HEMINGWAY

 

This day in history 1933…..Ernest Hemigway was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man And The Sea.

Hemingway lived in Key West from 1931-1940. Early on, he purchased a large home on Whitehead Street. He, his wife, and the six toed cat moved in.

I have done several tours of the Hemingway House, as his home is now called. The thing that impressed me the most was the place within the property where Hemingway did his writing.

Behind the house is a garage. Two storied. Hemingway had the first floor doors sealed off.

The garage was free standing. Ten feet or so away from the main house.

Hemingway required solitude and silence when writing. He made the upstairs of the garage his place to work.

Access to the room is what is interesting. The only way to get to the second floor of the garage was to go to a second floor room of the house facing it. There was a window on the second tier of the garage. It was directly opposite the bedroom window. Hemingway had a large board that he slid from the bedroom window to the garage window. He then walked across on the plank. Following which he pulled in the plank.  No one could bother him.

Guy de Boer. A Key West notable.

Guy got me into the tv/internet business. I did my first internet show several years ago for his company, KONK Broadcasting. While doing it, Guy decided to branch out. He started a local weekly newspaper. Circulation now from Key West through Key Largo. He asked if I was interested in writing a column for the paper. I was.

The newspaper was and is known as KONK Life. It is one of the most read of such newspapers in the Keys. Everyone appears to be reading KONK Life. I know. One to three persons a day will comment directly to me how much they enjoyed my column, agreed or disagreed with what I wrote, etc.

Guy recently distinguished himself in another area. Sailing. Recently, he has been sailing in some tournament or another every weekend. I did not know how good he was.

Guy is the Captain. His vessel the multi hulled Key West Magnum. Last week, Guy took first place in the finals of the Schooner Wharf Wreckers Race. A feat! Guy’s boat beat 44 other vessels in 8 different classes.

Good going, Guy!

My yesterday was dedicated to doing nothing. Hung around the house. Watched TV. Sunned myself by the pool. Napped.

A good day!

This morning I received sad news from Novara, Italy. Via e mail.

My friend Nini owns a golf course outside Novara. Though I never got to play, I had visited the course several times and enjoyed a drink in the club house.

The golf course is small. Though 18 holes. Nini was on the tractor cutting the grass. The tractor tipped over pinning Nini beneath it. Nini broke his back. That is all the information I have at the present time. He is in special care at a local hospital.

Two heart doctor visits today. I may buy stock in the doctor’s office.

Tomorrow night is my blog talk radio show. Join me on the internet at 9. An interesting half hour. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

SLOPPY JOE’S

 

I did the unusual last night. I went to Sloppy Joe’s. A rarity for me.

The place was packed. The music blaring and good.

I ate bad. Sloppy fries. French fries covered with ground beef, tomato sauce and melted cheese. To die for!

It was the end of an era. I noticed no one was smoking. No ash trays on the tables. Sloppy’s has permitted smoking for 85 some odd years. It is against Florida law for any establishment that sells food to permit smoking. Sloppy Joe’s got away with it for many years. The only Key West food serving establishment that has.

I attribute the freedom to the fact that Sloppy Joe’s was and is Key West history personified.

One wall has pictures of Ernest Hemingway. One big one. All I could think was that Hemingway was looking out and saying…..What the hell is going on!

The waitress told me no smoking was 3 weeks old. The law said stop!

My day was spent running errands. Walgreens, Home Depot and Publix. Stopped at Lisa’s afterwards. Wanted to see the new family member Jake. He has it made!

Lisa constantly mothers him. The grandkids love him. While I was there, he was outside in the back yard. Chasing 2 inch geckos. They were too fast for  him. But he kept up the pursuit!

I lunched at Blossoms. My whole day was spent eating not so healthy food. I enjoyed a Cuban cheese toast with tomato and a cup of Cuban coffee. The Cuban toast dripped with hot butter. So good! Bad food from a health perspective, however.

My first stop last night was the Chart Room. At first it was just me and Mary. Then they started coming in. Including Peter. Peter and I had our usual enjoyable conversation. We are two old guys. We were into medical problems last night like colonoscopies, prostrate problems and the like.

Bridget came in. New to me. I had never seen her before. Though she has been to Key West before. She is a tour guide. A special tour guide. She travels with groups of 30-40. High end type people. She and the group are staying at the Hyatt.

