INSTINCT AND LIGHT OF THE MOON

Turtle hatchling time.

The eggs sit beneath the sand. They start breaking up. Tiny turtles struggle out of their shells and upwards to the air. The ocean their goal. The moon their guiding light. Instinct and the moon light their way to the ocean and new home.

Salute’s sits on Higgs Beach. Sunday night the restaurant was full. All of a sudden someone ran in and shouted the turtles are hatching. Every one left their tables and ran out to watch. One hundred five baby turtles came up out of the sand.

A fine article re the occasion in this morning’s Key West Citizen.

An interesting observation in the Citizen. The female hatchlings will return in 25 years to dig their own holes with their back flippers to bury their eggs.

Nature is wonderful! Wish hurricanes were as predictable.

My yesterday began with a brief walk in the new neighborhood. Walked before the sun was up. The humidity a killer even though dark. Worse when the heat of the sun joins it.

My manicure/pedicure appointment at 1.

Tammy still in Vietnam. With the two children. Visiting the family. Ricky left home to watch the business.

Nina has been doing my nails in Tammy’s absence. A lovely person.

Nina a stunning woman. Beautiful. A slim body. The face of an angel.

Twenty three. Arrived in Key West from Moldova only 9 months ago. Did not speak English. I thought her fluent. She thinks not. Modest.

Moldova is a small East European country. Part of the old Soviet Union. Population 3.5 million. A poor country.

Nina studied journalism for three years in college in Moldova. Did not finish. Took no English courses. She learned how to do nails in Moldova.

Loves the United States! Her new home. Has no desire to return to Moldova, except to visit family. Her sister is marrying next year and she plans to return for the event.

As to my nails, she does an excellent job! Has my wants down to a science. Short, round and buffed. She has strong hands. Resulting in great hand and foot massages.

Welcome to America, Nina! May your every dream be fulfilled.

Mel Fisher Days begin today. Run through saturday.

Today’s featured event a day time laboratory tour. The Private Conservation Laboratory. Special. The lab is generally off limits.

Hurry and make an appointment. The tours are limited to 8 persons and last 45 minutes. Each tour was sold out last year.

William Hackley mentions today the death of two persons. Died on separate days. Each buried around 5-6 on the day of death.

Why buried same day? I assume because of the heat. If another reason, let me know.

Remember government of the people, by the people, for the people? It is slipping away. Becoming more and more government of the rich and influential.

A perfect example is what has been reported in the media this morning. Involves Attorney General Jeff Sessions. A Southerner. A bigot and racist from a 100 years ago. A person who believes he and his ilk can do what they want when they want.

Sessions has had a memory problem re his visits with Russians. In order to qualify for the Attorney General position, Sessions had to file a form listing his Russian meetings.

Some believe he was less than truthful in his responses recently before a Congressional Committee. A Federal Court order was obtained requiring the Justice Department to release within 30 days the form listing Sessions’ contacts with the Russian government.

The 30 days ended yesterday. The Justice Department failed to turn over the required document.

Note Sessions as Attorney General is the head of the Justice Department.

Guaranteed Sessions is going to get his ass reamed before this matter is over. You don’t screw with a Federal Judge.

Enjoy your day!

DISNEY STILL GETS ME

A child at heart. I am glad I still am on occasion.

Last night was one of those times. I enjoyed the children’s favorite Aladdin Jr at the Waterfront Playhouse.

I never would have attended were it not for Larry Blackburn’s daughter Sydney playing the female lead Princess Jasmine and Donna and Terri’s granddaughter Lev performing as the Matron.

Both outstanding. The entire cast outstanding! The show professionally performed.

I stopped at the Chart Room first for a drink. Then Aladdin. Then back to the Chart Room again.

John bartending.

Glad I returned to the Chart Room. Met Tim and Stephanie. Locals, also. Though our paths never crossed before.

Tim works for David Wolkowsky. One of his responsibilities is taking care of Ballast Key.

When Tim mentioned he worked for David, I brought to his attention the KONK Life article I did several years ago about David. Tim surprised me. He had read the article. David had read it. David referred Tim to it.

At the time, David laughingly referred to the article as his obituary. A pang of guilt hit me for a moment. Then I realized such is David’s nature to comment in a joking fashion about some things.

It will be many more years before David has need of an obituary. He is only 98.

To those who may be unfamiliar with David, he is Mr. Key West. The Key West of today would not have been were it not for him. Even to Jimmy Buffett.

Buffett tells how David gave him his first paying job. At the Chart Room, no less. The same chart Room we were in last night. The same Chart Room David constructed as part of the Pier House which he built.

