MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

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Key West is into it! Memorial Day weekend!

Key West alive. The town packed with tourists. Driving a pain. Bars and restaurants full. I wanted to eat at the Hot Tin Roof. Good luck! There was hardly standing room.

I complain…..but it is all exciting! You sense it, feel it.

Unfortunately, it rained a couple of times. Not long each time. However, heavy! Big drops. The first storm lasted all of five minutes. Enough to start flooding some of the streets.

I wrote of the crocodile shot in  the head recently. I am still getting emails on the subject. The  emails continue to support the crocodile(s). Man cannot win!

I started my day with Sloan. We worked hard on expanding my tablet usage. It comes slow to me.

I started my evening with a stop at Don’s place. Most of the bocce team there. David, Don, Erika, and Hershel. One night left and the season is over. We are already talking possible trades. Negotiations go on off season and players are traded one team to another.

Serious business.

Then the Chart Room. All tourists, except for David and Sheila. JJ bartending. Enjoyed a drink.

I ended up at the Wine Galley for dinner. An excellent one! French onion soup and bread!

As usual, Larry entertained. Christine joined him in  singing occasionally. Larry’s mom Helen was in the audience. She has to be proud of Larry. English friends John and Ali were there. As was Pati.

Michael Dennis was in attendance. He is the well known author. He is a former entertainer. He once owned a bar on Duval and played the piano and sang all night. He played and sang a while last night. I love his music!

No Steven. Steven has been the premier bartender  and caretaker of the Wine Galley for years. He is no longer employed by the Pier house.

I knew something was wrong as soon as I walked in the room. Steven gone. Emily bartending. Emily has never bartended the Wine Galley. The Chart Room is her post. She had been asked to come in last night to help out.

Steven could bartend and wait tables all alone. Rarely needed help. Last night three persons were working the room in his place.

I have a practice blog talk radio show at 11 this morning. I am trying to run it through Skype at my end.

Enjoy your day!

FRIDAY NIGHT BABYSITTING

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This morning is not just spectacular, it is glorious! Perfect. Even the birds are chirping.

I worry it is a prelude to what might be coming. Hurricanes. The season begins soon.

Babysat last night. Lisa and Corey went out to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary.

Where to go for dinner? The grandkids and I talked about it for a half hour. They are knowledgeable and experienced. We went from IHop to Turtle Crawl to the Half Moon Raw Bar to Matthesson’s to Harpoon Harry’s.

Harpoon Harry’s won out.

Dinner was great. Robert and Ally ate their usual. Cheeseburgers and french fries. I was in a breakfast mood. Ham and eggs.

We walked the waterfront afterwards. Robert is easy to deal with. Ally can be a problem. She is a free spirit. She climbs and walks on anything she can find. A mound of dirt, a concrete abutment, a raised curb. I am in constant fear she is going to fall and break an ankle.

We decided on ice cream. Dairy Queen. A gold mine! We had to wait 15 minutes in line before being able to order. Robert spoke right up. He wanted a double fudge chocolate shake small with a cherry on top. Got it out all in one breath! Ally ordered some crazy colored ice cream with chunks of chocolate. Poppa settled for a small cone of chocolate.

All night we talked. Constantly. About everything. The most exciting from their perspective was that Robert is going to get Cameron’s bedroom. Cameron is off to college in August. Robert and Ally presently sleep in a bunk bed in the same room. Robert is thrilled. So is Ally. This means she will have her own room, also. She told me Mom and Dad were getting her a new bed and desk.

Yesterday morning’s Key West Lou Legal Hour went well. Post show comments indicated Senator Coburn and Venezuela garnered the most interest.

Venezuela has a shortage problem. Toilet paper. A serious one. I read a story of a woman who looked for two weeks before she was able to buy some. Venezuela uses 125 million rolls a month.

The number by the way staggered me. How much do we use in the USA monthly?

I commented in yesterday’s blog regarding the crocodile who was recently shot in the head and killed in the Keys. A big deal. Crocs are an endangered species by law. I thought much ado was being made. They even had a beach front service at which the crocodile was eulogized by the Vice Mayor. He described the croc as having been assasinated.

The comments received yesterday and this morning are the most I have received on any subject. Amazing! Most disagreed with me. Protect crocodiles was the cry!

I wrote my column for next week’s KONK Life in the afternoon. Titled it Three Disgraces.

The first was Major Nidal Hasan. He shot and killed 13 soldiers and wounded 30 others at Fort Hood in 2009. While shouting God is Great! He is still in jail waiting trial. He is receiving full pay. $70,000 a year. Total so far $278,000.

