XMAS TIME IN KEY WEST

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Key West’s Christmas season kicks off this week.

Thursday night is the Yacht Club Christmas Party. For the young. Santa Claus will be there with gifts.

Saturday is the Christmas Parade. Long. As with Macy’s, Santa Claus is on the last float. This is one of Key West’s best events. For young and old alike. All ages enjoy.

The Lighted Boat Parade is December 15. Sponsored by Schooner Wharf, it is a fantastic event. Many many boats will be dressed in Christmas lights. Ingenuity knows no bounds. Several times, I have done the Parade while on one of the boats. A party! Food and drink, music and dancing. Plus, cold! Out on the open water this time of the year, it is very cold. Boat people that night wear everything and then more.

The Parade can also be watched from shore. Two to three thousand will be watching and drinking and partying.

Robert and Ally are members of a swim team. The team is having its first meet Saturday morning. Robert and Ally will be swimming. Exciting!

My day out yesterday was simple. The bank and paid some bills.

The rest of the day was inside. Worked on Friday’s show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Read more of the Ulysses Grant book. I am up to 1858. Grant was a failure. As a soldier, businessman, and farmer. Generally lived poorly.  Hard to believe that shortly he would be the North’s most successful general and later President of the United States.

The diet keeps me in. Away from food and booze. I avoid the near occasions of sin.

The diet has been working well till this morning. The scale said I had gain a pound. From 12 pounds lost to 11. I am not discouraged. Part of the dieting process.

Syracuse basketball!

Syracuse won again last night. Beat East Michigan 84-48. Syracuse is now 6-0. Even better, Syracuse is ranked #4 in the country.

The Orange played sloppy, especially in the beginning of the game. Eighteen turnovers.  Sutherland who scored 35 points in the last game, only scored 4 last night. On the positive side, three Syracuse freshman were in the double figures.

It is still early in the season. I question the ability of this year’s team. The Big East games after the first of the year will tell the story.

Sloan will be in late this afternoon. We are doing another practice blog talk radio show. It’s getting there. The show will be questions, answers, and exchanges between me and the caller.

A chill in the air this morning. Overcast, also. It will clear and be warm later.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

SUNDAY A MIXED BAG

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Good morning!

A lovely Key West morning! Sun is bright. Sky pure blue. No clouds. Water blue. A bit of wind.

The weather lately has been amazing. We seem to have left the rainy season. It is cooler, however. No 80s. Mid 70s by day. Mid 60s by night. No need for air conditioning. Sleep with the windows open and a light blanket for cover.

My morning yesterday was quiet. As I have suggested before, the way a Sunday should begin. I laid in bed watching the morning TV talk shows. Meet the Press, The Chris Matthews Show, etc. Shows that feed the political junkie me.

Later, grabbed a beach chair and towel and drove over to Higgs Beach. Stopped on the way to buy the Sunday New York Times. $5.50! Outrageous!

Read the paper and watched the ladies a while. Got hungry. Stopped in Salute’s. Enjoyed a fish sandwich at the bar.

My intent later in the afternoon was to be at the Big Ten Sports Bar to watch Syracuse’s first basketball game of the season. Never made it.

When I returned from Salute’s, I took a quick shower before heading over to the Sports Bar. Laid on the bed for a few minutes. Turned on TV. One of my all time favorite movies was playing. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing. Starred William Holden and Jennifer Jones. 1955 vintage. I decided to watch the movie. Never made it to the Sports Bar. Missed the Syracuse game. I must be getting old!

I knew William Holden. Back in the 1970s, I used to go to La Costa a couple of times a year. A spa outside San Diego. Holden was generally there. We became La costa friends.

I used to go to lose weight. He went to dry out.

The thing that sticks in my mind about him was that he was always the gentleman.

We used to spend our evenings smoking cigars and chatting. I rarely smoked a cigar back then. Do not now. However, there was nothing else to do in the evening at the spa.

Oops. Almost forgot. Syracuse won. Beat San Diego State 62-49.

Billy Kristol was on one of the talk shows yesterday morning. He is a very much respected conservative. He spoke of the Republican Party debacle.

He expressed the need for the Republican Party to accept new ideas.

Regarding taxing the wealthy more, he said go for it! Let me quote him. Taxing the wealthy “…won’t kill the country if we raise taxes a little bit on millionaires…half of whom voted Democratic and half of whom live in Hollywood and are hostile.”

Think about Obama’s proposed tax hike. Only four percentage points more. From 35 per cent to 39 per cent.

