WEAPON OF MASS DESRUCTION…..KEY WEST BEACH

Posted on by

Horror never strikes at home. Or so we believe. It does, it could.

National news today tells the story of a 23 year old Key West area man arrested by federal authorities. Arrested for his intent to bury on a Key West beach a back pack filled with nails. One which could be exploded from a distant point.

The individual arrested lives on Stock Island. Stock island has two parts. The island split by U.S. 1. The Atlantic side less than affluent. Home to Hogfish and Roostica. The Gulf side, the golf course, tasteful homes and condominiums. The man arrested lived on the Atlantic side.

He is reported to be a member of the Islamic State network.

The story was carried this morning on the front page of the Key West Citizen. It also was reported on Morning Joe. Not the type of notoriety we want in the Keys. Nor any where else for that matter.

A beach explosion would have maimed/killed very young children to the very elderly. The FBI and other authorities are to be complimented for their fine work.

Yes, it could happen here. An eye opener!

This sciatica will not go away! Better this morning. And then a shot of pain!

My yesterday busy. Started with a haircut with Lori. She is off to Long Island and Maine this week to visit family. Then a manicure with Tammy. Always a pleasant experience. The sciatica followed me to both places.

Fined tuned last night’s blog talk radio show in the afternoon. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou went well last night. Post show comments indicate all topics hit a nerve. I like that.

Randy Roberts was on America’s Got Talent last night. A premier Key West entertainer. A nice guy. He did not make it. He failed to move to the next level. I feel bad for Randy. I am sure all of Key West does.

I watched the show from 8-9. Had to break to do my blog talk radio show at 9. Randy appeared during that time. I missed his performance. I understand he sang The Lady Is A Tramp. Beautifully and perfectly done.

I had an early dinner at Roostica. Spoke a while with owner Bobby. His family from southern Italy, also. He has never visited Greece. Before I could tell him, he told me he believed he had Greek blood in him. Concluded from readings. The conversation which followed was most interesting.

The two day Lobster Mini Season began this morning. Normally, there is a slew of boats going past my home on the way to the lobster happy hunting grounds. This morning, not so many. I am curious as to why.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

ANT-MAN 3D

Posted on by

I love the movies. Love watching movies on TV. Especially the old ones.

Last night, I went to the movies. Saw Ant-Man 3D. Not normally my cup of tea. I went because I wanted to get out and it appeared to be the best available. I also wanted to see a 3D movie. I had only seen 2 prior to last night.

I was surprised! The movie was terrific! Loved it! Michael Douglas had an interesting role as an older scientist. His performance worthy of an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

I sat rigidly in the movie chair. My back. The sciatica won’t go away. It has been bothering me since friday. I spent yesterday in bed. Took a pain pill and was on the heating pad most of the day. The pain pill did not help. The heating pad did.

By 5, it was time to get out of the house. Walking difficult. Bent over.

Went to an early dinner at Tavern ‘n Town. Ran into two guys I like and admire. Michael Schwartz and Tim Reynolds.

Michael owned Square One for twenty odd years. My favorite restaurant during his tenure as owner. Always gracious, Michael was the perfect host. Tim was chef at Square One most of the years Michael owned the restaurant. An excellent chef, he got tired of cooking and went into TV and audio. He presently works for a big time TV concern out of Tampa.

My back was no problem when I was sitting. Whether at Tavern ‘n Town or the movie. When I got up and had to walk another story. I took a pain pill when I went to bed. Not much help.

Had a lousy night and hurt this morning. I am trying to avoid calling the doctor for a steroid shot. The shot will kill the pain in two hours. Something in my head says steroids are not healthy.

There is a mature gentleman who rides a colorful tricycle nightly on Duval. Brightly colored. Christmas lights and all. Music blaring.

He is James Chapman. Better known as Mr. Chapman. Age 76. Lives in Bahama Village. A fifth generation Conch. He is leaving Key West. He lost his home to the bank in a mortgage foreclosure. Cannot find affordable housing for he and his family. They are moving to Delaware.

A shame!

My blog talk radio show tonight. Because of my back, preparation not yet complete. Will have to get to it this afternoon.

Planned topics include the House Of Lords member who was videoed snorting cocaine from a prostitute’s breasts, two police stories though not involving shootings never the less deplorable, the House vote re GMO labeling, a poor federal appellate decision saying air fresheners and rosary beads hanging in a car can be an indication of criminal activity, China on the move, and more.