The second was the Republican House of Representatives voting 37 times to repeal Obamacare. One vote was enough. The process costly. $1.5 million wasted so far.

The third involved tax avoidance. Apple’s CEO appeared before a Congressional committee this week investigating tax avoidance. Apple saves $102 billion a year with off shore accounts. All legal. My thrust was Congress should not be putting the CEO on the hot seat. They belonged there! They were the ones who listened to corporate America’s lobbyists over the years and passed the necessary legislation permitting tax avoidance.

You may find the entire article interesting when it is published next week.

Yesterday’s Key West Lou Legal Hour was recorded and is being rerun this afternoon at 4:30. Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19.

Enjoy your day!

 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY LISA AND COREY

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Today is Lisa and Corey’s wedding anniversary. Congratulations and much love!

They are going out to night to celebrate. Which means I am babysitting. For several hours. We will do dinner and at this point I do not know what else.

Bocce last night. We did it! We won the money match!

We won 2 out of 3 games. The first we lost 16-14. The second we won decisively. The third we won 16-15.

It was a battle!

It was Larry’s team we defeated.

Jessica plays on Larry’s team. She is also Shane’s girl friend. Shane likewise plays on Larry’s team. Jessica has an interesting job. She works for the State. Her responsibility is watching and preserving the reef. She frequently dives the reef as part of her job.

I have been put to shame!

An old and dear friend is Bob Marks. I was best man when he married Helen a long time ago. Bob and Helen were recently in Greece. They visited Santorini as I did last summer. You will recall I failed in my attempt to climb to the top of the volcano. Bob tried and succeeded! On the same day, he climbed up the donkey steps. Perhaps even a more arduous feat.

Bob did it all at 75.

I hate you, Bob!

Show time this morning. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Ten in the morning my time. On television and the internet. Television via Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. Via the internet world wide. www.weyw19.com.

A good show today. So much going on in Washington and the world. Join me for an interesting and informative hour.

Enjoy your day!

YUICHIRO MUIRA

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Last summer I was on the Greek island of Santorini. You will recall the volcano. I could not make it to the top.

I was 77 at the time. Obviously out of shape.

Today’s Japan Times reported regarding Yuichiro Muira. He is 80 years old. He reached the top of Mount Everest yesterday, the tallest peak in the world. Not his first time. He did it 3 previous occasions, also.

Muira once skied down Mount Everest. A helicopter dropped him somewhere high up. He needed a parachute to help him stop at the bottom.

To make even more of a hero out of Muira, he had heart surgery in January. His fourth heart surgery.

I have been shamed.

Another beautiful Key West morning. A slight breeze.

I worry. The past year has been one of the best. I cannot recall one better weatherwise. We experienced no winter. Two weeks of cold. Meant long pants and a sweater. Otherwise, it has been summer all year.

The hurricane season is around the corner. I walk with a black cloud over my head regarding a hurricane this year. The weather has been so perfect that only one thing can spoil it. A hurricane.

I hope not.

This crocodile thing is out of control. The 19 foot female crocodile that someone shot in the head.

Last Sunday, a memorial service was held for the croc on the beach at Lower Matecumbe Key. The Vice-Mayor spoke. Thirty people in attendance. The Vice-Mayor eulogized the crocodile. Someone commented the crocodile had been assassinated while sleeping. There is a $6,000 reward for the capture and conviction of the vermin who did it.

Another comment was that the land belonged to the crocodiles. Man had displaced them.

A crock!

The Keys have never been a crocodile habitat till recent years. They have been moving south into the Keys in limited numbers in recent years. Man and crocodile cannot live together in peace. Crocodiles are dangerous beasts. They contribute nothing to the natural habit. They only have the capacity to take away.

I was up early yesterday morning. Why, I do not know. Did my blog right away. Then shopped a bit at Publix and Walgreen. Amazing! I who never shopped anywhere in my previous life. It was all done for me.

The evening was fun. I was out with good people. Keith and Jen. Friends and bocce teammates.

We ate at Roostica. A first for all of us.

Roostica is a pizza and Italian food place. Hogfish owner Bobby opened it on Stock Island. The food is basic Italian. All good. Huge portions. I went for the lasagna. Half of it is sitting in my refrigerator. Too large to finish last night.

Word is Bobby spent 10 days in Italy researching pizzas. Put on 10 pounds. He came up with what he describes as a Neapolitan pizza. Good!

