MOTHER’S DAY…..BELATED GREETINGS

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I shoved Mother’s Day aside yesterday to express my feelings regarding the possible closing of the Chart Room and Wine Galley.

Sorry Mom! I still love you!

My mother is no longer with me. She passed on some 25 years ago. However, I am certain she walks with me every day.

To all mothers everywhere…..Happy Mother’s Day! Belatedly!

I now celebrate Mother’s Day with Lisa and her family. We went to Sunday dinner at the Yacht Club. Always a pleasant family experience.

Ally is 7, soon to be 8. She has begun to express her independence. She wants long hair. Long long hair! It is already down to her shoulders, if not a bit below. Her bangs cover her nose.

I suggested to Ally she have her hair cut. No way!!!

Robert is 8. He will be 9 wednesday. His independence is obvious, also. His hair is a bit long. One missed haircut long. Robert’s hair has become extremely curly. He looks terrific! The young ladies will be after him some day.

Great golf yesterday afternoon! I am glad Tiger won. Golf needs the excitement he brings to the game. I was pulling for Jeff Maggert, also. At 49 considered old for golf. He was in it till the end. Came in tied for second. Sergio committed the master screw up of the day. He put two in the water on 17.

Dinner was over by 8. I was showered, shaved and dressed. I did not want to go home. Decided to stop at Don’s Place. Only five at the bar. I knew no one. I surmised everyone was celebrating with their mothers and went home.

Jake got out of the yard. Lisa’s home is surrounded by fence. Robert and Ally left the front gate open when they came home from school. Jake went exploring.

Lisa was terrified! She found him a block away. Running all over. Jake is not car trained. She finally got him. Got Robert and Ally also. They were properly admonished. I doubt the front gate will ever be left open by them again.

The annual Truman Symposium is at the end of this week. Technically referred to as the Truman Legacy Symposium. May 17-18. At the Little White House. Truman made 11 different trips to Key West while President and stayed a total of 175 days.

Key West loves Harry Truman!

Doom and gloom abounds! Word is the Chart Room is going down. Could be unfounded gossip. The rumor is based on the fact that the Chart Room will be closed today. The employees have been told not to come in. As I understand it, they have not been told either way whether they have or do not have jobs.

No word on the Wine Galley.

Show time tomorrow night! Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. My blog talk radio show. Two items up for discussion. One is the IRS oppressing tea party organizations. The other, Muslims beheading 813 Italians in the late 1400s for refusing to convert to the Islamic religion. Plus anything else that comes to mind. Mine or yours.

Join me at 9 in the evening. An internet radio talk show. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I BABYSAT JAKE

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It is amazing what my life has been relegated to. It is only seven years ago that I was handling multi-million and billion dollar environmental lawsuits.

Today it is babysitting the family pet. Yesterday was Jake’s day. I babysat him!

I was driving to get my glasses fixed. Lisa telephoned. Where are you? I need you right away. I have an appointment outside my home. There is no one to watch Jake.

I sat Jake for two hours. I had some apprehension. Jake and I have not bonded well. He growls at me. I think it is my voice.

As soon as I arrived, I sat on the floor with him. Rubbed his head. Then his back. Then Jake turned over. He wanted his belly rubbed.

I periodically fed him a pretzel.

Thereafter, I sat on the couch watching the golf tournament. Jake sat on floor next to my feet. He kept looking up at me with those big sad eyes. A rub or two and he was content.

I think Jake and I have made it. We are finally friends!

My morning started with a haircut. Lori also cleaned up my beard where I had missed.

Then to Publix for some groceries. Not much. The bill was $60 plus. I do not understand how families do it. What with the high cost of food and gas.

Bocce last night. A good time. Very warm. The sweat was running off my forehead.

We won 2 out of 3 games. Not good. We played the newest team. They had only won 3 games before playing us. They beat us in the second game.

We almost lost the third. A young lady who had never played before played for the first time. At the beginning it was obvious she was a novice. Then God was on her side! She was devastating. Almost caused us to lose the third game.

We destroyed the other team in the first game 16-4. As it should have been all three games.

