This Week on the Island 07/04/2010

'This week on the Island' is written by Doug Bennett and is an update to friends about happenings in Key West last week. Everything is true except for those parts that are lies.----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The picture this week (click to enlarge) is ‘The Schooner Western Union’. Wednesday the Schooner Western Union was put back in the water. It has been in dry dock over at the Truman Waterfront for over a year. The hull (bottom of the ship) was replaces. They put it on rollers and eased it in at the old sub ramp. It sat in the water on the rollers for some time while the new wood swelled. It is now docked at the Truman Waterfront but will be moved to its old location next to Schooner Wharf. This was the last tall ship built in Key West and was launched in 1938. She was used to lay cable all over the Caribbean for Western Union.

Weather: Hot and sunny, my kind of weather.

The book this week was ‘Murder in Key West’ by William Freeman. I read this one on the bus and during my visit to the Miami VA.

No oil yet.

No dogs in bars yet, maybe July 20th.

Hope you had a good 4th of July. There were lots of parties all over the island and a few fireworks displays on Sunday night.

Tuesday was another trip on the VA bus to the Miami VA for some dental work.

This week, Jo and I celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary. I don’t know how she has put up with me for so long. And some people thought it would never last. We met another couple at Schooner that were celebrating their 34th anniversary that day and later met a friend at Alonzo’s that was celebration his 26th birthday.

The little Suzuki Samurai has a switch on the clutch that allows the current to flow to the started solenoid when the clutch is pressed. Well the switch quite working so I ran a wire from the battery to a dashboard button and back to the solenoid. The car starts fine now.

I ran into a guy that had a Siberian husky in Iraq. The dog saved his life a couple of times, so he brought the dog home with him. The dog died of a disease that they don’t have in Iraq and therefore did not have shots for. He was heart broken.

Chip Giles, author of ‘The Conch Killers’ was in town on Friday. He gave me a Conch Killers t-shirt. We had a good conversation.

Key West, You have got to love it
'Living the life that others dream'
Doug Bennett
Lat 24.55967N, Long 81.80169W

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Sassi dancing to Schooner Wharf Bar Dog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbxD3D-rPqo