The restaurant itself is deceiving. Looks small from the outside. Huge once inside. A big bar. Many tables. Nooks and crannies. Liked it. It is a locals’ hangout in the making.

Tonight, bocce! We play Larry’s team. A blood match. For first place in the 4 team side bet we have every season.

Tomorrow morning at 10 my time the Key West Lou Legal Hour. Available on television and the internet. Comcast Channel 87, U-Verse Channel 19, and www.weyw19.com.

Normally, I spell out topics to be discussed. This morning I am not. Many things have happened and are happening world wide. Many issues to pick from. My program will not be finalized till tomorrow morning.

Join me for the show. You will not be disappointed.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

HURRICANE SEASON ALMOST HERE

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What a beautiful morning! The kind that tells us to worry not, a good day is ahead.

This morning’s Key West Citizen had an article on hurricanes. Specifically about shelters available on the mainland for Keys people.

What struck me as interesting was the mention that hurricane season starts June 1 and runs through November 30. When I purchased my Key West home 15 years ago, the hurricane season started  August 1 and ended October 31.

In 15 years, the starting date has moved up 2 months and the closing date extended 1 month.

The reason simple. Hurricanes have come earlier and later over the years.

June 1 we will start worrying. We do every year. The dread is always there. The question. Will it happen this year?

You never know.

I do not walk enough. Not even close. Yesterday, I decided to. I picked the right day. It was 92 degrees! I did walk. In home Depot.

Spent yesterday afternoon working on last night’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou.

Enjoyed an early dinner alone at Hogfish. Me and the newspapers. A lobster role.

Last night’s blog talk radio show was wild and wooly. I may have stepped on some toes.

Normally, I receive 0-3 calls after the show commenting on something I said. Last night there appeared to be a deluge.

Two issues hit sensitive spots and/or interested listeners.

The first involved Oklahoma’s Senator Tom Coburn. No one was on his side. The Senator said yesterday that he was opposed to federal aid for Oklahoma if there were not corresponding federal budget cuts. I stated Coburn was speaking for his ideology rather than his constituents. Not proper, I thought.

The other topic involved the new Vermont death law. Suicide is permissible by those suffering and dying. A doctor may now prescribe the drug to cause death and teach the sick person how to administer it to himself or herself.

I was opposed to the new law. I stood almost alone. I received telephone calls from those approving of death in such a manner. There are many Hemlock SSociety supporters out there.

I look forward to this evening. I am having dinner with Keith and Jen. We are going to Bobby’s new pizza/pasta restaurant on Stock Island.

Enjoy your day!

MOORE, OKLAHOMA

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Moore, Oklahoma.

Hard to believe!

All the devastation and loss of life. TV this morning vividly portrays the destruction. Reminded me of Hurricane Andrew. I drove through Homestead soon after. Houses and buildings down as far as the eye could see. As if the city had been bombed.

The number 20 again! Twenty young school children died when their school was blown apart. Shades of Newtown.

Why? Is it global warming? Is it a warning from up on high? Simply nature at work for no reason? I do not know. I have no opinion. A tornado of this magnitude is beyond my ability to comprehend.

A thought occurs. A political one. I wonder if Congress is going to screw around and delay with federal aid as it did with New Jersey.

Tonight my blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine o’clock. A fast moving half hour. I share my thoughts on whatever turns me on at the moment.

Tonight, I will definitely comment on the tornado, the new Vermont End Of Life Law, throw in a few Washington comments, and my thoughts re the banks and major corporations getting richer and the former middle class not. Note the use of the word former. Plus, whatever else comes to mind. Or yours. You can call in and chat with me. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Yesterday was easy. I did nothing of consequence.

A business meeting in the morning, a bagel, coffee and the newspapers at the Plantation Coffee House, and lunch at Blossoms. The afternoon and evening I stayed home reading and resting. A lazy day.

An interesting experience at the Plantation Coffee House. As I was leaving, I heard Diane’s voice behind me…..Louis, don’t you want to pay!

Again, please join me for my blog talk radio show this evening.

Enjoy your day!

 

LARRY SMITH SHOWCASE AT ITS BEST

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Every Sunday at 9, Larry Smith presents his Sunday Showcase. I attended last night. To enjoy my friend Ray Sigismondi’s electric guitar playing.

I arrived an hour early. The Wine galley was already filling up. Fortunately, I was able to grab a table near the wall.

Ray was the featured entertainer. Backing him were the lovely Kathleen Peace and Christine Cordone. Two of the best female voices in Key West. Larry at the piano, of course.

The program was Rock and Roll. The entire show.

