Got a call Thursday night about 7 p.m. from "Josè" about the used bike I had for sale on Craigslist for $50, the Upland beach cruiser, which turned out to be not a good choice of a bicycle for me. He spoke with a pronounced Hispanic accent, and although his English was adequate, it was halting at times as he searched for the correct word or phrase. He said he was from Lehigh Acres, about 20 miles from me (give or take), and he wanted to look at the bicycle, and said he would call the next day to get directions.
Bigoted visions starting appearing in my head about how this would play out, like how was this guy going to get here (no car?), and would he try to pay me off in oranges or tomatoes. I figured I would not hear from him again.
By god, I got a call from him the next morning, asking for directions, and I directed him to the strip mall by my apartment, and asked if he could meet me in front of the "Dollar General" store. (This, by the way, had nothing to do with his ethnicity; it is just common sense to avoid meeting people at your place of residence, regardless of who they purport to be.) There at the Dollar General store, I said, he could ride the bike around the parking lot.
He shows up at the appointed time and place in a pickup truck with another guy, whom he introduces as "Dave," and I notice immediately there is something "off" about Dave, as he does not speak or extend his arm for a handshake. When I was a kid, we would call these folks a certain word that began with an "R", but now we are supposedly more enlightened and don't use that word any more, although I confess to really hating the terms "special" and "gifted," but that is a discussion for another time and place. Anyway, I think you get the gist of what I am saying, and it dawns on me that this is playing out in an entirely different way.
As Dave takes off on the bicycle, Josè explains to me that he is trying to help this young man get pointed in the right direction, and this bicycle will be Dave's mode of transportation for a part-time job, which Josè is helping Dave to obtain.
I literally felt a lump in my throat, and as Dave was tooling around the parking lot like the proverbial kid with a new toy, I asked Josè how much he could afford to pay for the bicycle. He told me that it was actually Dave's money that he had earned, and that they were hoping they could get the bike for 40 bucks.
Sold.
Josè pulled out two wrinkled twenties from his billfold that he was holding for Dave, which no doubt were hard earned at some god-awful job like mucking out horse stalls or degreasing a Harley engine or something equally disgusting. Josè told Dave that they now had $10 left to buy a chain and lock for it.
First of all, I got a nice whack upside the head as a reminder to never judge a book by its cover. And, second, what an awesome thing that this Josè fellow, who by all appearances isn't exactly living the life of Riley himself (but then again ...), is taking time out to help this guy ... and a white guy to boot.
OK, I'm not breaking out in strains of "We are the world ..." or anything like that, but this is the kind of stuff that makes me pause and wonder if maybe the world isn't headed down the toilet after all. I think my only regret is that I just didn't give the damn bike to the guy. But I guess I feel good enough that Dave has a good bike, a safe bike, and will hopefully put it to good use.
Anyway, Friday started out with me feeling a little better from my bout of intestinal distress the last couple of days. I biked over to the farmer's market, where I had a delicious breakfast of a bagel breakfast sandwich, a pint of strawberries, and a cup of coffee. I met briefly with my bicycle friends, then biked back to the apartment to meet up with Josè.
After that, I checked out a lead I had received on a jewelry/watch store that advertised it offered watch repair services. It was just up the street from me on McGregor Blvd., and was a small (but tidy) shop in a tiny 3-store strip mall. The proprietor's name is Ben. He is into vintage watches in a pretty big way, and turns out we had actually made contact by phone several years ago when I was searching for a watchmaker. We hit is off instantly. The guy had a nice display of vintage watches in one his display cases, along with a really cool collection of antique watchmaker's tools in an old beautiful oak stand-alone cabinet. He told me that if I needed a few watches serviced while I was down here wintering in Fort Myers, that he would help me out. That's all I needed to hear, and went back to my apartment and fetched a couple of watches that needed cleaning, and brought them back to the guy. He told me he would have them ready by next week. How great is that to have made that contact?
After that, I drove over to the Fleamasters flea market. I wanted to return a book to "Chris the Book Guy" so he could resell it, but other than that I really didn't need anything (other than some lunch) but just wanted to get out and enjoy the day, and celebrate not only my little happy experience with Josè, but just feeling better physically. I had a nice lunch, visited with a couple of my vendor "buds," and came back to the apartment. I stopped at the European deli at the strip mall by my place, and bought a half pound of fresh Polish sausage and cooked it up some green peppers and onions, and ate it on a hard roll with some brown mustard. Delicious.
So that brings you up to date. Don't know what I'll do this weekend yet. Options abound, but I don't think they will include watching the Superbowl on Sunday, especially now that the commercials are available on Youtube.
Bruce
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Sanibel Island
I am on Sanibel Island today, on another achingly beautiful, sunny Florida day. It's still a bit chilly now in the a.m., but temps are supposed to get into the mid 70s for a high. I have just finished breakfast the "Over Easy Café," waiting 20 minutes for the proverbial "single person's table" by the restrooms, but it wasn't too bad. Neither the chair nor the table were wobbly, and there was an extra partition concealing the actual doorways to the washrooms and keeping the bouquet contained therein. Breakfast consisted of one their homemade cinnamon rolls as a starter, and as the main event a bacon/tomato/swiss cheese omelet, with home fries and multigrain toast. Washed down with plenty of good coffee. Just under $20 with tip, which is fairly typical for a proper breakfast here on the island.
The last couple of days have been relatively quiet, and brought on to great degree by kvetchey bowels, which is probably more information than you want, but there you have it. Intestinal distress, complete with sharts (one thus far), is not bound by geography, and can strike anywhere, even here in paradise. Thus, I am waiting to see how breakfast settles before renting a bicycle. I'm currently on the porch outside the Sanibel Café, soaking up their complimentary Internet and penning these lines.