Larry Smith brought his Mom to watch. Larry yells and swears a lot when playing bocce. He expresses himself. His mother had to think…..I did not teach him to behave like that!

I think Larry’s mother is 86. She has it all going for her. Sharp. Does not look her age either.

Finished the night at Don’s Place with other bocce players.

The federal government issued some numbers regarding the diversity in hospital costs. The report was a study based on Medicare and Medicaid charges. An amazing revelation! Hospitals in the same community charge different prices for the same surgery/care. Close to a $100,000 difference in some instances.

Hospital expenses are a killer. As are drug costs. I hope Obamacare gets a handle on these items.

A Great White shark has been sighted off Marathon. You will recall one was sighted off Key West last week. It is not certain whether it is the same shark or another. The suspicion is it was another. That is the fourth sighting in recent weeks.

Great Whites are not common to our waters. Scientists say they have traveled this far south this year because our waters are warmer than normal.

Authorities are trying to tag the Great Whites for all obvious reasons. So far they have not succeeded in tagging even one.

The Key West Lou Legal Hour at 10 this morning. I recorded the show wednesday because Krystal would not be available today. I plan on watching myself from the comfort of my bed.

The show will be available on its usual venues. Television on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. All the way through Miami-Dade County. Via the internet world wide. www.weyw19.com.

Topics include some interesting items regarding global warming, my thoughts on Benghazi, some revealing historical data, psychiatric patient dumping, Bangladesh, euro problems in France, Germany and Spain, and more.

Join me. An interesting show. A bit of an eye opener.

Enjoy your day!

 

KEY WEST RETURNS TO NORMAL

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The wind and rain two days ago was something. Yesterday some streets remained flooded.  As long as two blocks.

It was more than an average storm. The Key West Citizen reported front page yesterday that 7 inches of rain fell. A lot of rain in a 6 hour period!

I visited Lisa after my tv/internet show. We talked about the previous day’s storm. Jake did not like the rain. Nor the wet grass following the rain. Ties into his dislike for the ocean and my pool, It is obvious Jake is not a water lover. The family tried to give Jake a bath last week. In the tub. He jumped out and ran through the house streaming water and suds behind him.

The Key West Lou Legal Hour went well yesterday morning. I was wound up. There was a lot of interesting material to share.

Two topics were especially well received.

One had to do with the American public being ripped off by the government, drug companies, and big business. The other concerned the Catholic Church and my thoughts as to the areas where the Church was overreaching.

I thought the rip off would make for intersting reading, also. I used the material in writing next week’s KONK Life column.

The Key West Lou Legal Hour is You Tubed. Take a look if you have a few minutes. Go to You Tube and enter Key West Lou Legal Hour.

Spent some time at the Plantation Coffee House after the show. Diane running the shop. Read the newspapers while sipping away.

The Chart Room was my first stop last night. Enjoyed Emily, Sheila, Sean and Katherine. Emily was beat from the big crowd in the Chart Room the night before. Sean and Katherine shared parts of their Hawaii trip from which they had just returned.

Everyone in town is talking about Mark Watson’s performance in Deathtrap at the Waterfront Playhouse. Local newspapers are praising his acting.

I like Mark. A fine human being. Besides acting, his Key West efforts  include being a drag queen, singing, and bartending.

Everyone loves Mark! That’s the kind of guy he is.

I am glad I went to see Deathtrap. Mark was superb! The show runs through next week. I recommend you see it.

I am going to a First Communion party at noon. At Sole’s.

My housekeeper Anna’s daughter Julie is making her First Communion.

Congrats to Julie!

I cannot wait to attend the party. Anna is Polish. She told me they will be serving home made perogies. I love perogies!

Enjoy your Saturday!

LA FESTA DEL LAVORO

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We have a mix today. Italy, Key West, Afghanistan, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Bangladesh.

Today is La Festa del Lavoro in Italy. Labor Day. Actually it is Labor Day in most of Europe, Asia, Central America, and South America. Only the United States and Canada celebrate Labor Day in September.

