CASABLANCA AND TEARS

Tears. Crying. Normal to cry. Especially women. Last night the tears flowed.

Irma caused several of us to escape. We evacuated to Birmingham, Alabama. Guests of Jean and Joe Thornton for 12 days. A wonderful experience! Jean and Joe great hosts.

We kept busy. From 5 in the afternoon to 3-4 in the morning every day. Fun time. All kinds of experiences.

One was watching Casablanca. The great love story starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. I had seen it several times before as had the others.

During the showing, I noticed the ladies knew every line. They were whispering them before even spoken on the screen. The ladies also cried. Big time!

I was surprised.

Casablanca touched their very souls. The love scenes torture for them.

Some of us evacuees enjoyed a reunion last night. At the Key West Theater. A free showing of Casablanca. Besides Louis, Jean Thornton herself, Hayward, Joanne and Ann.

I was not disappointed. The ladies cried. The tears flowed. Jean the first to break down. Their eyes red at the end of the film.

Tender ladies!

Jean and I met for dinner before the movie. The Saint. We enjoyed a great duck meal.

Following the movie, Hayward and Joanne left the group. Jean, Ann and I went over to the Chart Room. A good crowd. Happy people on vacation in Key West.

A big guy came over to say hello. He introduced himself as Pittsburgh John. Said we had met last year and I wrote a column about him. I apologized for not recalling. We sat a while and chatted.

He brought up on his cell phone the Key West Lou column from February 18, 2017 titled Pittsburgh John. He was correct. I had written about him. Still could not recall the evening, however.

No problem.

A nice guy. He visits Key West religiously three times a year. Obviously lives in Pittsburgh. A big time concrete salesman. Travels several States.

John’s claim to fame and something he is most proud of is that at 16 he was the bat boy for the visiting Pittsburgh baseball team. He met baseball luminaries like Dwight Gordon, Darryl Strawberry and Mike Schmidt.

He was also proud of his relationship with Rocco Clemente. They occasionally shot hoops on a neighborhood court together.

Chatted with two charming and vivacious women. Donna and Jane. Friends since elementary school. Vacationing together. First time in Key West.

Donna is from The Woodlands, Texas. Divorced. An office manager for an oil and gas company.

Jane from Houston. Single. Lovely. Her professional career involves supply chain work.

The ladies plan to rip up the town while they are here.

I repeatedly say the Chart Room is the cross roads of the world. I meet people from everywhere. Last night, South Africa.

Matt and Lisa. Presently located in Washington, D.C. They work together in their own business. Described to me as assisting people to communicate with each other.

I met Matt and Lisa as I was paying my bill. Tired. Spent too little time with them. Hopefully, I will run into them again before they leave.

Why was I tired? It was after 11. I am in bed by 9 most evenings.

I normally wake at 6 and begin this blog. I did not wake till 10 this morning. Reason why the blog is being published late today.

Hemingway one of the greats who spent a number of years residing in Key West. Wrote To Have And Have Not and The Snows of Kilimanjaro while living here.

Every now and then, one of his undiscovered stories pops up. One of the most recent A Room On The Garden Side. A World War II fiction piece. Described as typical Hemingway. A debate in a hotel between two men concerning “the dirty trade of war.”

The story has been authenticated as a Hemingway work.

It appears in Strand Magazine. Strand is a quarterly publication. The Hemingway piece in its Summer Edition which was published this week.

BOB tired today. If BOB is tired, I am tired. Better stated, I am tired. Therefore, BOB is tired. The next chapter in his book hopefully tomorrow.

Today, a significant one in American history. On this day in 1776, members of the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration had been approved in resolution form one month earlier on July 2. The written Declaration was adopted two days later on July 4. However not signed till almost a month later. Traveling times slow, not enough States yet committed.

Marijuana delegalization is ongoing. Done in various ways. An example is Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance. Vance announced yesterday a “decline to prosecute” policy.

Beginning yesterday, no charges would be filed for marijuana possession and use. Two exceptions. If an individual possesses for purpose of sale or if a possession demonstrates a threat to public safety.

Trump was in Tampa for a rally two days ago.  We have all heard his error re the need to have an ID with photo thereon in order to buy groceries. The President has obviously never been to a grocery store.

Another one has filtered through the news. Another tax break for the rich. Trump must think the people demand  such. He is blinded by his wealth and that of others.

Trump advised a new plan for the rich. One that does not require Congressional approval. He wants to change the way capital gains are handled. Such would provide an enormous tax savings to those having big stock portfolios.

Seth Meyers the late night TV comedian suggested Trump would probably be relentless in having the tax law changed. He said Trump and his people “won’t be happy till this country is just 10 trillionaires and 300 million people fighting over one Go-Gurt.”

Trump says Putin is his friend. He better watch out. A person who goes to bed with a dog that has fleas wakes up with fleas.

Putin is recognized as a killer. As most dictators/despots have been.

Alexander Rastorguev is a Russian critic of Putin. Rastorguev was in the Central Africa Republic filming a documentary exposing the activities of a company called Wagner. Wagner is a private Russian military firm. Wagner is suspected of clandestine military operations in Syria and East Ukraine based on orders from the Kremlin.

Rastorguev, his camera man, and a reporter were ambushed and killed while riding in a car by persons unknown.

Putin involved?

Diana Millikan is in town. She is researching a book I would like to write on The History of Key West Prostitution. We’ve been at it two years. Not much recorded information on whore houses, etc.

Diana and I will be at the Blue Macaw tonight.

Enjoy your day!