Walked in the morning yesterday. A long walk. Started at Dante’s, walked the waterfront, ended up at the Hyatt, made the return trip through town and down Caroline.

Knocked me on my ass! I was tired. A combination of the heat and being out of shape, I assume.

Stopped at the Coffee Plantation on Caroline. Perhaps my new coffee house. I am irritated with the new owners at the Coffee House which is now Club Mako. David suggested I try Coffee Plantation.

Very nice. A wrap around porch with comfortable chairs. The inside well done. Comfortable seating. Lovely decor.

Coffee was good. A small was at least a third more in volume. The price much cheaper than Club Mako.

The big inducement/feature is that the new place has parking. A wow!

I will be trying the Coffee Plantation for a while.

Anna was with me. A natural athlete. A woman who takes care of her body. She walks 6 miles a day and swims. Eats healthy. Drinks little. She did not tire on the walk.

My house guest is an interesting lady. I discover new things about her each day. As we were walking along the docks and viewing the many sized boats, she tells me that for many years in Italy she had a Captains/Masters license. She was approved to operate vessels carrying up to 110 passengers.

Drove by John Lukas’ new place, the Big Ten Pub. His new sports bar is still under renovation. Codes is giving him a hard time. John was walking in front of his bar with the cell phone pinned to his ear. We saw each other. I made a motion with my hands like when? He looked at me with pain in his eyes. Threw his arms up as if to say…..who the hell knows!

Poor John.

My neighbor Andrew told me to try Cole’s Peace Artisan Bakery on Eaton. Told me to buy the dark bread. He is enamoured with it. Slap a little butter on it and eat away, he advised.

I bought the bread yesterday. Impressive looking. More expensive than a dark bread at Publix by about $2 a loaf. I am having it for breakfast. It is a German bread. Don’t think I like it. Heavy.

German foods are in my life the past 24 hours. Anna made German potato salad for lunch. Another delicious dish! Besides potatoes, light mayonnaise, yogurt, peas, capers and carrots. Healthy and tasty!

I continued to be tired from the walk. I spent the afternoon in bed sleeping.

I was not in the mood for a big evening. Anna and I drove to Tavern ‘n Town at the Marriott Beachside. Ate at the bar. Listened to the music. Watched the Missouri/Oklahoma State basketball game. Robert bartending.

Anna had a bowl of mussels. I a bit of salmon and a caprese salad.

Today I have to work all day. Tomorrow’s Internet show not yet complete. What I have completed and ready to go will include a very informative piece about why Apple builds its products in China. You will be astounded!

I will also touch on infant vaccine deaths, legislative immunity, Greek tax dodgers, Soros’ thoughts on the world economy and the United States, and New Jersey Governor Cristy’s pending veto vote on same sex marriage.

Join me. Interesting. Revealing. 10 am my time. World wide on the Internet. www.konkbroadcasting.com.

Enjoy your day!

Another great day weather wise yesterday!

I walked Smathers beach in the morning. There was a cool breeze which made the sun bearable.

Lunch at Hogfish.  Enjoyed hogfish. What else!

Spent the early part of the afternoon writing outside on the deck. The balance of the afternoon sunning myself. My tan is waning. Not playing golf for several weeks or otherwise being in the sun, I am beginning to look like a tourist who just got off the plane.

This house guest thing is pretty good! Anna cooked dinner last night.

I am enjoying Italian dishes I have never had before.

Last night was bistecca alla valdostana. The English translation valdostana steak.

Some background information. Mount Blanc is the highest mountain in Europe. It separates Italy and France. A valley on the Italian side is known as Aosta. A dish native to that area is valdostana steak. That is what Anna prepared last night.

A thin slice of veal, lying on an even thinner slice of ham, topped with fontina cheese. Sautéed in olive oil in a frying pan.

To die for!

I have been Italian all my life. I have nevr eaten dishes as Anna is making. She is from the Milan which is in the north of Italy. It is a different type cooking from that which my ancestors knew. I am of Naples stock.

I stayed home last night to watch the State of the Union. Always entertaining. Rarely informative. Last night was no different.

I subscribe to much I what Obama would like to do. But it will not be. With a divided government, I would be surprised if even one of his major items is achieved in this election year. The government will remain dysfunctional.

Enjoy your day!

Key West weather this season has been absolutely terrific! We could not ask for better. Yesterday’s high was 78. The evening was in the low 70’s. Tee shirt and shorts time.

