WEEKEND IN HAVANA

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There once were round trip flights from Key West to Havana. Long ago. The last flight was in 1962.

Round trip air service between Key West and Havana began  again February 28. The next flight March 7 is already sold out. The flights will be three times a week and cost between $479 and $525 round trip. Expensive for a 30 minute 90 mile flight. However, a start.

The reestablishment of flights between Key West and Havana represents the door opening a crack. May it open even more!

Did the dermatologist thing yesterday. I have several holes in the head area and a couple on my arm. Nothing significant.

Did final prep work on last night’s blog talk radio show Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Except for a brief lament regarding Syracuse, the entire show involved the Ukraine. A tinderbox.

Putin reminds me of Hitler and the Sudetenland the way he is handling Ukraine. Hitler was an untrustworthy bully and so is Putin. We learn from history as history repeats itself. Hopefully, the situation will not result in another Munich.

Military wise, Russia only has one thing going for it. It still has nuclear weapons. Putin might decide he has to use them.

The Russian army consists basically of Russian draftees. Eighty per cent of those drafted never show up for induction. Those that do are only in for one year. Morale is low.

Russia’s army is already engaged in the Caucasus and Far Eastern Siberia. Russia is lacking in man power to conduct a third war.

Most Russian military equipment is out dated. Armored units and air assault helicopters are not up to snuff. Fuel consumption is high. As is the frequency of breakdowns.

A Ukrainian war would disrupt Russia’s sales in oil and gas to other countries. Oil and gas sales amount to 75 per cent of Russia’s income.

The bottom line is Russia is not equipped to go to war over the Ukraine. If not for Putin being off the wall and out of control at the moment, many would say he is bluffing.

Who knows? Who can be certain? Whatever, let there be no Munich resulting in another give away to a ruthless dictator.

I am subdued and calm re Syracuse. It is like a bomb has been dropped on me  and I lay in the middle of the rubble. Syracuse has lost 4 of its last 5 games. 25-0 is yesterday. Today, a horror story!

I did not see last night’s game. My blog talk radio show interfered. Syracuse lost to Georgia Tech 67-62.

I hope Syracuse comes back and I get to watch the team play in the Final Four. That is all I can say. I say it with a shocking calm.

Enjoy you day!

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLOTTE

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There’s going to be a wild time in the Chart Room tonight! It is Charlotte’s birthday! She is enjoying her birthday here in Key West with her friend Skip. Skip of 104.9 radio.

Happy birthday Charlotte! Love you!

The food poisoning stayed with me most of yesterday. I never left the house. Towards the evening, I seemed better. This morning I am.

The big event for me were the Academy Awards last night. I am a true fan. I have loved the show for years.

One problem was keeping awake for the whole show. I was dozing on and off. Frankly, I am interested in the major awards. They are the ones that excite me. I was asleep for  Best Actress. Woke. Fell asleep again for Best Actor. I was awake for Best Picture.

My blog talk radio show tomorrow night. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. In between flights of sickness yesterday, I worked on the show. I will be discussing some interesting topics. One involves the new-Nazi party in Ukraine. They are on the side of the good guys. The people the U.S. is supporting. Already to the tune of more than $5 billion.

My problem with the scenario is twofold. Why are we giving money to a group that is committed not only to purging Communists and Russians, but also members of the Jewish community? Another problem is why have we not heard about the neo-Nazi party involvement and the U.S.’s support? A transparency problem here. It appears the government and media have decided to keep the knowledge away from us.

Another interesting Ukraine situation I will be discussing involves the banks. Certain Ukrainian banks are limiting depositor withdrawals to $100 a day. It has happened elsewhere. As I continue to say, it could happen here.

The show can be heard at www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

BACKYARD GUN RANGES / PUBLIC NUDITY

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Syracuse was crucified and decimated yesterday afternoon. Virginia beat Syracuse 75-56. The worse beating in the three games Syracuse has lost.

It was close until there were 11 minutes to go in the second half. The game was tied 42-42. Then came the deluge.

I have no comment. Syracuse deserved to lose. I have no idea what the rest of the basketball year will hold for Syracuse. In spite of Syracuse’s record, it has been a rocky season.

