“Empty spaces, what are we living for? Abandoned places, I guess we know the score, on and on…”- Queen

 

November 23, 2020

“Empty spaces, what are we living for? 
Abandoned places, I guess we know the score, on and on…”- Queen

As the calendar year rushes by and Thanksgiving is almost upon us, it remains a rather bleak period as the year 2020 continues to deliver negative news and present challenges that are bringing us down. It just keeps piling on seemingly and it is making us appreciate so much about the good things and people in our lives. The Covid-19 crisis is reaching new unprecedented heights as the infection rages almost uncontrolled both nationally and locally.

The numbers are staggering as in the United States alone we have now had 12,246,909 cases with 256,782 deaths. Locally, we have topped 3,000 cases with a current total of 3,064 confirmed cases with 1,528 of those being in Key West and 25 deaths to date. Our hospital’s ICU is rapidly filling up and sadly some of our friends happen to be among those who are hospitalized and battling the virus. Our former Mayor, his wife and daughter who are some of the nicest people around are all in the hospital and it is a sad and scary time for many.

We weren’t without our own scare this week as Kathy flew back from Colorado only to receive word from one of the tenants of our property there, who she had just interacted with, let us know that she was symptomatic and had tested positive for the virus. Kathy immediately rushed over to Urgent Care to get herself tested and thankfully the test results showed negative when we got them back yesterday.

The ongoing Coronavirus crisis has only been exacerbated by the current President’s outright refusal to concede that he lost the election and has made ridiculous, almost hysterical attempts to somehow change the results to his favor to no avail. Even though many of his efforts and those of the increasingly foolish looking followers seem outlandish and funny, they are sadly deadly serious as the President-Elect has not had access to any of the traditional briefings of a normal transition. The continued antics of Trump and his supporters continue to erode away at our Democracy and keep many of us in increasingly worrisome limbo.

If that wasn’t enough, we had another good friend pass away, from non-Covid related illness, this week as our friend Brewster Chamberlain succumbed to cancer. Brewster was a funny, insightful, interesting writer and historian. Kathy and I have shared many good times with him and his lovely wife Lynn. While his passing wasn’t totally unexpected, it is sad nonetheless and just another tough pill to swallow in what continued to be a difficult year. Our deepest sympathy to Lynn and all of Brewster’s family and many friends and fans.

In spite of all the madness and sadness that has dominated our existence of late, I have still managed to get out a little and experience some bright spots amidst the darkness. The show, must indeed, go on, and this week I had the chance to attend the art opening of our friend and talented artist Kristyn. She was showing her work at the Effusion Gallery on Duval Street. The middle of a pandemic may seen a strange time for an art opening, but artists and galleries are struggling and if they can put on a safe exhibit, following the Covid protocols then I think they should be applauded and encouraged.

I went early to the opening to avoid the crowd and to say hello to Kristyn, her boyfriend Arthur, parents and sister who were on hand to celebrate her opening. It was pretty cool and had a good turnout of people in spite of the pandemic, meaning that our island community will support artists and friends even when the chips are down.

I also attended the first play-off game for the Key West High School football team in many years. Sadly they drew one of the best teams not only in Florida, but in the United States as Miami Northwestern came to town for the first round match-up. The Bulls were ranked #15 in the Nation in high school football and jumped out to an early lead. I know there is no such thing as a moral victory, but Key West really outplayed them, especially in the second half when the Conchs came storming back to get with-in six and almost were able to pull it out. It was an incredible showing against a great team and a fun game to watch.

Other than that, we haven’t done much, keeping a low profile, walking the dog along the beach and White Street Pier and hanging out with our cats at home and reading a lot. It is so awesome to have Kathy home after almost six weeks apart. It gives me something to be especially Thankful for this coming Thursday when we will celebrate Thanksgiving alone together, opting to avoid interacting with others as per the CDC guidelines.