I was a lone eagle last night. Decided at the last minute to go out to dinner.
Telephoned TK to save me a seat at the bar at Antonia’s. TK has been a friend for 30 years. About the same number of years he has bartended at Antonia’s.
Just my luck. TK said he had finally retired 3 weeks ago and did not know who the new bartender was.
I have always felt kindly towards TK. He was the first person to invite me to his home for dinner. We were new to Key West having only recently purchased the home in Key Haven. Met TK. He was bartending at another restaurant at the time. He invited me, my wife and daughter Lori to his home for Thanksgiving dinner. A kind and welcoming act.
I stopped at Antonia’s anyhow hoping to grab an empty seat at the bar. No way. Packed. People waiting for bar seats and tables.
Walked over to La Trattoria. Some empty seats at the bar. I grabbed one.
Did a bad thing. I ordered a drink. My first in more than a year. The doctors said no more drinking following my heart attack. I felt lonely and capitulated to the feeling by imbibing. Only one, however. A Beefeater on the rocks. So good! Enjoyed it slowly.
A couple sat next to me after a while. Sue and Jimmy from North Haven, Connecticut. A charming couple. Mid-60s. Both retired. Sue the manager of a restaurant, Jimmy a project manager for a company that repaired fire and water damage. Two children, seven grandchildren.
I spent most of the evening talking with Sue who was seated next to me.
They were on vacation. Spent only 2 days in Key West. Were leaving this morning. They had stopped at Key Largo on the way down and today were going to Marathon for a few days. Retired, they now traveled a lot. Key West was “on their bucket list.”
I admonished Sue that they had to stay 1-2 weeks in Key West to discover its flavor. The only fun spot in the Keys. Key Largo and Marathon boring in comparison. Suggested she and her husband return. Let me know first so I could prepare an itinerary for them that would allow them to enjoy the flavor of the community.
My meal was good. An egg plant appetizer and a half order of penne pasta in a garlic and oil sauce. Just enough.
While Presidnet, Harry S Truman made 11 trips to Key West totaling 175 days. Key West became his run away place to rest while President. He returned several times when an ordinary citizen.
One such visit was on this day in 1957. A sort of business mixed with pleasure trip. He appeared at a dinner held in his honor at the Casa Marina Hotel. The dinner was a fundraiser for the Truman Presidential Library.
On this day in 1945, the Marines raised the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima. The photo has become a U.S. treasure.
Folk singer Woody Guthrie wrote “This Land is Your Land” this day in 1940. It has become one of America’s most famous folk songs.
Came across a photo on the internet this morning of children in a U.S. hospital in an iron lung. The standard treatment for polio before the introduction of the Salk vaccine.
Beware of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s attempts to rid the U.S. of the vaccine. Our children will return to the iron lung existence if he does.
Abraham Lincoln arrived in Washington, D.C. this day in 1861 to assume the Presidency. He made the trip in disguise exercising all kinds of deception. There was no Secret Service back then. Seven states had already seceded. The threat of his assassination was heavy in the air.
I close with a suggestion for prayers. Two.
One for Pope Francis. It is questionable whether he will recover from his present illness.
The other for our country. The United States of America. We need it! If Trump is successful in what he is doing, the United States will no longer exist as we have known it.
Enjoy your Sunday!