.

One final observation. Syracuse’s quarterback is green. Only a sophomore. He will be much better next year and dynamite his senior year.

The ankle pain came back last night. Horrible! Again this morning. I am sitting here with the big black boot on.

A reminder. My Friday TV/internet show The Key West Lou Legal Hour is available on You tube. In case you missed the show, it can be viewed there. Go to You Tube and enter Lou’s Legal Hour.

I telephoned Jenna this morning. No answer. She is a big Church goer. Left her a message to call. I would like to see Gravity tonight with her.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

 

PRESIDENT’S SPEECH, 9/11 AND BENGHAZI

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I had competition last night for my blog talk radio show. The President of the United States. I doubt anyone listened to me. The show is archived if you care to listen. www.blogtalkradio.com.

Today, a double anniversary. A day to remember in both instances.

First, 9/11. Forget not those who died, forget not the persons responsible.

Benghazi is already a year old. Seems like yesterday. The same mind framed people involved. Forget not the four who died, forget not again the persons responsible.

Babysat last night. Till late. It was after 11 when Lisa and husband returned. The only one still awake was Jake. He was laying on the couch next to me.

Robert and Ally were good. As usual. Baths and everything else done. In bed at 8:30 without a complaint.

Visited my doctor yesterday for the ankle pain. She has referred me. I see another doctor this morning at 9. Interestingly, no pain yesterday. It makes me wonder.
Dr. Lefferts suspected I might have a bone spur or small fracture. Dr. Louis does not think so. I believe it to be nerve related. We shall see.

I live and learn.

I have always admired Peary Court here in Key West. Initially, Naval housing. Private rentals after the Navy pulled out. Peary Court was sold this week.

Keys History in this morning’s Key West Citizen made me aware of something I never put together. Peary Court is named after Robert E. Peary, purportedly the first man to reach the North Pole. The feat was accomplished in 1909. In the 1880s, Peary was stationed as a Naval officer in Key west.

Have to move my butt. I do not wish to be late for my doctor’s appointment.

Enjoy your day!

PAIN!!!!!

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My yesterday was not normal. I was in pain. PAIN! PAIN! PAIN!

The worse ever? I do not know. The previous big time bad occurred when my back went out and I suffer spasms for several days.

I have occasionally of late been getting a pain in my lower right ankle. On the outside to the rear of the ankle bone. A sudden sharp pain. Extreme. However, it went as soon as it came so I gave it no concern.

Yesterday, it came big time! From about one in the afternoon to late evening. Off and on. A wild pain in the area described. Lasted from 20 seconds to a couple of minutes. Let me say…..It hurt, I hurt!

After a while, a residual pain developed. The heel. It hurt to just walk to the bathroom.

This morning so far, nothing.

I called my doctor. I have a 4 o’clock appointment.

Due to the pain, I never left the house. I did not read or write. The pain was disconcerting. I could do nothing.

Ergo, I have nothing special to report. My day was spent in bed waiting for the next shot of pain to occur.

Let me share one thing I am sick of. Listening to the Syria talk. A mess!

Tonight, I have two things on the agenda.

I am babysitting. I will be with Robert and Ally from 6 to I do not know when.

I will be doing my Tuesday blog talk radio show, also. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. I will be doing it from Lisa’s home. I will pack up and bring everything with me.

Robert, Ally, and Jake all go to bed at the same time. 8:30. Lisa says the grandkids can stay up till 9:30 to watch me do the show. Jake will probably be with us. I hope he does not bark.

Robert and Ally have been with me a few times when I have done my TV show. They quietly sit on high stools behind the camera and watch. After the show concludes, I let them get on camera a bit. They can see themselves on a screen. We take turns making believe the show is live. We interview each other. They love it!

Tonight’s blog talk radio show is interesting. I will mention Syria briefly and what I think about where we are at. Then some global cooling. You read it correctly. Cooling. The Artic was much colder last year. The ice bank grew. A bit about Saudi Arabia and their permitting death row prisoners to fight in Syria. Saved them from death by the sword. Plus more.

Join me at 9 this evening. A quick moving half hour of timely topics. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

BRADLEY MANNING WANTS TO BE A GIRL

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Just when I think I have heard it all, that I can not be surprised, something occurs to prove me wrong.