My house guest from Italy cooked lunch for me. Anna made chicken scallopini. Absolutely outstanding! I sat outside in the shade of the tiki hut enjoying it.

Did the gym with Courtney training me. Yesterday was very hard. Increased weights and increased repetitions. It was an effort. I was impressed I could do it.

After the gym, I visited Tammy for a manicure. She and her husband keep busting their butts. The business is thriving. I wish them continued success!

Went over to the Coffee House for coffee and to read the newspapers. It is not the Coffee House anymore. It is now Club Mako. Sounds exotic. It is not.

The Coffee House has changed hands. Renovations must have taken place overnight. An entirely new decor. No where as good as the old one which was Key West all the way. The new decor is bland.

Gone also are the comfortable chairs. Replaced primarily by 4′ x 6′ hardwood tables with straight back chairs. I suspect the intent is to attract computer and I Pad people. Whether they will, I do not now. No one had a computer or I Pad yesterday.

The comfort factor is gone. So are the newspapers. Only the New York Times.

The locals discount has taken a beating also. Prices are relatively the same. As the Coffee House, my discount was $1.25. Under the new ownership, it is $ .22.

I dislike change. My whole life. I hate adjusting. If there is to be change, perhaps I will seek out a new coffee house. The island is loaded with them.

Syracuse beat Cincinnati 60-53 last night. I thought we were going to lose many times during the game. Syracuse was generally behind.

Cincinnati is a good team. They play with 4 guards. Each can shoot 3’s. They were last night. Made 4 out of 5 to start the game.

Syracuse misses center Fab Melo. Opposing teams are getting through the middle to score and also garnering rebounds. Melo has academic problems. Supposedly we will know more this week.

I watched the game at the Sports Page Bar. Kristen bartending.

I rushed home after the game to catch the Republican debate. My impression is simple. Two wrong people pursuing the nomination. Romney and Gingrich. Their statements are fraught with inconsistencies and misrepresentations. The Republican Party should be ashamed it could not offer better to the American public.

Today is a I don’t know day. Not sure what I will be doing. Whatever, it will be good.

Enjoy your day!

Joe Paterno passed away this weekend. Good and bad things are being said about him. Most of the bad seems to be coming from a younger generation that reflects a lack of tolerance on their part.

His failings, if any, in the the Penn State scandal were ordinary and minimal. He waited 24 hours to report to higher authority. He failed to notify the police after his Penn State superiors did not do so.

A great man whose life is now besmirched. Shakespeare said it best. Through Marc Antony. Marc Antony’s words in eulogizing Julius Caesar.” The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones…”

A shame.

Enjoyed Meet the Press yesterday. It is a disgrace that Newt Gingrich may very well be the Republican presidential candidate. The Republican Party could have done better. The Nation requires better.

I spent a good portion of the rest of the day sitting on the deck. The weather was fine. The sun shining. A small breeze. I sat under the umbrella and did one of the things I enjoy best. Sunday newspaper reading.

I also wrote my column for this week’s Konk Life. It will be published Thursday.

The subject was Joran van der Sloot. He was the young man who was thought to have murdered Natalee Holloway several years ago in Aruba. He was never held for trial. The police said there was insufficient evidence.

Joran van der Sloot pled guilty this past week to murdering a 21-year-old woman in Peru. He admitted strangling the lady to death in a casino hotel room. He was sentenced to 28 years in jail.

From my perspective, it was a victory for justice. Similar to the O. J. Simpson cases. If society does not get a wrongdoer for one thing, it will ultimately for another. Justice triumphs!

I was at Louie’s Backyard late in the afternoon. I went over to have a couple drinks, watch the setting sun and observe the tourists. By the time I left, the stars were out. I was there that long.

I had no desire to either go out to eat or to eat last night. Having a house guest has certain benefits. Terri enjoys gardening activities. I can always depend on her when she’s here to trim the palm trees, the shrubbery and generally tend to the foliage. Anna cooked for me yesterday.

A Sunday morning traditional dish in many Italo-American  homes is fried meatballs. I have not had fried meatballs in years. Anna made them for me yesterday. Beef, egg, mint, bread, milk, salt and pepper. Plus, the oil in the frying pan. Absolutely delicious!.