Join me. Nine my time tonight. A fast moving half hour. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Heard from Anna again. She is still on Amorgos. Elini was able to find her another room. She leaves for Athens shortly where she will spend a few days at the Gran Bretagne. The finest hotel I ever enjoyed. Envy her.

Anna tells me a large yacht showed up in Amorgos yesterday. Unusual for the big boats to come in. Word quickly spread that the vessel was owned by Elton John. Unfortunately, Elton was not on board. Only the crew.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

HEMINGWAY DAYS SADLY OVER

Posted on by

Key West empty last night. Hemingway Days ended. Everyone heading out of town. Sad that Hemingway Days had come to an end. From my perspective, one of the most enjoyable Key West events.

One hundred twenty two participants in the Hemingway Look Alike Contest. Charlie Boice from Palm Beach Gardens won. He had been trying for 15 years. There were winners in the Hemingway Days Arm Wrestling Contest at Sloppy Joe’s. Males and females participating.

I was out and about yesterday. That is why I knew the Hemingway people were moving out or already gone.

It was Martin’s for brunch. Dee was supposed to meet me at noon. She never showed. I telephoned her. She had forgotten. An indicator of how much she thinks of me. I enjoyed eggs benedict alone.

Spent the afternoon writing this week’s KONK Life column. Harry Truman’s Mother In Law. Did he have a mother in law! A cross he silently bore. You will find the article interesting.

Schooner Wharf to start the evening. Unusually quiet. About a third of the bar occupied. Again, the Hemingways had departed. I enjoyed a couple of drinks. Missy from Don’s Place bartending. Met Devin who is in charge of maintenance at Sunset Key. He is maintenance! We talked about L’Atitudes.

Then to Pepi’s for dinner. Very few customers, also. Ate at the bar. Kelley bartending. My usual. Barbecued chicken and mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes buried in brown gravy.

Pepi’s had an historical listing on the back of the menu. Pepi’s was founded in 1909. The menu listed other historical events which occurred in 1909. One was the granting of the first patent for a gasoline electric hybrid auto. Took a long time to become a reality!

Randy Roberts is one of the great Key West entertainers. He has starred at La Te Da for 17 years. As Cher, Judy Garland, etc. He is Cher and Judy Garland. Outstanding drag performances!

Randy will appear tomorrow night on America’s Got Talent. Eight o’clock on NBC. Watch! Hope he wins!

Lobster Mini Season wednesday and thursday this week. The enthusiasts have already begun arriving. There were a bunch who apparently rented the house next door to me. Around 11 last night the noise began. Big time! Till 2 in the morning. Music to deafen by!

Thirty thousand visitors expected for the two day mini season.

I have been critical of recent court decisions. Too far out. People are losing respect for the judicial system.

An example is a federal appellate decision involving a Texas case. The police pulled a car over. The reason being they thought the occupants were engaged in criminal activity. Bullshit items were the alleged justification for pulling the car over. The court held that air fresheners, rosaries and pro police stickers could be construed as indicators of criminal activity.

Would you believe!

We are edging closer and closer to becoming a police state.

Ignition key works. My back does not. Sciatica. Wow! No anti-gravity treadmill this morning. They say that today 80 is 60. I never had sciatica at 60!

Enjoy your day!

RUNNING OF THE BULLS

Posted on by

Pamplona, Spain and Key West were one yesterday. The Running of the Bulls!

I was there. Hemingway look alikes. Dressed Pamplona style. White shirts and pants. Red berets and waist bands. White hair and beards, of course.

The bulls machete and wood on wheels.

The race as in Pamplona. Pure chaos. If real bulls, several of yesterday’s Hemingways would be no more. Fun to watch. Exciting.

Paula Deen in Key West again this year for Hemingway Days. Her husband Michael Grover a Hemingway look alike contestant. I did not see her this year.

Lunched at the Pier House Beach Bar afterwards. Duval was too busy and hot with all the people. Chatted with Janine.

I have always had difficulty spelling Janine’s name. What I am writing today is correct. First time I have had it right. I mentioned my problem with spelling her name. I added it was fortunate her sister Mary had a simple name. Janine looked at me and said no she doesn’t. Her name is spelled Mari. With an i and not a y.