I was supposed to watch the game at Don’s Place with Dan and Lisa. I never made it. I got sick. Very sick. Food poisoning. It hit me within a short time after lunch. A lunch I prepared for myself at home. Something definitely was bad. I spent the afternoon and evening in bed and the bathroom. The blessing is I lost 3 pounds.

I am not sure how I feel this morning. I have to find out in the next hour. There is another open house scheduled. I will cancel it if I am not better. I want my bed and bathroom to die in.

Two interesting Key West issues today. Both in this Sunday’s Key West Citizen.

One is backyard gun ranges. I made mention of them about a month ago. A resident of Big Pine Key set up a gun/shooting range in his back yard. It would bother me if I was the guy’s neighbor. Some have expressed concern.

Turns out there is nothing that can be done about it. Gun enthusiasts and the NRA control in Florida. A State law was passed in 2011  that permits shooting ranges on home property. The law further provides that if any elected official prohibits such gun ranges, he is subject to a $5,000 fine and revocation of office.

The second Amendment carried a step too far.

Public nudity is another issue. The issue makes it sound like people are running around bare ass on the streets of Key West. Such is obviously not the case. What is involved is Fantasy Fest.

In a letter to the editor in today’s paper, an individual complained. He appears to be a snowbird. This is not the first time he has complained about the issue.

He wants the city fathers to “…..clean up our town and take it back.” Because of him, public nudity is a front burner issue once again.

I will simply state Fantasy Fest is an adult party and has been such for more than 25 years. It was started because late October was a dead time. The merchants were hurting. It was hoped Fantasy Fest would bring tourists to Key West. It has. Sixty thousand come out to watch the parade alone. The business men are happy. I suspect most resident are, also.

The complainer is a squeaky wheel. My concern is that a squeaky wheel always get attention. It would be a shame if this one convinces Key West to regulate more the dress standards.

There is nothing wrong with Fantasy Fest that needs fixing as regards nudity. Pasties, spray painting and other existing ordinances cover the problem. I like the use of the word “cover.” It was purely accidental.

Leave whatever the nudity is during Fantasy Fest alone.

One additional comment. I would be surprised if the complainer even attends any of the festivities. I suspect it would be too shameful from his perspective.

The Academy Awards tonight. I am old school. I have enjoyed the Oscar awards all my life. I will be watching from my bed.

My book, my book, my book! If you have not purchased it, please consider doing so.  You will enjoy it. The World Upside Down is available on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

Enjoy your Sunday. I hope I enjoy mine!

 

 

THE SEASON AT SQUARE ONE

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Time moves on. Things change. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

The 2007/2008 recession hit Key West hard. People did not have the money to vacation in Key West. The tourist season has been getting better the last two years, however. Last night it appeared unquestionably better!

I was having dinner at Square One. With the lovely Stephanie Kaple, The Key West Shoe Girl. She wears heels all the time. The tall ones. Even when playing bocce.

Square One was mobbed when I arrived and it stayed that way all night. Standing room only at the bar waiting for a table. Several deep. A spark of excitement in the air. I had not felt nor experienced it for several years.

Carmelo worked hard last night. I am happy for him that the new Square One Restaurant is a success.

The Key West Citizen has a daily historical part on page 2. Happenings from fifty years ago. Two items caught my attention this morning. One involved Arthur Godfrey and the other the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Arthur Godfrey was a big TV star in the 1950s and into the early 1960s. His was CBS’ most successful show.

I met Arthur Godfrey once briefly. In the mid 1950s, I was attending Manhattan College in New York City. One of the many part time jobs was as a messenger delivery boy. No bicycles then. Each messenger had a small several block area. You walked fast!

I was in and out of the CBS Building all the time. Many of which I saw Arthur Godfrey moving around. After making a delivery one day, I was in the elevator going down. Arthur Godfrey was on it, also. Just me and him. He look at me and mouthed a gruff hello.

There was a limousine waiting for Godfrey at the curb. As he was about to get in, he looked at me again. Where are you going, kid? I told him. It was about five blocks away. Get in, he said. I’ll give you a ride. It was an exciting ride for me. We chatted. He asked me all kinds of questions about myself.

