I WENT TO CHURCH

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I went to Church yesterday. I did.

I am a fallen away Catholic. I did it all. Altar boy, Catholic grammar school, high school and college. Sang in the choir and processions on high holy days. I did a good Pange Lingua.

The last time I went to Church/Catholic mass, the Pope died. For real. The very same day in 1978.

I had not been to Church in years. Was asked to be Godfather at a Baptism. Meant mass and communion first. Did it all. Went to confession and the next day mass.

The Pope was John Paul I. His claim to fame was he died 33 days after becoming Pope. I figured if going to Church did that, better I stayed away. Joking, of course. To be frank however, the thought did occur to me.

The church was Unity. Full name Unity of the Keys Spiritual Center located on the corner of Virginia and Watson. All of two blocks from Don’s Place.

Larry Smith is responsible for the Unity Church visit. He had played there last week and told me how different Unity was, etc. I decided to give it a try. I worried the roof might fall in. It still stands.

Interesting service. Interesting minister. Interesting people. I sat in the very last seat in the very last row. Tried to look inconspicuous. Good luck! This is a hugging hand holding congregation. I was discovered and made a part of the service.

Parking is a problem. Unity has permission to use Bare Assets’ lot. Two blocks away. I was given a Bare Assets parking card to place on my dashboard.

Unity is truly a Key West place. Unity, Don’s Place, and Bare Assets…..all within two blocks of each other.

Will I return. I don’t know. We shall see.

From church to Don’s Place for sunday afternoon pro football. Watched the Buffalo Bills game. What else! Chatted with Don, David, Keith, Angus, and Larry. Met Sue and Gerry. Gerry is Jerry spelled with a G. Husband and wife, they are from Depew, NY, a community outside Buffalo. They were at Don’s to watch the Bills game. I asked how they knew it would be featured at Don’s Place. The internet!

Gerry is a nurse practitioner. He is in cardiology. His specialty aortic stenosis. The problem that concerns my heart doctor the most about me. Wife Sue is a nurse, also. A unit charge nurse at another hospital. They have two children, 22 and 20.

Good people. I hope they return to Key West.

Sunday dinner was with Lisa and family. Her mother in law Karen is visiting. She is a vegan. Karen cooked. The meal was 100 percent vegan. A first time for me. Ok. However, I am not ready to change my eating habits. I enjoy beef, chicken and fish too much.

The Ryder Cup, the Ryder Cup. What can any of us say? The tide will turn. It is the law of nature. Watson as captain failed to impress me. It was his attitude more than anything else. I thought Mickelson was correct in speaking out. Mickelson and Watson are golf greats. Merely from different eras.

Navy pilots on the way. Boca Chica Naval Base is 8 miles outside Key West. The USS Ronald Reagan will be in and the pilots will be training till mid October. There will be a lot of whites on Duval!

This is Man of La Mancha day. The Broadway musical and Hollywood film based on Miguel de Cervantes novel Don Quixote. Today is the birthday of Miguel de Cervantes. The novel was written in the early 1600’s.

Don Quixote…..he fought windmills, was the knight-errant, the last of chivalrous men. He dreamed the impossible dream. He loved and sought to protect Dulcinea.

A moving insight into the unattainable.

Enjoy your day!

BOWLING

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Happy Mother’s Day!

My mother is long gone. I miss her. I sound like a child when I say it. That’s the way it is. We are all children when we think of our mothers.

Yesterday, my second bowling event in three years. Prior thereto, sometime back in the 1960s. Total bowling times in my life, 4-5.

It was a Don bowling party at the U.S. Navy Air Base at Boca Chica. There were 25 of us. Don divided us into five 5 person teams. My team mates were Stan, Tom, Clare, and Hershel.

We played well. Very well! We won! We had the highest score each of the three games played. Don’s team was second. We spotted them 15 points in the third game and still won.

I was of exceptional assistance. 84 in the first game. Followed up by something in the 60s the next two. Everyone was better than me! Did not bother me in the least. I had a wonderful time! Did not bother my team mates either.

One problem. The ball was heavy. Every time I picked it up. For real. I dropped it three times as I was in my stride preparing to throw the ball. I attribute the heavy feeling and dropping the ball to my age and being out of shape. More to being out of shape.

The food and drink were appropriate to the occasion. There was no gin of quality. I drank a brand I never heard of. Tom jokingly told me not to light a match near it. The food consisted of chicken fingers, onion rings and pizza.

Travel time and bowling itself consumed five hours. It was six when I arrived home. I had intended to go downtown for the Songwriter’s Festival. Duval was closed yesterday. A stage was erected in the street in front of Sloppy Joe’s. A free concert was scheduled  for 7. I never made it. Did not even try. I was tired. 