When Clinton was President, the federal tax rate was 39 per cent. Where Obama wants to take us now. The country prospered. Everyone made money big time. Even me. If you add the New York State income tax onto the 39 per cent, I was paying close to 50 per cent of my income in taxes. I did not mind. Nor did anyone else. The economy was booming! Money was flowing in!

The 4 per cent is nothing more than pocket change to today’s rich.

We have been paying 35 per cent for years. Is the economy booming? Has it boomed in recent years? The argument against raising the tax on the rich is a bogus one.

Grandkids day! They are off from school. Today is Veterans Day.

Enjoy your day!

JOY IN MUDVILLLE?…..YES AND NO

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There is no joy in Mudville. Mighty Casey has struck out!

Famous words now applied by me to football.

There was joy in Mudville yesterday for Syracuse. A poor football team this year. Yet yesterday, Syracuse out did itself! Syracuse beat previously undefeated Louisville 45-26. Fraternity row was jumping last night in celebration.

There was no joy in Mudville for Alabama. #1 in the country! Previously unbeaten! Got their asses whipped by #11 Texas A & M. Jean Thornton threatened suicide. David has not been seen since the game ended.

Today is the start of the Syracuse basketball season. It will be another good year! I am excited. Syracuse plays San Diego State at San Diego. The game will be played on the deck of the USS Midway. San Diego is no soft touch. They won 26 games last year. A West Virginia star transferred and will be starting for San Diego.

Syracuse rarely begins its season against a ranking team. Today’s game should be good.

I spent a significant portion of yesterday reading. Fifty Shades of Grey. Really three volumes. I am into the third volume. The book is a best seller. Receiving much comment, especially from women. I am with holding my thoughts regarding the book till I finish it.

My first stop last night was the Chart Room. Captain Peter at the bar. Always good to be with Peter. A finer person does not exist.

Soon we were joined by Andrea. First time I met her. Peter knew her. She does double duty. Rents scooters and is a concierge.

Andrea was very good company. Intelligent. Piercing. The three of us had an interesting couple of hours.

I then walked over to the Wine Galkley. Figured I would grab a bite to eat and listen to Larry Smith play. While at the bar, I met another interesting lady. Judy. We chatted a bit at the bar. I invited her to join me for dinner. She declined. Already had eaten. Did join me at the table, however.

Judy is from Solon, Ohio. She is a nurse anesthetist. She was in Key West for a medical conference at the Weston and stayed a few extra days. She is the mother of two and grandmother of one

Judy has been visiting Key West at least three times a year since 1993. Loves Larry Smith!

I enjoyed Judy’s company. We had a good time at the Wine Galley.

The author Michael Dennis came in. Judy said that he looked familiar. She remembered him from when he owned a bar on Duval and used to play the piano and sing. A number of years back. She picked up on the familiarity when Larry turned the piano over to Michael. Michael has a unique singing style.

I received a communication from a friend in Paris. He said Paris has not been the same since Stephanie Kaple arrived. She made an impact! Stephanie apparently will be remembered even after she returns to Key West.

Enjoy your Sunday!

A GRAND EVENING

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MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: My European trip photos will start posting Monday! Finally! Thank you for your indulgence.

The pics will be spread over 12 days. Each grouping will involve a particular activity or place.

The photos are not as good as I would wish them to be. Took all of them with a couple of years old cell phone. Next time, I will do it better. A camera. In addition, I would post the pics daily rather than save them to the end.

Nevertheless, you will enjoy!

Last night was one of the most pleasant I have spent in quite a while. My evenings are always good. Some however are better than others. Last night was one of them.

I attribute the quality of the evenining to the people I ran into. All a pleasure.

I started at the Chart Room. Jean Thornton was back. Seated at the bar. Next to her, Stephanie Kaple.

Jean is known as Key West’s Golden Girl. She found gold and jewelry on a Mel Fisher dive years ago. Changed her life.

Stephanie is Key West’s Island Shoe Girl. She wears the most expensive high heel shoes. The higher the better. She may not eat well, have extra money to spend, but she does have shoes! Stephanie also writes a blog every one should read. Whatever the topic, she ties it into women’s shoes. Many of her writings involve social issues. You can find the blog under IslandShoeGirl.com.

I saw two familiar faces at the end of the bar. Dan and Nancy. We had met before on one of their previous trips to Key West. Dan is from Toronto and works for Dow Chemical. Nancy is a nurse from Detroit. She is a colonoscopy expert.

Love Nancy! She reads my blog every day! Dan is less diligent. An occasional reader. Nice people. I spent a bit of time with them chatting. They are here for at least annother week. I look forward to running into them again.