Ran into Michael at the Beach Bar. Michael was already a Key Wester when I started coming 26 years ago. I first met him at Atlantic Shores. He was a regular. Bare assed and bronzed. I had not seen him in 15 years. He is still bronzed. As to bare assed, I do not know. He was not yesterday.

Spent some time later in the afternoon researching this week’s KONK Life column. More research to do and then writing it. Will be done today. The topic/title Harry Truman’s Mother In Law.

Dinner at Roostica last night.

Lobster Mini Season a few days away. Wednesday and thursday. Thirty thousand expected for the event.

This is year 50 for Christ of the Deep. A 9 foot bronze statue of Christ was planted under water in the John Pennekamp State Park near Key Largo fifty years ago. Only 25 feet down, many have seen and enjoyed the statue. Even to the point of touching Christ’s hands and face.

Heard from Anna again. She is still on Amorgos. Has a problem. She has to be out of her accommodation 7/31. Her ferry boat reservation is for 8/5. She is having trouble finding a room. No wonder. Things are cheap in certain areas of Greece this season. Even cheaper on a small hidden away island such as Amorgos. A place that has few accommodations to start.

Maybe she will have to sleep on the beach.

Anna tells me there are many French tourists. The reason is that a good portion of the French movie Le Grand Bleu was filmed in the waters off Amorgos. The French and others visit because of the film. It was a winner when first filmed. Won many awards. Today, a cult film.

The car works. The key turns easily.

Enjoy your Sunday!

MECHANIC JUNIOR GRADE

Posted on by

Finally made it in life! I fixed a problem with a car.

I have a Volkswagen 2010 Beetle convertible. Off and on I have had an ignition problem. The key will not turn. A genuine pain in the ass! This past week it happened often. Became a real aggravation.

I had to leave the car at the Weston garage thursday night because the key in the ignition would not turn. Jennifer was kind enough to drive me to the Weston yesterday. I told her on the way that several months ago it happened while I was at Don’s Place. Left the car overnight. The next day when I returned, it turned over like nothing.

Same thing happened yesterday. The key turned and I was on my way. Cost me $48 to leave the car overnight, however. $4 an hour. A rip off!

Drove over to a shop near the beach that advertises Volkswagen repairs. Closed.

I wanted to go to Sloppy Joe’s last night to watch the Hemingway Look Alike Contest. Showered again, shaved and dressed. Into the car in the garage. #x&*%, the key would not turn! I raised a hell of a sweat. Aggravation set in big time.

I stayed home. Had no choice. Poured myself a couple of gins and felt better.

During the night, my sciatica returned. Nothing going right.

I got up extra early this morning. Googled Volkswagen ignition key problem. Should have done it first!

Turns out the 2010 Volkswagen has an ignition key turning problem. Several remedies suggested. I tried them all.

Wear your seat belt. Interesting. Claim was the key would not turn because of a security problem. Seat belt had to be attached. Did not work.

Hit the hole where the key goes in with something heavy. The end of a butter knife. Did not work.

Put the key in and hit the key with something heavy, turning the key at the same time. Impossible to do. Required body gymnastics.

Jiggle the steering wheel. I did that at the Weston garage. The wheel did not move even a little bit. Tried it again this morning. Absolutely no movement.

Finally, spray some WD 40 into the ignition hole. Where the hell was I going to get WD 40, whatever it is, at 5 in the morning?

The Lord was with me. Keith leaves some materials around for when he has to fix something at the house. Would you believe! There was a can of WD 40 in the bag. I gave the hole one spray. Waited a minute. Voila! The key turned like it was in melted butter.

I tried several times. Worked each time. Lets hope it works later today. I plan on attending the Running of the Bulls at 1 by Sloppy Joe’s.

You might ask why I do not take the car to a Volkswagen dealer. Because the nearest one is 160 miles north in Miami. Last time I buy a car that does not have a dealership in Key West.

Compounding everything, my sciatica came back during the night.

The weather is iffy. It smells and tastes like rain. Extra humid. Clouds black. Blacker coming in off the ocean.

Yesterday’s weather report said storms this afternoon. The morning report says clouds. I think we are going to have some rain. Whatever, I will have my slicker with me. The bulls run regardless of the weather.

Enjoy your day!

 

L’ATTITUDES

Posted on by

Dinner at L’Attitudes last night. A very fine dining experience.

L’Attitudes is located on Sunset Key. A boat ride away. All of five minutes. The restaurant sits just off the dock where the boat disembarks customers.