A big time national holiday in Italy. Very few work. Rome annually has a concert this day in the Piazza San Giovanni. More than 500,000 will attend.

I visited the Piazza more than 30 years ago when I was visiting Italy with the family. My whole family. Wife, 3 of my 4 children, and my parents. The Piazza is a huge open space surrounded with medieval buildings. Beautiful! Magnificent!

The day celebrates International Workers Day. Sounds a bit socialistic or Communistic. For that and other reasons, Mussolini did away with the holiday when Fascism ruled Italy. It was only after World War II that the holiday returned. It has been an Italian holiday since 1890, except for the Mussolini years.

Let me stay with Italy for a moment.

Italy has a new Prime Minister. Latte. It is questionable how long he will last. Berlusconi’s party made it possible for Latte to become Prime Minister. However, Berlusconi has made it clear that unless Latte pushes through the return to the citizens of the additional real property taxes paid in 2012, that Latte will be yesterday’s news. He will call for a confidence vote and Berlusconi’s party will not support Latte. Latte cannot survive under that circumstance.

My day yesterday started with a CAT scan at the hospital. A quickie. Took all of 5 minutes.

Then headed over to the Yacht Club for lunch. Enjoyed a very delicious crab cake and read the newspapers while seated at a corner of the bar.

Spent the afternoon fine tuning last night’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou.

Following previous shows, some complained my voice was scratchy or cutting out. I contacted the Blog Talk people. They said try a land line. I had been using bluetooth and my cell phone.

Several telephoned after the show to tell me the voice was perfect. No scratching or cutting out. I am glad the problem is behind me. I am learning that it is always something with TV, internet, and radio shows. For real. Nothing runs perfect. Nor consistently.

I talked about money last night. Labeled the topics rip offs. Where our tax dollars are being misspent, where money is being misspent.

I talked about Karzai and Con Edison in that regard.

It was reported Karazi has been receiving bags of money every month for 10 years from us.

Regarding Con Edison, after failing to effectively resolve the Sandy hurricane problems and shutting out 8,000 employess during salary/benefit negotiations last year, Con Edison’s Board gave hefty bonuses to top echelon execs for a job well done. Con Edison’s Board Chairman and President received a total of $7.4 million in compensation. At a time when Con Edioson is seeking permission to increase its rates an additional $400 million a year.

I also talked about a hearing scheduled by the government in Washington, D.C. Seven former Congresspersons have been appointed to a committee. The purpose of the committee is to study contacts made by extra terrestrial beings. Yes, you understand correctly. Creatures from outer space who may have communicated and/or visited the United States.

The hearings are limited to 5 days. They are being held at the National Press Club. The former Congresspersons are each to receive receive $20,000 plus expenses. Before these hearings are concluded and a report filed, I bet total monies exceed $300,000.

What a waste! Especially in poor economic times.

I also spent some time telling/exposing the Social Security story as I see it. No one gives it to us straight. We are getting ripped off in more ways than one.

Bangladesh and the 300 plus dead from a building failure was also discussed. Shades of the sweat shops of the 1920s and 1930s in the United States.

These issues will also be discussed on my friday tv/internet show. They are too good to let go.

Lisa took Jake to the vet yesterday. One of his back paws and part of his foot were swollen. Jake favors the leg. Vet said it probably is a broken toe. As with humans, nothing to do. If he still favors it next week, Jake is to be brought back to be x-rayed.

The Smokin’ Tuna Songwriters Festival begins today in Key West. The 18th year for this event. Country and western vocal and composing celebrities world wide participate. They come to
Key West in droves. There will be music the next several days morning , noon and night. In bars and show rooms and on the streets. Some will hang out on street corners and play.

Enjoy your day!

 

JAKE NOT A WATER LOVER

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Jake visited my home for the first time yesterday. The house he liked. The outdoor deck he enjoyed. The pool…..forget it! Jake is afraid of the water, whether ocean or pool.

Really afraid!

Corey and the grandkids gently took him in the pool on three different occasions. He came right out. Once when he thought one of them was going to pick him up and take him back in, he ran like hell the other way.