While I was talking with Dan and Nancy, Jean came over and invited me to join Stephanie and her for dinner at Hot Tin Roof. Jean specified she was paying. I could not say no.

I was a lucky man. Two ladies to dine with. Two lovely intelligent ladies.

We sat at the bar at Hot Tin Roof. Talked a very long time before ordering. One drink too many too long.

While I was sitting there, a couple stopped by. They had been looking for me at the Chart Room. Emily sent them over to Hot Tin Roof.

I am a Manhattan College graduate. A few miles up the road is Cudjoe Key. A fellow Manhattan graduate lives there. He reads this blog religiously and occasionally comments. He too is a Jasper. Jasper is the nick name for Manhattan grads.

His name Jack Kelly. Graduated from Manhattan College in 1968. A young man compared to me. I graduated in 1957.

He was with his charming wife Sabina. A real nice person.

We talked a while. I was excited to have finally met him. He likewise was excited. We are probably the only Manhattan graduates in the Keys.

Jack did the Air Force ROTC while at Manhattan. Later was a fighter pilot. Retired from the military at some point. Now enjoys Key West and the lower keys.

Jack brought back memories of Manhattan College. He was wearing a tee shirt with writing and an emblem on it. The Pershing Rifles. The organization was a gung ho extension of the ROTC at Manhattan. Meant Jack was really into the military thing while a student. Contrasted with Louis. I left the ROTC after two years. It was enough. I hated the marching, left face, right face, etc. Officers were always shouting that I was out of step. Mentally, I would respond that it was not me. It was the rest of the group.

I actually did not go on with the ROTC after two years because a four or five year committment was required upon being commissioned. I wanted to go directly to law school. A four or five year delay was not part of my plans.

We intend to have dinner together soon.

My evening out turned into a big time winner! Dan and Nancy. Then Jack and Sabina. In between, Jean and Stephanie.

I loved last night!

I finished the evening at Don’s place. Toni and Puff at the bar. Puff watched the end of the Syracuse/Pitt game with me. Syracuse won 14-13. I chatted with Kurt a bit. Don came in. Sat next to me. We talked a long while. I like Don. He is first class.

There was some day time activity, also. A haircut with Lori. A manicure by Tammy. A visit with Lisa.

Today is Saturday. I have no plans. Lets see what happens.

Enjoy your day!

NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN

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Lazy is becoming my middle name! This is the second day in a row I have stayed in bed late. 10:30. Watched Meet the Press and Chris Wallace. For whatever reason, I am treating this holiday weekend as a holiday.

The older one gets, the more that person believes he/she knows everything. It is the result of the aging process. You have been alive so long, that your experiences make you soooo smart.

And then something happens to prove the error of your thinking. Or maybe that exceptions are common place.

I spoke of my disappointment in not being able to see a blue moon in yesterday’s blog. I actually thought the moon was going to be blue colored for whatever reason.

I was wrong as to the meaning of blue moon. I received more emails, telephone calls and personal comment regarding my error than for anything else I have ever written. As a result, I have learned something new. Which is another way of admitting you are never too old to learn.

One of blue moon’s meanings is two full moons in one month. Not a frequent occurrence. Never in all of my 77 years did I know. Because it is such a rare occurrence, the phrase “…once in a blue moon” developed.

I did a little home work. I wanted to know more about blue moon.

The term has been bandied around some 400 years. It was associated in its earlier times with betrayal.

The significant date for our purposes is January 31, 1980. Relatively recently. There is an observatory at the University of Texas. The McDonald Observatory. Studies the stars, astronomy, space and the like. McDonald Observatory also sponsors a daily radio show. Star Date. The show is very popular. It broadcasts on more than 300 stations. In Star Date’s radio show of January 31, 1980, the term blue moon was used to describe the two full moons in one month phenomenon. Blue moon took off in popularity from that time forward.

For the record, the term had been mentioned off and on in the years immediately preceding 1980 referring to the two full moons in one month, but never achieved notoriety.

College football has returned! Syracuse played Northwestern yesterday. Syracuse lost by one point, 42-41. I caught the second half of the game. Syracuse was down 22 points. But came back! Northwestern was just one play better at the end.

I am not disappointed in the loss. Syracuse’s problem appears to be defense. This is still rebuilding time. I suspect we will have a winning season in spite of this loss.

Shopped yesterday. The cupboard was really bare!

Sloan stopped over in the early afternoon. We are still working on You Tube, amongst other things.

