SAD DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY

President John Kennedy was assassinated this day in 1963. All America cried. It was the end of Camelot.

The excitement and anticipation of his Presidency has never returned.

It seems impossible! The year is rapidly moving to its end. Major holidays ahead.

In two days, Thanksgiving. Christmas one month later.

Key West gets into holidays big time. Especially, Christmas. Two big parades.

The first December 3. Key West’s annual Christmas Parade. More exciting than Macy’s parade. For real!

The parade on Truman. The whole community turns out. The beads of Fantasy Fest are candy for the children. Thrown from the floats.

Robert and Ally go crazy. Waiting to catch as many goodies as they can. They come prepared. Each with a large bag.

The Lighted Boat parade December 10. An experience. Out on the water in a boat decorated like a Christmas tree. Forty or fifty other boats similarly attired. Generally cold. Nothing like being on the open water on a cold December evening. You wear everything! Even long johns if you have them.

The bigger the boat, the more fun. A band. Dancing. Great food. Alcohol.

Nance Frank is Key West personified. She operates an art gallery on Greene Street. Gallery on Greene. Many a local artist has become successful because of her efforts.

The City Commission is dancing around with a parking garage on Greene Street. Nancy wrote a Letter to the Editor which appears in this morning’s KONK Life E-Blast.

Stay away, she says! The 600 block of Greene Street is one of the last vestiges of old Key West. A concrete two or three story parking garage destroys the flavor of the block.

An excellent letter from one who knows best!

I recall building sand castles on the beach with my children. Not a lost art. The children of yesterday the adults of today. Some still build sand castles. Only bigger. Much bigger. Huge!

The Third Annual International Sand Art Competition this week. Wednesday to sunday at the Casa Marina.

Stop by daily and watch the artists work. Beginning friday evening, the sculptures will be lite. Wild!

A premature slap on the back in this morning’s Key West Citizen.

Work was begun a few months ago on the Truman Waterfront Park. After 15 years of screwing around with the project by the City Commission and others.

A major announcement in this morning’s newspaper. First two steps on schedule for the planned December 2017 completion.

A year away!

Guaranteed it will not be on schedule December 2017. Excuses, reasons will be forthcoming. Behind. Over run costs accumulating.

The City Commission is ultimately responsible for the project. History will repeat itself. Behind! Excuses numerous!

Does anyone in government really pay attention to these things?

Podcast time. My blog talk radio show tonight. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine o’clock. Join me for a fast moving thoughtful eye opening half hour. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics include the technological revolution making humans obsolete, people of Flint still without clean drinking water, Maduro continues to screw up in Venezuela, Secret Service having lost or cannot find 11,780 items.

Also, CIA appointee Pompeo a supporter of torture and anti-GMO labeling, Attorney General appointee Jeff Sessions wants to reverse marijuana legalization, Russia withdrawing from UN’s International Criminal Court, and more.

I will not be writing today’s installment re Key West Rotary history. The Key West Rotary and Boy Scouts. Boy Scouts were big nationally and in Key West in the 1930s.

My research not completed. Yesterday busy getting ready for tonight’s podcast.

Tomorrow, Installment 20.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Happy Thanksgiving one and all! May God’s blessings fall upon each of you.

Love thanksgiving! Love the meal! Love the family time!

Last year, I was dieting. Did not partake of much that covered the table. This year, not dieting. I plan on pigging out.

What I am about to share will blow your mind.

The Pilgrims and Indians did get together for three days in 1621. Did they dine or fight? Historians not sure.

What is sure is that following the first years of Plymouth settlement, the settlers and Indians were at each other’s throats. More the settlers than the Indians. They did not get along. Money initially the problem. Who owned the land? The settlers thought it was theirs. The Indians disagreed.

Massacres became common place. The settlers massacring the Indians. In large numbers. In 1637 near Groton, Connecticut, the settlers massacred 700 Pequot tribe members. Men, women and children. In one morning. Clubbed and shot them to death. Few Pequots escaped.

As a side note, the Pequot tribe today owns Foxland Casino and Hotel in Connecticut. Larger than the Pentagon, the facility generates from gambling alone billions a year.

Settlers/colonists continued raiding Indian villages and killing the occupants for well over a hundred years. Slavery was in vogue. Women and children over 14 were herded into slave boats carrying 500 and transported to the West Indies where they were sold.

At one time, Indians were captured and beheaded. Shades of ISIS. Our predecessors did it! In a Stamford massacre, the heads were kicked up and down streets as if soccer balls.

