Key West Lou / MAY JOHNSON LEAVING US…..DON’T KNOW HOW LONG

Surprising, shocking news. May Johnson is leaving. Disappearing from the Key West History portion of the Citizen. How long, no one certain. Could be a few weeks or forever.

There was a comment in today’s Citizens’ Voice asking when May would return. I did not know she was going. Made some telephone calls. Not easy to put together.

What follows is what I came up with. Generally correct. A few specifics may be incorrect, however.

The best I could do.

May’s diary is not a one volume work. Several. Each needs to be translated, so to speak. Old and worn, need to be rewritten in many instances to make sense.

May’s present volume ends in a day or two. Then no more May Johnson unless the translation work can be done.

My telephone inquiries put together a bit of the rest of May’s life not yet reported.

I have always suspected May would not end up marrying Everest. A long distance romance with him working out of town. Many fail.

Additionally, May never suffered in Everest’s absence. She complained a bit, but was out most evenings. All over town. Different guys. A lot of Las Brisa and dancing.

It is not wrong to think Everest might have been playing around.

Anyhow, May and Everest did not marry. May married a Navy pharmacist whose last name was Douglas. They lived in Washington, D.C. for a while. Then moved back to Key West.

May became a pillar of the community. Active. Very much involved with the Woman’s Club.

She died in 1951. I am estimating her age to have been around 64 at the time.

May is buried in the Key West Cemetery. The site worthy of a visit.

One of the persons told me someone wrote a letter or message about May. Placed it in a plastic envelope. It remains till this day available to any one who wishes to read it.

Trump’s impeachment trial begins today. I believe 4 hours is to be devoted to the Constitutional issue. Followed by a vote on the issue. Since only a majority vote is required, I assume Constitutionally will prevail.

The stimulus package continues to be worked on. Items are being considered for addition that were not there originally. The package becomes more progressive than before. I am a liberal Democrat. Not progressive. And in that which is to be discussed next, some would refer to me as a conservative Republican.

I am all for the $2,000 which now becomes $1,400 because of the $600 already paid.

I am opposed to the new addition. A $3,000 tax credit per child. Making babies could become a business!

Whereas the $1,400 is a one time payment, the $3,000 tax credit will be paid monthly for one year. $3,600 per child under 6. $3,000 per child 6-17.

Biden’xs people want the $3,000 child tax credit because studies have determined that people spend tax dollars returned faster than any other type “income.” The monies spent will help kick the economy upwards.

The belief among many is that the child tax credit will also cut poverty by 54 percent. Which means 5 million children will get proper meals, etc.

My concern is some may not want to return to work. Sounds Republican, I know. However in this instance it is too much money and will encourage some not to return to work.

There was a time when a man caught his wife cheating, he challenged the wife’s paramour to a duel.

On this day in 1829, there was a duel in Key west. One participant was Charles E. Hawkins of the Mexican Navy. The other William Allison McRae, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

The reason for the duel is one of them caught the other in an assumed liaison with his wife. Hawkins saw McRae leaving his wife’s bedroom via the window.

Neither gentlemen died. Four shots were fired. Hawkins was wounded in the wrist. McRae hit in the thigh.

Today is Day 14 of my first Greece trip. A bit of success came my way. Finally saw a pair of naked beasts. They even touched my body. You will find the story interesting.

Tomorrow is Day 15. I have always thought 2 of my Greece blogs were outstanding. Tomorrow’s is one. It involves me trying to climb to the top of the volcano. Don’t miss it!

DAY 14…..Greece the First Time
Posted on June 10, 2012 by Key West Lou

I do this blog each morning from an internet store. On the way back to my cave yesterday morning, I had a stimulating experience. No, not one involving a lady. I heard music. The Three Tenors. Bellowing out from an art gallery store front. The name of the art gallery: Opera Art Gallery.

I went in. The artist/owner was doing his morning clean up. He spoke no English, I no Greek. However we still communicated. He had a bucket of water bottles sitting in ice. He offered me one and a comfortable chair. I sat and listened as he worked. I looked at his paintings.. Top shelf. Oils of the Santorini landscape. Unfortunately, my art buying years are behind me or I would have purchased one.

One of my Greek coffee drinking friends corrected me yesterday. I have some of them reading my blog every day. Even those who did not know what a blog was. The internet translated it into Greek.

One of the men said I was incorrect in how I portrayed the Greek women who dress all in black. I stated they were most likely widows. They can be, he told me, but not necessarily so.

Greek women as they age have the option of deciding when to go to all black attire. It is a distinction. A recognition. She has reached a particular state in life entitling her to additional respect.

Correction made.

I drove to another beach yesterday. Karami Beach. Again, the other side of the island. Again, I got lost as I did the day before. Eventually by merely following instinct, I found it.

The drive was not without its rewards. There is so much to see on Santorini.

I am living in a cave. A remodeled rehabilitated one. Probably since the volcano of 3,500 years ago, it was merely a hole in the cliff wall. Now a beautiful apartment.

I saw many caves on the drive. Old fashioned real ones. Holes in the face of cliffs and rocks. One to three at a time. Large openings. A person could walk in. All appeared deep and dark.