Bridget has an interesting job. She does not solely do Key West. She travels to all sorts of interesting places. Like London and Australia.

Bridget has an even more interesting background. As we all seem to do. She is originally off a 175 acre Maine farm. Then a farm in New Hampshire. Now a world travel guide.

I enjoyed Bridget’s company. I hope we run in to each other again.

Today is Tuesday. Tuesday is Tuesday Talk With Key West Lou. Blog talk radio. Nine my time. One half hour of interesting chatter. Some call ins. Join me. I guarantee you will enjoy. Topics include all kind of current events and Syracuse basketball. Tomorrow night I hope to touch on the lack of truth in government as it relates to the deficit problem. You will be surprised at what I have to share with you. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

I have to hustle this morning. I have a doctor’s appointment at 8:30. The start of my annual physical. A two day venture.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

TRIP PICS…..THE BEGINNING

This is the day!

Trip pictures being published!

I have grouped the photos into 12 categories. From this point forward, a category a day will be provided. Today’s pics are of the Novara phase.

Novara was my first and last stops on the trip. I flew into Milan. A half hour drive away was Novara. Translated, Novara means new camp. Way back when, there was no Novara. The Roman legions camped there. For a long time. Ergo, the name Novara.

Remnants of the Roman stay can still be seen. The Romans constructed a stone wall around the camp. Portions of that wall remain today.

The City of Novara developed from what was once the Roman camp.

There is a Hemingway tie.

Novara and Milan are cities. Stresa is a town. They are located in the Province of Novara. Novara is both the name of the province and the city. Each community located relatively close to the other.

Hemingway was an ambulance driver during World War I. He was stationed in northern Italy. Received multiple shrapnel wounds to his legs. He was hospitalized in Milan. Fell in love with one of his nurses. Following his hospitalization, he went to the resort town of Stresa for a rest. Stresa is located on Lake Maggiore.

Hemingway years later wrote A Farewell To Arms. The background and characters for the book came from the time he spent in the Milan hospital, at Stresa, and involved Lake Maggiore.

The Novara photos are a set of six.

The first is a photo of the building I stayed in at the beginning and end of my trip. It is a medieval building. More than a 1,000 years old. The exterior has been reconstructed. I was in an apartment on the second floor. The center balcony is off the living room of the apartment. The gigantic wood doors are the entrance way to the building’s courtyard.

The next photo is the building’s internal entrance way into the courtyard. The entrance way has been redone also. Note the fine workmanship on the doors.

The next pic is my bedroom ceiling. Though the outside of the building has been updated, the interior remains as it was a 1,000 years ago. The apartments have cathedral ceilings. All rooms. Huge wide windows. The ceilings are hand painted.

The next photo is a ceiling one, also. Of the sitting room ceiling.

I made a Moroccon friend on the trip. Miriam. She is in the next photo on the far right. It was my 77th birthday. Miriam cooked for me and baked a cake. The picture is of me and her family.

The final photo is me and the cake.

Tomorrow Santorini.

I enjoyed a yesterday, also.

Spent most of the day finishing Bob Woodward’s The Price Of Politics. Excellent reading. Scared me. The novel clearly evidences the inepts governing us. From the President down. Without mentioning it, the book cries out for term limits. Lack of ability and serving self interests permeate the book.

Though not mentioned, the book cries out for term limits. I would do one 6 year term for a President, one 5 year term for a Senator, and one 3 year term for a Congressman. Get them in and get them out! Keep reelection out of the picutre.

Lisa did a Thanksgiving turkey dinner last night. Delicious! Robert and Ally a joy.

I come from the generation that is not mechanically inclined. Corey was trying to show me how to operate my cell phone camera to my blog. Simple to most of you. Not to me.

Those of you who watch my internet show on KONK Broadcasting and read my weekly column in KONK Life via the internet, be advised the sites have been renamed. Sorry. Not my doing.

To watch the friday internet show: www.konknet.com/tv/personalities.

To read the column via the internet: www.konknet.com/konk-life/contributors.

Remember to join me for Santorini tomorrow.

Enjoy your day!

WHAT A JOKE! I JUST WENT TO PUBLISH THE NOVARA PHOTOS. I LOST THEM! SLOAN WORKS WITH ME TOMORROW NIGHT. SHE WILL HOPEFULLY FIND THEM. I CANNOT. WHICH MEANS…..NO TRIP PICS TILL WEDNESDAY. I AM NOT EVEN GOING TO PLAY WITH SANTORINI TOMORROW. I WOULD PROBABLY LOSE THOSE ALSO.

