Bruce's Travels

I went to a bar/grill last night (Cadillac Jacks) to introduce myself to the leader of the "Singles and Couples 40 and over in Southwest Florida" group, and ended up had a very nice time. I arrived early and had dinner at the bar of something they call the "Italian burger" which is one of their most popular sandwiches. It's a half-pound hamburger on a bun, and they top it with about 1/4 pound of their sliced Italian beef, and then finished off with Mozzarella cheese. Downed with a rum and coke, and Diet Coke after that. Yum! I introduced myself to "Ed" the group leader, and showed the required ID to join the group. The group had 36 reserved seats for the band's performance, and all were full though Ed put me on standby in case there were no-shows, but everyone made it. So I ended up sitting at the bar, but found some company there to talk with, including a lovely gal about 10 years my senior, who I think was out trolling on her own. The place was...

Friday: I started the day with a bike ride to Lakes Park (my first major bike ride since arriving here) for the Friday farmer's market, and was greeted with the first strawberries of the season. I bought a pint for $2.50 and ate them along with a raspberry danish and a good strong cup of Joe from the coffee vendor there. All very delicious. Faced a helluva head wind on the ride back to the apartment, but made it, and now I have my workout done for the day! I sent out my "email blast" to my customers announcing 10 new watches on the website, wired in three prescriptions via computer to the CVS pharmacy, then headed over to the Fleamasters flea market to see what I could find. I talked with a couple of the watch vendors there, and bought a watchband from one of the guys for $12, and got him to loosen the back of one of my vintage watches at no extra charge. A nice fellow, but no vintage watches for sale. I had lunch at the one of the food vendors called "A Taste of M...

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. I started out the morning with a fresh grapefruit (peeled and sectioned) and a strawberry banana smoothie. I then photographed some eBay lots, and then tuned into the Macy's parade on NBC. It got off to a bit of a slow start for me, with that song and dance number by Tony Danza from the Broadway musical Honeymoon in Vegas. My god, who told that guy he could sing? Or act, for that matter? But after that, it was most enjoyable, and I certainly thought the Madison Scouts hit it out of the park with their rendition of Happy just before Santa Claus' arrival. By the way, I have to say Abby enjoys the new recliner, so much so that I have to boot her out occasionally. Also, she made it outside the confines of the lanai today, wedging her considerable bulk through a tear in the screen. So the lanai is now off limits until I can find a way to mend the tear ... probably a combination of duct tape and a few bricks lined up along the outside edge o...

I returned to the Community Thrift Store today to pick up my dresser, and got it back to the apartment safely, but the bigger news is that I found and bought a La-Z-Boy recliner through an ad on Craigslist. The sellers were a retired couple in Cape Coral who are refurnishing their home, and they simply need to get rid of the existing furniture. The chair is a rocker/recliner combination and, get this, it has a back massage feature built in. The chair plugs in, and then you have this remote control to activate an inflatable air pillow that rolls up and down your lumbar area. I wasn't really looking for a recliner with any "extras," but it is a very comfortable recliner if you just sit it in unplugged, and besides the guy only asked $100 for it. So I didn't even haggle with the price. The chair is in such nice condition ... even has the original arm and head covers came with it, and it looks like they took really good care of it. So here are photos of my new dresser and...

My return trip to the Community Thrift Store (next to Planet Fitness) today paid off, as I found a cute little dresser for the bedroom. Actually, I think it's a nightstand to a really large dresser/nightstand pair, because the actual dresser was at the thrift store also, but they had each priced individually, so I think for $40, this "nightstand" will serve just fine as my dresser. I'm trying to keep things on the small side for easier moving/storage, or whatever. Anyway, the TV is now off the upside-down Rubbermaid tub, and the cable box and modem are off the floor. The Rubbermaid tub is now serving as a temporary nightstand, and I bought a lamp to go on top so I can now do some bedside reading. Also scored a TV/entertainment stand from a craigslist seller in Estero (just south of the Fort Myers) which I picked up for $20 and have all set up in the living room. The scale is just right for the space I have. I'll post photos of both pieces on the next blog entry,...

Sunday Nov. 23 Kind of a hot humid day today, so I pretty much stayed inside. I did manage to put the new seat on the bicycle, so here is a photo of that: Upland Beach Cruiser with comfort seat and removable basket Monday Nov. 24 Another hot and humid one today. I googled a list of thrift stores within a 10-mile radius of me, and figured out the most efficient route and drove to all five of them in the hopes of finding some furniture, but came up empty. One place, the Blessed Pope John XXIII Thrift Store, was like a boutique with prices to match, which I found ironic in that sort of "poor-people-can't-afford-to-shop-here" way. Another had a nice overstuffed chair with ottoman, but it was $125 which I thought was a bit pricey, and I really want a recliner. One store was closed, so I will return to that one tomorrow, which according to plan was right next door to Planet Fitness. So I got a nice workout for the day, and afterward I was hungry for Dim Sum. There i...

