KEY WEST LOU / STEVE THOMPSON STEPS ON A SEA URCHIN

It was 1974. Steve Thompson was relatively new to Key West.

The “beach” at the time was the Sands Beach. No longer exists as such. Today the location of the Reach Hotel. The beach for the Reach. Small. Still the finest beach in Key West.

Steve was swimming at the Sands. Stepped on a sea unrchin. Following is his experience together with treatment received at the DePoo Hospital.

My first hospital visit was the strangest yet. A green stucco building that looked more like a veterinarian’s office.

The DePoo Hospital was in the center of old town. Surrounded by houses on Southard Street. 

I showed up with Sea Urchin quills stuck in my feet. The emergency room doctor was taking a nap. He looked like a cranky old Cuban, short and fat. A cigar in the ashtray and a white coat on a hook. 

Nothing seemed like it was “by the book.” 

I’m not sure he spoke English, he didn’t say a word. He just looked at my foot and went right to work. I though he would take tweezers and pull them out. Instead, he started slapping my foot about.

At first, I thought maybe I should run. I found out later, that’s how it’s done. The quills have to break down internally. The slapping starts the process naturally.

I wasn’t surprised when they closed DePoo down. Now I miss the one hospital in old town.

There is a DePoo Hospital today on Kennedy. Attractive building. Never been there. Apparently they do things the Lower Keys Medical Center on Stock Island does not. Like drug addiction treatment.

The building that housed the DePoo Hospital that treated Steve still stands. Condominiums.

Syracuse/Georgetown played saturday. What a game! Syracuse won 83-64.

The game started slowly for Syracuse. Georgetown was quickly ahead 17-6. I was in pain! Then Syracuse came back. A basket at a time. Ultimately winning by 19 points.

The team played like Syracuse of old. Everything perfect. The zone effective, Syracuse controlling the backboards and making most of its free throws, etc.

Jesse Edwards is turning into a top center. Six foot eleven inches. Scored 20 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, blocked 5 shots and was resonsible for 3 assists. He made 10 of his 14 shots.

Georgetown is coached by Patrick Ewing. Georgetown star center All American  in the 1980’s. When Georgetown was coached by John Thompson, Syracuse by Jim Boeheim. At saturday’s game, Boeheim still coaching and opposed by Ewing now Georgetown’s coach. An indication of how long Boeheim has been coaching.

It is dark every morning when I begin researching the day’s blog. The weather report was to the effect that a dense fog would cover most of south Florida this morning. I did not begin writing till night turned into day. Sat outside waiting for the sun to rise. It rose bright and shiny. No fog.

There are instances where it takes time for justice to triumph. One was announced yesterday. Thirty four years later.

On December 21, 1988, Pan Am flight 103 was on a flight to New York. It exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. All 259 passengers aboard and 11 persons on the ground were killed.

Thirty five of the passengers were Syracuse University students returning home after having participated in a travel abroad program.

The suspected bomb maker was intelligence agent Abu Agila Masud. It was announced yesterday he had been extradited from Libya to the United States and will stand trial in federal court in Washington, D.C.

I was disappointed when the Mueller investigation failed to impeach Trump. It seems that no one is successful at impeaching him. He is the teflon man.

I’m sick of it. Trump commits so many wrongs and is never held responsible. Prosecutors get jerked around and play Trump’s game instead of their own. No one seems to want to make the move for the ultimate kill: Indictment and conviction.

The January 6 Committee has impressed me. Till now. Here they are at the end of their service. They must shit or get off the pot. True, they lack the power to indict. However, they have the power to recommend to the Justice Department the names of those they believe should be indicted.

The Committee was supposed to reveal the names of those they were recommending yesterday. They did not. They moved the “reporting date” to December 21.

Will Trump “slide” again? I hope not.

If I had $150 billion, I could be the nut Elon Musk is revealing himself to be. A shame!

Over the weekend, Musk announced he was after Dr. Fauci. Thinks America’s hero a phony. Musk wrote, “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci.”

Former CIA Director John Brennan came up with one of the best retorts to Musk’s words: “You have money, but no class.”

Part of a game that has taken several years to develop is coming to light. The very rich emboldened Trump. They hid behind his skirts, but contributed to the success he attained. The rich feel they have won. They can now come out from behind the trees. Reveal themselves. They no longer need Trump. They can do and say crazy things on their own. Musk beating up on Fauci one of those things.

Enjoy your day!

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