Later in the afternoon, I wrote my weekly column for KONK Life. It will be published next Thursday. The article is entitled Texas Judge Warns of Civil War.

There is a judge in Lubbock County, Texas, who believes that if Obama is reelected there will be a civil war. He claims Obama will turn the government of the United States over to the United Nations. Where this nut theory came from, I do not know. In any event, the judge claims the people will not put up with it. They will take up arms. It will be Concord and Lexington all over again. Obama will send in United Nations troops to put down the revolt. The civil war will then begin in earnest.

The Chart Room first last night. JJ bartending. Many drinkers. I knew none. All tourists. I stayed a while and left.

There is a new restaurant/bar on the waterfront. The Boathouse. It has been there less than a year. It is downstairs from the Commodore. The people who own the Commodore opened the Boathouse.

I tried the boathouse for the first time. Good! Great location. Open aired. Excellent food. Reasonable prices. I recommend it.

Enjoy your Labor Day Sunday!

 

LAURIE FINE PRESS CONFERENCE TOMORROW

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I stayed up late last night. Ergo, slept late this morning. That is why the blog is being posted so late. Sorry.

It has been announced…..Bernie Fine’s wife Laurie is holding a press conference tomorrow morning. Part of the ongoing Syracuse University  pedophile scandal.  It has been reported she will be addressing the “…false accusations and scandalous lies” spread by certain persons.

I cannot believe her press conference will add anything of substance to the matter.

Walked Key Haven yesterday morning. Up and down the streets. A picturesque walk. Some lovely homes.

Babysat later in the afternoon. Ally is now sick with what her brother had. She seems to be recovering faster than Robert did.

I began at the Chart Room last night. Mary bartending. Chatted with Jean and Frankie.

Then across the street to the Hot Tin Roof. Very, very few people. A monday night. In addition, this is a quiet time for tourists. About three weeks from now the streets and restaurants will be jammed again. School will be out. Families will be driving to Key West for their vacations. Prices for everything are generally cheaper. Merchants recognize it is a slow time. They attract families with their cheaper than ever prices. Motels/hotels can be as much as fifty percent cheaper. Dinners in many restaurants half price. You can’t beat it!

Big day to day. Robert’s birthday! He is 8 years old. I remember when he was born. We were fearful he would not live eight days. Robert was born with cancer of the liver. He had two major surgeries the first eight days of his life. Thank God he is A-OK since.

We are eating dinner at Lisa’s tonight. Lisa baking a cake. Robert’s choice as to take out. He picked Wendy’s. I do not know why. We rarely go to Wendy’s. Robert is having a cheeseburger. I am having two.

Happy birthday my beloved grandson!

Enjoy your day!

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Bocce last night!

We played the Bubbas. They have been the # 1 team in the league for 10 years, with the exception of one season. Really good!

The first game was exciting. Neck and neck. We  pulled away at the end and won 16-11.

The second game started well. We were ahead 8-1. We got beat 16-10. The Bubbas went on a 15-2 run.

The third game was no match. They killed us.

We were not disappointed. We improve every season. Two years ago, the Bubbas were beating us 16-1 and 16-2. Our day will come!

The Key West Lou Legal Hour at 10 this morning my time. On the Internet. Available world wide. www.konkbroadcasting.com. A well prepared hard hitting show. Topics galore. Share an hour with me.

Enjoy your day!

The weather! Plays a big part in our lives.

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The weather!

Plays a big part in our lives.

Yesterday, I commented on two days of wind and rain. Observed that it was coming from the south and moving north. It did. I suspect Key West’s unusual stormy weather was in some fashion connected with the nor’ easter which hit the north Atlantic states late yesterday. Snow. Big time! Like 8 plus inches in Jamestown, NY.

The sun came out towards the end of the afternoon yesterday in Key West. Temperature was in the low 70s. Warm for you northerners, cold for us in South Florida. It did not make any difference to my grandchildren. Robert and Ally showed up with Mom and Dad around 4 to swim. Crazy.

Sloan visited me for a couple of hours yesterday morning. We worked hard on all the things we are doing to expand this site. I would never have been able to do this alone. I would not even have known where to start.

I appreciate there are a lot of screw ups. Bear with me. We’ll have it down and correct in due course.

The balance of the day was spent researching and writing.

Solares Hill is a weekly publication. It comes with the Sunday Key West Citizen as  an enclosure. There is a column entitled Soundings by Mark Howell. An interesting column. I would describe it as a conglomeration of useless and little known information. I enjoy reading the column. Occasionally, I come across something to be shared.