In the last couple of days, I have posted four new watches to the website, and had one sale this morning of a Bulova military watch. Picked up a prescription at CVS, finished one of my books ("Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea"), and made another cake with the "Fasta Pasta" maker, this time chocolate which I'm sorry to report did not turn out very well. Such has been my rather uneventful passage of time for the last couple of days, but they can't all be winners, especially with a twitchy colon.
I did feel well enough on Tuesday night to venture to a new restaurant called, blandly enough, the "Austrian-German Restaurant" on Colonial Blvd. It followed a workout at Planet Fitness, so I was plenty hungry for it. (Here's a little tip: You should never go to a German restaurant half-hungry expecting to find a salad or any such similar "lighter fare" on the menu!) The food was delicious, and my waiter friendly and knowledgeable. Even the chef came to my table and asked if the meal was satisfactory. For starters, a generous basket of light rye bread with butter, and a half-liter mug of Radeberger Pilsner, imported from the Saxony region of Germany, with a taste similar to Stella Artois. Delicious. For first course, a cup of liver dumpling soup, which was a real treat because virtually no one makes it any more, and the last time I had it was at Karl Ratzch's in Milwaukee ages ago. For the main course: sauerbraten, served with spaetzle and sweet/sour red cabbage.
OK, let me guess what you're thinking here: "No wonder you're doing the Hershey two-step, fat boy," but honestly German food has never affected me that way, and I have to believe the source lies elsewhere.
In any event, the meal was delicious and the only detraction really was a group of four seated next to me with a couple of loud and rather nosey matriarchs who asked about my dinner selection, and then asked, "Are you all alone?", in a tone of wonderment that seemed to infer that dining solo was so completely incomprehensible to them as to prompt them to ask me about it, perhaps thinking I might have accidentally left my wife or date out in the car or something. Rather than explain my situation and risk wedging myself into deeper conversation, I simply replied that I was out on my own this particular evening. But the whole episode was yet another reminder of the emotional minefield that often accompanies solo dining.
Last night, I watched the final episode of "Breaking Bad" on Netflix. It's been a long time since a TV series has held me captive such as this. (Brother) Curt, if you are reading this, I know you found this series quite interesting as well. Really bends the notions of right and wrong and drives home the notion that life is rarely black and white, but infinite shades of grey. I'm surely going to miss the series.
Well, the breakfast seems to have settled nicely, so I am off to Billy's Rentals to secure a bicycle and peddle around this beautiful island.
Bruce
Update Thursday evening: I ultimately decided to come back to the apartment after breakfast and blogging because I still wasn't feeling quite right. Laid down at 12:30 p.m. and slept for four hours. Seem to be feeling much better now.
The last couple of days have been relatively quiet, and brought on to great degree by kvetchey bowels, which is probably more information than you want, but there you have it. Intestinal distress, complete with sharts (one thus far), is not bound by geography, and can strike anywhere, even here in paradise. Thus, I am waiting to see how breakfast settles before renting a bicycle. I'm currently on the porch outside the Sanibel Café, soaking up their complimentary Internet and penning these lines.
In the last couple of days, I have posted four new watches to the website, and had one sale this morning of a Bulova military watch. Picked up a prescription at CVS, finished one of my books ("Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea"), and made another cake with the "Fasta Pasta" maker, this time chocolate which I'm sorry to report did not turn out very well. Such has been my rather uneventful passage of time for the last couple of days, but they can't all be winners, especially with a twitchy colon.
I did feel well enough on Tuesday night to venture to a new restaurant called, blandly enough, the "Austrian-German Restaurant" on Colonial Blvd. It followed a workout at Planet Fitness, so I was plenty hungry for it. (Here's a little tip: You should never go to a German restaurant half-hungry expecting to find a salad or any such similar "lighter fare" on the menu!) The food was delicious, and my waiter friendly and knowledgeable. Even the chef came to my table and asked if the meal was satisfactory. For starters, a generous basket of light rye bread with butter, and a half-liter mug of Radeberger Pilsner, imported from the Saxony region of Germany, with a taste similar to Stella Artois. Delicious. For first course, a cup of liver dumpling soup, which was a real treat because virtually no one makes it any more, and the last time I had it was at Karl Ratzch's in Milwaukee ages ago. For the main course: sauerbraten, served with spaetzle and sweet/sour red cabbage.
OK, let me guess what you're thinking here: "No wonder you're doing the Hershey two-step, fat boy," but honestly German food has never affected me that way, and I have to believe the source lies elsewhere.
In any event, the meal was delicious and the only detraction really was a group of four seated next to me with a couple of loud and rather nosey matriarchs who asked about my dinner selection, and then asked, "Are you all alone?", in a tone of wonderment that seemed to infer that dining solo was so completely incomprehensible to them as to prompt them to ask me about it, perhaps thinking I might have accidentally left my wife or date out in the car or something. Rather than explain my situation and risk wedging myself into deeper conversation, I simply replied that I was out on my own this particular evening. But the whole episode was yet another reminder of the emotional minefield that often accompanies solo dining.
Last night, I watched the final episode of "Breaking Bad" on Netflix. It's been a long time since a TV series has held me captive such as this. (Brother) Curt, if you are reading this, I know you found this series quite interesting as well. Really bends the notions of right and wrong and drives home the notion that life is rarely black and white, but infinite shades of grey. I'm surely going to miss the series.
Well, the breakfast seems to have settled nicely, so I am off to Billy's Rentals to secure a bicycle and peddle around this beautiful island.
Bruce
Update Thursday evening: I ultimately decided to come back to the apartment after breakfast and blogging because I still wasn't feeling quite right. Laid down at 12:30 p.m. and slept for four hours. Seem to be feeling much better now.
Monday, January 26, 2015
The Publix Sub
I have to tell you about the Publix sub, as in sub sandwich. Its status, while not legendary, is nevertheless well known in Florida, and has even been the subject of many Florida travel guides and blogs as one of the best meal bargains around if you are in search of cheap eats.
