I contacted Cape Spirits in Cape Coral via email to tour their rum distillery at 1 p.m. This is the place Heather (my former landlord here) told me about and said that her boyfriend, Danny, is the head distiller. Their main products are "Wicked Dolphin Rum" and "Rumshine." The WD comes in three varieties, Silver (plain); Spiced; and Coconut. Their Rumshine is a takeoff on moonshine and comes in three flavors: apple pie, blueberry, and strawberry. It is packed in jars resembling Mason jars to complete the "moonshine" effect.
 |
| Me in the aging room with the rum barrels |
The free tour was very interesting, and I had an idea of what I would see based on my tour of the Bacardi rum distillery in San Juan, Puerto Rico (remember that, Julie?), only this was on a much smaller scale of course. Also, Cape Distillery uses bags of raw sugar instead of sugar cane because they don't have access (at least cheap access) to sugar cane here, although I understand it does grow in Florida and was a cash crop once upon a time. We got to taste some raw rum right out of the distiller, which was interesting, as well as some from the second evaporation which is about 180 proof. At the end, we got to try up to three samples of our choice, and I tasted the silver, the spiced, and the blueberry rumshine. I bought a bottle of the Silver (above) because I like my rum straight. Their flavorings are all natural, and that's fine, but flavored spirits just aren't my thing. The bottle was $27, and the interesting thing is that the owner of the company had to fight to change some state laws (on the books since Prohibition) to allow Cape Distillery to sell their product and even allow people inside to take tours. I introduced myself to Danny, and he seemed like a fine, industrious young man. As head distiller, he is trying all sorts of new stuff, including a gold-standard rum which is still in the aging process, and a batch of rum that is aging in wine barrels (instead of bourbon) that should impart an interesting flavor (brandy or cognac tones, hopefully?) to the rum. I learned that the used whiskey/wine barrels cost the distillery $800 apiece.
By tour's end, I was hungry as balls, and had a hankering for Mexican because Mario had put it into my head during a phone conversation talking about Mexican food. So I crossed the bridge back over to Fort Myers and went to a locally owned place called "La Casita" ("the cottage") on McGregor Blvd. A mixture of reviews on Yelp as far as now "authentic" it is had me a little nervous, but I have passed it a number of times, and it looks cute and clean on the outside. Well, it was delicious. I had a margarita (on happy hour price of $4) and a carnitas platter containing a mound of slow roasted pork (must have been half a pound), a pile of rice, and beans (your choice of black or refried; I got the refried). You also get a side guacamole, sour cream, and three warm flour tortillas wrapped in foil. Essentially, you make your own "wraps" using the ingredients on your platter. For appetizers, my server brought tortilla chips and homemade salsa done pico de gayo style with all fresh ingredients. Delicious, and all under $20 including tip. I don't understand some of these reviewers who go to a Mexican restaurant and knock it for not being "authentic." OK, yes they do have a chimichanga on the menu (purely an American invention), but they also have chile rellenos and homemade tamales wrapped in corn husks (they make these only once per week), neither of which you will find at your average Taco Bell or Chi-Chi's (I don't even think they are in business any more), so how damn authentic does it have to be? Anyway, I thought it was delicious, and the generous portion kept me full through the evening.
Friday: farmer's and flea markets
I woke up Friday and headed over to Lakes Park for the Friday farmer's market. I had breakfast there of a fresh orange, berry muffin, and another order of those bacon and egg "Poffins" from a cart vendor, all washed down with a Starbucks coffee I had purchased on the way to the market in order to get some small bills. I talked with a group of four retirees who I had seen the Friday before, and they all bicycle in and have breakfast and chat about stuff and laugh and have a good time. They invited to sit with them at a picnic table after I introduced myself. One of the guys is from Kenosha. Small world. Two of the others were from Iowa. I bought an 8-ounce container of homemade guacamole to enjoy later.
Back at the apartment, I put the gauc in the fridge, and then prepared my shipments. The printer worked like a charm, and all I had to do was drop off my packages at the post office on my way to the flea market. Sweet.
