Bruce's Travels

Thursday March 22 Not too much to report today, other than I finished the Steve Jobs biography, by Walter Isaacson. The sons of bitches (both Jobs and Isaacson) had me tearing up at the end. It really is an amazing story, both Jobs’s own life, and the evolution of Apple and its products. I’m by no means ready to convert from the PC world, but I surely have an appreciation for what Jobs and Apple were/are trying to do. I certainly have a better understanding of some basic computer concepts. And I think it settled once and for all whether I “need” an I-Pad (or tablet in the PC world) and the answer is no, at least not at this time. The issue for the me is that a tablet seems mostly to be a "passive" device. You browse content, or watch TV, or read books. And that's all fine. But there is no keyboard (or at best a very rudimentary that you can use to type in passwords and so forth) and thus no (or very limited) outlet for creating things. Which, as Isaacson points out, is ...

Wednesday March 21 Today is gambling cruise day, and I'm looking forward to a "win" after last week's $50 loss. I leave the condo about 7:45 on my bike and arrive at Marti's Family Restaurant and have their #1 special and coffee. That comes to $6.50 plus a dollar tip. I cross over the bridge to Fort Myers Beach and arrive at the dock about 9:30. I pull out my "coopen" and get the cruise for five bucks. I go through security, and I am up on deck 3 by about 9:45. I pass the time by reading and typing out blog entries, while the deck fills up with fellow gamblers. We're off at 10:30, and the casino opens are around 11:45 once we reach international water. I play blackjack, and decide to quit when I am $32.50 ahead. I had it in my head to try and double my stake of $50, but I think this is about the best I am going to do. As before, we have a nice table of players, and a congenial dealer by the name of "Joshua" who dealt blackjack in Vegas ...

Tuesday March 20 I spend a little bit of time today on the "match" dating website in preparation to end my one-year experience with them, including my little "experiment" down here in Florida these last four months, which I would have to characterize as a “qualified failure.” Maybe that’s a bit too harsh. Perhaps “another chapter in the continuing education of Bruce.” My time with Carol certainly has had its highlights, but a serious relationship between us is out of the question. I did have one face-to-face meeting with a woman from Naples, but I would say that was more of a meeting to compare notes than anything else. And I had a nice email exchange with a couple of other women down here, but they fizzled ... fell off the face of the earth is more like it. The simple fact is that I have a rather unique situation in that I am extremely mobile, and not tied down with job, kids, or grandkids. Most people I've met have at least one of those, and the thought ...

Monday March 19 I make reservations today for another Big M Gambling Cruise, and secure a spot on their Wednesday day cruise (10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) I want to do a total "hack" of the cruise this time to see how low I can cut the expenses. So first order of business is to find the "coopen" everyone else seems to have, and I find it in a flyer at a Hilton Garden Inn close to the condo on College Parkway. I get the $10 cruise for $5. I also find a couple of other coopens at places I frequent. So nice score there. I also snag a couple of chocolate chip cookies on my way out of the hotel. I figure, what the hell, I am a good Hilton customer and have given these folks plenty of money over the years (and am a member of their loyalty club), so isn't that worth a couple of cookies? Tonight is $10.99 dinner night at Big Al's City Sports Bar, so I head over there for an early dinner, and also make a couple of stops at stores that are in same "Market Square...

Saturday March 17 - Sunday March 18 Saturday -- Today is St. Paddy's Day, the second most worthless holiday after Columbus Day. Like the Irish need another excuse to get drunk. Oh well, one more reason I'm glad that I more or less "cool my heels" on the weekends and just chill out, while everyone else is out and about clogging up the roads, shopping malls, and attractions. I hang out at McDonalds and read and soak up their air conditioning and free wi-fi, and keep chipping away at the Steve Jobs biography. I relist a watch on eBay, an early wire lug watch that did not reach my desired minimum the first time around, so I am trying it again. And also do a workout. Sunday -- More or less a carbon copy of yesterday, except I do go to Match dot com and go to my account settings and end my subscription to be sure I am not automatically charged another $116 when my subscription is up on April 5. I would have to characterize my Match efforts in Florida as a qualified fail...