So be it. At least we will not have to worry about Jake drowning.

After the family left, I headed over to Publix to pick up a few things. I went to the old Publix.

I bought little and the cost was $71! How do families do it, plus the cost of gasoline?

The old Publix is being remodeled. Signs everywhere. Dust settled around. I could not help but think the remodeling was one of the places Publix’s huge profit was going. I would have preferred their keeping the store as it was and offering lower prices.

Sunday dinner was at the Yacht Club. Love dining with the grandkids.

Lisa serves very little meat to her family. She herself is a vegetarian. Definitely no meat bacon. Turkey, yes. When Robert was at camp this summer, he was served pig bacon each morning with his breakfast. He acquired an instantaneous taste for it.

When he returned home, he turned Ally on to bacon.

Lisa did not and does not relent. It is still turkey bacon in her house.

The Yacht Club has a salad bar. One of the items is bacon pieces. Robert and Ally headed to the salad bar immediately upon arriving. They loaded up on the bacon. Two helpings each!

When dessert time arrived, we ordered three hot fudge sundaes. One for Robert, one for Ally, and one for me. I have my weight under such control that I can eat bad stuff on occasion. The hot fudge sundae was good!

Ally told me she finally decided on what to make for the recyclable project. A paper dress.

My back still bothers me. An occasional abrupt spasm. Please make it go away Lord!

Big doings in the Keys starting mid-week and running through Sunday.

The first is the Humphrey Bogart Film Festival in Key Largo. The first of what is hoped will be an annual event. Key Largo is the perfect venue. Bogart and wife Lauren Bacall made the movie Key Largo there. Plus, for several years there has been a Key Largo visitors’ site at the house which was featured in the film.

Many of Bogart’s films will be shown. Among them, two greats. Casablanca and the African Queen. The boat that was in the African Queen putting around African waters was brought to the United States several years ago and restored. The original African Queen will be a feature attraction at the Bogart Film Festival. Available for rides.

The other biggie this week is the Annual Smokin’ Tuna Key West Songwriters Festival. A mouthful!

This is the festival’s 18th year. Country and western stars from all over come to Key West to play and party together. From what I have seen in previous years, the partying actually involves sitting together and jamming. Is jamming the proper word? Whatever. They sit and enjoy playing music together.

The playing takes place all over Key West. Day time and night time.

Some big names in country and western music will be in Key West for the event. The hit maker Jeffrey Steele, guitarist Gary Clark, Jr., twice Grammy Award winner Rebecca Lynn Howard, and the legendary duo Steve Cropper and Chuck Cannon.

A big time with big names!

Today would have been my parent’s 79th wedding anniversary, if they were still here. My mother passed away 24 years ago. My Dad last year. At 98, I might add.

For their 50th, I threw a party. A big one. It was the wedding reception they never had. About 300 guests. At Alfredo’s in the Utica area. My mother was dressed in long. She had broken one of her big toes earlier in the day. It was not going to prevent her from having a good time. She danced barefoot all night.

I miss them both.

Enjoy your day!

MTV HOUSE A BEAUTY

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A glorious Key West morning!

I decided to walk early this morning.  I walked the neighborhood. My neighborhood. Key Haven.

I can see any time of the day the MTV house across the water from me. Beautiful! My neighbor Andrew recently had it painted. A bright yellow with purple and green pastel trim. A beauty! Especially in the morning when the rising sun shines upon it.

Andrew is rarely in Key West to enjoy it. He has a live on the property caretaker who watches things. Andrew spends most of his time in Sweden, with occasional side trips to Thailand and Key West.

Andrew’s youngest son is 2 year old Kai. He refers to me as Kai’s grandfather. Sometimes godfather. Andrew is Italian.

It has suddenly become summer in Key West. Low 80s by day. Humidity now during the day. In a couple of weeks, the evening also. Air conditioning will be required.

I noticed the last two days that the heat has become so heavy you can see it sitting on the roadways in the distance.

Sequestration is being felt in Key West. Surprisingly, early.

