CHARLIE ROBINSON

A Key West neighbor died. Charlie Robinson aka Charles Robert Robinson.

Whenever we met, we greeted each other with…..Hi neighbor! We were not geographically close, however. We both lived in Key Haven. I at the end of Cypress Terrace, Charlie on Key Haven Road. A half mile separating us.

We first met at Antonia’s or La Te Da. Charlie and his charming wife Regina would occasionally visit Key West haunts. Both always smiling, always friendly.

About two years after I started writing this blog, I ran into the two of them at Antonia’s. Rachel put together that I was Key West Lou. She was so excited! Not because she met me. Because she enjoyed reading the blog so much. She told me she went back to the beginning and read it all. Loved her!

Charlie was a Key West fixture. An icon. He owned a motor/scooter operation on Truman just below Duval. The one with the big American flag flying over it.

Charlie was active in an antique car club. Big time! Antique cars were his thing!

Charlie and Regina lived on one of the best streets in the Key West area. Homes in Key Haven can be special. Theirs was. As were those of their neighbors. Charlie needed a place to park some of his antique cars. They could not be left outside subject to the sun and salt. Charlie bought a piece of property directly across the street from his home on Key Haven Road. The property was located on open water. Charlie built a four stall garage. He did it right, however. I am sure he did not wish to insult himself or his neighbors. It was built like a house, at quick glance looked like a house. and was always well maintained.

A Key West luminary is gone. His star now shines in the heavens.

Did a little Mel Fisher Days yesterday afternoon. Walked the closed off streets. Listened to a bit of music. Enjoyed a sausage sandwich.

This morning’s Key West Citizen carries a major front page article on drones. They are not only military. They are public, also. Two drone companies have already opened in Key West. They fly over where ever and take pictures.

One hit a spectator during the July 4 fireworks.

Privacy laws are involved. As well as federal regulations. If drones are to be part of our everyday lives, they must be controlled for the good of the public. I would not want my picture taken as I lay by my pool bare ass for the whole world to see. Nor is it anyone’s business who I am out with.

When it rains big time in Key West, certain streets flood. Sometimes deep enough for kayaking, sometimes for swimming. I have a dear friend in Novara. Milly. I met Milly on my first trip to Italy three years ago. Milly unfortunately had a bad stroke in her 30s. She is still in her 30s. The stroke left her with some disabilities and discomfort. It did not affect her sense of humor, however.

Milly posted a photo on Facebook this week. It was of a flooded Novara street. A young man was standing on a surf board. Milly’s comment was…..Surfing in paddy fields no longer fashionable.

The Novara area is replete with rice paddys. As far as the eye can see in any direction. The area is one of the largest rice growers in the world. The reason is that the land is always flooded. There are natural springs below the surface which constantly feed the ground. Rice fields are referred to as paddy fields.

I met Germana and Nini on the same trip. They own the biggest parcel of rice paddys in the Novara area. Miles of it. They also own and operate a golf course.

Nini told me the golf course parcel was too hilly for a rice paddy. So he built a golf course. This man of affluence is hands on. I can see him working on its construction. He also worked on maintaining the golf course after its construction. He cut the grass on occasion. On a large tractor mower.

Two years ago, the tractor tipped and pinned Nini under it. Many broken bones. He spent two months in the hospital and then close to a year at home. He still has pain. However, he is up and about again. I do not know if he cuts the grass anymore.

Milly, Germana, and Nini know each other and are friends. Great people all. I am pleased to know them and call them friends, also.

Enjoy your day!

 

One comment on “CHARLIE ROBINSON

  1. Hey Lou,

    This is CJ Robinson. I am Charlie Robinson’s grandson and grew up in that house on Key Haven road with my grandfather. I think about how great my grandfather was on a daily basis and about how he created such a legacy in Key West. Everything you said about him was spot on and it’s amazing to hear. He was truly a Key West icon.

    Thank you for writing this piece about him!

    -CJ

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