Basically, what you have here is a fresh, made-to-order sub in the deli department of most (probably 99%) of the Publix stores throughout Florida. There are four "standard" subs, but my two favorites are the "Everything" (with ham, turkey, and roast beef), and the "Italian" with the usual cold cuts (prosciutto ham, salami, and capicola). You get your choice of fresh bakery roll, and can add condiments/dressings to your liking, This Saturday, I had an half-size "Italian" on a multi-grain bun, with a thin swipe of brown mustard on one side and mayo on the other. Lettuce, tomato, green pepper, and onion. A splash of oil and vinegar, and a shake of oregano completed my masterpiece.
This bike-saddle size sandwich runs $5.19, or for 50 cents extra they use premium (Boar's Head) cold cuts, and I recommend you go with the Boar's Head. So for under six bucks, you have a meal that will stick to your ribs, and not leave you hungry after an hour like one of those wimpy Subway subs, which the Publix sub puts to shame by the way. The bread on the Publix ... well let's just say there's no comparison. The meat is real, and you can actually taste it, rather than the Subway mystery meat that is made and presliced paper thin in Paramus, New Jersey, and shot through an underground network of pneumatic tubes to Subways stores nationwide in order to maintain that consistent "what-the-fu**-is-this" blandness that is the Subway hallmark. In fact, if Subway spokesman Jared Fogel had eaten two Publix subs a day for a year rather than the two Subway subs he reportedly ate, it's doubtful he would have lost any weight.
The sub can be eaten on premises (there's usually picnic tables outside most Publix stores) or taken to your hotel room or (in my case) apartment, or thrown into a cooler for later enjoyment, though I recommend consumption within an hour (or two at the most) before the bread gets soggy. If there's two of you, you can order a whole sub, but otherwise a half sub is plenty if you're on your own.
So anyway, if you're ever in Florida, you'll never be stuck optionless for a good, cheap meal, because you're never far from a Publix supermarket, unless you're in middle of the Everglades or something.
OK, Sunday I drove to a watch show in downtown Miami, which was interesting on several levels. First, the drive along the section of Interstate 75 through the Everglades known as "Alligator Alley" is quite interesting. Nothing on either side of you but unbridled wilderness for 75 miles. As for the show itself, most dealers who were set up were high rollers, and operate at an entirely different level than I do. There was an incredible amount of Rolex (clearly the dominant brand), but also a lot of designer and jewelry store brands such as Bulgari, Cartier and others. None of which I deal in/collect, or care to. The vintage end was clearly dominated by Omega, which is very hot and overpriced right now, and many of the Omega watches I saw appeared to be doctored and/or mated to wrong bracelets and/or molested in some way, or in just plain crappy shape. There was little for me to buy in my moderate range, but I did find a nice Eternamatic, and a beautiful Ollendorf (Swiss) large Art Deco watch from the early '30s. I also found a guy at the show who's from Wisconsin and with whom I've done some trading in the past. Turns out he and his wife are wintering in Fort Myers at a high-rise condo downtown near the Ford/Edison estates. We exchanged phone numbers, and hopefully will get together and maybe do a little trading in the next couple of weeks.
Anyway, I'm confident I will make enough on the two watches I bought to at least pay for the show admission, gas for the 300-mile round trip, and parking ($9) in one of the more bizarre parking ramps I've ever been in. Bizarre because I don't think I've ever been in a parking ramp that was so incredibly cramped. Clearances everywhere where tight, and numerous scrape marks on the concrete walls told the story of many a truck and SUV that failed to clear the corners. Stairwells leading to the elevators, meanwhile, were so narrow as to allow just one person at a time to pass, with a low overhang to boot. The Hyatt hotel in which the show was held was lovely. Getting in and out of downtown Miami, meanwhile, was downright challenging because they had some kind of frickin' running marathon going on, with streets closed off and cops whose patience levels were clearly exceeded trying to reroute vehicular traffic. Of course, Gretchen (my GPS) was trying to route me along the marathon course, and finally I had to turn her off and just drive for about a mile away from the madness, then turn her back on in the hopes she would glom on to an alternate route to the main highway (I-95) that didn't involve turning back to the heart of downtown. It worked, and I was finally on my way back to Fort Myers.
Back in town, I was hungry as a lumberjack coming off a double shift, so I immediately headed to Mel's Diner, clearly one of the city's biggest bang-for-your-buck restaurants. I ordered the fried grouper sandwich with fries and slaw, and I must tell you that Mel's has what I think is the best fried grouper sandwich in town. It's $12.99, which ain't cheap, but you must keep in mind grouper is one of the more expensive fishes around, and the state of Florida actually sets limits on the amounts that may be commercially fished. But, along with your fries and slaw, you get a big 8-ounce fillet (fresh, not frozen) on a good bakery roll, topped with lettuce and tomato and tarter sauce on the side.
After Mel's, I stopped at the Walmart grocery store for cat litter, and gave Abby a complete changeout in her litter box. I also bought fixins' to make a blueberry cake with lemon glaze, the recipe for which was contained in the "Fasta Pasta" maker recipe book. It turned out delicious. The only caution I would make is that after you flip the cake from the pan and let it cool, lop off about 1 inch from either end of the "loaf," for these areas of the cake turned the consistency of cookies, though I saved them and dunked them in coffee later on. But the majority part in between the two ends was delicious, especially drizzled with the lemon glaze made from the juice of two fresh lemons and about a cup of powdered sugar. Mmmm.
That pretty much brings you up to date. Today (Monday) started rainy here, but now is sunny with a pretty strong wind blowing, presumably the tail end of that monster front that's hammering the Northeast today. Glad I'm here!