The last time I was at L’Attitudes was 15 years ago. Beautiful then. More beautiful now. It has been remodeled.

I had not been in all that time because of the boat ride. An inconvenience from my perspective. I now realize my loss.

Everything magnificent! From the view to the food to the service. Viewing the sunset while dining is special in and of itself. The sun set through gray clouds in a large orange ball. Mallory Square dressed up.

I asked for a table inside when I made my reservation.  By a window so I could see the sunset. My request was met. Thank you, Chris and Dan.

My waitress was Eve. Short for Ivelisse. Puerto Rico born. She has been in Key West 16 years. Efficient. Charming. Lovely.

L’Attitudes making a ton of money! Obvious. The place full. The boat bringing customers back and forth. The customers tourists. I did not recognize any locals.

Would I return? Yes. To dine alone at the bar and read the newspapers. With the added benefit of the setting sun.

My day yesterday began at Farmers Market. Bought bread. A long thin crispy loaf. Two. Toasted half of one for lunch. To die for.

Then Publix. Picked up a few essentials. Ran into Paul Toppino. Two bachelors grocery shopping. What the final quarter of life brings.

Spent part of the afternoon working on tuesday’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou.

My evening ended in a bit of disaster. I had to leave my car in the Weston garage. The key would not turn in the ignition.  Walked down to the Chart Room, had a drink, and Emily called me a taxi.

I have not taken a taxi in ten years. Expensive. $27.50, without tip. Pier House to my home in Key Haven. Bring on Uber!

When I finish this blog, I have to find someone to drive me to the car. The key problem happened once before. I left the car in Don’s parking lot. The next morning the key turned with no problem. Hope it works the same way today.

Tons of events scheduled for today as part of Hemingway Days. The one that appeals to me is the second preliminary round of the selection/elimination process in the search for this year’s Hemingway look alike. Sloppy Joe’s at 6:30. A full house guaranteed.

This morning’s Key West Citizen reports Sheraton Suites was sold for $94 million. Most if not all of Key West’s major hotels have changed hands the last three years. Why not! Key West is packing them in. Guaranteed high occupancy at high rates.

Last but not least. Perhaps the most important item this morning. Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi announced a budget reduction for the next year. Almost 6 percent. Taxes will be reduced! When was the last time?

Gastesi should run for President!

Enjoy your day!

 

TRAINWRECK

Posted on by

Went to the movies last night. Saw Trainwreck. Thought it was a wreck.

I went to view the movie because of all the hype it has been receiving. A great funny show. Contemporary sex. I was not impressed.

The first third of the movie I had trouble staying awake. The rest of the movie had its funny parts. If contemporary sex is as was represented, I have missed out on a lot. I am sure I have. It is a different world.

LeBron James is in the movie. He has a significant part. Plays himself. He is an actor! No question about it. The man has talent in a second field. The thought occurred during the movie that his performance was worthy of an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

I was right on. This morning’s news reports James signed a major Hollywood contract yesterday.

Trainwreck was the last stop of the evening. Prior to the movie, I enjoyed an early dinner at Tavern ‘n Town. Michael Emerson entertaining. Enjoyed his singing.

Hot Tin Roof’s Joseph came in for dinner. Went over to his table to say hello. I like Joseph.

Across the bar from me were two Key West lovelies I seem to be running into frequently of late. Sisters Mary and Jeneane. Friends from the Pier House. They were with a woman of Asian extraction. A beauty.

My morning began with the anti-gravity treadmill at Body Owners. For whatever reason, knocked me on my ass yesterday. I was dead all afternoon. Spent the afternoon in bed after lunching at Hogfish. I thought food would pep me up. It did not.

I plan of visiting the Farmers Market at lunch time today. The refrigerator is empty. I want to buy a few Farmers Market items before heading over to Publix.

Hemingway Days continue. Hemingway boxed. Enjoyed mixing it up. He encouraged other Key Westers to box. Neighborhood boxing matches were held at Blue Heaven. Hemingway refereed them.

In addition to fishing, boxing, and writing books, Hemingway wrote poems. As part of Hemingway Days, there will be a reading of his poems tonight at Blue Heaven. The program titled Papa’s Poems. Early. Like 5 o’clock.

Anna reports she had a great meal at Mythos last night. Mythos roasted a baby goat on a spit. Anna says it tasted like lamb. I believe it. Mythos did a goat for me on my last visit to Amorgos.

