LOST ITS SOUL TO GREED

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This morning’s Citizens’ Voice in the Key West Citizen carried an interesting comment: “The island has lost its soul to greed.”

Food for thought!

Spent time yesterday working on installment 3 of highlights from Wright Langley’s Key West Rotary History. The installment can be read further down.

Did some research for tonight’s podcast. Not enough. I have another 3-4 hours before the show itself. I have a medical test at 11:30. Will complete the research thereafter.

The lead topic will involve Comey’s letter to certain Congressional Committees.

The show is at 9 my time. A quick interesting half hour. Whether you agree with my comments, guaranteed you will enjoy. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Visited Terri at the hospital. She is looking good. Returns home today. Donna has been the perfect spouse. Slept on a couch in Terri’s room the whole week.

Following the visit, headed to Aqua for Dueling Bartenders. Special last night. Tracey from days gone by belting out one song after another. Tracey is a for real woman who looks like a woman. Tom Luna and Goddess Galore singing along with Tracey.

A good crowd. Liz there. Sat with her.

Last night, Halloween. Key Haven always crowded with costumed kids. Key Haven is the best place for trick or treat goodies. Plentiful. The residents place tables on the lawn spread with candy, apples, etc. They sit around the tables greeting the ghosts and goblins.

Historically, a big deal! Going to Key Haven on Halloween. Costumed children are driven on the back of pick up trucks to get there. Key West children travel to Key Haven for the evening.

Not last night.

I drove home at 7:30. Very few young ones. Fifty at the most. Normally in the hundreds. Where were they? I have no idea.

Bayview reopened yesterday. New equipment for the kids. Paid for by the City.

Construction of Bayview began in 1922. The Key West Rotary was a big help in getting the park started. There is more in today’s installment re Rotary’s contribution.

A comedy opens tonight at the Red Barn. The Return. Runs 11/1 to 11/19. A line in the play suggests the comedic effect: “No need for brutality. Just call me Jesus.”

The Key West City Commission continues to have their heads up their derrieres. This time re the location of the tiger at the new City Hall. We have a multitude of problems that need addressing. The tiger should have been an easy one.

The issue is which corner should the tiger be set on. It was always on the corner of White and United. Some Commission members and others believe the corner of White and Varsela would now be better.

Time being spent deciding the location.

Would you believe!

Hackley on another hunting trip. Another overnighter. Must be the time of the year for getting game.

He and his companions killed 23 Coots and 3 ducks.

Now for today’s highlights of Key West Rotary’s history. Installment 3 covers the years 1919-1923.

Nineteen nineteen and 1920 apparently not significant. No mention in Langley’s history.

An issue arose in early December 1921 that would be a call to war today. The Rotary decided to perform a minstrel show.

Minstrel shows were common back then. Social correctness not even a spoken term. Men painted their faces black and performed. Comedy and singing. The shows fundraisers.

Put yourself back in the time. Our country was German, Welsh, English based. Everyone else considered immigrants. African-Americans and other persons of color not taken into account.

The Rotary was presenting the minstrel show to raise monies for Boy Scout Troop 2.

Rotary President at the time was Dr. J. Y. Porter, Sr. He was Florida’s first public health officer. Porter raised hell. Called “raised the mischief” in  those days. He was “angered.” Claimed he was not informed of the minstrel show. He needed to first see it to make sure no part required censorship.

He saw it. Gave his approval.

It was thought Porter’s cries were a ruse. To give attention to the minstrel show and assure a larger attendance.

The minstrel show opened on schedule on December 10 at the Garden Theater.

I researched the Garden Theater to add some background. I found nothing.

The day after the show, the newspaper reported the show was enjoyed by all. Even “Boss Rote.” I researched Boss Rote and came up with nothing. I suspect it was a nick name for Dr. Porter.

Rotarians have always supported the Boy Scouts. In 1937, the Key West Rotary organized and sponsored Boy Scout Troop 50.

Nineteen twenty two was a busy year. One of the Rotary’s first major projects was to clear the area that was to become Bayview Park. Rotarians spent two days in overalls and blue chambray shirts chopping down heavy underground growth and grass.

Walter S. Crosley was a Rotarian. He also was A U.S. Navy Captain. He rounded up a detachment of Bluejackets and Marines to assist the Rotarians.

The Key West Electric Company participated. Its President was Rotarian Bascom Grooms. He contributed 30 employees to help.

Two days later at the end of the work, the Rotarians posed for a photo in front of Rotarian Benjamin D. Trevor’s home. Trevor’s house was across the street from the future Bayview Park on Division Street. Division Street today Truman Avenue.

Two of Trevor’s sons went on to become Presidents of the Key West Rotary. Jerry and Edwin Trevor.

I suspect the Rotarians of those days either were younger or had a number of young members. In 1923, the Rotary had a softball team. Members only.

The Rotary played a game against Army and Navy officers.  The softball diamond was the Old Army Barracks. Now, Peary Court.

Rotary won 19-10.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

GODDESS GALORE and BEATRIX DIXIE

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Dueling Bartenders unusually good last night.