Bruce
Basically, what you have here is a fresh, made-to-order sub in the deli department of most (probably 99%) of the Publix stores throughout Florida. There are four "standard" subs, but my two favorites are the "Everything" (with ham, turkey, and roast beef), and the "Italian" with the usual cold cuts (prosciutto ham, salami, and capicola). You get your choice of fresh bakery roll, and can add condiments/dressings to your liking, This Saturday, I had an half-size "Italian" on a multi-grain bun, with a thin swipe of brown mustard on one side and mayo on the other. Lettuce, tomato, green pepper, and onion. A splash of oil and vinegar, and a shake of oregano completed my masterpiece.
This bike-saddle size sandwich runs $5.19, or for 50 cents extra they use premium (Boar's Head) cold cuts, and I recommend you go with the Boar's Head. So for under six bucks, you have a meal that will stick to your ribs, and not leave you hungry after an hour like one of those wimpy Subway subs, which the Publix sub puts to shame by the way. The bread on the Publix ... well let's just say there's no comparison. The meat is real, and you can actually taste it, rather than the Subway mystery meat that is made and presliced paper thin in Paramus, New Jersey, and shot through an underground network of pneumatic tubes to Subways stores nationwide in order to maintain that consistent "what-the-fu**-is-this" blandness that is the Subway hallmark. In fact, if Subway spokesman Jared Fogel had eaten two Publix subs a day for a year rather than the two Subway subs he reportedly ate, it's doubtful he would have lost any weight.
The sub can be eaten on premises (there's usually picnic tables outside most Publix stores) or taken to your hotel room or (in my case) apartment, or thrown into a cooler for later enjoyment, though I recommend consumption within an hour (or two at the most) before the bread gets soggy. If there's two of you, you can order a whole sub, but otherwise a half sub is plenty if you're on your own.
So anyway, if you're ever in Florida, you'll never be stuck optionless for a good, cheap meal, because you're never far from a Publix supermarket, unless you're in middle of the Everglades or something.
OK, Sunday I drove to a watch show in downtown Miami, which was interesting on several levels. First, the drive along the section of Interstate 75 through the Everglades known as "Alligator Alley" is quite interesting. Nothing on either side of you but unbridled wilderness for 75 miles. As for the show itself, most dealers who were set up were high rollers, and operate at an entirely different level than I do. There was an incredible amount of Rolex (clearly the dominant brand), but also a lot of designer and jewelry store brands such as Bulgari, Cartier and others. None of which I deal in/collect, or care to. The vintage end was clearly dominated by Omega, which is very hot and overpriced right now, and many of the Omega watches I saw appeared to be doctored and/or mated to wrong bracelets and/or molested in some way, or in just plain crappy shape. There was little for me to buy in my moderate range, but I did find a nice Eternamatic, and a beautiful Ollendorf (Swiss) large Art Deco watch from the early '30s. I also found a guy at the show who's from Wisconsin and with whom I've done some trading in the past. Turns out he and his wife are wintering in Fort Myers at a high-rise condo downtown near the Ford/Edison estates. We exchanged phone numbers, and hopefully will get together and maybe do a little trading in the next couple of weeks.
Anyway, I'm confident I will make enough on the two watches I bought to at least pay for the show admission, gas for the 300-mile round trip, and parking ($9) in one of the more bizarre parking ramps I've ever been in. Bizarre because I don't think I've ever been in a parking ramp that was so incredibly cramped. Clearances everywhere where tight, and numerous scrape marks on the concrete walls told the story of many a truck and SUV that failed to clear the corners. Stairwells leading to the elevators, meanwhile, were so narrow as to allow just one person at a time to pass, with a low overhang to boot. The Hyatt hotel in which the show was held was lovely. Getting in and out of downtown Miami, meanwhile, was downright challenging because they had some kind of frickin' running marathon going on, with streets closed off and cops whose patience levels were clearly exceeded trying to reroute vehicular traffic. Of course, Gretchen (my GPS) was trying to route me along the marathon course, and finally I had to turn her off and just drive for about a mile away from the madness, then turn her back on in the hopes she would glom on to an alternate route to the main highway (I-95) that didn't involve turning back to the heart of downtown. It worked, and I was finally on my way back to Fort Myers.
Back in town, I was hungry as a lumberjack coming off a double shift, so I immediately headed to Mel's Diner, clearly one of the city's biggest bang-for-your-buck restaurants. I ordered the fried grouper sandwich with fries and slaw, and I must tell you that Mel's has what I think is the best fried grouper sandwich in town. It's $12.99, which ain't cheap, but you must keep in mind grouper is one of the more expensive fishes around, and the state of Florida actually sets limits on the amounts that may be commercially fished. But, along with your fries and slaw, you get a big 8-ounce fillet (fresh, not frozen) on a good bakery roll, topped with lettuce and tomato and tarter sauce on the side.
After Mel's, I stopped at the Walmart grocery store for cat litter, and gave Abby a complete changeout in her litter box. I also bought fixins' to make a blueberry cake with lemon glaze, the recipe for which was contained in the "Fasta Pasta" maker recipe book. It turned out delicious. The only caution I would make is that after you flip the cake from the pan and let it cool, lop off about 1 inch from either end of the "loaf," for these areas of the cake turned the consistency of cookies, though I saved them and dunked them in coffee later on. But the majority part in between the two ends was delicious, especially drizzled with the lemon glaze made from the juice of two fresh lemons and about a cup of powdered sugar. Mmmm.
That pretty much brings you up to date. Today (Monday) started rainy here, but now is sunny with a pretty strong wind blowing, presumably the tail end of that monster front that's hammering the Northeast today. Glad I'm here!
Bruce
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Prius Serviced, New Bike Rides Fine
Windy and rainy here today, so much wind that the trees rattling in the back yard woke me from a sound sleep at about 4:30 this morning. I played around on the Internet a bit, and then finished my night's sleep with another four hours in the recliner -- damn that recliner is comfortable and has lulled me into many an afternoon cat nap!