MOSQUITOS

 

The major item of importance in my life yesterday was a stress test. Part of ongoing tests because I had a chest pain last week. Tests completed. Next wednesday my cardiologists gives me the results.

The testing took over 2.5 hours.

I did not do the tread mill stress test. Mine was strictly nuclear. I sat in a huge easy chair. Some nuclear chemical was shot into my arm. The result was immediate. I started breathing heavy. Gasping a bit. These results were expected and I had been forewarned to expect them.

It was all over in 30 seconds. The picture taking before and after is what took up most of the time.

The gulping for breath was similar to that experienced on my ill fated attempt to climb to the top of the Santourini volcano.

My cardiologist gave me the option of the tread mill or shot. He said both were equally good from his perspective for what he needed. I have become lazy in my old age. Always hated the tread mill. It was hard! Especially at the end. So I opted for the shot of nuclear whatever.

I published another article on Amazon Kindle yesterday. The Forefather of Three Presidents and Two Actors. The John Holland of Mayflower fame tale. He gave us Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the two Bushes. Plus Humphrey Bogart and Alec Baldwin. Were in not for Holland, we never would have had Social Security or the Iraqi War. Who knows how Casablanca would have turned out. 30 Rock might never have won any Emmys.

As I was getting ready for my night in Key West, the telephone rang. It was Jean Thornton. She has been back 2-3 weeks and we had yet to get together. Jean suggested we meet at the Chart Room for a drink.

It was Jean. And Sean, Sheila and Emily at the Chart Room. Good people all! A pleasant time.

I invited Jean to dinner. She had to pass. Had a dinner engagement already scheduled for later in the evening.

Emily bartends three nights  a week at the Chart Room. The more I see of her, the more I like her. She is intelligent and engaging. Beautiful as well.

I was not that hungry. Wanted to go to some place close and easy to the Chart Room. I decided on Sloppy Joe’s and an order of sloppy fries. It was fun.

I walked a couple of blocks down Duval after “dining” at Sloppy Joe’s. A good crowd of people. Not great. Enough for the merchants to make a buck, however.

Tomorrow is the day! My internet show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Ten in the morning my time. World wide. www.konkbroadcasting.com.

Join me. Share some interesting time with me.

Some topics to be discussed include the Dallas mosquito problem/West Nile Virus which is killing people, why U.S. companies prefer manufacturing in China (it is not the cheap labor), Social Security’s recent ordering of 174,000 rounds of hollow point bullets, Germany beginning to hurt economically because many of their container vessels sit idle, a high ranking Catholic priest sentenced to 3-6 years for being part of the cover up, Presidential campaign setting a poor example for our children, nude maid service in Lubbock, Texas not tolerated, and more.

Again, please join me if you can. I love doing the show and I assure you that although you may not love it per se, you will enjoy watching it.

Enjoy your day!

 

LOTS HAPPENING

I wrote yesterday that Robert was attending a one week fun trip under the auspices of the Miami Childrens Hospital for youthful cancer survivors. The group consists of about 32 kids. Boys and girls.

Saturday night they attended the Marlins game. The group received all kinds of goodies and acknowledgements. Met the players, practised on the field, one threw out the opening pitch, etc.

I write this blog and everyone things I am very computer savy. I am not.

Lisa received a picture yesterday of Robert at the Marlins game. He is standing in a line with the other cancer survivors. Some Marlin players behind them.

Lisa posted the picture on Facebook this morning. Go to facebook and see it. Search Lisa Malcom. Robert is the third from left. The one with the blond hair. The picture will touch your heart. Guaranteed.

Because I am computer inept when it comes to posting pics, I have to send you directly to Lisa on Facebook.

These children are cancer survivors. Lisa talked with the mother of one of the other children last night. The mother had visited with the kids briefly yesterday. When she came upon them, they were openly talking about having had cancer and that they could have died. They were showing each other their scars.

Robert is aware of what he went through at birth. Even though cured, he is aware it affects his life. For example, he has to be checked at Miami Childrens Hospital till he is 21. He and the family pack up the car and go several times a year. How could he not understand!

God bless these kids!