Sufficiently delicious that I ate too many. I kept munching on them all day until I left for Louie’s Backyard. There was no room left in my stomach after that!

I occasionally quote my Facebook friend Jim Brown who lives in Crete. The man has many profound thoughts! Today’s is an example.” I don’t like Monday, whose idea was it to make the weekend two days only?”

Syracuse basketball again tonight. Cincinnati at Cincinnati. We should win. I hope so. There is a degree of hesitancy after Syracuse’s defeat 48 hours ago at Notre Dame.

As usual, I will be watching the game at the Sports Page Bar. The game starts at seven o’clock.

Enjoy your day!

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

It was inevitable. It had to happen. Syracuse finally lost last night. Notre Dame beat Syracuse 67-58. It was Notre Dame all the way. Syracuse just did not have it.

I offer no excuses for my alma mater. But…..the 3’s did not go in, rebounds ended up in Notre Dame hands, and Syracuse’s fabled defense did not perform. Plus our starting center, Fab Melo, did not play. He was benched for academic reasons.

The preceding offered not as excuses, but rather the sharing of some factual details.

Anna seemed to enjoy her first basketball game. Even if she did not, she was a trooper to sit through it.

We watched the game with Chris and Don. At the Sports Page Bar, of course. Zelda joined our group.

Zelda is a Facebook friend. She recently moved to Key West from Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has become a permanent Key West resident.

After the game, Anna and I took a walk over to the Wine Galley. We had a bite to eat and enjoyed the playing of Larry Smith.

The top was down as we drove back to my home. All of the sudden, the sky was ablaze with fireworks and noise. Big noise! I thought it might be to celebrate  the first trip to Key West by Flagler’s railroad. This weekend is a celebration of that event. I found out this morning I was correct.

Henry Flagler was an interesting man. He made a lot of money. He started the Standard Oil Company with one of the Rockefellers. Says it all.

Flagler was taken with Key West. In the very early 1900s, the only way to get from the Florida mainland to Key West was by boat. There was a semblance of a road, but not much. No railroad existed.

Flagler thought a railroad should run from the Florida mainland to Key West. In those days, a distance of 128 miles. He put his money, brains and influence to the task. His dream of a railroad was considered Flagler’s Folly. The route contained too many small islands and too many large water spaces. It would be an impossible task to construct sufficient bridges and trestles to handle the trains.

The Key West Citizen in this morning’s paper describes what Flagler had in mind best. Flagler wanted to build a railroad “…where nature never intended…a railroad.”

Flagler accomplished his dream! The railroad made its first trip from the Florida mainland to Key West 100 years ago today on January 22, 1912.

The railroad was short lived.

Flagler’s railroad died never to be resurrected on Labor Day 1935. A hurricane hit the upper Florida Keys. The hurricane has been described as one of the most intense hurricanes ever to make landfall. Four hundred people died.

Flagler’s railroad was wiped out. Trestles blown away, bridges broken, rails destroyed.

The railroad was never rebuilt.

The Flagler railroad celebration continues today, also. There will be a parade on the Duval at one. I am going to try to make it. Key West parades are terrific!

An interesting bit of information. The locomotive pulling the railroad cars in that first trip was manufactured in Schenectady, New York. Hooray for upstate New York!

Enjoy your Sunday!

Great show yesterday! Thank you for all the comments.

Two topics seemed to have garnered the most interest. The one having to do with the three year old girl who has been denied a kidney. She is in desperate need of a transplant. The other concerned how Castro worked his way through college. He was a movie extra in Havana shot films. Three were Esther Williams films.

I have a house guest. Anna. Anna is from Milan, Italy. Anna is a religious blog reader and viewer of the internet show, as well as an old friend.  She has been on a tour of Florida. She telephoned and asked if she could visit for a few days.

I went to the airport to pick Anna up. Apparently, I do not get to the airport enough. Since I retired six years ago, I rarely travel.

I was impressed. Simultaneously four jets landed. Big regional jets. What happened to the 18 and 28 seaters? An example of  the progress which is slowly changing the fabric of Key West.

It was the Chart Room first last night. A good group of friends. Cheryl and Roger, Don and Chris, Sean and Catherine, and Sheila. Emily bartending. Everyone in a jovial mood.

Afterwards, Anna and I went over to the Hot Tin Roof for dinner. Anna is interested in eating fish while she is in Key West. She asked me if the fish here with fresh? What a joke! I explained to her that any fish she would consume in Key West was caught earlier the same day. I chastised her for being such a fish snob. Milan is not on any water. Any fish she gets at home is not fresh.