An awesome experience for a 19 year old!

The other 50 years ago news item mentioned the Cuban Missile Crisis. Thirteen days in 1962 of tension for the world. We were going to war with Russia! Thank God it was avoided.

When the missile crisis occurred, I was two years into my law practice and had fathered three of my four children. Lisa was down the road.

Kenneth Keating was a United States Senator from New York. He brought the Cuban missiles to the world’s attention. He was the first one! He drummed on it daily in the Senate in open floor debate. The Senate did that then.

Keating was a good man and had done a good thing. No one was ever going to beat him. He could be U.S. Senator from New York forever.

It was not to be. Robert Kennedy claimed a New York residency and ran against Keating. Only a Kennedy could have beat him.

The election was the first time I met Robert Kennedy. I was a young active Democrat. He was speaking in Rome, N.Y. He, I and his advance man (who had slept at my home the night before) met on a stage behind a curtain for a quick five minute strategy meeting while a speaker and a political rally were going on on the other side.

My first impression of Kennedy was he was cold and calculating. His eyes never left yours. He understood the lay of the land and the way he wanted things done.

The Cuban Missile Crisis had many connections to Key West. Key West was the first line of defense. Artillery weapons and the military blanketed Smathers Beach.

President Kennedy came to visit Key West after the crisis was over. It was a short visit. One day. He lunched with the then State Senator John Spottswood. He may have been Sheriff at the time. I am not sure.

The movie PT 109 was in its formative stage. Spottswood suggested to the President the movie be shot in the Keys. Specifically, Little Palm Island. Spottswood owned the island at the time. The movie eventually was shot on the island.

John Spottswood became a powerful figure. He is one of those responsible for Key West becoming what it is today. His family has succeeded him in pursuing the best interests of Key West. I only know Robert and Elena Spottswood. Great people! Key West is their heart and soul.

Lets stay with the Kennedys for a moment. I see from the news that Kerry Kennedy was acquitted yesterday of the DUI charge. It took the jury a little more than an hour to decide. I think the charge and trial were the result of a publicity seeking young prosecutor looking to nail a big one. It would have enhanced his or her career. The whole thing was a disgrace. The woman was prosecuted/persecuted because she was a Kennedy.

Syracuse basketball today. At 4. Against Virginia. A big game! The spread has been moving. Today, Virginia is a four point favorite. I have absolutely no idea what the result will be. It has been that kind of season.

I will be watching the game at Don’s Place.

Enjoy your day!

FUDDRUCKERS

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A lot of miscellaneous things  happened yesterday. I am going to take them in the order of their occurrence.

It took me a half hour to get from the Shell Station in Key Haven to Key West. Traffic was backed up all the way. I was fuming. My thought was the boulevard construction was really screwing things up. Turned out I was wrong. There was an accident at the Cow Key Bridge.

Speaking of the Cow Key Bridge, Sheila told me last night there is going to be a race/run over the Cow Key Bridge next month. For those less than athletic. The bridge is at best 500 feet long. I agreed to participate. I will walk, however.

I was heading to see Tammy. Manicure time. I enjoy her company. I admire and respect the business she and her husband have developed.

Lunch was at Azur. Exceptionally fine food. I should go more often. The man I had lunch with was interesting and entertaining. My age. We had many common things to talk about. When we left, we shook hands and expressed to each other how pleased we were to have met. We both felt a new friendship had been formed.

Five hours later, I discovered the man was not one to like. I found him to be duplicit, two faced, and a sneak. That bad!

Will Rogers used to say he never met a man he did not like. I would say that I had never met a person in Key West I did not like. Until yesterday.

Friends we will not be. His identity is immaterial. He has done one good thing. Provided me with a character to include in a future novel.

The Chart Room last night. Packed when I arrived. It was me and Sheila. Lovely Emily bartending. John came in later.

Sheila can only be described as a good person. Concerned for everyone. Honestly so.

Sheila became aware of a lost camera at The Little White House. A good sized one. The White House had had it for a week and no one came in to claim the camera. They let Sheila take it to see if she could discover the owner.