Goddess Galore’s appearance outstanding! Her singing special! She added something extra to her songs. Whether tip toeing around the bar or singing from the dance floor.

Beatrix Dixie dressed in black. Wow! A beauty. She told me she almost wore her nails for me last night.

Sheila with friend John at the bar. Sheila agrees Beatrix is a beauty. A woman in every regard. Butt and boobs. Legs. Lovely face. Great hair.

Four tourists from Denmark at the bar. Before I could get to them, they had left.

No Liz. In Tampa for a wedding. Mary and Josefina at Aqua without her.

Drove over to La Trattoria Oceanside for dinner. Ran into Mary Lou and Charlie. We ate together at the bar. Marylou had just returned from Nappa Valley where she had been for a week.

A better couple does not exist.

Spent yesterday afternoon working on tonight’s blog talk radio show. A lot of politics. Could not be avoided at this stage of the campaign.

Mostly Trump.

Topics include business being down 58 percent at Trump hotels, some Trump and Putin, Trump not all there, Trump anti-SNL, Trump wants drug testing before wednesday’s debate, a Republican headquarters in North Carolina firebombed.

A German mayor who was beaten unconscious because he wanted to build housing for immigrants, trust in press and government down dramatically since 1960s, Rotterdam wanting compulsory contraception for druggies and poor women, stats on sex crimes by police, and more.

Nine my time. A quick half hour of interesting commentary. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

High tides still a problem. Yesterday morning, I watched the tide coming in from my deck. The highest I have seen in years. This morning the tide is out. Water level two feet plus less than yesterday morning.

Judy Wood’s memorial service will be held thursday from 5-7 at Tavern ‘n Town.

We are getting closer! Fantasy Fest begins friday. Goombay!

I should buy a set of body paints and brushes. Breast painting earns big dollars. $75-$150. Consider the canvas being painted!

Syracuse/Boston College saturday. I watched the game for many years. Every other year in Boston. Always made the trip.

The only negative was the game was played in an outdoor stadium. Generally cold that time of the year. I was unaccustomed as Syracuse’s Carrier Dome is covered.

In spite of the cold, the weekend was always a ball. Several couples. We stayed at the lovely Boston Harbor Hotel. Dinner saturday night always at the same place. The Blue something restaurant. I cannot remember the name of the fish that made up its name.

The restaurant was casual and laid back. On the harbor. directly across from Lewis’ Wharf. Maine lobsters and fried clams galore. Loved the meal!

Boston College a 4.5 point favorite. After last week’s game, I am back to hoping.

Last but not least, we are all aware the Republican headquarters in Hillsborough, North Carolina was firebombed and a swastika/negative words written on a wall.

I question who did it. I await the investigation results. Would not surprise me if everyone is surprised when the perpetrators become known.

Be that as it may, a Democrat group issued the call for $10,000 to be raised to repair the damage. Within 40 minutes, $13,000 had been raised.

Would Republicans have done the same were the situation reversed? I doubt it.

Enjoy your day!

TONIGHT, TONIGHT…..

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The Presidential Debate this evening is going to be fantastic! West Side Story’s classic song words have been running through my head all morning: Tonight, tonight won’t be just any night…..

The shame of it all is that the subject matter won’t be what it should be. Sex should not form the basis of one’s vote. We have heard extremely little in this campaign re issues.

A corporate America type activity took place yesterday that could have had disastrous consequences. I refer to the Notre Dame/North Carolina State football game. Played in Raleigh, North Carolina. In the midst of Hurricane Matthew.

The bottom line the motivation for the game to proceed. Money. Not the health and safety of the players.

I watched the game awhile in the afternoon. The field in most places was covered in water. Appeared at least six inches in many places. Heavy rain off and on. Players falling and sliding all over the place. A broken leg or arm possible. Fortunately, one did not occur.

The young men on the field had talent. Some big time talent. Notre Dame’s quarterback DeShone Kizer is expected to be the #1 pick in the draft. A serious injury could have negated his professional career.

Universities are run like corporations. Been this way for at least 40 years. The schools playing yesterday receive hefty pay from TV for performing. Reschedule the game and who knows to when, whether advertising fees will be the same, etc.

So everyone from TV to league officials to university leadership opted to play.

Sports writer Keith Arnold said it best, “An act of God is no place for a football game.”

The final score was North Carolina State 10, Notre Dame 3. The game  not representative of the talents of either team.

Another great dinner with Liz! Hot Tin Roof.

The Hot Tin roof is different without Joseph. Probably just me. I sensed his not being there.

Amazes me. In spite of every negative thing impacting Trump this past week, Liz is still voting for Trump. My sense is not because he is the better of the two. Rather because she is a die hard Republican.

Oh Syracuse, my Syracuse. Another bad football day. Syracuse lost to Wake Forest 28-9. Fortunately, the basketball season is less than two months away.

I watched the Syracuse game when I got home last night. Caught the last quarter.

Key deer continue to be in the news. The screwworm problem. A killer. The disease easily transferable from one animal to another.

Key deer are small deer. Tiny. A subspecies of white tailed deer. Only found in the mid Florida keys. In the area of Big Pine, No Name Key and a few small islands off the keys. No where else in the world.