My KONK Life column re Planned Parenthood and the sale of fetus body parts hit the stands last night. It is available throughout the Keys today. I linked it to my Key West Lou website this morning. keywestlou.com. Read it and believe!

Enjoy your day!

 

 

HAPPY HUMP DAY

Posted on by

I have been visiting Key West for over 25 years. Bought a home 17 years ago. Been a Florida resident 9 years.

Never heard the term hump day till my Key West days. Thought it meant that wednesday were set aside in the Keys for sex. How nice, I thought. It was only a few years ago when I mentioned the sex thing in this blog that I was made aware it represents the middle day of the week.

I do not recall hump days in upstate New York. I live and learn.

A happy hump day one and all!

Key West weather continues to be outstanding. Warm/humid every day. One problem. Insufficient rain for this time of year. July brings summer weather. Rain every day. Not long in duration, however consistent. Every day. No rain every day this July. We could use it. Otherwise, a problem.

I spent some time yesterday morning shopping for baby clothes on Duval. A gift package. Hard to find quality baby clothes in Key West. Several stores. Basically, all selling the same. Guess I will be going to the internet.

Lunched at the Cuban Coffee House. Ran into Bobby. He’s been in Key West longer than me. I first met him 25 years ago when I was visiting. The last time I saw him was five years ago at the Casa Marina for July 4th fireworks.

It was good running into him. He was going to Peter Diamond’s for a haircut. Peter’s barber shop is next to the Cuban Coffee House.

Yesterday afternoon  was spent researching a bit further for last night’s blog talk radio show. Then fine tuning the material.

Reaction to the show was as I expected. Post show comments indicate a furor with the recent revelation that Planned Parenthood has been selling the cells of aborted fetuses and actual body parts of partial born aborted fetuses. My KONK Life column this week is devoted to the abomination.

This week Key West celebrates Hemingway Days. 125 plus Hemingway look alikes in town. Another city is celebrating a similar event, except for Santa Claus. Copenhagen this week is holding its annual World Santa Claus Congress. More than 125 Santa Claus’ in attendance. Their purpose to study Santa Claus problems. This year the issue is too many cookies. The kids leave Santa so many cookies that Santa is gaining weight.

Today’s Hemingway Days events include Meet the Papas at Sloppy Joe’s at 5:30. The Key West Marlin Tournament kicks off. $50,000 in cash prizes. Last night was meet the Hemingway look alikes at Sloppy Joe’s. Key West is into Hemingway days!

There is a company on the internet called Car Decal Geek. Love the name! The company makes vinyl decals and stickers for cars. They have a section depicting Key West. Terrific! It’s all there! Everything!

Car Decal Geek is a Michigan based company. A growing company. Take a look at their website for some great decals.

Enjoy your day!

CUBA EMBASSY OPENS

Posted on by

The anti-gravity treadmill has an attached TV screen. I have become addicted to The Price Is Right. Never watched the show before the treadmill. Yesterday, no Price Is Right. Instead, the available stations all carried the opening of the Cuba Embassy in Washington.

An impressive event. More so because of its significance. Another step closer in the U.S. relationship with our neighbor. I was moved the moment the Cuban and U.S. flags were raised simultaneously in front of the Embassy.

It is probably because Key West is only 90 miles from Cuba. I have a great interest in the renewal of the relationship. I wanted to write a blog marrying everyday Key West events with Cuba. I found a Cuban organization that was putting together a Cuban/U.S. blog. They only wanted Cubans or persons of Cuban extraction however. I continue looking.

Went from the treadmill to Roostica for lunch. Had a luncheon meeting. I continue to be impressed by the business Roostica does. Quality and prices have to be the main contributing factors.

Spent the afternoon researching tonight’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. The show interesting once again. Not because of me. Rather due to events which occurred this past week. Like Warren Buffet buying a Greek island , China moving its ass, the hourly and daily cost of the Afghan war, the newest way to transport cocaine, Trump, examples of how banks control us, a United States of Europe, and more.

Join me for a quick moving half hour. Nine my time. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

The Chart Room first last night. Only David and me. Then to the Hot Tin Roof for a bite to eat. Four “Chart Room regulars” at the bar. I have noticed recently a fall off of regulars at the Chart Room. For example, most are at the outside bar at the Galleon friday nights.

My imagination?