In 1779, George Washington as head of the Colonial forces ordered a General Sullivan to eradicate the Iroquois Nation. The Iroquois had supported the British. They were a thorn in Washington’s side. Eradicate meant kill. Thousands were. The Colonial troops scalped the dead bodies. The scalps were later sold for profit.

Following every Indian massacre, the settlers/colonists would party. The party was one of Thanksgiving because they had won. Such Thanksgivings were common  place.

When Washington became President, he thought there were too many Thanksgivings. Such did not reflect well on the new country. Ergo, Washington declared there would be one Thanksgiving Day a year. The excuse given was to celebrate the new Constitution. In reality, to cut back dramatically on the number of Thanksgivings being celebrated because of the Indian genocide.

Syracuse playing basketball in the Bahamas tournament. Beat Charlotte yesterday 83-70. Syracuse looked good most of the game. They faltered on occasion in the second half which made the game closer than it actuality was.

Today, Syracuse plays Connecticut. A former Big East opponent. Syracuse’s first test of the new season. Game at 3:30 this afternoon on ESPN.

Key West pisses money away. The City Commission authorizes all kinds of mucho expensive studies and generally pays more than expected for everything they do.

This morning’s Key West Citizen reports the City will be spending $754,000 on furniture. New furniture for the new City Hall. A disgrace! A waste! None of the old furniture to be used, Regardless of condition. The $754,000 figure excessive. The sellers have to be making big commissions and profit.

When will the City Commission begin spending taxpayer dollars as if such were their own money?

Eat much! Enjoy the day!

KEY WEST ALOE

On this day in 1971, Frank Romano and Joe Liszka opened the Key West Aloe store on Front street. They called it Key West Fragrance & Cosmetics. However, the shortened Key West Aloe took hold and the store became so known.

I initially disliked the store. A woman’s place! Perfumey! Too pretty! Over a period of time, the very essence of the room captured me. I would enjoy entering just to walk around breathing in the sweet aromas and enjoying the subtle colors of everything..

I never got to know Frank Romano. I do have a large Jack Baron painting of him. Bought it at a charity auction many years ago.

I was fortunate to get to know Joe Liszka the last couple of years. A nice guy. Great sense of humor.

Now both gone. As is their Front Street store. Frank and Joe sold out many years ago. The new owners over the passage of time closed the sales store on Front Street and the factory on Green Street.

Stopped at Publix yesterday. Just to pick up a few things. The wrong time. Packed! Thanksgiving shoppers! A lot of stop and go in the aisles. Each crowded.

Publix had to have had a good day. The carts overloaded with holiday goodies.

Spent yesterday afternoon preparing for my blog talk radio show tonight. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine my time. A quick hard hitting half hour. Join me. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

One of the topics tonight will be excerpts from this week’s KONK Life Column. Muslim Refugees…..No. I go beyond the terrorist issue. I go where France, Britain, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands are today. They have accepted Muslim immigrants in large numbers the past several years. Their experience is lesson enough to close the door to these refugees.

Before you accuse me of being anti-Muslim, uncharitable and un-American, read the column which publishes tomorrow in KONK Life.

Other topics tonight include a couple of Trump items. His approval of waterboarding and the media capitulating to his rants. Some little known facts thrown in about Thanksgiving. Not nice. And more.

Winter is moving into Key West. The nights are chilly. Around 70-72. There was a chill in the air this morning when I went outside to get the mail. The days are warm. Around 78 degrees. No humidity.

Perfect weather from my perspective.

My annual physical this afternoon. Dr. Jackie Lefferts will be prodding me.

Syracuse’s football season ongoing. Syracuse plays Boston College saturday. Boston College a three point favorite.

I am not sure where the game is being played. Obviously every other year in Boston. For years, I made the trek with several other couples for the game. A fun weekend. Though always cold. We dressed appropriately for the games. Hats and gloves included. An outdoor stadium.

We usually stayed at the Harborside or Harborfront Hotel. Lovely. Ate well, partied well.

A must for at least one meal was the Sail Loft Restaurant. On the water. Not fancy. Fresh Maine lobsters to die for. Great fried clams.

Has the Reply problem been corrected? I know it has for some. I want it to be for everyone. If any of you are still having a problem, write and let me know at louispetrone@gmail.com.

Editing blog to add: Great White shark seen off Marathon.

Enjoy your day!