Syracuse basketball again tonight! Love it!

Syracuse is playing Notre Dame. 6 PM. I will be watching the game at the Sports Page Bar. Don and Chris will be joining me. I am sure others.

This will be Anna’s first basketball game. She has never seen one. She does not understand basketball.

Enjoy your day!

Still dark outside. I am up early. My Internet show this morning. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. 10 am my time. Can be seen and heard world wide. http://www.konkbroadcasting.com/.

Join me. A well prepared show ready to go. Can’t wait to get into Romney and Gingrich a bit.

Yesterday mucho busy.

I started the day with an 8 am dentist visit. Still at it. Another 3-4 months. Hopefully.

Then a haircut with Lori. Nice girl. She has been cutting my hair for well over 10 years. I have aged. She has not.

Lunch was a high point! At Salute’s with neighbors Andrew, Jazz and Kai.

Kai the center of attention. Eighteen months old. He has a well developed personality. Knows what he wants and screams till he gets it.

Mother Jazz. Comes to us from Switzerland. A beauty. Intelligent. I enjoy conversing with her.

And then there is my good friend Andrew. A father anew at 50. God bless him!

I spent a portion of the afternoon fine tuning the material for today’s Internet show.

I had two things I wanted to do last night. Have a drink and dinner out. Watch the Republican Presidential debate at 8.

Squeezed them both in.

Ate at Hogfish. Looked for Pati. No Pati. Sad.

The soups are the best at Hogfish. They have a daily lobster bisque. To die for. Last night’s special was bean and sausage. I had the bean and sausage. Outstanding!

Good debate! It firmed up my opinion that the Republicans are not offering their best this year.

Gingrich looked terrific! However, I dislike his moral fiber. He is not the type of person I want leading my country.

Romney is supposed to be smart. The longer this primary goes on, the less I believe it. My message to him: Get your tax returns out!

Enjoy your day!

Many things come to mind when people think of Key West. One is the weather. Beautiful warm basking sun.

Yesterday was one of those days. The temperature was was pushing 80°. Unusual for this time of the year. Normally in January we are lucky if the temperature hits 70°. There have been years when January evenings have fallen into the high 40s. For real!

Not this year. We are thankful for the fantastic weather.

It was time for a pedicure. I visited Tammy at Lee Nails. The place was empty Just me and one other customer. The wonderful Kate Miano!

There is no finer person in Key West than Kate Miano. A lovely lady. Intelligent. Hard working. A successful businesswoman. Kate owns and operates the Gardens Hotel.

We chatted. We ended up getting pedicures seated next to each other.

I had a terrific time. I hope Kate did also.

Then it was to Walgreen’s. Needed to pick up my new thyroid prescription. Took it for the first time last night. It will take approximately 3 weeks for me to feel any change. I may need more when I am retested. Whatever. I am thrilled that the cause of my exhaustion has been ascertained. It only took four months.

Visited with Lisa for about an hour. Love that girl! We talked about many things.

I spent the balance of the afternoon and evening yesterday working on friday’s Internet show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. I have a little fine tuning to do today and my preparation will be complete.

Join me, if you can. 10 AM my time. Worldwide. http://www.konkbroadcasting.com/.

Terrific topics! Like the three year old Philadelphia child being denied a kidney transplant, how Fidel Castro worked his way through college, the Keystone Oil Pipeline, an update on the Wisconsin governor recall, Iran believes Barbie dolls a decadent influence, and  pythons a no-no in Florida.

Plus, an update on the man who stole a police car, a woman drunk driving for 18 miles on the wrong side of a major highway, a baby born on  a New Jersey commuter train outside New York City, Poland condom sales down for the first time ever, an Obama proposal to deal with Alzheimer’s treatment, China funding US solar plants in California and New Jersey, and more.

Good stuff! You really should listen in.

My morning is full. I have a dental appointment, a haircut appointment and lunch at Salute’s with neighbors.

Enjoy your day!

The weather definitely changed yesterday! After a week, the cold front left. Suddenly. That is the way it is.

I was invigorated by the warmth. Wanted to do something different. Decided to ride my bicycle. I have not ridden the bicycle for months.