She pulled the picture card out of the camera and ran the film. She placed some of the pictures on Facebook and asked…..Do you know these people? Within one half hour, she had 14 replies. Everyone helpful. Who was going to run her message on other sites. One said a woman’s tee shirt in one of the pictures was from Fort Lauderdale. She was going to check with the store there.

Emily has become involved. Sheila and Emily are on a quest to discover the owner.

The beauty of Key West people! All except the one I discovered earlier that I did not like.

A major announcement. Sheila’s birthday is next tuesday. Forget her not! Monday is Charlotte’s birthday. Charlotte from the Carolinas. Her boy friend is Skip, radio 104.9’s premier announcer. A big party week in the making!

I have spoken well of the new Burger Fi. No more. My burger was great the first time I went. I returned three times, last night being the third. The last few burgers have been close to terrible. I will not be returning to Burger Fi.

Finally, to Fuddrukers. Twenty five to thirty years ago, I did Coconut Grove. It was my place before I discovered Key West. There was a great burger/steak sandwich place in Coconut Grove. Fuddruckers. Their steak sandwich to die for. On soft butter soaked bread. Screw the cholesterol time!

I have neither seen nor been to a Fuddruckers since. I learned yesterday a Fuddruckers is coming to Key West. Fantastic! Unless the quality of the beef has changed, it will be a winner! Interestingly, it is opening next door to Burger Fi.

So much for yesterday.

Bocce tonight. I look forward to playing. I am scheduled to play the third game. Last week, it was the first game. Scheduling. I hope we win the match. This is the third week of the season. We lost the first two weeks. None on the team can understand why. This is like the fourth consecutive season we have not been winners. We are good. No question about it. But whatever it takes to win, we lost. We keep searching for it.

Enjoy your day!

GREAT BLOG TALK RADIO SHOW TONIGHT!

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Insanity rears its ugly head once more. The word now is that Sandy Hook never occurred. Just like the Holocaust never occurred. Military families on food stamps. $8.5 trillion (equal to half the national debt) missing/unexplained from Department of Defense and Pentagon budgets. Mega corporations receiving benefits under Farm Law need not be identified. Americans starting to push back against government. JP Morgan to lay off thousands more because their mortgage business has not returned.

These and other revealing topics will be discussed on my blog talk radio show this evening. You will enjoy! Nine o’clock. A quick half hour. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Last night was Syracuse basketball again. I am becoming exasperated. I do not understand. Syracuse is an excellent team. The announcers mentioned several times that Syracuse would be a #1 seed in the big tournament. Yet Syracuse had to play hard with their fingers crossed the last few minutes of the game last night against Maryland. Syracuse won 57-55. Maryland is not ranked and had lost 12 games going into the fray.

Syracuse was leading at one point  in the first half by 11. With six minutes to go in the game, Syracuse was up by 11 once more.

This has not been an easy season for Syracuse nor me nor Syracuse’s many other fans. Please Lord, let Syracuse blow out the opposition in one of these games!

Saturday, it is Virginia. A top ranked team, also. Virginia has lost only 1 game in the ACC. Syracuse, 2. Without question, it will be a good game. Close.

It was 104.9 time at the Sports Pub where I watched the game. The radio team did not broadcast. They were at John Lukas’ place enjoying food, drink and the game.

Skip is 104.9’s premier talk show host. The best! You can catch him most evenings from 6-10. He brought his boss with him. The owner of 104.9. Stephen Butler.

An interesting figure. We talked a while. A self made man. Nationally, he owns six radio stations. He is involved in many other successful business ventures. Key West should be pleased he noted the value of our community and invested in it.

Word has it that Dollar Trees is going to open another Key West store in Habana Plaza on Flagler. I am going to complain. Habana Plaza is where Tammy has her business. It is where I get my manicures and pedicures. Parking has been tough since  City Hall moved into the Plaza. It is going to be impossible with Dollar Trees there.

There was a note in the Key West Citizen this morning that in 1913 the 16th amendment to the Constitution went into effect. The amendment gave Congress the right to levy income taxes.

The 16th amendment was not the first time the American people were confronted with an income tax. Lincoln had one imposed during the Civil War. He said he needed it to pay for the Civil War. After the war, the income tax was dropped.