Recall the Key West revolution against the U.S. back in 1982. As a result, the Conch Republic was born. Passports and all. Each year the Great Sea Battle is replayed to remind all of that memorable day. The Coast Guard has a cutter participate. The Navy a couple of jet planes. The Conch Republic 2-3 pirate ships and a World War I bi-plane. Interaction occurs.

The Coast Guard cutter sprays sea water on the pirate ships with hoses. The pirate ships return fire in the same fashion and also throw cabbages, tomatoes and eggs at the Coast Guard.  The bi-plane skirmishes with the jets. The bi-plane also bombs the Coast Guard cutter with rolls of toilet paper.

Not this year.

It was announced that due to sequestration, the Coast Guard cutter Sawfish would not be participating. The event is scheduled for April 26. The reason given was budget cuts because of sequestration.

The Conch Republic has not heard from the Navy yet. I hope they do not withhold the jets.

Dion’s is a famous small chain of gas stations and attached grocery marts in Florida. I believe 12. Two are located here. One on Truman Ave. in Key West and the other on Stock Island.

Dion’s is best known for its fried chicken. A weekly staple in many diets. Absolutely delicious! Deep fried in oil, tender, and smells good! Great for the cholesterol.

Dion’s founder died recently. He was 91. He started Dion’s back in 1948. Called it Dion’s Oil Company. Dion will be forever known as the creator of Dion’s fried chicken! The popularity of his chicken will never diminish.

The morning news advises England’s former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died. The first woman Prime Minister of Great Britain. Hers was a distinguished career in the 1980s. She and President Reagan were best pals. Thatcher is being compared this morning to Winston Churchill. I am not sure. Good, but perhaps not that good.

May she rest in peace.

Spent a lot of time at Lisa’s yesterday. It was Jake time. Before I arrived, the family had taken Jake to the beach for the first time. Fort Zach beach.

He was good. I am surprised. Did not get excited or chase after any one. No barking.

Jake went in the water. Corey said Jake was able to swim. Jake however did not appear to enjoy the water and beach that much. He will have to. Lisa’s family is a beach family. Every week. One of the benefits of living in Key West.

Jake and I were playing. I suddenly lunged at him. Never again. He was up and barking at me big time. It took a while to calm him down.

Mad Men returned last night. Two hours. I really enjoy the show. Probably because the show is set in the 1960s. I was a young lawyer back then. The clothes, both male and female, the hair of both, words used, the smoking and drinking, were all very familiar. That’s the way it was!

Tomorrow is tuesday. Tuesday is Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. My blog talk radio show. Nine in the evening. Join me for a quick half hour chat concerning current world problems. Topics tomorrow night will include banks again and how they have title to our money once it is deposited, how brand name and generic drug companies work together to screw the American public, and a bit about the Egyptian Muslims attacking Christians. A little Final Four talk, also. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

 

NO COUSIN FOR JAKE

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You will recall last thursday night when a stray dog joined me at Sandy’s. We shared my sandwich. He was a large beautiful boxer type. White with tan and black spots. Large sympathetic eyes.

A police officer stopped to eat. He saw the dog was untagged. Told me he was going to take him to the pound.

I left.

I could not get the dog out of my mind. I decided yesterday to stop at the pound to see if his owner had claimed him. I did not want euthanasia in his life.

I drove them crazy at the pound. I was told by the first staff person that the police had brought no such dog in thursday night. In fact, no dogs. Two others joined us. They assured me they had no dog as I described in the pound. I wanted to be sure. I asked if they would let me see the dogs. They took me through the building housing the strays. My dog was not there.

Good! He apparently walked away from the police officer or his owners showed up at Sandy’s. Whatever, my friend was not on the execution block.

I was a bit disappointed that I did not find him. I had visions of me saving his life by adopting him. Jake could use a cousin. I could use a friend. Living alone for eight years is starting to wear on me.

I saw my internest monday. Under went a total physical. Best condition I have ever seen you in, she told me. I reported the news to you in tuesday’s blog. I also mentioned I should not have. I might be jinxing myself.

Yesterday morning my ankles started swelling, By bed time, they were swollen big. I have a 4:30 appointment this afternoon with the heart doctor.