Today the start of Hemingway Days. Exhibits at the Custom House and Tennessee Williams.

Today special in another way. Today marks Hemingway’s birthday.

On July 20, 1985, Mel Fisher hit the Atocha mother lode. $400 million of gold, silver and emeralds. God bless America!

One of the two divers making the find was Andy Matroci. He is still alive and kicking. He lives on Eagle Street in Key West and captains the J.B. Magruder salvage boat.

The last day of the British Open exciting. Especially the four hole playoff. Zach Johnson the winner.

Johnson moving when interviewed afterwards. A humble religious man. Thirty nine, he was not ashamed to cry. He is a first class representative for professional golf.

I overslept. Have to move my ass. A haircut appointment with Lori.

Enjoy your day!

 

MAN ON THE MOON…..WOW!

Posted on by

Today marks a remarkable event in history. The event being the most memorable of my life. Impacted me. Man on the Moon!

On this day in 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the Moon. I was 34 at the time. It was late night. Around midnight. I was excited. A human walking on the moon. The thing science fiction movies were made of. Not reality. Yet, it was about to happen! Live on TV in front of my eyes.

My four children were all under 10 at the time. I woke and got them all out of bed to watch. I wanted to view this moment in history. It meant nothing to them. They were merely amusing their crazy Dad. To this day, when I ask if they recall watching the event on TV, none do.

I am now 80 and nothing has matched or exceeded Neil Armstrong walking on the moon.

Today has a special significance for Key West. Mel Fisher found the mother lode of the Atocha in 1985. Changed his life! His family’s life! Jean Thornton’s life!

I mentioned in yesterday’s blog that I had been researching Margaret Sanger for this week’s KONK Life column. As I dug further, it became obvious that the recent story re Planned Parenthood selling aborted fetus baby parts superseded it. Ergo, I wrote Planned Parenthood Sells Aborted Fetus Baby Parts. Margaret Sanger gets a paragraph near the end of the column. The article publishes wednesday in KONK Life.

I was half asleep watching the British Open when the phone rang. It was Dee. Hello, how are you, etc. It was close to dinner time. I asked if she wanted to meet me at Roostica. She said ok. Meet you there in an hour. Dee lives on Cudjoe Key.

A nice dinner. Dee good company most of the time. An intelligent woman, she is interesting to talk with. She has a doctorate in Psychology and teaches at Boston University.

Olga working. My new waitress friend. She gave me a beaming smile and wave as I walked in.

It was work day around the house yesterday. For Keith and Jennifer. Not me. Keith attacked the jungle outside my house. Everything grows swiftly in the heat. The trees, bushes, etc. need to be trimmed 1-2 times a year. Jennifer was cleaning up inside. Anna is in Poland vacationing for two months and Jennifer has been helping out in her absence.

Anna’s story similar to Tammy’s. She is another who has succeeded in achieving the American dream.

Anna and her husband immigrated from Poland many years ago. Today, her husband is the Chef at Cafe Sole, one of Key West’s top restaurants. Anna cleans homes. The job may not sound dignified. The money is. Anna is busy all the time.

They have their own home. They vacation two months with their children every two years in Poland.

I love Anna’s sundays. She refuses to work. She goes to St. Mary’s in the morning and spends the rest of the day at Fort Zachery Taylor Beach.

Hemingway Days begin tomorrow. Will run through sunday. I look forward to having a god time at certain events.

Anna e-mailed me. She is settled in on Amorgos. I envy her!

I have spent much time on Amorgos. Made many friends. I was the only American on Amorgos most of the time. People would stop by to meet me. I was an oddity. They had never met an American.

Anna’s e-mail made me feel good. People were asking where Louis was.

Mythos owns my favorite restaurant on Amorgos. He and his daughter were wondering what happened to me, was I ever going to return. I would spend my afternoons at Mythos’ place sitting outside in the shade writing. Antonio at the restaurant next door wondered when I would be back. He prepared the best smelts! Just like my grandmother made. Elini whose home I stayed at was wondering if I would ever return.

Flora on Amorgos again. Cleaning rooms for the summer. An Albanian school teacher otherwise. I wrote a short story about Flora three years  which I published in my book. The title…..Flora’s Story. A sensitive tale.

The Greeks are taking a beating in the media these days. They are made to look lazy and careless. The island people are neither. They are simple happy folk living life as their forefathers did 100 years ago.

Enjoy your day!