I wish Bush 2 had found a way to increase taxes during the Iraqi War. He fought it, but did not pay for it. It is one of the reasons the national debt is so high.

My book The World Upside Down continues to be available for purchase. amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. If you enjoy this blog, my blog talk radio show,  and former TV show, you will enjoy the book. Buy it! If you did not, don’t waste your money.

Enjoy the day!

 

 

 

GEIGER KEY

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Bobby Mongelli owns Hogfish. Bobby Mongelli owns Roostica. Bobby Mongelli owns Geiger Key. The man is a genius! He deserves the success he is experiencing.

I lunched at Geiger Key yesterday. Keith is Bobby’s friend. Keith told me Geiger Key just got its liquor license. I had not been to Geiger Key in ten years. It will not be that long again.

The place is another Bobby Mongelli winner! A shack sitting on the edge of ocean  wetlands. A perfect site. Mongelli has expanded the seating considerably from what I recall ten years ago.

The food was the same as Hogfish. Exactly. Why change what works. I enjoyed fish and chips. Hogfish, of course.

The place is another Key West fun place. The people kept coming in. I could not believe the volume.

When I was last at Geiger Key ten years ago, I was with Howard Livingston. He was then a Chicago industrialist. Beardless, no mustache, no long hair. A conservative American!

We were both with our then wives. Time does bring changes. Howard has since divorced and remarried. To wonderful Cyndy. I too am divorced. Still alone, though.

We danced that night. Guess who was playing? Yankee Jack! His dog lying quietly in front of him.

Geiger Key is about ten miles up from Key West on US 1. There is a Shell station and large convenience store on the corner of Geiger Key Road. Take a right. About 1-2 miles down the road is the restaurant. About a 1,000 yards off the road. You will have to look for it.

I needed gas. I got it at the Shell station just mentioned. Explain the following to me. Regular was $3.70 a gallon at the Shell station at Key Haven. At the Shell station at Geiger Key Road, only $3.55. Ten miles made for a 15 cent difference? How we get ripped off!

Prior to going to Geiger Key, I took a ride on Stock Island. I was looking for the Stock Island Marina. Everyone is talking about it. Lovely! Terrific! Want to dock my boat there! All favorable comments.

I found the place way down on Shrimp Road. It was everything people had said. There are very few places on Stock Island that can be described as lovely. The marina is one of them.

I forgot yesterday to mention an interesting experience at bocce thursday night. I cut my index finger. By the nail. It kept bleeding. I did not have a band aid. I was drinking a Beefeater on the rocks. I stuck my finger in the cold gin. The bleeding stopped! Just like that! A new found cure! Additionally, my drink was now cranberry and gin. I threw it away, of course.

Matteo Renzi is the new Prime Minister of Italy. Latte resigned. Renzi was previously a mayor. He is 39. Renzi and Latte are of the same political party. Latte’s own party dumped him.

It will be interesting to see if Renzi can pick Italy up out of its economic doldrums.

A Milan friend wrote yesterday that American bonds are selling well in Italy. A recent thing. Italy is supposedly in recovery and is considered in some circles to be an emerging market. Another reason for the Italian investment is that South America is no longer considered a good place for one’s money.

I got into fracking yesterday afternoon. Spent several hours researching Florida and fracking. Fracking appears to be on the horizon. It is coming. Sooner to Florida than most think. Three counties are already doing it. Collier, Hendry, and Santa Rosa. Not yet Monroe.

I have a concern.

I am not opposed to fracking. We need cheap fuel, we need jobs. With appropriate safeguards, problems should be minimal. There will be problems. Nothing is without. The government has to strictly oversee and control the fracking.

My concern has to do with transparency. A bill recently came out of the Florida House’s Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee. The bill exempts from public disclosure the chemicals used in the fracking process. An immediate red flag! The public should be aware. Specify the toxins. Then all can make sure appropriate safeguards are put in place. To legislate silence is to tell Floridians that there is a problem and the government does not want you to know about it.

The people’s right to know continues getting kicked around.