I rode around Key Haven. The streets are flat. I cannot handle hills. My bike is not a 10 speed. It is the old fashioed fat tire type. Up and down the streets of Key Haven is not bad. It is especially easy when the wind is at your back. However when you are riding into the wind, it is another story!

The rest of the morning was spent writing. Sitting outside, of course. I missed being out there.

I have been exhausted for several months. Exhausted is the correct description. Tests came up with nothing. Doctors concluded it was the many pills I am taking. They would tend to make one tired.

I noticed in the past month that I am rushing. Mentally, I am always behind and have to hurry. There does not seem to be enough time to get everything done.

None the case. I am doing no more today than I did one year ago.

I have had a thyroid problem for well over 30 years. Sometimes up, sometimes down. Pills keep the thyroid in control. However when the thyroid overcomes the pills, it is trouble time. Two problems. The first is weight gain. I have dramatically gained weight over the last 2-3 months. Cannot seem to lose. The other problem is exhaustion. No one can deny that Louis has been exhausted!

Ergo, I suspected my thyroid was off. I spoke to my internist about it on Monday. She did not agree with me. Never the less, I told her I still wanted to take the to thyroid test.

I received a telephone call from my doctor’s office yesterday morning. My thyroid is off! I am thrilled! I will get new pills of an increased dosage today. In 2-3 weeks, the exhaustion will be gone and I should be able to knock off a few pounds also.

I did a gym visit with Courtney. He worked my upper torso. It is my stomach I am concerned with! No one listens to me.

Then it was to Lisa’s and a visit with Lisa and the grandkids. Robert and Ally were returning from school. I was there as they rushed into the house. Hugs and kisses.

Robert and Ally are famished when they get home from school. Lisa has to prepare something for the both of them. They devour the food. Especially Ally. Fortunately, they are very active. Weight is not a problem for them. Not yet, at least. Hopefully, never.

My beard is growing. It looks dirty. Beginning to itch. I was lazy and did not want to shave last night. So no in town for me. Instead, I went over to Hogfish. Me and the fishermen. I fit right in!!

A pleasant experience awaited me last night when I went to bed. No, not a woman. I am not so lucky. It was a movie. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing. A hit 1955 film starring William Holden and Jennifer Jones. The same William Holden that I would spend an occasional week with 15 years later at La Costa.

I am definitely going to skip golf again today. No sense in abusing myself. I suspect my thyroid is the reason I have become so exhausted well playing. I will be ready again in a couple of weeks. To play, yes. To score, no. The thyroid has nothing to with  game performance.

Enjoy your day!

The best laid plans of mice and men…..

As yesterday morning progressed, I started to feel poorly. I canceled lunch with the grandkids at I Hop and also my workout at the gym with Courtney. Instead I went to bed and sleep. I woke at four and felt like a million bucks!

It was the Sports Page Bar at six. Syracuse/Pittsburgh. Sandra joined me. Don and Chris showed up. JJ, also. First time I have seen my Chart Room bartender friend at the Sports Page Bar.

During the game, Carla also appeared. Carla was new to me. Never met her before. A very charming personality! She is a friend of Don and Chris. She works as a bartender at Sloppy Joe’s.

A terrible game. Syracuse could have lost. Syracuse won 71-63.

I continue to anticipate Syracuse’s first defeat. It is inevitable. No team goes undefeated. Syracuse is now 20-0.

Syracuse started with a 13 point run. The game 13-0. I could help but think we were going to destroy Pittsburgh. It was not to be. At one point in the second half, Pitt made it a four-point game. It was happening, I feared!

Fortunately, it did not. Syracuse turned it around and won.

Syracuse generally has two runs a game. One of the first half and one in the second. Not last night. The only true run they had were those first 13 points.

I was worried.

Saturday night Notre Dame! Notre Dame started the season like a dynamo. And then they faltered and have continued to falter. I hope Syracuse plays a better game against Notre Dame than it did aginst Pittsburgh.

John Lucas was having dinner at the Sports Page Bar. He tells me he hopes that his new sports bar will be open Friday night. John has run into a lot of problems in the remodeling. A nice guy, I wish him well.

The weather this morning is truly delightful! It has been cold morning, noon and night in Key West for about a week. Right now it is 70°. There is no chill in the air. The high is projected at 76.

To evidence that my heart is in the right place,  my gym session with Courtney has been rescheduled to this afternoon.

Enjoy your day!