To say the performance was outstanding, does not do it credit. It was several levels above. Best may be the proper adjective. Best of the best more correct.

Attendance was overwhelming. Extra tables had to be set out on the deck for those who could not get inside. Ray and the ladies periodically went outside and worked through the crowd.

Picture the scene. Rock and roll. Loud and blaring. From another generation. Guests from that generation whooping it up. Men and women alike. Waving their arms over their heads, jumping up. Some dancing in the crowded aisles inside and out. Faces smiling. Eyes bright with excitement.

This was their night.

Larry, you did yourself proud!

Before the show began, a lovely woman came up to me and asked if I was Key West Lou. Her name was Faye. She lives in Melbourne. She is a loyal reader of this blog.

I was thrilled to meet her.

I kept my eye on Faye. She had a very good time!

She was sitting with friends at a table nearby. Her body moving to the music when the show began. Then her eyes wide. Bright and shining. Her lips mouthing the words. Soon she was standing in an open space. The Wine galley was very crowded. She was dancing in place to the music. The radiant smile continuously on her face.

Whether seated or standing, Faye’s body never stopped moving. This was her music from her time. She was enjoying every note.

As were the other guests. Everyone moving in one fashion or another. Even me. Though not as much as most. My conservative self being difficult to override.

I caught Ali from England dancing. She was out on the deck dancing with another lady as the Rolling Stone ensemble was performed. Her husband John inside. Waving his arms over his head. Periodically jumping up from his seat.

Many friends in attendance. Larry’s friends, also. Amongst others, Pati, Aaron and Karen, Tom and Nancy, Mary Deasy, and Key West’s Southernmost Shrink Doc Covan. The good doctor having been so introduced by Larry.

A lady sitting near me leaned over during the show and whispered…..I think larry is very sexy! I  never saw him in that light. Whatever. Sexy Larry was born last night. He will be so referred to from this point forward.

Larry, my friend, I could not resist.

Permit a digression. Tomorrow night is my blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Please join me at 9. I promise a fun filled informative half hour. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

KEY LARGO TO KEY WEST MARATHON…..WHEW!

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I left home after the Preakness yesterday to go to dinner. There were runners, police cars and people all over. Obviously a marathon. This took place around 7.

As I drove along the beach, I noticed the end of the marathon was Higgs Beach. A big blue tent, a tastey barbecue smell, music and tons of people!

I drove home around 10. Dark outside. Pitch black. There were still runners. In town and out of town. All the way up to Key Haven where I turned off US 1. I suspect some were further  up US 1 still running in.

The runners could not be missed. They all wore blinking lights around their necks. By 10, the pace was slower. Some were walking.

I figured it had to be a long run. I found out this morning how long. From Key Largo to Key West. Wow! One hundred miles, give or take.

The marathon was the Coast Guard Run To Remember. To honor fallen Coast Guardsmen. There were 90 runners entered. That number included some family members of fallen guardsmen.

The Boston Marathon is 26 point something miles. This run was four times longer!

Sloan worked with me yesterday morning. I am in the process of mastering my tablet. We also added apps and subscribed to the New York Times and Key West Citizen.

I am from that generation that is not mechanically inclined. I have to be taught everything in steps. Repeatedly before I grasp what ever it is.

It tires me out!

Tuesday, Sloan starts showing me how to add pictures to this blog. Finally! It will be a major achievement!

Mid afternoon I was upstairs sleeping. Heard noise. Kids yelling, a woman’s voice, a dog barking. It was Lisa and family. They had come to swim. Jake still does not like the water. I doubt he ever will.

I stayed home to watch the Preakness. From the comfort of my bed. My favorite place. I hope the bed is with me in my next life.

I was disappointed Orb lost. I thought he got boxed in and could not get to the front. From news reports this morning, it appears he just did not have it yesterday. Oxbow did. Ran a good race!

Felt like a change of venue for dinner. I wanted to be outside with an ocean view. It was the Southernmost Beach Bar. I sat, enjoyed the scenery and people, had a couple of drinks and a cheeseburger. A perfect evening!

The Beach Bar is the picture on my website. The picture at the top of this blog. That is where I was last night! Sat at the bar.

During the week, a dead crocodile was found in Lower Matecumbe Key. Nine feet long.

Turns out crocs are an endangered species. It is illegal to kill them in the State of Florida. Back in the 1970s there were about 300. Since protected, the croc group is estimated to have grown to between 1,500 and 3,000.

That is 1,500 to 3,000 too many.

There is now an investigation to find out who did the croc in. Whoever did will be arrested, etc.