It was after 10 when I left the Chart Room. Had not eaten since breakfast. Stopped at Tavern ‘n Town on the way home. Tavern ‘n Town has added a Happy Hour from 9-11. Perfect for me last night!

Today an historical one in Key West. Uber and Lyft are finally allowed to provide service in Key West.

I read an article yesterday that Key West is the last major market for Uber and Lyft service. Disgraceful. We should have had it two years ago. However, the Key West Commission continues to operate via the Bubba system.

An even better example of the Bubba system in operation is that no new cab licenses have been issued in Key West for 75 years. Called taking care of your own, generation after generation.

Got a manicure thursday at Lee Nails.

No Tammy. I forgot she was taking her two children home to visit the family. Tammy is originally from Vietnam. I recall her telling me the trip would take something like 34 hours. Three or four stopovers included.

Husband Rickie stayed home. Someone had to run the business.

When I telephoned and discovered Tammy had left, I panicked. Who was going to do my nails? You, Rickie? No Mr. Lou, he said. You get a beautiful girl. The prettiest. Nina.

I could not place Nina. When I showed up friday, we met. Loverly! Came to the U.S. two years ago from one of the eastern bloc countries. Loves Key West people and weather.

Nina is 23 years old. A bashful 23.

Tammy had obviously left Nina with marching orders as to how I liked my nails done. Nina did a magnificent job. Especially the buffing.

Yesterday, I wrote about cursive writing. Most do not seem to appreciate handwriting as much as I do. It has to be my age. I learned to hand write when 6. The computer did not enter my life till many many years later. I am less adept with the computer than with handwriting.

My friend Tom in Des Moines believes there is no need for cursive today. Initially intended to speed things up from hand printing, today not needed. The computer is everything.

I mention cursive again this morning because typing on a screen came to be on June 29, 1975 around 10 in the evening. In a small California town.

Prior thereto, man had never hit a key and a letter appeared on a screen.

The mere fact that it happened gave birth to multiple changes in the way we live. The future of business changed, how we communicate with each other changed, etc. The world changed.

The responsible individual was Steve Wozniak.

Ten months later Wozniak and two others formed Apple. The other two, Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne.

Last year, Apples revenue was in excess of $215 billion. Its employees, 116,00 world wide.

Enjoy your day!

YESTERDAYS FEW KNOW

I have gotten old. Eighty two in less than a week. Some recent experiences brought the fact clearly to mind.

I stopped into Verizon to learn how to wi-fi through my cell phone. The young lady working was also babysitting her two children. Six and eight. Summertime.  The Verizon store their day camp that day.

The kids were playing with their cell phones. I mentioned how smart kids are today. Laptops, cell phones, etc.

Mom agreed. She said she remembered when all she had was a flip phone. I would say she was in her late 20’s.

I immediately thought…..If she only knew!

I was born in 1935.

In the late 1930’s into the first part of the 1940’s, our phone was the corner grocer. No one had telephones, except business people. the grocer took calls for the block.

If a call came for my father, the grocer (his name was Frank) would go out on the street and yell…..Tell John he has a call! Someone would transfer the message to my Dad or to another neighbor to relate.

Then we got a telephone. A four party line. Meant four homes had the same line. If you picked up and heard talking, you hung up till the line was free.

We graduated to a two party line. Then the time came when the only line was ours. We had a private line.

A big deal!

Cell phones did not make an appearance till my mid law practice years. Big and bulky.

The phones got smaller. I recall the flip top.

I am absolutely amazed that my cell phone today is in effect a computer. I can do everything with it.

Only took eighty two years!

When I am gone, will anyone remember?

I was surprised to read recently that typewriters are making a come back. People join together with their vintage machines and have Type-Ins.

I took a typewriting course in high school. My parents bought me a new portable for college. A Smith-Corona. Part of the Super 5 Series. Portable.

Used it all the time in college. Term papers!

Ribbons to change. Always ended up with dirty fingers. Carbon paper for copies. Dirty fingers again. A mistake had to be corrected. A bit of erasing and whiting over.

Now, vintage typing parties!

Even writing came into play this week. Cursive writing. Handwriting.

I write. I can write my name and everything else.

No big deal for me. I learned in the first grade. It was called Palmer Method.

I mentioned earlier this week that at Dueling Bartenders monday night two young ladies sat next to me. At best in their late 20s.

They saw me making notes about our conversation. They said/asked…..You can cursive write?

They could not. They could not even write their names. Both had college degrees. Into well paying jobs. However, Bush 2’s no child left behind made them computer genius. But, not hand writers.

They were impressed I could write!

I have a lot more for today. However, I shall save it for another time.

Enjoy your day!