Wednesday March 14 - Friday March 16 Wed. March 14 -- After the big day on Sanibel yesterday, I more or less take it easy today, reading Steve Jobs, and catching up on the blog and Internet surfing. I note on the one of the news pages that Michael Hossack, original drummer for the Doobie Brothers, has passed away at age 65 of cancer. I check the news story and read that Hossack did the drumming on several of the Doobies' early classics, including "Listen to the Music" (which in my opinion is one of great classic rock tunes of all times and my "anthem" of the 1970s), and "China Grove." He played with original band from its inception in 1971 to 1973, then left the band to pursue other musical interests. He came back again in 1987 when a watered-down version of the band reunited and went on tour. He stayed with the group until 2010 until the cancer finally forced him to take a medical leave, and of course he never returned. It's yet another reminde...

Tuesday March 13 I think of all the places and things to do in this area, Sanibel Island has charmed me the most, and I will miss this when I go home.   I start the day at a new breakfast placed called the Island Cow, and it is just about as perfect a breakfast place as you can get (by my standards anyway). Great food, great cup of coffee (Starbucks) and great service. The place has that "Ben and Jerry's hippie" kind of feel to it. I order the open-face fritata, and have that served with home fries and toast.   I also notice something on the menu called the "Juan-Bo Special," named in honor of a couple of the restaurant's employees. This is 2 eggs, 2 pancakes, and choice or 2 sausage or bacon. In any other restaurant, this would simply be called the "2/2/2 Special" or "Two for You" for something like this. But here, menu items are named in honor of employees in lieu of pay, in the spirit of the Ben & Jerry egalitarian philosophy. Ma...

Monday March 12 I set the alarm for 6:45 a.m. because today is Busch Gardens day with my friend, Carol. I make a quick pot of coffee, scarf down an energy bar, and I head out the door a little after 7 a.m. toward Carol's house in North Fort Myers. We are on the road by 7:45 and make it into Busch Gardens about 10:00 a.m. We park ($14) and ride the tram to the entrance. At one of the self-serve kiosks, Carol exchanges he e-ticket for a day pass ($80), and I buy my day pass along with an all-you-can-eat (AYCE) food pass for an additional $30. It's called the "All Day Dining Deal." With each pass through the food line, you can get one entree, one side item (or dessert) and one soft beverage (no beer, which is served as most food venues -- Anheuser-Busch products, of course!). You can go through the line as many times as you want, but each time you get 1/1/1 on the food items. My Chase Visa card is rejected (more on this later), so I use my Union Bank and Trust deb...

Friday March 9 - Sunday March 11 Friday Another big day today. I skip breakfast this morning because I am headed over to the Lakes Park farmers' market. I will bike there, have breakfast, do a little shopping, then head back. I bike the short distance on Summerlin Road, then cut over into the park across from Lakewood Blvd., and locate the farmers market at the far east end in the parking lot. There are several breakfast choices, but I settle on the "Nosh Truck," a mobile eatery that serves breakfast sandwiches. No coffee. I must get my coffee at another stand, but it is worth it ... a nice gourmet cup of coffee. I eat my bacon, egg, and Muenster cheese sandwich at a high top table by the nosh truck. I strike up a conversation with one of the workers who is slaving away for one of the fruit vendors (he drives the truck from the produce farm, and does the heavy lifting for the setup at the market; he does not interact with the customers. He has a gold tooth, a check...

Thursday March 8 A big day is planned today, so after breakfast I saddle up the Murray and head out to Fort Myers Beach, this time taking Summerlin Road instead of MacGregor Blvd. This turns out to be a much more pleasant ride, with wider bike lane, fewer intersections, and much fewer driveways/etrances to strip malls, and so forth. There is one major intersection that proves interesting -- Gladiolus -- but other than that it goes smoothly. When Summlin intersects with San Carlos, you get off there and bike the rest of the way on San Carlos, which is fine. The vehicular traffic is bumper to bumper and moving at a snail's pace, but I cruise right along no problems. The only other issue is a stiff 15 mph wind coming out of the west. It's no problem on the way to the beach, but will prove challenging on the way back. I make it to the beach at about 1:30 p.m., lock the bike, and head over to "Top O' Mast," same place as last time , and this time sit on the patio (...

Tuesday - Wednesday March 6-7 Tuesday. Not too much going on today, with the the sort-of "big day" yesterday with the breakfast and bike ride and all. I just sort of hang out at the condo, send some emails, catch up on the blog, read, and so forth. I'd really into digging into the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson. Great book. He really does a good job of capturing the turmoil and turbulence,  both within Job's own life, but in our world during a key paradigm shift as we wobbled, walked, and eventually ran headlong into the world of personal computing. I thought the book would get boring after the chapter on the Macintosh, and would cease being a book about the creative drive behind Jobs, and turn into a corporate history. But the drama continues unabated. (Niece) Kris, I encourage you to get back into the book as soon as you can, and to try to keep at it consistently. It's not really the type of book you can set down, forget for a week, and then try to re...