There is a No Name restaurant in Karami. Just like No Name Pub in the Keys. A steak house. I smiled as I drove by.

I reached Kamari Beach. Big! Long!

Kamari Beach is located on the north shore of the island. The water from the north is rough and cold. It was both.

Black sand. Soft and rocky at the same time. So soft your feet sink in six inches with every step. The water black also. From the lava sitting at the bottom for thousands of years.

I rented a chair and umbrella. Chairs and umbrellas in Europe are all in a straight line.

I looked to my left. I looked to my right. I looked in front of me. I looked behind me. No topless or otherwise bare women. The place was a family beach.

I have come to the conclusion that nude beaches are a tourist deception so people will travel to the beaches.

Nature itself was eye opening and lovely enough. To my left was a huge cliff. Maybe 1,500 feet high. Young men were diving from its rocks. Thirty to fifty feet up. To the oohs and ahhs of the young ladies below.

About a half hour after I arrived, a woman took the beach chair and umbrella next to me. About five feet away. Fiftyish and attractive. She immediately removed her top. Success! My quest had been rewarded.

As she lay there, she knew I was sneaking an occasional peek.

I went to get up off my lounge to swim. I fell. Like a first class ass! Tumbled over. Me and the lounge.

My topless neighbor came running over to help. What happened? Are you hurt? Just old age, I told her. I could not get up. Could not get my balance. She helped. Said take my elbow. We locked elbows together and she lifted me. With her boobs slapping me in the face! I had succeeded beyond my wildest dreams!

We became friends. Talked most of the afternoon. Lunched together at a beach bar. She is the owner of a ladies dress shop in nearby Messeria. She agreed with me that Greek women’s apparel was outstanding.

We shared a grilled calamari. Note grilled as opposed to fried. It was about ten inches long and two wide. Four more inches of small tentacles at one end. Rubbed in olive oil. Absolutely delicious! Tender. Literally melted in your mouth. Unusual for a large squid tentacle.

Lunch was the end of my experience with the one bare breasted woman seen by me in Santorini. Sadly. she had other plans for the evening. I have neither cell phone nor whatever so we could communicate. I gave her my email and told her to contact me if she would enjoy dinner some evening. I had one condition, however. She had to drive to Oia to me. No way could I or would I drive those narrow winding roads in the evening.

The proviso may be a killer. It’s a one hour drive. Each way. No one, including me, is worth that effort.

Dinner last night at a small taverna in Oia. A light meal. Some cheese, wine leaves and black olives. All buried in olive oil. Followed by an early bed time. The sun had knocked me out.

A common sight are clothes hanging outside on a clothes line. There are no dryers on Santorini. The sun and wind do it. You can see clothes hanging everywhere.

Santorini is much like Key West in many respects. There may be two lovely renovated buildings and then a dilapidated one.

Two buildings from where I am living is one of those buildings awaiting purchase and repair some day. The inhabitants hang their washed clothes each day on two clothes lines a mere fifty feet from my eyes and every one elses. On the drive to Kamari Beach along the north shore, I saw many lovely homes. Large. Beautiful grounds. Walled properties. And sitting on the front porch clotheslines of wash.

There is no OSHA on Santorini. Workers work at their risk. A couple of buildings away from my cave on the other side of the wash is a building under repair. Two workmen. It will take 2-3 years to complete the renovations. The scaffolding wood and leaning. No hard hats or googles. One wearing sneaks, the other sandals.

Fari is the capital of Santorini. I can see it from where I sit on my terrace. It has the only harbor/docking area on Santorini. Four cruise ships a day come in and drop passengers off to tour Santorini for the day. Just as in Key West.

With one significant difference. The cruise ships do not tie up to a dock or the island itself. They are out in the water and boat the passengers in and back. Called transboarding here. Transporting in Key West.

The bottom line. Why should Key West spend millions of dollars for a study and then enlarging of its harbor so the cruise ships can tie up? As I understand, most European ports motor the passengers in and out. Why should Key West be any different? Especially for the type of one day visitors the cruise ships bring in. I call them polyesters. They buy only tee shirts and beer. Do not eat in our restaurants. Lets use some of those millions to attract a better quality boat passenger who might spend at a dress shop and eat at one of our terrific restaurants.

Santorini has no tee shirt shops as such. Tee shirts are sold but as part of an overall offering of shorts, belts, hats, bags, jewelry and the like.

My plan for today was to get a fish pedicure.

About three months ago, I read that there was a new way of obtaining pedicures. Place your feet in a pool of water and have little fish suck off the dead skin on one’s feet. The process excited me. I love pedicures. Santorini has a place that specializes in the fish ones. I stopped in last night to see. A large beautiful room. Lovely chairs. Transparent buckets loaded with tiny fish.

I figured I would get a fish manicure today. Before starting today’s blog, I googled fish pedicure. Glad I did! Procedure not healthy. Banned in California and Florida. Infections can result. Are resulting. Even a strep type infection.

Tomorrow a definite, however. I climb the volcano and look into its mouth!

When I arrived, I expected to stay on Santorini only a few days. However I like it so, I have overstayed several days. Time to move on. Sadly. More to discover. Mykinos tuesday!

Enjoy your day!

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