Tonight, tonight…..Syracuse and Duke. At Duke. Seven o’clock. Should be a battle. It is a test of Syracuse, especially after Syracuse’s defeat this week at the hands of Boston College. I will be at Lukas’ Big Ten Sports Pub watching the game.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

CAPITAL ONE CREDIT CARD HOLDERS BEWARE

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In the present era, banks continue to be whores.

A perfect example is Capital One. Capital One is one of the largest bank distributors of credit cards world wide.

A new addition to Capital One’s contract was announced/discovered yesterday. The contract between Capital One and the card holder is all those pages one receives once a year in the mail from Capital One. Small print, both sides of a sheet. Somewhere buried is something new between Capitol One and its card holders.

It provides that Capital One can contact a cardholder anytime it wants, including “personal visits.” The personal visits are “…at your home and at your place of employment.”

Simply stated, Capital One has added to its many rights, the right to walk into your home unannounced at any time. Further, bother you at your place of employment.

The IRS and police cannot enter your home without a search warrant or some type court order. The Fourth Amendment prohibits illegal searches and seizures. The Fourth Amendment applies only to governmental interference, however. Capital One is not the government or a government agency.

Additionally, Capital One’s new rights are predicated on a contract. A civil matter. The courts have not been favorable in recent years to the public in confrontations of this nature. The court decisions generally have held the contract controls.

If Capital One can do it, I am sure the other credit card companies will follow suit. Be prepared for a new guest at the dinner table. The bill collector.

I spent yesterday afternoon finalizing last night’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. I enjoyed doing the show last night. There were a lot of other goodies to talk about in addition to the Capital One issue.

Between final preparation and the show, I ran off to Hogfish for an early dinner. Sat at the bar and chatted with my fisherman friends. These guys are the true old time fisherman. Teeth missing, bearded, weather beaten faces.  Theirs is another world.

Syracuse basketball again tonight! This time against Boston college. Syracuse a 16 point favorite. Means nothing based on recent games.

Syracuse remains undefeated at 25-0. Boston college is 6-19. We should beat their asses! But…..who knows anymore? Syracuse seems to play to the level of its competition.

We should win.

Saturday is Duke. What a game that will be!

I will be watching the Syracuse/Boston College game at Don’s Place tonight. Join me, my Syracuse fans.

Enjoy your day!

GROWING UP ITALIAN

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My next book is Growing Up Italian. Completion is still a long way off. Yesterday afternoon, I worked on two chapters.

One had to do with a serious ear infection I got at about 3 years of age. No emergency rooms in those days for the poor. The doctor came to the house and operated on me on the kitchen table. After knocking me out with chloroform, of course.

The other was the time I came down with scarlet fever. Around age 3 again. A communicable disease. The building we lived in was quarantined. I still remember the big sign on the front to stay out. I was shipped off to the county hospital. We were on whatever was welfare those days. I was placed in quarantine.

Enjoyed the Chart Room last night. Personable Mari bartending. One of the nicest people in Key West.

A vacationing couple came in. They were from Saratoga Springs. I piped up I was from Utica. The communities are about 90 miles apart. They mentioned the gambling mogul Stevie Wynn was looking at Saratoga Springs for a casino. I shared with them that Wynn was born and raised in Utica.

There was a fisherman seated at the bar. He, Mari and I spent quite a while talking. Chickens came into the conversation. Key West chickens. They complained about the noise the roosters make. I shared with them a piece of information I came up with a couple of years ago while writing a column on Key West chickens. When a rooster coc-a-doodle-dos, he is looking to get laid. He wants sex and is announcing to hens nearby that he is on his way. Watch chickens when a rooster coc-a-doodle-dos. The hens generally run the other way!

I wear crocs. I have been wearing them for years. Probably have gone through a dozen pairs. I rarely wear shoes.

The sole wears down to smooth rubber after a while. Dangerous if the ground is wet. Slip and fall easily. The breaking of a bone always a danger. My crocs were in that condition.

There is a croc store on Duval near Irish Kevin’s. I stopped in after the Chart Room and bought a pair. Had the salesperson snip off what ever was holding them together and put on the new ones on to walk out with. I asked him to throw the old ones away. He said they did not throw them away. They are saved and shipped to Africa for use. I suggested a worn croc was dangerous. He agreed, but said something on their feet was better than nothing.