At the flea market, I didn't have any further luck with furniture. I looked at a TV/media stand from "Wallace," the guy I bought the sofa from the previous week, but I didn't like the style of it. It was heavy wrought iron, and I don't think the glass top was the original. But what I DID buy was a bicycle. Randy, the bike guy, was in a much better humor this week than last. The brand is "Upland," (pretty sure it's made in China) and it is your basic beach cruiser with coaster brakes. What I like about it is the brand new wide tires and a sturdy looking frame, including a heavy duty fork at the front end. I'll send a photo of that in a while; I want to put a different seat on it, one that is more cushiony for my bony ass. I also bought a citrus juicer, and four Florida limes to make Daiquiris later with the Wicked Dolphin rum. I also had lunch at the flea market in the food court at a place that makes a really fine Italian sausage on a hard roll with steamed peppers and onions. I also stopped to see "Chris, the Book Guy," to inquire whether he had any first editions of Randy Wayne White's first novel, Sanibel Flats. He had a couple, but they were at home, but he said he could bring them tomorrow. So it looks like I'll be going back to the flea market Saturday.
The bike almost fit into the Prius, but hung out the hatchback a little bit, so I had to bungee cord it and listen to the car's warning beeper all the way back to the apartment. But made it back, hooked the basket that I bought to the front handle bars, and took her on her maiden voyage over to the Walmart Neighborhood Market for some needed provisions, including some tortilla chips to enjoy with the guacamole. Back at the apartment, I juiced two of the limes and made myself a nice, large Daiquiri with the Wicked Dolphin Rum. Abby and I watched Family Guy while I munched on chips-n-guac and sipped on a mighty fine beverage.
Saturday
I awoke, showered and shaved, and did a basic cleaning of the apartment, which included running the floor sweeper, changing out the cat litter, and scrubbing down the toilet. For breakfast, a peeled and sectioned grapefruit, oatmeal with walnuts and raisins, and coffee. Headed back over to Fleamasters (about a 12 mile trip each way), and gassed up the Prius on the way. I'm not using a whole lot of gas here; the previous tank lasted me about two weeks. Chris (the book guy) had three copies of Sanibel Flats for me to look at. On one, the dust jacket was torn on one of the folds. A second copy was signed, but was a second printing of the first edition. I wanted a true first edition. So the one I picked was in solid good condition, and I gave him the $100 he was asking for it. He threw in a copy of Rich Dad, Poor Dad for free so I could get a better idea of what Heather is doing for a living these days, selling seats to Kiyosaki's seminars at $300 a pop.
OK, so the book is a bit of an extravagance, but it's something I've wanted for a while (I missed a chance to buy one when I was here two years ago) and it's the book that started my journey with Doc Ford, and my romance/intrigue (thus far) with southwest Florida. Now, I need to find where/when Randy Wayne White is appearing for a book signing, and ask him to sign it for me. (I'm sure he'll oblige, especially if I buy a copy of his most current book.)
Next, I paid a visit to Walmart. I wouldn't normally venture there on a Saturday, but it is right on the way to the flea market anyway, so I decided to damn the torpedoes, especially given that I had a $50 gift card there, courtesy of sister Dawn. (Thanks again, Dawner!) My worst fears were confirmed: Walmart was a bustling hive from hell, teaming with some of the freakiest folk that Fort Myers has to offer. The streets of Calcutta had nothing on this place. I bought a Swifter push mop with a whole bunch of wet cloth heads to mop the apartment floor, a third pillow for my bed, and a big, cushiony bicycle seat. The items came to $46, leaving me $4 which I'm sure I can spend at the Neighborhood Market. More importantly, I lived to tell the tale.
I had three packages waiting for me at my personal mail box, including the packet containing the "Dr. Noze" nosebleed swabs from Kris. Thank you very much for that. As I told her, I seldom get nosebleeds any more, but this is nice to have just in case. Kudos to Jim Dockter's brother for inventing and marketing this!
So now, I'm just hanging out at the apartment, reading, listening to music, and catching up on the blog. I would like to take the bike out for a spin, but it is very windy here today. Showers are expected for the next couple of days, so it may be a while before I take the bike out for a serious spin. Quick rides over to the market and my mailbox will of course be fine. I think my next door neighbor, Randy, will have a wrench I can use to install the new bicycle seat.
Hope everyone is having a good weekend.
Bruce
No comments:
Post a Comment