Sometimes, I do not understand the law. There is no worthy reason why Florida should want crocs running around. They are dangerous. The only reason justifying their protection is that the species was dying out. So what?

Crocs are nasty. Let one of them snap off a person’s arm or chomp on a youngster playing in the backyard. People will be aroused. They would clamor for better protection. They would ask how could the State have permitted this too happen? The cry would be rid us of the crocs!

The problem is it will have been too late. Too late for the person with a missing arm or the maimed child.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CRAZY ANTS

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How many of us have said on occasion…..I hate fire ants! What with the intolerable itch and puss heads.

The fire ant may not be long for the Florida keys. The crazy ant is coming. It totally eliminates the red ant. The red ant is no more when the crazy ant arrives. The question is whether the crazy ant will migrate to Florida.

Maybe.

The crazy ant is from South America. It got to the United States on ships, in people’s clothing, etc. It likes neither cold nor dry. The dry may save our butts. The crazy ant is presently in Georgia and Alabama in the southeast.

Whereas the fire ant bit humans big time, the crazy ant does not physically bother humans. It will get into our homes, however. In the walls. Eat our electrical wires.

The crazy ants move in large swarms.

The crazy ants are expensive to eradicate from one’s property. The pest control person becomes your best friend. About every three months, he is needed to get rid of the most recent infestation.

Which is better? The fire ant or crazy ant? Until the crazy ant arrives, we will not know. From what I understand, the fire ant will have been a picnic. We will regret its departure.

One last crazy ant observation. Jeff Zucker is an ant expert. The scientist stated in a recent article that the crazy ant is the “…..single most difficult ant to control in the southeast.”

Man cannot win.

I enjoyed a unique experience last night. I was not that hungry. Stopped into the Hot Tin Roof. Ordered six oysters. I have not had oysters in years. When I finished the first six, I ordered another six.

That good! Big and juicy!

Stopped into the Chart Room first. Emily, Peter and Jean Thornton there. Plus four strangers. English friends John and Ali stopped in to say hello.

Apparently the Chart Room never closed down. A good thing!

Many employees have been let go and replaced. From what I understand, the whole security team, except for one. The parking lot attendant. Top echelon, of course. And others.

Began my yesterday with the Key West Lou Legal Hour. My tv/internet show. Went well.

Post show comment indicated two topics garnered the most interest.

The first was Benghazi. I did not get into the details. We have heard them repeated for months. I conveyed a simple observation. Twenty 6 year olds were killed in Newtown. Four Americans in Benghazi. Congress has spent significant time arguing Benghazi’s event. Little regarding Newtown. They even failed to vote for a new and simple gun control law.

Our politicians’ priorities are screwed up!

The other involved Syria. Whether government or rebel forces, they are crazy. Both sides behead. Assad’s group gang rape rebel  2-11 year olds.

I made mention of the film wh ich was all overthe internet this week. The video of a rebel leader cutting the heart out of an enemy soldier and eating it. While the crowd behind him shouted in their language…..God is Great!

My point. These are crazy people. Let us not get involved. They have been killing each other for hundreds of years. They are different from us, have different values.

In my opinion, Syria is not worth one American life.

Grocery shopped after the show. I always seem to be grocery shopping.

I spent most of the afternoon writing next week’s column for KONK Life. Stay Out Of Syria. Basically consistent with my comments made earlier in the day.

My tv/internet show is You Tubed. It has also been recorded and will run at 4:30 today on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19.

Enjoy your day!

SHOW TIME AT 10

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The weeks keep rolling by. Friday again!

The Key West Lou Legal Hour broadcasts at 10 this morning my time. Via television and the internet.

Great topics. Some Washington highlights involving the IRS, Associated Press and Benghazi. Regarding some things with which you may not be aware. Then a Bangladesh update followed by a Syrian rebel story that guaranteed you will find disgusting, 813 new Saints, some Turkey info, and more. The more includes a new federal regulation that scares me and should scare you.

Join me. On television from Key West through Miami-Dade County on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. Via the internet world wide. www.weyw19.com.

Bocce last night!

The cookout was great! I enjoyed a hamburger and hot dog. All cooked on site on a charcoal grill.

We lost all three games. We did not play well, we did not play poorly. We just did not have enough. The games were close and then slipped away at the end.

Next season!

Uncertainty continues to prevail at the Pier House. So I was informed by some one close to the situation. I have not visited the Chart Room since monday. Hope to this evening. I should get a better feel for the situation then.

Have to hustle. Show time soon.

Enjoy your day!