The crocs were $35. When they first came out 5-7 years ago, the same pair was $65.

When I left the croc store, I was only 3-4 doors away from Burger Fi. I opted to dine at Burger Fi. Dougie the bartender was off. I sat at the bar. Enjoyed a brisket burger. Went big time. Brisket is $2 more than a regular burger. Also ordered onion rings. I had tasted the fries the last time and was not particularly impressed. The onion rings were to die for! The best I have ever eaten!

Burger Fi is a busy place. There are two ordering lines. There were at least 10 people in each line the hour I was there. And the lines move. The place is a gold mine.

My blog talk radio show tonight at 9. Join me for a fast moving half hour. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou. A topic for sure involves more revelations regarding the Farm Bill. Plus, Beijing an environmental mess, how St. Valentine’s Day came to be, Connecticut and gun registrations, and more.

Enjoy your day!

 

AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY

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Spent the evening at home yesterday. I was watching  TV from the comfort of my bed. The Turner Classic Channel ran the 1951 hit movie A Place in the Sun. The movie starred Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Cliff and Shirley Winters. A great movie! Cliff and Winters received Academy Award nominations for their performances.

However from my perspective, it was not the movie itself that was important. It was what had given birth to it. Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy.

It was 1906. Chester Gillette had impregnated a young lady of lesser means. He was in love with another. A woman of means. He took the poor girl friend out in a rowboat on Big Moose Lake in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. The boat capsized. The young lady drowned. Gillette was tried for her murder and found guilty. He was electrocuted in 1908.

The events of the tragedy occurred in places I am very familiar with. The Adirondack Mountains are an hour’s drive from my home town of Utica. I have visited Big Moose Lake many times. The trip to Big Moose Lake was an overnight one for Gillette and his lady friend. They stayed that night in Utica.

Big Moose Lake was/is located in Herkimer County. Herkimer County adjoins my home county of Oneida. The Herkimer County Court House is located in Herkimer. Herkimer is all of a 15 mile drive from Utica.

The court room where the trial took place still stands. The same as in 1908 when the trial took place, except for the ceiling. I have been told the ceiling was a colorful masterpiece. For whatever reason, it was covered over.

I tried many cases in my  forty plus years career as an attorney in that court room.

Gillette was electrocuted in the Auburn State Penitentiary in Auburn. I tried some cases in Auburn, also. Auburn is the city where my Syracuse basketball friends Dan and Lisa grew up.

While in prison, Gillette kept a diary and wrote letters to his sister. The diary and letters were donated to the Hamilton College Library. Hamilton College is in Clinton. A mere 15 mile drive from Utica, also.

Many were my connections with Hamilton College. A first class liberal arts institution. I was privileged to represent Hamilton College in several significant lawsuits. I attended many weddings, parties, lectures and special dinners at the College over the years.

Yesterday was another open house. I had to disappear for several hours.

My weekly KONK Life column was due to be sent to the editor. I took my computer and notes with me to the Plantation Coffee House. The column was previously researched during the week. It only remained to be written. It took just under four hours to put together.

The article is about St. Valentine’s Day. A bit of the beginning and a bit of the end. How it got started and where it is in Saudi Arabia today. Its beginnings may surprise you.

I lunched while at the Coffee House. A toasted bagel with cream cheese and a cup of coffee. Good!

Then to Don’s Place for some Sunday afternoon fun. I was looking for Toni. She is a die hard Kentucky fan. I wanted to commiserate with her. Kentucky lost Saturday night. Toni was not there.

A good crowd. Chatted  a bit with Don, David, Stan, and Dougie while watching some Olympic hockey. Everyone giving me a hard time about Syracuse. Lucky, lucky, lucky! Who was I to argue with them. I let them talk. Everyone is waiting for that first defeat. Me, too.

Needed some groceries. Stopped at Publix on the way home. Ran into Susan. A former St. Paul’s Church choir/musical person and Thursday night bocce player. A lovely Key West woman inside and out!

Enjoy your day!