This morning on the Today show it was announced that Bradley Manning wants to be a female. He said in a written statement read that he wishes to be referred to from this point forward as Chelsea and hopes to immediately begin hormone therapy.

Manning is 25 and was sentenced this past week to 35 years in jail for leaking 700,000 pages of secret government information. He was considered by many to be a hero rather than a wrongdoer.

The only advice I have for Manning is to watch out when he is in prison.

Worked a bit yesterday on tomorrow’s television/internet show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Compiled interesting information. Bradley Manning, of course. Then the Muslim treatment of Christians in Egypt, breast implant bombs, Obamacare and spousal coverage, Pope Benedict’s God told me to resign statement, ingesting tapeworms to lose weight, insulting the office of President, Rudolph Valentino, The Butler, and more.

Join me. Ten Friday morning my time. On television all the way up the Keys and through Miami-Dade County on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. Via the internet world wide. www.weyw19.com.

I guarantee you will enjoy the show.

Spent a significant portion of yesterday working on my first book to be published. A reality in the making.

Worked with Sloan for two hours organizing and editing material for the book.

Babysat from 5 to 7. Enjoyed the time immensely with Robert and Ally. We talked about school, teachers, Jake and Monopoly. I heated their dinner and sat and chatted with them as they ate.

Jake and I continue to have problems. I think it is my voice. If I forget and speak loudly, he feels threatened.

The grandkids wanted me to play Monopoly with them. I agreed. By the time the fight was over as to who was going to be banker, who got what piece, and the board set up, Lisa returned. I had to go. We agreed to play another time.

Drinks and dinner last night at the Yacht Club. I was heading for Don’s and the Chart Room, stopped into the Yacht Club for a drink, and never left.

Bocce tonight. I hope. It has rained heavy the past two days. It has already rained heavy twice this morning. In between, the sun shines bright. It is going to take a lot of sun today to dry the courts.

Enjoy your day!

TOO BIG TO PROSECUTE

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Remember back several years ago when the recession began. The banks were primarily at fault. They were even in danger of going under. The U.S. government bailed them out with our tax dollars.

The American public was told that the banks were too big to fail.

Interestingly, to date not one bank official has been indicted for wrongdoing during that period.

HSBC is a world wide British bank. Many HSBC banks are located in the United States. There was a report this week of a money laundering scheme involving HSBC. Amongst other things, drug cartel monies from Mexico and Columbia were laundered through its U.S. banks. $200 trillion worth of money.

The Attorney General negotiated a deal with HSBC whereby the bank admitted its wrongdoing and paid a $1.9 billion fine. The $1.9 billion represented one month’s profit from the money laundering to the bank. The Attorney General took the position that the bank had cooperated in the investigation and that the investigation was too broad and complex for criminal charges to be brought. In other words, the bank was too big to prosecute.

A topic I will be discussing on my TV/internet show this morning. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Ten this morning my time. Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19 for television viewing through Miami-Dade County. World wide on the internet. www.tvchannel19.com.

Join me, if you can. You will enjoy.

Yesterday began with a haircut with Lori. It was cold walking from the parking lot to her shop. Key West is suffering another cold front.

Then quickly to Lisa’s. I was babysitting. Robert and Ally were off from school.

I spent a bit of time bonding with Jake. A cute, quiet, small terrier. He gets along with the grandkids. They love him. Especially Ally. Lisa is like a mother to Jake. One happy family!

Jake never barks. Or so I thought. Ally had him outside on the leash so he could go. In the front yard. The property is fenced. A large dog walked by. Jake went crazy. Barked big time and loud! Strained on the leash. Ally had all she  could do to hold him.

Apparently Jake is territorial. If another reason exists, let me know.

Robert and Ally wanted to lunch at I-HOP. It has been a while since we were there. We enjoyed a long talkative time. Robert at times seems profound. Ally talks of silly things. Poppa sat back and enjoyed.

Then it was back to Lisa’s. Ally took Jake out of the cage and immediately walked him for potty purposes. That is when the situation earlier described occurred.

I was behind in preparation for this morning’s show. I worked the balance of the afternoon and into last night getting ready. Never made it to bocce. Called Captain David and told him the team would have to win without me.

Syracuse and Georgetown this evening. The third time in a month. Seven o’clock. Madison Square Garden. The quarter finals of the Big East Tournament. A Syracuse victory would be nice. It is definitely needed to help Syracuse’s seeding in the Big Tournament beginning next week.

