The bartender there, a man by the name of Chris, appeared to be in his mid to late 30s. Fancying himself quite the ladies' man, he was hitting on anything there female under 40, including his co-bartender, named Liz, who was having none of it. It was quite comical watching him, and in the hour and a half or so that I spent there, I had heard every line he had, including his favorite, "What can I do to facilitate your endeavor?" every time a good looking woman came up to the bar. I told (former landlord) Heather about this, and she worked with both of them back when she tended bar there. She informed me that Chris a) has a screw or two loose, and b) that Liz is gay. Which I find hilarious, not that Liz is gay, but that Chris has not figured this out. Anyway, it was kind of fun watching them, kind of like Sam Malone and Diane Chambers from the old Cheers TV series, except Sam had better lines.
The tacos, plus two drafts came to $34, including the 18% mandatory gratuity. Definitely an indulgence for me; I certainly couldn't afford to eat there (much less stay there!) every
day, but it's a nice treat to have once in a while.
From there, I biked over to the Darling nature preserve, but did not bike through it due to the extra mileage I logged biking to and from the resort. I turned around and dropped the bike off at Billy's Rentals at about 4 p.m. From there, I drove the Prius over to Captiva Island, about 8 miles from Billy's Rentals, and then about another 3.5 to 4 miles to the end of the island where the restaurants are. I parked at the "Bubble Club" and then walked over to the Key Lime Bistro and had a draft and listened to a live piano player there by the name of Sam Felker, who was very enjoyable and had a decent voice that reminded me faintly of Neil Young. Felker looked about my age, and for a moment I flashed back to 1984 when I got out of the music business, and seeing him only confirmed that I made the right move. I cannot imagine how my life would have turned out had a I continued playing and singing these last 30 years, but I doubt seriously that I would be on this island today, soaking up the sunshine and taking in the sights and sounds.
I also checked out R.C. Otter's, one of the restaurants Dawn and I plan to visit while she is here. And I also went into the Bubble Room to look at all the "crap" on their walls (picture Ella's Deli in supper club version) and also to have a beer at the bar. I ended up getting a slice of "Orange Crunch Cake" to go off their dessert menu, one of their signature items. Three layers high, covered in orange cream cheese frosting, and in between each layers is a generous filling of streusel and almonds, hence the crunch. It lasted me two desserts back at the apartment and was one of the yummiest cakes I've ever had.
Thursday after breakfast at the apartment of a grapefruit, oatmeal, and coffee, I decided to return to Manatee Park and try my luck at kayaking again. This time, I did much better and did not ram into any trees. I spotted numerous manatees and got within about 10 feet of a couple of them. One swan under me. I was out on the water for about an hour, and managed to get a couple of pictures, not of manatees, but just the river so you can see how pretty it is:
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| Orange River, home to manatees seeking warm water. |
The only thing I had for lunch that day was an energy bar and a small glass of milk, so I was quite hungry by the time I was driving back to the apartment, and stopped at the grocery store and bought a ribeye steak. When I got back to the apartment, I made a delicious Dacquiri with fresh limes, and had that with tortilla chips and salsa. I sequestered Abby into the bedroom, and fired up the oven broiler, opened all the windows and doors, and broiled the steak for 4 minutes on each side to medium rare, and had that with a baked potato and a glass of Pino Noir (from Dixie Liquidators) out on the lanai (after letting Abby out, of course!) Boy, there is nothing like a day out in the fresh air to hone one's appetite to a fine edge. And for dessert, the second half of the orange crunch cake.
Today is Friday, and I have just returned from a bike ride to the Lakes Park Friday farmers market. Forgot to mention that yesterday, I took the bike into a bike shop just up the street from me and had the guy put a new tube into the rear tire. I got tired of refilling it with air almost every day. So now I have another $18 invested in the bike, and the guy at the bike shop told me I should try and find another bicycle with a little larger frame and I would have a much more comfortable ride. So we'll see what happens. I might end up investing a little better set of wheels. I am on my way to Fleamasters to see my book buddy, Chris, and see what other kind of trouble I can get into.
Bye for now,
Bruce
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