Thursday I had a 9:20 a.m. appointment at "AutoNation," the giant Toyota dealership here in Fort Myers, for a 10,000 mile scheduled maintenance, the first service on the car. This consisted of an oil/filter change, chassis lubrication, tire rotation, and safety/fluid level check with top-off on fluids if necessary. This is completely paid for by Toyota. Toyota recommends synthetic oil on the Prius, and this is what it came with, so I'm sticking with the game plan. The "oil" is more expensive, but is offset by the fact that it lasts 10,000 miles instead of the usual 5,000 for "real" oil. The dealership treated me very nicely. I was greeted at a covered drive-up by a valet, and directed to a large waiting room, where they offered free coffee, bagels and cream cheese, and Wi-Fi. I had my tablet computer along, and was going to do some emails and what-not, but it was at that particular moment that the computer's operating software, Windows 8, decided to perform a 59-step update, rendering the computer useless for about the first hour. I barely got into some emails when the car was ready, and I drove off. Mission accomplished, and I will be firmly back in Wisconsin by the time of the next scheduled service. The Prius has so far performed flawlessly,
Lunch that day was at my favorite "D.J. Chinese Restaurant" on South Cleveland. They are one of the few (if not only) Asian restaurants in town to offer Dim Sum. And as impossible as this sounds, I filled so completely up on Dim Sum (only three dishes .. terryaki beef skewers, pork dumplings, and shrimp spring rolls, washed down with a diet Coke), that I was torpid for the rest of the afternoon, finding respite once again in the arms of La-Zy Boy. I did manage to get a package out in the afternoon of a watch sold on the website. I felt so guilty about the afternoon's sloth that I got my ass over to Planet Fitness for a workout.
Friday, I went to the Farmer's Market at Lakes Park, and took the new "Next" bicycle out for its first significant ride of 4.5 miles each way. I flew compared to the old "iron horse" of before, clipping nearly 10 minutes off the ride without exerting any additional effort. I think this will be a very nice bike, even with its Wal-Mart pedigree and no doubt Chinese-made components. I had a delicious breakfast in the park of an egg/sausage/cheese bagel, a pint of fresh strawberries, and a cup of premium Joe. I met up with the guys from the "Peckerheads" bicycle club, and we had a few laughs and I told them about the cruise. The group is losing one of its members, Mike, next week because he is returning to his "home base" in British Columbia, Canada. A very fine fellow.
Rode the bike back to the apartment, then off to Fleamasters flea market in the car, where I had a productive day and bought some needed supplies, including a couple of very nice shot glasses so I can properly enjoy my sipping Tequila I bought in Cozumel. I mailed off another package of a watch sold on the website, this time to Switzerland. I also stopped at the Wal-Mart Neighborhood grocery store for some needed food items, and also at the Harbor Freight tool store, where I bought a set of regular wrenches and a set of Allen wrenches to do some adjustments on the new bike. I had one of their "20% off coupons" so I got both set of tools for $17 and change, which I'm sure will be cheaper than taking the bike to the shop around the corner.
For dinner, I made a delicious pasta pomodoro with fettucini pasta cooked in my new "Fasta Pasta" maker (thanks again, Amy). The mix-ins consisted of garlic and a little onion sauteed in olive oil, chicken breast chunks, fresh tomatoes, spinach, and basil. Mix in the pasta, and then top the whole thing off with some Parmesan cheese. This is a great dish if you want something more on the "light" side, with no heavy tomato or white sauces. Very yummy, and topped off with a black cherry sorbet for dessert. Later that evening, I enjoyed a wee dram of my sipping Tequila whilst enjoying an episode of "Family Guy" on the TV.
Today, I am going to do some needed work on a couple of watches (replacing hands) and some guy is supposed to meet me to look at the old bicycle. I'm swapping out the seat, and keeping the nice gel-cushion seat and putting the old seat back on that originally came with the bike. I am also going to investigate some new possible groups on "meetup.com" with which to connect, because the "singles and couples over 40" group that I've been meeting with appears to have entered a rather dormant phase.
If I feel ambitious, I might get going on a writing project that is due for the mid-winter NAWCC watch regional show in March in Kissimmee. Tomorrow, I am signed up for a one-day watch show in Miami, sponsored by World Wide Traders (not the NAWCC). I am going strictly as a buyer and will not be setting up, nor will I stay over night. The show opens at 9 a.m., so I'll be heading out about 6 a.m. and will most likely return in the mid- to later afternoon.
I did call sister-in-law, Julie, Friday evening to find out how her mother, Mary, was doing. She was admitted to a hospital with pneumonia during Julie's stay here, and was not expected to make it. But for whatever reason, it was not her time, and now she is in a convalescent center and "recouping" to the degree possible, given her frail state, which includes dementia that has her totally confused as to what has transpired during the previous week. Julie, if you are reading this, my thoughts are with you.
All is good here. I hope everyone is well.
Bruce
Thursday I had a 9:20 a.m. appointment at "AutoNation," the giant Toyota dealership here in Fort Myers, for a 10,000 mile scheduled maintenance, the first service on the car. This consisted of an oil/filter change, chassis lubrication, tire rotation, and safety/fluid level check with top-off on fluids if necessary. This is completely paid for by Toyota. Toyota recommends synthetic oil on the Prius, and this is what it came with, so I'm sticking with the game plan. The "oil" is more expensive, but is offset by the fact that it lasts 10,000 miles instead of the usual 5,000 for "real" oil. The dealership treated me very nicely. I was greeted at a covered drive-up by a valet, and directed to a large waiting room, where they offered free coffee, bagels and cream cheese, and Wi-Fi. I had my tablet computer along, and was going to do some emails and what-not, but it was at that particular moment that the computer's operating software, Windows 8, decided to perform a 59-step update, rendering the computer useless for about the first hour. I barely got into some emails when the car was ready, and I drove off. Mission accomplished, and I will be firmly back in Wisconsin by the time of the next scheduled service. The Prius has so far performed flawlessly,
Lunch that day was at my favorite "D.J. Chinese Restaurant" on South Cleveland. They are one of the few (if not only) Asian restaurants in town to offer Dim Sum. And as impossible as this sounds, I filled so completely up on Dim Sum (only three dishes .. terryaki beef skewers, pork dumplings, and shrimp spring rolls, washed down with a diet Coke), that I was torpid for the rest of the afternoon, finding respite once again in the arms of La-Zy Boy. I did manage to get a package out in the afternoon of a watch sold on the website. I felt so guilty about the afternoon's sloth that I got my ass over to Planet Fitness for a workout.