Another open house today. Will my home ever sell? I have to find a quiet place to sit with my computer and work on the Greece book.

Enjoy your Sunday!

HAPPY PASSOVER!

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Happy Passover one and all!

This evening my Jewish friends sit down to a special meal. One that recalls the suffering of their people. An interesting evening. A special one. Clothe in warmth and tradition.

I have been favored over the years with having been invited to many Passover seters. The correct word. However, I am not sure I spelled it correctly. If not, my apologies.

Donna and Terri are back in Key West. For Passover. Donna is a tough Jewish Mom. She requires all her children to be with her for Passover. Donna has flown in from Los Angeles. A daughter lives here in Key West. Her three sons Boston, Detroit and I am not sure where else. Tonight Passover will be celebrated at the daughter’s home in Key West.

Jake continues to be the center of attention. He has only been with Lisa and family about two weeks. They are inseparable. Jake is fortunate. He has found a good and loving home. In return he expresses his love for all the family. Me, too. Sometimes.

There seems to be a story a day with Jake. Jake is tiny. From the top of his head to his paws no more than 18 inches. He weighs just under 10 pounds. He fears not! Especially big dogs!

He is very territorial. If a dog walks by, he is at the door on hind legs barking like crazy. Regardless of the dog’s size. The neighbors across the street have two tinier dogs. They bark all the time. Jake does not seem to like them. He returns the barking.

Frankie the Plumber and Lisa are neighbors. Their backyards abutt. All that separates the two yards is a chain link fence.

Frankie has a monstrous dog. Big enough for my grandkids to ride!

Frankie’s dog and Jake are best of friends. No barking. They get up to the fence and rub noses. If one walks one way, the other follows. I find it amazing that Jake does not consider Frankie’s pet a danger or intruder.

I made a mistake yesterday afternoon. Late in the afternoon. I was on my way to Lisa’s for Sunday dinner. I ran into the traffic leaving Boca Chica. Took forever to reach Key West.

After dinner, I stopped at the Chart Room. Sheila was there. It appeared she was waiting for me. She handed me a bag of tomatoes. Sheila has a green thumb. She raises vegetables on her third floor terrace. I look forward to enjoying the tomatoes.

JJ bartending. He introduced me to Andras. In all the time I have been in Key west, this was the first we met.

Andras is around 50. Originally from Argentina, he has lived in Key West many years. He presently waits tables at Antonia’s and Rooftop. He has to be an excellent waiter. Both are top shelf establishments.

At one time, JJ and Andras were roommates. Andras introduced JJ to his now wife.

Key Westers are known as one human family. I break it down further to one family.

Men and women share apartments, condos, homes. Rent is high. Sharing a necessity. The men and women live as brother and sister. Sex  not involved. A very common Key West arrangement.

Mary bartends the Chart Room monday evenings. She has a roommate. You guessed it! Andras! A small world.

JJ told me the Chart Room will be 45 years old June 15. The Pier House is planning a party. A big one! Sounds like a fun time ahead.

I watched the Indiana/Temple game yesterday. The winner is scheduled to meet Syracuse later this week in the Sweet Sixteen. Temple beat Syracuse earlier this season when Syracuse was ranked #3 nationally. A good team.

An excellent game! Temple almost won. They lost the in the last two minutes. The score was 58-52. So it is Indiana for Syracuse in a few days.

Indiana is a #1 seed. Syracuse a #4. It should be an interesting game.

I make no predictions. I thought we would have been out of the tournament by now. It has been a topsy turvy Syracuse year.

What pisses me off are the media commentaries through the weekend and this morning. Every team gets talked about. But Syracuse. It is as if Syracuse does not exist. It is assumed Indiana will beat Syracuse, I suspect.

It is always this way with media reporting and Syracuse. We are the long lost brother and no one seems to care.

I hope Syracuse surprises every one! Beware of sleeping dogs!

Every one I have run into this weekend that had an opportunity to meet the Robinsons were impressed. All saw them as down to earth warm hearted people. All mentioned that the Robinsons appeared to be taken with Key West. Some suspected they might buy here.

For an island that was home to Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, John Hershey, and other notable writers of all type works, the Robinsons would be a welcome addition.

I spent a bit of yesterday working on tuesday night’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk With Key West Lou. Join me at 9 for what should be an interesting time. One of the topics will be Cyprus and banks. The banks in this instance best described as whores. Interesting chatter awaits. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Long winded today. Sorry. I had much to share.

Enjoy your day!