Sloan and I worked long and hard yesterday morning. Our early Sunday was committed to organizing the 600 pictures taken on my trip. Soon some will be exhibited in epilogue fashion. Not all 600. That became clear yesterday. We have decided on showing the best 50. We are still getting down to that number. If 50 does not do it, I will figure some way of showing more. You shall not miss the good ones.

Walked big time again. After Sloan and I had finished. Longer than the previous day. I must keep it up! That last comment sounds sensual. Not meant to be. Sounds good, though.

There are many tourists in Key West. I am pleased. Both tourists and merchants are happy. This is a good time to visit Key West. Prices are generally half off. Meals 2 for 1. A bargain.

I spent a lot of time at the Plantation Coffee House. Reading the Sunday newspapers and sipping coffee. Both Theo and Diane were there. A hard working couple. Pleasant people.

There were several tourists seated in one area. They were chatting about the weather. The topic of discussion was whether it was going to rain yesterday. It was around one. The sun was bright and hot. Few clouds. The morning had been the same. They were convinced it would not. One of them even said he checked everything out on the internet and he was certain that it was going to be a dry day.

I wanted to tell them how wrong they were. I did not want to bust their bubble, however. It rains every day in Key West in the summer. it is our rainy season.

Sure enough around four, the deluge came. Torrential rain.

Chickens have been a problem over the years in Key West. Several years ago the city fathers paid someone to remove the chickens. Chickens are some sort of an endangered species in Florida. They cannot be killed. They must be captured, properly crated, and sent to a chicken farm somewhere in northern Florida to enjoy the rest of their days.

Key West hired a chicken catcher. He was to receive $20 per chicken. The caging and trucking expenses north were to come out of the $20. The chicken catcher did not last long. He quit. Said he could not make money. The chickens still rule the streets of Key West.

Yesterday’s Key West Citizen had an interesting article. Somewhat related.

Page 2 of the Citizen daily publishes historical events. The paper calls it Today In Key West History. One of the items mentioned occurred 100 years ago. It involved the city and county commissions getting together at a special meeting to combat what apparently was a problem at the time. The bubonic plague. Heavy stuff. The two commissions voted to pay anyone who would help to eliminate the rodents who caused the problem. Five cents per rat, one cent per mouse. Dead or alive.

Hemingway Days start to day. Run through Sunday. One of the big events is the Hemingway Look A-Like Contest. It is held annually at Sloppy Joe’s. Now that I have a beard, all of seven weeks old, I considered entering. On second thought, I realized I am not ready. The beard needs to grow more. Perhaps next year.

I feel good. The jet lag seems to have gone. However, I layed down again yesterday afternoon at 4 for a short nap. Did not wake till 9. Screwed up my game plan for the night. It was to have been dinner at the bar at La Trattoria and visiting with Kathy and Becha. Perhaps next week.

Enjoy your day!

DAY 30

An interesting experience this morning.

I was sitting on the terrace reading. It was very early. The sun had just risen.

I assumed the rest of Amorgos was still sleeping. It was. Except for one elderly Greek woman.

She came walking by. Wrinkled face. White hair. Tanned. Dressed in black dress and stockings.

She stopped and talked with me. She spoke smilingly and occasionally excitedly. In Greek, of course.

I sat there smiling at her. Nodding my head in agreement on occasion.

I never spoke a word. Nor did I understand the Greek she was throwing at me.

At the end of whatever she was telling me, she gave me a big smile and walked away.

Notice how well I speak Greek!

Yesterday, I walked. Once more to the other side of the bay. About 2 miles. My gait and wind are much better. I was moving along.

I lunched at an outdoor cafe overlooking the harbor. A spectacular view. All views are spectacular here in the Greek isles.

I ate at Demetrius’ again last night. Why not. The food is outstanding.

Demetrius’ place is nothing appearance wise. An old old small building with a beat up awning outside. Maybe a dozen small tables.

The place is packed every evening by 9.

Last night, I had ceci peas. Soft. Covered in a tomato/oil sauce. With De Vito type bread on the side to clean the plate.

My entre was a chunk of lamb and boiled potatoes covered in a similar sauce as the ceci peas. I was told the lamb was local. I suspect the poor animal had been killed within 24 hours of it showing up on the plate before me.

The lamb melted in my mouth.

I showed up for dinner at 9. Finished at 11. The Greeks eat slowly.
Then to bed.