Next time I will keep my mouth shut!

Had to stop by the hospital in the afternoon. No big deal. Needed a bone density test to complete my annual physical. Heather works the bone density department. A very charming person.

I spent the afternoon and evening working on friday’s TV/internet show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. The show is almost complete. Topics include how brand name drug makers buy off the generic companies to the detriment of you and me, how when we deposit money in the bank title to the money automatically passes to the bank–not ours anymore,  Ho Chi Minh, FOX News, the extremes of Sharia law as practiced in Saudi Arabia, some Final Four chatter, and more.

Join me. I guarantee you will enjoy.

The show airs on television from Key West through Miami-Dade County on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. On the internet world wide. www.weyw19.com. Note that the internet address has changed. Please make note of the new weyw one.

Show time is 9 in the morning my time.

Finally…..You Tube! Assumedly all problems are worked out. My friday show will be available on You tube  forever. To find it, merely go to www.youtube.com. When the screen appears, enter Key West Lou Legal Hour.

The shows are being differentiated by date. The date initially televised.

One hangup. Why, I do not know. The You Tube show will not appear on You Tube till one week after the show is aired. So you will always be one week behind in watching the show if you watch solely on You Tube. Right now last friday’s show is not on You tube. The one the week before is. Last friday’s show airs tomorrow.

All too much for my ancient brain!

Bocce tonight! I need a couple of drinks and a few laughs.

Enjoy your day!

TRICYCLES / TRIKES

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The streets of Old Town are fraught with danger. Tourists crossing streets without looking, crossing against the light, the trains and buses. One of the worst problems involves bicycles and now tricycles.

Bikes are rented all over Old Town. Key West is one of the best places in the world to ride a bike and enjoy scenery and serenity. Key West provides bike paths on many streets. Some streets are without.

Bicyclists appear to be under he impression that they are the only ones on the street. They forget there is automobile traffic. The bikes travel not on the bike paths and not to the left side. Generally down the middle of the road. Red lights and stop signs are ignored. It is as if they do not exist. Turns are made without signaling.

Driving a car can be a pressure packed experience.

Florida laws state that bikes are to be treated the same as motor vehicles. Bikes must follow the same rules of the road as autos.

Bicyclists do not.

The vacationing society is becoming older. Baby boomers are vacationing. Those older, also. A bike can be a difficult thing to maneuver as one ages. A wobbly ride as opposed to a smooth one. Ergo, the tricycle business has boomed. A tricycle is a three wheeled bike. Also known as a trike.

The tricycles are even a worse danger. They are wider than an ordinary bicycle. Especially the back wheels. More for a car to hit!

I have written this dissertation not because I do not like bicycles and tricycles. I own two bikes. Ride them often. I write because accidents are occurring and more will occur. Simply because bicycle riders are not careful in the operation of their bikes.

Riding a bicycle/tricycle and driving a car have become sad events waiting to happen on the streets of Old Town.

Cold! Very cold during the night and this morning. Fiftys during the evening. Fifty seven at the moment. The high today is projected in the low 60s.

The cold front will have moved out friday and the temperature for friday and the weekend will be in the mid 70s.

Technically, this cold front is not a normal one. Key West cold fronts generally come off the ocean. This one from the northeast U.S. Whenever the weather is extremely cold up north, it stretches down to the Florida keys. We feel the impact. Our temps drop. Though no where near what it does in the north country.

Visited Jake yesterday. He was outside chasing tiny lizards/geckos. What a happy life!

Did Dante’s for lunch. An outdoor restaurant/bar on the water front. I ate at one of the bars. There were heaters overhead so the cold was not a problem.

Afterwards worked on last night’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk With Key West Lou.

Sloan came over and worked with me a while.

The blog talk radio show last night was a good one. Discussed at length two topics. The Cyprus bank situation and the U.S. Supreme Court same sex marriage issue.

For the second week in a row, a screw up occurred. No one could hear me!

I do not know the source of the problem. Those who called in could hear me as they waited. Everyone else, nothing.

Frustrating!