Monday March 5 I rise this a.m., and despite going out for breakfast, I still make a pot of coffee and have a bagel (half with cream cheese, the other half with peanut butter) to tide me over until I can make it to "Marti's Family Dining." I have to do a little "prep work" on the condo to make it a little more presentable, including a kitty litter change (I do this every Monday anyway), making my bed, clearing the sink of dirty dishes, and getting rid of the clutter on the counters and kitchen table. I do a quick email exchange with Carol to make sure we are still on, and it's a go. I leave the condo a 8:45, leaving 15 minutes to spare before my landlord, Heather, arrives for her showings (she has two separate parties looking at the unit). I arrive at Marti's before Carol (no big surprise there). The place is jumping with locals ... lots of grey- and blue-hairs ... so so I secure a table and start drinking coffee, which is a decent brew for a famil...

Friday March 2 - Sunday March 4 Friday -- The article I'm writing for NAWCC Bulletin is coming along nicely. I've obtained permission from a couple of "watch guys" to use their images on the Internet for inclusion in my article. I'm pleased at how most people will grant permission if you simply ask them. And I think the promise of a credit line (e.g., Image by Joe Blow, used with permission ) helps, too. Sort of gives them a little slice of immortality, I guess. I head over to the flea market, and the highlight of my day is that I find my "beer koozie," for which I've been looking for awhile. This little zippered jacket that goes over a standard beer bottle helps keep the beer colder longer when you're at the beach, or at tail gate party, or anywhere outside where it's hot. I find a booth at the flea market that has a whole wall of them. Just shows you how big this particular flea market is. This about my 5th or 6th trip to the flea marke...

Thursday March 1 Well, today is (mother) Marinda's birthday, and she would have been 94 had she lived to see it. I pause a moment to reflect because it was her, more than anyone, who instilled in me the love of travel. Among my most vivid of childhood memories is our trips, by plane, train, and automobile. From as close as Milwaukee and Wisconsin Dells, to as far away as California and Hawaii. So here's to you, Mom. I spend the day mostly finishing up my article for the NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin. I search the Internet for appropriate photos, and also find some of my own on my computer back home, which I access using carbonite.com, which is my backup provider. It's neat how you can access those files from any computer, anywhere. I go to Anytime Fitness for a workout today, and have them print me out an activity report for the month of February. I have visited the center 13 times, which is pretty good considering I was in Daytona for five days/four nights. So  th...

Wednesday Feb. 29 Well, today is Leap Day ... that gift of an extra day from the time gods that occurs only once very four years to reconcile man's calendar with earth's actual orbit around the sun, which takes 365 days and 6 hours, in case you didn't know (I had to look it up!) I don't know about you, but I'm of the opinion that since basically every day is a gift, that this is extra little bonus of a day should be used wisely. And for me, I can think of no better way to spend the day than on Sanibel Island. I arrive at about 9 a.m., and the first order of business is breakfast. I go to the Sanibel Cafe, and while the food was very good as usual, their coffee sucks. This illustrates just how difficult it is to find the "perfect" breakfast place. So next time on Sanibel, I am going to try a place for breakfast called "The Island Cow," which kind of has that "Ben & Jerry's Hippie Funk" to it. I've passed this place severa...

Mon. - Tues. Feb. 27 and 28 Monday. Not a lot going on today. I wake to strange sound outside my window, and I look and it is pouring rain along with high winds. I don't believe it has rained a single day since I've arrived in Ft. Myers. This is all part of a very huge storm front which I learn later is causing tornadoes and flooding over a good section of the U.S. It looks like it ever touches the northern part of Florida, but for me down here it is just causing rains and winds strong enough to tip over some garbage cans. I’m thinking of going to a “drug dealers seized assets auction” today over at a Marriott resort close to the causeway that takes you over to Sanibel. I found out about this through an ad in the Sunday paper. But then over coffee and grapefruit, I read in the fine print in the auction company is not affiliated with any government agency. The auction is being held by an auction company run by Dion Abadi. A quick check on Google reveals that this traveling a...