Recently, Soundings commented on the coming Republican convention this summer. It is being held in Tampa, Florida.

Tampa officials issued a list of items considered security threats and prohibited at the convention. Included were water pistols, masks, and pieces of string. Not on the list were firearms. Why?  You can pack a concealed gun in Florida. It is legal. Florida law prohibits local restriction on the right to carry arms.

Perfectly legal. The Supreme Court said so some time ago. The Second amendment is to be upheld, with little if any restriction.

An inevitable scenario will develop. At some point in the near future, persons will walk around with a gun belt and gun on their hips. Shoot ’ems will occur. Like in the Old West and prohibition days of the 1930s.

Again why? Because the Supreme Court said it is ok to carry a gun, concealed or otherwise. Literal Constitutional interpretation overcame the need for reasonable restriction.

I got out for dinner. At Lisa’s. Mashed potatoes covered with gravy for me. Not bad. A change from blender created food.

Enjoy your day!

I did it! I went out last night!

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I did it! I went out last night!

Terrific!

Went to the Chart Room first. Except for JJ, I knew absolutely no one. Did not even have a drink. Left.

Headed immediately for Don’s place. Everyone there.

Don and David at the bar. Erika, Herschel and Tom seated along the windows. Tom gave me a big hug. Every one seemed genuinely pleased to see me again. I was more pleased to see them!

The names in the preceding paragraph are all members of my bocce team. Much of our conversation centered on bocce.

In the my two week absence, the team went 2-1 and 3-0. Six games. Five wins. Not bad! Obviously my bocce talents were not missed!

Position changes were made in my absence by Captain David and Don. Fortunately, I was left alone. I have played from the same end of the court for 5 years. It would be traumatic to go to the other end.

Tino stopped by. Walking his dog. He leaves next week to return to Chicago. He will be missed.

I had a couple of drinks. Enjoyed the companionship. It was a pleasant evening.

Yesterday’s day time was rain, rain, rain. I never left the house. Worked on friday’s Internet show.

The Drag Race was scheduled for Duval at 2. I don’t know if it took place. I suspect it did. Drag queens move where others fear to tread.

The weather is blistery this morning. No rain, yet. It will come. The wind is from the south. A sure sign that the weather will be bad. I have learned over the years that a southerly wind carries with it horrible weather.

I checked the weather report after I noted the wind direction. There is a Severe Weather Alert. From Miami north. The keys were warned to beware. Tornadoes and hail. The report also said a front was coming in from the south that was driving the bad weather.

I should have been a weather forecaster!

My best companion continues to be the blender. It will so be for another week. I am accustomed to it.

Today is sunday. The very least I will do is have dinner tonight with Lisa. Maybe more.

Enjoy your day!

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Am I late!

I stayed in bed longer than I should have. However, the bed this morning was too comfortable. It is raining big time here in Key West. The sound of the rain against the house and the wind blowing made the bed too restful to leave..

It seems like it has not rained in the keys forever. That long. The rain is needed.

This is a heavy rain. Rained all night also. My street is flooded. The storm is coming in from Atlantic. It will be an all day one.

The bars will do a big business today. The tourists will have no place else to go. Schooners Wharf, the Conch Republic, and Half Moon Raw Bar will be fun places. Drinking and dancing and whooping it up!

I got out for a bit yesterday. Needed a manicure. It was off to Lee Nails and Tammy. Because of my dental work, I speak little. After a while Tammy looked at me and said in her quaint distinctive Vietnamese dialect…..Why you no talk? Teeth? She and her husband read the blog daily.

Then a visit with Lisa. We did not converse. Not because of my problem. Lisa was on the telephone with a customer. The whole time I was there. I quietly read the newspapers and kissed the top of her good bye when I left.

Publix was my next stop. I was desperate for food for the blender. Purchased fruits primarily. Bananas and strawberries. Yogurt. Enough to carry me a few days.

I had planned on going out last night. Never made it. I don’t know if I was tired, changed my mind, or what. I went to bed instead. Perhaps tonight.

I had forgotten to do my KONK Life column for next week. The deadline to submit was 5 yesterday. At 3 I started working rapidly and diligently. An interesting article. I titled it Eyeless Shrimp, Clawless Crabs, Fish with No Gills: Thank You BP.

I will talk about it next Friday on my Internet show, also. A revealing subject.

The band keeps playing. Nothing like thunder off the ocean. And the lightning! Comes right into your home. If it were a 24 hour thing, there would have been no need for Thomas Edison to have invented the electric light bulb.

Enjoy your day!