The show is archived and available 24 hours a day. Even though I was not heard at the time of the broadcast, for whatever reason the archive recording was not affected.  Ninety per cent of my listeners tune into the archive and will be able to hear it at any time. Not all was lost.

I have been in communication with the blog talk people. An Allan is supposed to call me to work the problem out.

I apologize to those who could not hear me last night. Disappointing to all of us. Please return next week.

The Key West Citizen reported this morning that the lobster and stone crab fishermen are complaining that this has been one of the worse seasons ever. One fisherman claimed it has been the worst in 40 years.

We Key Westers have been aware of the situation. Fishing friends frequent the Chart Room and Hogfish. May next year be better!

I must go out on the town this evening! I have been in 2-3 nights in a row. Need to have a couple of drinks and enjoy the company of others.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

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!

 

 

A BIG VISITORS WEEKEND

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Charles Kuralt considered Schooner Wharf the center of the universe. I believe it is the Chart Room. We may both be wrong. It may be Key West itself!

This weekend is a biggie for Key West visitors. Many notables.

Pulitzer Prize winner and Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson spoke at The Studios of Key West friday night. He had been here the whole week. His wife Avis is notable in her own right. She is an artist. Her work has been showing all week at the Studios.

The Blue Angels are in town! No one has to tell you! They can be heard. Several times a day for the past few days. Flying low over Key West. Low low! I stood on my second floor balcony to watch them fly over. I thought if I put my hand up, I could touch the planes. Some one commented the planes were flying so low, he could see the pilot clearly. The Blue Angels are performing this weekend at Boca Chica Naval Base.

My bocce partner Erika flew with the Blue Angels friday. Not in a jet. In a large C-130 cargo plane. Called Fat Albert by the Navy.

Burt Reynolds, Angie Dickinson, and Tippi Hedren were in Key West friday evening. Perhaps you have to be my age to know/remember them. Sad if that is the case. They were big movie stars of another generation. My generation.

All three were here for an opening at Rote’s Gallery on Duval. All three friends of owner Adam Scott Rote. Reynolds and Dickinson drove up in a Rolls-Royce.

Burt was a big time male star in the 1960s through the 1980s. Comparable to Tom Cruise who followed him. Reynolds interestingly has a sort of connection with the Blue Angels who are performing this weekend in Key West. In 1960 and 1961, Reynolds appeared in several episodes of the TV show Blue Angels.

Angie Dickinson was a wow! The loveliest of the lovelies! A big time female star. She worked with all the major male stars. She also was engaged heavily in television. A close friend of Frank Sinatra, she starred in the first Oceans 11 movie with Sinatra.

Tippi Hedren is best recalled by The Birds. The beautiful woman being chased by an army of run away birds.

Last but not least, the Budweiser Clydesdales are in town. All eight of them. They made a delivery on Duval Street friday. They performed at the Blue Angels air show saturday.

Key West Lou was here, also. I never got to see or meet any of the luminaries mentioned. My fault. A shame.

This blog is very late this morning because I was up after midnight watching the Syracuse/California basketball game. Syracuse won 66-60. Syracuse once had a 14 point lead. It got widdled down to 4 thereafter. Syracuse’s defense won the game for them. They completely tied up California’s big time star Crabbe. He scored only 8 points. You could see the exasperation on his face.

Syracuse went 12 minutes in the second half without even taking a shot. Can you imagine! They were fouled constantly, however. It was not Syracuse’s evening to shine on the foul line. The team only made 15 of 41 foul shots.

Onward to the Sweet Sixteen! Either Indiana or Temple. Those two play this afternoon.

Jake. Made his first long car trip yesterday. To Miami and back. Lisa said he was very good. He either rested on the floor or sat in someone’s lap looking out the window.

I noticed something unusual about Jake friday. The way he runs. He bounds. Maybe leaps. Whatever. He is a small dog. Each bound/leap is good for five feet. He is fast. Ain’t nothing that is going to get away from him.

Key West weather continues to be fantastic! 83 yesterday. It will be the same today. No humidity. Such a pleasure!

Enjoy your sunday!