Thursday, I made good on my threat to buy a printer. I have four eBay lots ending tomorrow, and I just can't bear the thought of standing at the print desk at Office Depot any more. I bought a Samsung bare bones laser printer and hooked it up to tablet that night. I can only print with the cable connected between the printer and the computer; I cannot print wirelessly due to the operating system of this tablet computer. But that's OK. For the small (but vital) amount printing I need to do,, this will work fine. For $84, it has saved me a $1,000 worth of headaches for the time I will be here. Best of all, the dry toner powder will last indefinitely, so I can leave the printer here for next season. 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 "Rumshi...

Picking up where I left off on Tuesday Nov. 18, I enjoyed the movie Interstellar very much. (Warning: there is a spoiler or two here.) First of all, I didn't go to the movie with the intent of analyzing its scientific accuracy like some eggheads who are criticizing its oversimplification of relativity, wormholes, and the space-time continuum, and so forth. I went to be entertained on a cold and rainy day when there was little else to do. None of the dozen or so movies playing at the movieplex were really lighting my fire; this was more or less the dog with the least fleas. And frankly with Matthew McConaughey as the lead, I was expecting to be more dazzled by the special effects than by the acting. But I have to say he has come a long way since Sahara and Failure to Launch . He was quite good and believable as the loving widowed father of two kids. I thought the effects were great, especially the "reverse book case" which served as the parallel universe when MM...

Tuesday Nov. 18 -- Rainy and low 60s We in Fort Myers finished out yesterday with a tornado watch (though we were on the southern tip) and thunderstorms in the evening. I had Swedish meatballs over egg noodles for dinner. Watched a little TV on Netflix (including an episode of Breaking Bad ) and then to bed. Little can be done outside today, so I'm headed to the movie Interstellar at the Bell Tower Mall 20-plex cinema. Just a few notes from yesterday: * My label printing exercise at Office Depot was a good/bad news kind of thing. Good in that I got it done, and it cost only 48 cents to do four labels (2 per page). Bad news, I was there for almost half an hour with a guy who really didn't know the store's complicated printers. Plus, the computers at the print desk aren't really set up for open Internet; they are more for ordering stuff from the company's website and placing custom print orders. This was the same process they had 2 years ago when I was here, a...

Sunday Nov. 16 A nice large breakfast today at the apartment of home fried potatoes, ham and Havarti cheese omelet, a fresh grapefruit peeled and sectioned, 2 slices toast with butter/jam, and coffee. I watched CBS Sunday Morning for the first time in a while since I do not have the broadcast channels back in Janesville, but they are included with the Internet package here. I enjoyed the segment on motivational speakers. I was a big fan of Wayne Dwyer (Your Erroneous Zones ) back in the '70s, and it was kind of neat to see him still presenting talks, although at age 74 he now delivers his talks seated in a leather armchair. I gave up on the motivation gurus long ago, though confess I'm a bit of a Timothy Ferriss fan. His Four Hour Work Week is pretty good. (It's definitely a misnomer about the four hour part, but I like his message of work less/play more.) Almost too warm today to exercise outside (87 degrees) so went to Planet Fitness. I need a good shower/s...

Friday Nov. 14 I finished out Friday with dinner at the apartment -- a jambalaya made with a Zataran's rice mix, smoked sausage and shrimp. Fresh pineapple chunks for desserts. Simple but delicious, and enjoyed on my new dining room table and chairs! Abby and I watched a little TV sitting on the new sofa, and then to bed. Saturday Nov. 15 Banana/strawberry smoothie for breakfast. I need some exercise, but it's too nice to do a workout inside at the gym, so I went back to Lakes Park (where the farmer's market is held) and walked the trails for an hour in the beautiful sunshine and warmth. I was hungry for pizza after that, so I consulted Yelp and came up with Grimaldi's Pizza at the Bell Tower Mall. They do a Neapolitan style ... thin crust and baked in an ultra-hot coal fired oven. I did Italian sausage, pepperoni, and mushroom, with a Dr. Pepper, and ate in the outside dining area. I would rate the pizza good, but not great, and at $16 for a 12-inch pie -- all th...

Thursday Nov. 14 After breakfast at the apartment, I made the first major grocery trip since being here, and spent about $60 between the Walmart Neighborhood Market and Publix. The Publix has a neat feature where you can place your deli order ahead of time on the Internet, and pick it up at the deli with no waiting. I ordered 1/3 pound each of sliced Boar's Head Tavern Ham and Creamy Havarti cheese. Very cool. At 3:30 in the afternoon I met my former landlord, Heather Mangan, for drinks and appetizers at a place called "Stillwater" just up the street on McGregor, per her suggestion. Very nice place, with 37 different beers on tap. We each had a glass of "Rivertown Home Game," a lager brewed in Export, Pa. And we each had a 3 flight sampler with another Rivertown, along with with a cider beer and a pumpkin ale. For apps, we had fried green beans (her choice), and spicy crab rolls (my choice). Everyone was very yummy. We spent about and hour and a half togethe...

