Key West is in a state of mourning today. There have been 5 prominent deaths in the city during the past week, one (Capt. Tony's a natural death at age 92) and four tragic deaths, one a motorcycle accident and three in a plane crash as they were being transported to a hospital for a kidney transplant.
One of them was Capt Tony Tarracino, former mayor, former bar owner, and the guy who once gave an unknown guy named Jimmy Buffet a chance to perform in his bar. The rest is history.
I stumbled across Capt. Tony's send off today in front of the saloon that carries his name (and was the site of the original Sloppy Joe's Bar where Ernest Hemminway hung out) -- a civil war cannon was fired along with a double 21-gun salute with old Civil War rifles. Quite the scene -- very memorable. Then they offered free drinks at Capt. Tony's bar, which I passed by for greener pastures.
That's all for now.