Friday, I went to the Farmer's Market at Lakes Park, and took the new "Next" bicycle out for its first significant ride of 4.5 miles each way. I flew compared to the old "iron horse" of before, clipping nearly 10 minutes off the ride without exerting any additional effort. I think this will be a very nice bike, even with its Wal-Mart pedigree and no doubt Chinese-made components. I had a delicious breakfast in the park of an egg/sausage/cheese bagel, a pint of fresh strawberries, and a cup of premium Joe. I met up with the guys from the "Peckerheads" bicycle club, and we had a few laughs and I told them about the cruise. The group is losing one of its members, Mike, next week because he is returning to his "home base" in British Columbia, Canada. A very fine fellow.
Rode the bike back to the apartment, then off to Fleamasters flea market in the car, where I had a productive day and bought some needed supplies, including a couple of very nice shot glasses so I can properly enjoy my sipping Tequila I bought in Cozumel. I mailed off another package of a watch sold on the website, this time to Switzerland. I also stopped at the Wal-Mart Neighborhood grocery store for some needed food items, and also at the Harbor Freight tool store, where I bought a set of regular wrenches and a set of Allen wrenches to do some adjustments on the new bike. I had one of their "20% off coupons" so I got both set of tools for $17 and change, which I'm sure will be cheaper than taking the bike to the shop around the corner.
For dinner, I made a delicious pasta pomodoro with fettucini pasta cooked in my new "Fasta Pasta" maker (thanks again, Amy). The mix-ins consisted of garlic and a little onion sauteed in olive oil, chicken breast chunks, fresh tomatoes, spinach, and basil. Mix in the pasta, and then top the whole thing off with some Parmesan cheese. This is a great dish if you want something more on the "light" side, with no heavy tomato or white sauces. Very yummy, and topped off with a black cherry sorbet for dessert. Later that evening, I enjoyed a wee dram of my sipping Tequila whilst enjoying an episode of "Family Guy" on the TV.
Today, I am going to do some needed work on a couple of watches (replacing hands) and some guy is supposed to meet me to look at the old bicycle. I'm swapping out the seat, and keeping the nice gel-cushion seat and putting the old seat back on that originally came with the bike. I am also going to investigate some new possible groups on "meetup.com" with which to connect, because the "singles and couples over 40" group that I've been meeting with appears to have entered a rather dormant phase.
If I feel ambitious, I might get going on a writing project that is due for the mid-winter NAWCC watch regional show in March in Kissimmee. Tomorrow, I am signed up for a one-day watch show in Miami, sponsored by World Wide Traders (not the NAWCC). I am going strictly as a buyer and will not be setting up, nor will I stay over night. The show opens at 9 a.m., so I'll be heading out about 6 a.m. and will most likely return in the mid- to later afternoon.
I did call sister-in-law, Julie, Friday evening to find out how her mother, Mary, was doing. She was admitted to a hospital with pneumonia during Julie's stay here, and was not expected to make it. But for whatever reason, it was not her time, and now she is in a convalescent center and "recouping" to the degree possible, given her frail state, which includes dementia that has her totally confused as to what has transpired during the previous week. Julie, if you are reading this, my thoughts are with you.
All is good here. I hope everyone is well.
Bruce
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Incurable Watch Nerd
I'm sitting in the dark at a derelict outdoor movie theater turned flea market in North Fort Myers with a flashlight strapped to my head, drinking a barely passable cup of coffee. I have spent the last half hour roaming the grounds with this small beacon attached to my head, searching for vintage watches, and have so far found none.
To the average person, this would seem nuts. But to an avid watch collector, this is just another day, chasing down another "lead" passed on by a fellow collector: "You might find some watches at the North Fort Myers Outdoor Theater Flea Market." But as I am sitting here, with another hour to go before the sun rises, it occurs to me that most any person looking at this photo would think "nerd" and not be too far off the mark!
Anyway, hello to everyone. The above was the scene Wednesday morning. And while I didn't find any watches, I did find some "wraparound" sunglasses of the variety I was searching for in Cozumel (adding to the nerd effect, but boy are they nice ... polarized and everything!), along with several leather watch bands that I purchased for $3 apiece. So at least I didn't drive the 30-miles round trip and come away empty handed.
To back up a bit, sister-in-law Julie and I spent Monday the 19th at Fort Myers Beach, and had a lovely day with sunny skies and temps in the mid 70s. We walked barefoot along the surf line for about a half mile, and saw the most amazing sight: a large (most likely male) dolphin swimming back and forth about 100 feet, and doing this about 30 feet out from the shore, Every so often, he would leap into the air and body slam the water. We were both wondering what he was doing, but pretty soon he smacked a good size fish completely out of the water, whereupon the dolphin caught it in mid air and swallowed it. This he repeated several more times, catching one more fish, before swimming out to deeper water. It was the most amazing sight, and we just happened to be at the right place at right time. Also the right time in that there was almost no one in the water (to scare off the dolphin to more remote waters) because it is still a bit cold for swimming. But the dolphin sighting prompted several people to jump into the water to try and get an underwater view. Julie and I stood there for perhaps five minutes, rapt with this spectacle unfolding before us.