Must move on. Need to shower and get to the TV studio for this morning’s show.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

TALK WITH ME AT 9 TONIGHT

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Tonight! Tonight! My blog talk radio show at a new time. And with a new name.

Tuesday Talk With Key West Lou premiers for the first time this evening. A one half hour talk show. A current events show. Call in and lets talk. Should be fun!

Find the show on the internet the same way as the 7 am one. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou. If you desire to call and talk with me, there is a telephone number listed. If not, sit back and enjoy.

If you desire to call in and chat, I suggest you call in about 10 minutes before show time. Calls are accepted in the order received. This suggestion does not preclude you from calling in during the show.

I shop at Publix. My supermarket of choice. There is one item I rarely buy, however. A lottery ticket. Maybe once or twice a year.

I should purchase them more often!

The Florida Lottery had a $17 million winner this week. Guess where the lottery ticket was purchased? You got it. Publix in Key West.

The winner has not yet been announced. Either a local or tourist. Whoever, I am thrilled for them. A lifechanger!

My day was relatively quiet yesterday. I woke to a temperature in the 50s. Had to turn the heat on. Laugh you northerners!

Visited the dentist once again. Not there yet. I am to return thursday. Some day.

I played babysitter. From 11 to 4. I think Robert and Ally baby sat me.

We lunched at 5 Guys. We had not been there in a while. I ordered and paid. Then sat down. The grandkids insisted on doing everything else. Getting the soda, ketchup and straws. Picking up our order.

It was bacon cheeseburgers for them. A plain cheeseburger for me. Plus, fires.

We talked a long time. They are both in the Wizard of Oz this week. They are taking their involvement calmly. Though their excitement is not evident, I know they consider it a big deal. Especially Robert. He has 25 talking lines. He is the Barrister. The one who directs Dorothy to the yellow brick road.

We spent the balance of the afternoon in the warmth of my home. They played with their tablets and watched TV. They watched me, also. I fell asleep.

I stayed in last night. Though no longer on the diet, I watch what and how much I eat. Since I had a big cheeseburger for lunch, I was reluctant to eat out.

Again, please join me this evening for my blog talk radio show at 9. Simply type in www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou and I will be there.

Enjoy your day!

 

ANOTHER QUIET KEY WEST SUNDAY

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Sunday is a do nothing day for me. The less I can do, the better it seems.

I took a walk early afternoon. Parked the car at the airport. Walked the length of Smathers Beach and back. A bright sun. A bit chilly. No humidity. Perfect walking weather.

I am back into good health. I try frequently. Succeed rarely. This time I am serious. Today is day 3 of my diet. Yes, you will have to put up with it again. Exercise is a part of it all. Ergo the walk.

Afterwards, I stopped at Lisa’s. I was shocked when I walked in! Absolute quiet. Like a church.

Lisa was on the couch reading the newspaper. What is going on, I asked. Turned out Robert and Ally each had friends over to play. They were in different bedrooms and playing quietly. Cameron had a friend in his room. Corey was upstairs doing something on the computer.

Lisa said the kids should have friends over more often!

I babysit this afternoon. Lisa and Corey have a funeral service to attend. The grandkids have swim team practice at the college at 4:30. My responsibility is to watch them practice and then return them home.

The TV/Internet show is off the ground. It has some rough edges. I am working on them.

I have long thought I would like to do a radio show. Why not! So I am going to do one. I did a practice run thursday night. Went well. Have another practice session tuesday night. This one will be a talk show. You can all call in and share your thoughts with me.

The Key West Citizen yesterday had a major front page article on Breeze. Breeze is Carnivals new big boat. It is going to make six stops in Key West after the first of the year. It will carry 3,700 passengers.

I found the article interesting and strange. There is an ongoing furor whether Key West should make the channel deeper and wider. The purpose being to handle the big boats. Big dollars!

If Key West needs bigger and deeper, how can Breeze make it in to dock?

Breeze was commissioned this past June. Has already completed an Atlantic crossing. As stated before, carries 3,700 passengers. Plus a crew of 1,300. The vessel is a 1,000 feet long. Weighs 130 tons. Has a draft of 8.5.

I have seen several pictures of Breeze. A monster!

If it does not get stuck in the channel, I question the need for widening and deepening it.

Enjoy your day!