Wednesday Nov. 12 – I’m sitting at a dock at Fort Myers Beach, waiting to board the “Big M” gambling ship, for a $5 half-day cruise out onto the ocean. It’s one of the best deals in Fort Myers, in my opinion. Of course, it costs you more if you eat, and especially if you gamble! But I play a little lo-stakes blackjack and a few slots, and have a good time, and just spend the rest of the cruise on the outdoor lounge. I even packed a light lunch of a tuna salad kit and an energy bar, so I can probably get by with just a hotdog or something from the snackbar. Yesterday (Tuesday) the maintenance man came at 9 a.m. and resolved all my issues. This was a good feeling. Now, I have a proper shower head. The ants seem to have disappeared, so he did not spray, per my request, and if I see ants the guy recommended I use a product called “Taro,” which is organic and not harmful to pets. It’s a syrupy substance that comes in a small shallow tub, and you just leave it out where the ants are con...

Monday morning 11/10/14 The sunshine is back after two days of clouds and rain. Mid 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. The choices today were to comb Craigslist for furniture, or spend the day on Sanibel Island. Guess which one I chose. I’m here at the Island Cow, one of favorite eateries from my past visit. It’s as good as ever, but they have no wi-fi … probably had to get rid of it since my last visit because the Internet barnacles were hanging around too long. No cell reception, either, at least not on the “Boost” phone. So I am composing this the old fashioned way … offline. Kind of nice not to be “connected” for a while. I highly recommend it! I started the day at the apartment with a smoothie and couple cups of coffee. Sent my story off to my editor, along with images. Checked emails, left another message with the maintenance man, and shot a few photos for eBay listings, making use of the morning sunshine. Then off to Sanibel, renting a beach cruiser bicycle from Billy...

Picking up where I left off on Friday morning, I accomplished my two goals of buying a real bed, and a small folding table and folding chair to use for eating/working. I bought the bed at  "The Mattress Warehouse" here in town. I got a quilt-top Queen mattress, box spring, bedframe, a deluxe set of sheets, delivery, and set up, all for $350, which I thought was a good deal. It was especially nice that they could deliver it the same day. I don't have a nice comforter for it yet (I'm using a flimsy blanket that I packed with the inflatable bed) but when I get the comforter, I'll include a photo. Anyway, it was heaven sleeping on a real bed Friday night after sleeping on an air mattress the last couple of nights. Abby really likes it, too, and spends most of her time there! The mattress place was really close to a classic Fort Myers eatery called Mel's Diner, so that's where I had lunch. One of their specialties is BBQ baby back ribs, so I had a rack of tho...

Hi everyone. I arrived Fort Myers about 4 p.m. Wednesday, met my neighbor, Karen (whose husband, Randy, was on his way home) and unpacked the Prius. An initial inspection of the apartment revealed I need everything, right down to the shower curtain. I cranked the AC down to 68 to get the hot sticky air out of the apartment. The first thing I noticed was hundreds of ants crawling along one of the baseboards. I started a mental list of the repairs to report to the landlord, which eventually came to include a new shower head and fix/replace the vertical blind on the living room patio door. Here is a short video tour of the apartment, in its rather naked state. This was taken Friday morning. Forgive the rather crude quality; it's my first attempt not only making a video, but uploading it to my blog.       If the above video won't play, or does not appear, try going to the link I'll give you in a moment. The file is stored on a remote ser...

There is a false bottom on this credenza that serves as dresser/TV stand in my hotel room in Nashville. And Abby found a way to crawl inside it and do her impersonation of kitty Anne Frank. I looked for her everywhere last night, and feared she had snuck out the door during one of my unloading trips to the car. I searched the outside premises of the hotel to no avail. When I returned to my room and started eating my spaghetti, she crawled out from her hidey-hole, and gave me a look as if to say, "What? You been lookin' for me, fat boy?"  So anyway, this morning she was there again, no doubt sensing another day of being on the road, being jostled around in her road case. I had breakfast at the next-door Waffle House, skipping the cold (and very sparse) continental breakfast in the sad, broom-closet-sized lobby of the motel where the clerk was encased in a booth of bullet resistant plastic. The ambiance at the Waffle House was much better. I had a pecan waffle, 2 eggs ove...

A new adventure begins! I started out at 5:45 this morning from Janesville. The Prius was loaded down with luggage, household goods (including a 40 inch flat screen TV) and one 16-pound puss. Breakfast was at a McDonald's in El Paso, Ill., and lunch was at an Arby's somewhere in Kentucky. Gretchen, my GPS, took me on a rather odd route along 2-lane roads where I saw my share of grain elevators, tractor/implement dealers, and 2-pump gas stations. Nevertheless, I made the 578 mile journey in good time ... about 10 hours ... arriving at my Days Inn at about 3:15 (central time). The Prius drove like a dream, but strong winds kept the mpg's in the 42-range. Here's Abby checking out the eateries in Nashville: "This apartment is considerably smaller than the old one." She was an angel during the trip. She hardly made a peep ... er ... mew. I had spaghetti and meat balls for supper ... salvaged from the fridge cleanout at home. Now I'm just relaxi...