Things were rather anticlimactic after that, but nonetheless pleasant. We rented a couple of lounge chairs with umbrella, and hung out on the beach for perhaps an hour and a half, and then went to the Gulfshore Grill (where sister Dawn and I had been before) and got an order of bacon-wrapped shrimp, and grouper fingers, and shared, washed down with a Rolling Rock (me) and a frozen rum runner (Julie). Then, to the rooftop of the Lanai Kai beach resort, where we enjoyed another round of cocktails, sitting in on of their signature "rocker booths" while watching the beach goers frolic beneath us, all the while breathing in in heavy reefer fumes from the reggae band playing six stories beneath us. I swear I got a little buzz from the weed, because I left the Lanai Kai very happy (or maybe it was the rum, or a combination of the two). Anyway, it was a lovely and fitting way for Julie and I to spend our last day together before she departed for Wisconsin on Tuesday.
."
After dropping Julie off at the airport, Tuesday was fairly uneventful, except for the return of my Microsoft Surface tablet computer, which took a complete crap just a few days before the cruise, and after only nine months of use. Microsoft sent me a completely new unit (or at the very least a newer reconditioned unit), so I had to go through the initial setup again, and several files stored locally on the hard drive of the old computer were lost, but nothing major. I will most likely store everything on Microsoft's "cloud" now, and hope that this is safe from North Korea.
I watched Disney's "Fantasia" on Netflix Tuesday night. I normally don't report on my TV viewing, but it had been ages since I had seen this movie, probably so long ago that I wasn't even able to appreciate the movie's imagery, and how far ahead of its time it was when released in 1940. I did a little research on Wikipedia, and while the movie was critically acclaimed, I don't think a lot of the public understood that this was an animated movie for adults, and instead took their kids to see it as a "cartoon." I can only imagine the little bastards being scared out of their seats by the sequence set to Mussorsky's "Night on Bald Mountain." It still gave me tingles watching it. Anyway, the movie still holds up 75 years later, and it's hard to imagine the painstaking cell-by-cell hand work that went into this given our present state of animation technology. A beautiful movie.
Today, in addition to going to the flea market, I procured for myself a better bicycle with a larger, lighter (aluminum) frame, and six speeds to give myself more speed on the straightaways, and more torque going up the occasional inclines I encounter. Here is a photo of it:
I bought it off a fellow on Craigslist for $100. The "Next" brand is made by Dynacraft and sold exclusively through Walmart, not the greatest sign I know, but at least the company is located in the United States (though I assume they import the components). The frame is aluminum rather than steel, so it probably weighs a good 20 pounds lighter than the bike I was using. The front fork is shock mounted, as it the seat, for a little "give" on the bumps, of which there are many around here. The gears shift smoothly, the brakes, cables, and tires are all in good shape, and it appears to have been ridden very lightly. The rear kickstand is also a nice feature. I think it will serve my purposes just fine, and tomorrow I will take it to the bike shop around the corner and have the handle bar adjustments tweaked a little bit. The "Upland" cruiser will now go on Craigslist.
So that's all for now. I'm going to send this out, and get going on some dinner.
Bruce
 |
| Selfie, with snack bar in the background |
To the average person, this would seem nuts. But to an avid watch collector, this is just another day, chasing down another "lead" passed on by a fellow collector: "You might find some watches at the North Fort Myers Outdoor Theater Flea Market." But as I am sitting here, with another hour to go before the sun rises, it occurs to me that most any person looking at this photo would think "nerd" and not be too far off the mark!
Anyway, hello to everyone. The above was the scene Wednesday morning. And while I didn't find any watches, I did find some "wraparound" sunglasses of the variety I was searching for in Cozumel (adding to the nerd effect, but boy are they nice ... polarized and everything!), along with several leather watch bands that I purchased for $3 apiece. So at least I didn't drive the 30-miles round trip and come away empty handed.
To back up a bit, sister-in-law Julie and I spent Monday the 19th at Fort Myers Beach, and had a lovely day with sunny skies and temps in the mid 70s. We walked barefoot along the surf line for about a half mile, and saw the most amazing sight: a large (most likely male) dolphin swimming back and forth about 100 feet, and doing this about 30 feet out from the shore, Every so often, he would leap into the air and body slam the water. We were both wondering what he was doing, but pretty soon he smacked a good size fish completely out of the water, whereupon the dolphin caught it in mid air and swallowed it. This he repeated several more times, catching one more fish, before swimming out to deeper water. It was the most amazing sight, and we just happened to be at the right place at right time. Also the right time in that there was almost no one in the water (to scare off the dolphin to more remote waters) because it is still a bit cold for swimming. But the dolphin sighting prompted several people to jump into the water to try and get an underwater view. Julie and I stood there for perhaps five minutes, rapt with this spectacle unfolding before us.
Things were rather anticlimactic after that, but nonetheless pleasant. We rented a couple of lounge chairs with umbrella, and hung out on the beach for perhaps an hour and a half, and then went to the Gulfshore Grill (where sister Dawn and I had been before) and got an order of bacon-wrapped shrimp, and grouper fingers, and shared, washed down with a Rolling Rock (me) and a frozen rum runner (Julie). Then, to the rooftop of the Lanai Kai beach resort, where we enjoyed another round of cocktails, sitting in on of their signature "rocker booths" while watching the beach goers frolic beneath us, all the while breathing in in heavy reefer fumes from the reggae band playing six stories beneath us. I swear I got a little buzz from the weed, because I left the Lanai Kai very happy (or maybe it was the rum, or a combination of the two). Anyway, it was a lovely and fitting way for Julie and I to spend our last day together before she departed for Wisconsin on Tuesday.
."