In the 195o’s, Key deer were close to extinction. Only 25-50 left. The federal government considered them an endangered species. The National Key Deer Refuge was established in 1957. Key deer were protected.

Today, there are more than 1,000 Key deer. A far cry from the 25-50 of the 1950’s.

The screwworm has invaded the Key deer refuge. Already 50 euthanized. Eight since last Sunday.

There is a cure. Sterilized male screwworm flies. Successfully tested and used over the years to rid an area of the problem. Safe for humans, other animals and anything that grows in the earth. Planes will start dropping the flies this week. 2.5 million of them. Then 1,000 more a week for several weeks.

I wrote about the screwworm problem a couple of days ago. Repeat it today.

With an additional observation. The sterilized male screwworm flies are not genetically modified. Merely radiated. Nothing added. The male flies shoot blanks.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

JUDY WOOD…..HEART ATTACK

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One of Key West’s nicest persons is Judy Wood. Always a smile and a cheery hello. Judy is one of the bartenders at Tavern ‘n Town.

Last week, Judy had a heart attack. In Winn-Dixie. She is presently in intensive care at the Lower Keys Medical Center.

A prayer is in order.

A tough lady, lets hope she makes it.

Last night was Tavern ‘n Town for me. Bobby Nesbitt time.

The three ladies at the corner of the bar closest to Bobby Nesbitt. Lizabeth, Mary and Josefina. They  must show up at 3 in the afternoon to get the seats. A brief hello and peck on Liz’s cheek.

I sat at the other end of the bar.

Liz came over later to chat. A lovely lady. A knock out. In a black dress. Sexy. A compliment to her 82 years.

Lori and her husband arrived for dinner. Lori has been doing my hair at least 15 years. I had a full head when we started. Always sweet. Takes care of Lisa and the grandkids, also.

Met Jamis. She was sitting one seat away at the bar. An empty seat between us. Stayed empty the entire two hours we were together.

Not sure if I liked her.

Her background not a problem. She presently lives in Apollo Beach, near Tampa. A retired high  school teacher. In Key West for a second time. Other in 1993. Considers herself a Key West virgin. Three children. One with the Federal Reserve. Another an Army major. The third in cyber security.

She turned me off early on when she indicated a dislike for Joe Paterno. Thought he deserved what he got. I have always believed he got screwed.

She got into the conversation at some point that she was a Trumpee. She described herself as such. She sees no danger in a Trump victory.

She said she was waiting for her son. He was upstairs. They were staying at the Beachside. She telephoned him several times. No answer. Must be sleeping, she said. Had a menu. Never ordered. She was waiting for her son. I am not sure if she had more than one drink.

The empty seat bothered me. They are at a premium. If one asked if the seat was taken, she said her son was coming.

The son never appeared nor could she make contact with him.

I question whether a son was ever to appear. I think she wanted an empty seat next to her so she would not be crowded.

Twice I opted to stop talking with her. I found her aggravating. The first time I turned away and went back to reading the newspapers. The second time occurred when I was taking some info for my blog. I forget what she said. Closed my notebook, turned away and said she would not be in the blog. I was not being humorous. She had struck a sensitive cord for whatever.

Her tuned  changed immediately. She obviously wanted to be in the blog. And so she is. Getting more space than entitled. Yet so deserving as she pissed me off. Not easy to do.

Notre Dame walloped Syracuse 50-33. Notre Dame a top team. I was impressed. Everything about the team great. Syracuse had flashes of brilliance. Not enough yet. Not there yet. This season turning out to be a tune up for next year.

Sloan’s picture was in Facebook. With her twin sister. Did not know she had a twin. I was astounded. Could not tell them apart.

Hurricane Matthew not nice. Reached a category 5 yesterday for a brief time. Now back to a category 4. Still heading for Jamaica. Next Haiti. Then Cuba.

A 4 or 5 will do massive destruction. A 5 a total wipeout. Nothing left standing. Key West included. I hope Matthew turns back to sea before hitting the keys.

Immigrants a problem of sorts even in the 1855 days of William Hackley. A local election. Hackley did not vote. The “foreign element is too strong.” Key West had a population of 2,000. Only 200 hundred white. The rest he described as not native born Americans.

The campaign is turning into a sex-along. What about jobs, the economy, Syria, etc.? Even immigration has been forgotten.

Trump’s fault. He apparently relishes in sexual discourse.

On an early morning TV news show today, a video of Trump was shown. Re something he said yesterday. He spoke of Bill Clinton’s misdeeds. Then suggested Hillary had her problems. Suggesting he might have to get into them.

The man is disgusting.

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

My bocce team is doing well without me. Tied for first. 11-1.

This week’s Keynoter has an excellent article on lice. The little bugs that end up in children’s hair. Especially during school times. I remember the problem with my kids. Most recently with Robert and Ally a few years ago. Ally especially. Lisa was patient and spent hours combing and picking the bugs out.

There is now in South Florida a chain for lice treatment and removal. Appears successful.

I was impressed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has lice under study all the time. We are now into super lice. The super lice are resistant to usual medical/chemical treatment.

Enjoy your Sunday!