TWO DAYS/ONE BLOG

I had a big morning yesterday. Out of the house at 6:30, returned at 1.00. Tired! Went to bed for a needed nap. The blog lost out.

My morning included a doctor visit, lengthy business meeting, and time on the anti-gravity treadmill.

I will try to catch up this morning.

Yesterday and today in one blog.

Re yesterday, the first thing I intended to discuss was desalination. Water is an increasing problem. Not everyone is aware that the lower keys have two desalination plants. One on Stock Island, the other in Marathon. Both have limited abilities as to volume. In an emergency, each can turn out 3 million gallons of potable water a day.

I am surprised that no one seems to be talking about desalinating sea water for drinking, etc. purposes. Rationing alone is not going to solve the problem.

Wrote this week’s KONK Life column. Banks Hurt People. Banks continue to play games. They have come up with new ideas which work to the detriment of their customers.

The Players Championship final day was golf at its best. Richie Fowler’s finish unique.

Tropical storm ANA has dissipated. Down to a tropical depression yesterday. No significant damage. A lot of rain.

Songwriters Festival ended sunday night. A rousing success! Two hundred twenty five performers.

That completes monday’s blog in an abbreviated fashion.

This morning’s blog as follows.

Decided to have a drink at Square One last night. The bar was three deep. Something was going on. I did not stay.

Decided to have a drink and dinner at La Te Da at the outside bar. No luck again! La Te Da closed to customers.

The reason was quickly apparent. The Queen Mother Pageant was kicking off. As in past years, staged on Duval in front of La Te Da. I stayed a while to watch the event. I have seen it many times in the past. Always a happy time.

The ladies participating are to be complimented. Fantasy Fest is not till late October. The ladies will be out campaigning and fund raising till then. Not easy.

Then to the Chart Room. Glad I stopped. The evening was fun.

I walked into three vacationing lawyers. I mostly listened. Guess I participated in too many lawyer conversations over the years.

Two of the participants were from Minnesota, the other from where I do not recall. They were discussing Florida licenses. All three had Florida licenses, though they did not practice in Florida.

The best was meeting Bob and Carol from Dallas. Vacationers, also. Carol is English. They married in France.

Bob worked for an oil company. He negotiated contracts all over he world. With luminaries such as Khadafi.

Almost contemporaries, Bob and I got into a lengthy conversation regarding health problems. We both had enough to share.

Great people! I hope to run into Bob and Carol again.

My blog talk radio show tonight at 9. Join me for a fast moving eye opening half hour. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics include why I consider banks whores, the Hattiesburg police killings, George Zimmerman, militarization on a roll in South Carolina, Columbia throwing out glyphosate, IRS employees who have not paid their taxes and yet send SWAT teams and the like to collect from delinquent taxpayers, and more.

Such is two days in one. Worked out well. The blog as a whole no longer than usual.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL

Key West offers much. Something for everyone.

The Songwriters Festival began yesterday. Runs through sunday. The twentieth anniversary of the event.

There is no other event anywhere to compare. Songwriters from all over the world invade Key West. Over 200. Play everywhere. Most venues free. The bars, restaurants, Tropic Cinema, and San Carlos.

A charity fundraiser. St. Jude Hospital.

A leader in the festival locally is Smokin’ Tuna.

A pleasant easy day yesterday.

Started with a haircut with Lori. Enjoy the lady! For over 15 years. An excellent conversationalist.

Then lunch at what was Lobos. Now Island Queen or something like that. Cuban sandwich place. It is hidden. Like No Name Pub, you have to search for it.

It sits in the corner off the walk next to Antonia’s and the walk in off Southard. Large for a Cuban sandwich place. Lots of sitting room.

Enjoyed a Cuban cheese toast with tomato and Cuban coffee. The cheese toast almost as good as the old Paradise Cafe. I enjoyed!

Bocce last night.

We played the #1 or #2 team. Excellent competition! They almost always win. Lose few games, forget matches.

We went in hoping to win one game. We are fighting to make the playoffs. The first five of the fourteen teams involved make it. Going into last night, we were around 4 or 5.

We won 2 out of 3 games. Wow! The only game we lost was the one I played in. I sucked.

A great victory! Hurt the other team’s standings and may have pushed us definitely into a play off position.

Next week is the end of the season.

This is VE Day. Victory in Europe 1945. Germany defeated.

I was 10 years old at the time. I remember the day distinctly. It was morning when the news came over the radio. Everyone was in the streets and on porches yelling and crying, hugging and kissing. Everyone had someone in the fight against Germany and Japan.

There have been many wars since. Not one has ended with the joy and enthusiasm I experienced that day. Sad. Probably because not everyone has a family member in the battle. We now have a professional military which takes away from the personal involvement.

Three from my family come to mind immediately. An uncle in New Guinea. An uncle in germany. A cousin on the USS Missoula delivering troops to the beaches of Iwo Jima.

Harry Truman. As I continually repeat, Truman loved Key West. Key West loves Truman. He is with us even now.

Today is Truman’s birthday.

Enjoy your day!