Tonight is my last in Amorgos. I will have been here a week. I leave tomorrow for 2 days in Athens. I am returning to Athens to do some things I did not when last I was there 3 weeks ago.

I shall miss Amorgos.

Permit me to share some random observations with you about this island.

I suggested this past week that Amorgos probably had 2,000 residents. I was close. 1,859. On an island more than 50 miles long.

Amorgos is as it was 200 years ago. Perhaps even before.

The houses are concrete. All white. Each more than 200 years old. High ceilings. Irregular walls.

The people are 80 to 100 years ago. Throwbacks from another time. Simple people. Good people.

There are few cars on Amorgos. Two means of transportation exist. Your feet and three wheeled bicycles. Three wheelers all over the place with big baskets on the back.

The men generally 50 plus. Many 70 plus. Paunchy. White haired. Dress in black. The women the same. For whatever reason, the women’s faces are especially wrinkled.

The reason both sexes dress in black is that it supposedly is cooler than wearing a lighter color.

Honesty prevails! Eleni and I discovered each other when first I arrived. I had one big bag. She insisted on rolling it along. Not far. She stopped in front of a building. Note we are standing on the harbor front. Busiest place on the island. She told me to follow her. But she left my bag alone. What about my bag? Don’t worry, she said. No one will steal it.

Her husband drives a three wheel bike. He parks it outside at night on the concrete walkway in front of this building. A public thoroughfare. No lock. Any one could ride it away. No one does.

My apartment sits on the bay of Amorgos. I see the boats come in and go out. Not that many. There are no big boats. Some evenings, 2-3 big sailboats. People put in for the night. Otherwise, the boats moored or otherwise tied up in the water are small.

Really small.

The predominant vessel is a row boat. Yes, these fisherman go out into the sea to catch their ware in row boats. If you think about it, it is not so strange. In Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea, the fisherman was out on the ocean in a row boat the whole story.

There are some ancient type boats, also. A couple of feet longer than a row boat. A rudder in the back.

The boats are evidence of my representation that Amorgos is significantly behind the times.

Few tourists. The island is off the beaten track. Only two boats a week. I think Amorgos is absolutely fantastic! And cheap! Everything costs nothing. A person could easily live here on a Social Security check. And still have money left over!

The tourists are from all over the world. They all come for the same reasons. Peace, solitude and the cheap cost.

The locals are a happy group. Difficult to know at first. They are wary of strangers. But in less than a week, I have become a welcomed guest on their island.

There are young people. However, not that many. The proof of the pudding. There is only one disco on the island. The younger people probably leave Amorgos for bigger and better things when they come of age. I hope some of them return in due course. Everything they will be looking for in later life is already here.

Internet and wi fi service comes and goes. Every restaurant and hotel claims they have it. Impossible to find! You become adjusted. Take it in stride. Eventually it returns.

Fresh fruit a delight! An example is a gift Eleni’s husband gave me. He has a garden next to my building. It runs three stories up a little hill. Everything runs upward on Amorgos. He has an apricot tree. One day, he brought me a bowl full of apricots. They were small and ripe. Delicious. Made my mouth water.

As else where in Greece, clothes lines everywhere. Front porches, sides of buildings, where ever. Even I have had a clothesline this past week. At the far end of my terrace. For my sole use. I have used it.

I leave tomorrow at 6 in the morning. I have no choice. The two boats a week in and out both leave at 6. It is a 9 hour trip to Athens. Going to be fun. Not really. However, I am going business class and am told it will make the trip considerably easier.

Due to the time constraints tomorrow, I may not be able to do the blog. We shall see.

I have experienced four Greek places this trip. A brief evaluation is in order.

Athens I liked. It is a big city like New York. Excitement everywhere. The reason I am returning for two days more.

The best viewwise was Santorini. Spectacular. I sat with God. The food was not that good, however. Santorini is in transit. It is going from a small unknown island to a major tourist attraction. It is closer to being a major tourist attraction.

Mykonos I did not like at all. It is a tourist trap. It sells yesterday to people who want that life style. I have no desire to return to Mykonos.

Overall, Amorgos is the winner. The view is good. Plus the island has a great package otherwise. Quiet. Solitude. Good food. Nice people. The opportunity to travel at your own pace.

That’s it. The next time you hear from me will be from Athens.

Enjoy your day!