After dropping Julie off at the airport, Tuesday was fairly uneventful, except for the return of my Microsoft Surface tablet computer, which took a complete crap just a few days before the cruise, and after only nine months of use. Microsoft sent me a completely new unit (or at the very least a newer reconditioned unit), so I had to go through the initial setup again, and several files stored locally on the hard drive of the old computer were lost, but nothing major. I will most likely store everything on Microsoft's "cloud" now, and hope that this is safe from North Korea.
I watched Disney's "Fantasia" on Netflix Tuesday night. I normally don't report on my TV viewing, but it had been ages since I had seen this movie, probably so long ago that I wasn't even able to appreciate the movie's imagery, and how far ahead of its time it was when released in 1940. I did a little research on Wikipedia, and while the movie was critically acclaimed, I don't think a lot of the public understood that this was an animated movie for adults, and instead took their kids to see it as a "cartoon." I can only imagine the little bastards being scared out of their seats by the sequence set to Mussorsky's "Night on Bald Mountain." It still gave me tingles watching it. Anyway, the movie still holds up 75 years later, and it's hard to imagine the painstaking cell-by-cell hand work that went into this given our present state of animation technology. A beautiful movie.
Today, in addition to going to the flea market, I procured for myself a better bicycle with a larger, lighter (aluminum) frame, and six speeds to give myself more speed on the straightaways, and more torque going up the occasional inclines I encounter. Here is a photo of it:
I bought it off a fellow on Craigslist for $100. The "Next" brand is made by Dynacraft and sold exclusively through Walmart, not the greatest sign I know, but at least the company is located in the United States (though I assume they import the components). The frame is aluminum rather than steel, so it probably weighs a good 20 pounds lighter than the bike I was using. The front fork is shock mounted, as it the seat, for a little "give" on the bumps, of which there are many around here. The gears shift smoothly, the brakes, cables, and tires are all in good shape, and it appears to have been ridden very lightly. The rear kickstand is also a nice feature. I think it will serve my purposes just fine, and tomorrow I will take it to the bike shop around the corner and have the handle bar adjustments tweaked a little bit. The "Upland" cruiser will now go on Craigslist.
So that's all for now. I'm going to send this out, and get going on some dinner.
Bruce
Saturday, January 17, 2015
A Lovely Cruise
Hi everyone:
Here's recap of the cruise Julie and I took Jan. 12-17 aboard Royal Caribbean's "Brilliance of the Seas"
to Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico. If you don't want to read the long version, the short version is that we had a wonderful time. The 2 full days at sea were totally relaxing; our ports of call were fun. The weather was cooperative most of the time. The food and drink were both delicious, and we both returned plumper.
Monday Jan. 12 -- We left Fort Myers about 9 a.m., arriving at the Port of Tampa Bay at about 11:30. I valet parked the Prius for about $20 more than self-park for the convenience, and the fact it was misting. Passed through security and the check-in quite quickly without incident, and were on board by 12:15 and immediately made our way to Deck 11 to the Windjammer for the "welcome aboard" lunch buffet. By this time, the weather outside was full-on rain, so we were glad not to be out there standing in it. The rain also meant that all the "pool rats" had nowhere to go, so seating was at a premium, but we finally found a seat and filled out tummies. We explored the ship, including our fourth deck inside stateroom in the forward portion of the ship, room 4021. Our luggage arrived intact at about 4 p.m. We changed into our nicer outfits and headed to the dining room for our 6 p.m. seating, which was our dining time each evening. We shared a large table with nine other people, and eventually one other couple who joined us the last couple nights as refugees from another table. Our table mates were as follows, and I have varying degrees of information about them:
Ellen and Phillip -- father and daughter, she from Mt. Pleasant, S.C. and celebrating a birthday, and he from Connecticut;
Keven and Georgia -- husband and wife, from Blairsville, Georgia, celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. Friendly folks, and we instantly connected them, and even spent part of day together with them in Cozumel;
Fran, Honey, and Carol -- three sisters from Long Island, N.Y. They all love NYC, and go there frequently to dine, partake of theater events (last play "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"), so I connected with them instantly with my trips there and internship in 1984;
Kirby and Holly, husband and wife from the Panama City Fla. area.
Mary and Eddie, from Ireland. They are from Ireland, and joined our table only the last couple of nights. I don't know much about them, other than they own and operate a farm with over 1,200 head of cows/cattle. Here is a composite photo of us all:
They were all a very good bunch of people, and we switched seats most every night so that we had an opportunity to speak with everyone. I feel Julie and I really lucked out with this arrangement, considering we originally booked for my-time dining with a table for two, and these big tables can sometimes be a crapshoot. Anyway, for our first dinner, both Julie and I had the prime rib and it was very good. We made the 7 p.m. show, and saw the comedian Kelly Monteith, who was big back in '70s appearing on Carson and other talk shows, and is apparently doing the cruise ship circuit now. He was amusing, but not knee-slappingly funny or anything. The usual topical humor about airline travel, the medical profession, etc. After that Julie and I did a turn on the Promenade Deck 5, and then I went to the casino and won $51 playing craps. I rejoined Julie in our cabin and we hit sack around 10 p.m. I slept well; Julie tossed and turned and had to listen to my snoring.
Tuesday Jan. 13 -- The weather took a marked turn, and we had a beautiful day at sea, sunny and in the mid 80s. We started the day with a large and leisurely breakfast in the Windjammer buffet, and basically had a day of reading, drinking rum drinks, and exploring the ship. We had a bit of a scare when we were on one of the glass elevators going to have a pre-dinner drink, and some kid about 6 years old stuck his arm inside the elevator door on one of the stops, and then started screaming hysterically when when door started to close. I was closest to the kid, with the parents in back of me, so I pushed the doors back open manually, and grabbed a hold of the kid and pulled him back into the elevator car, whereupon the the parents and kid exited the elevator to get the kid under control. It all happened in a moment and scared the crap out of me and everyone else in the elevator car, but the kid appeared unharmed, at least physically. He may never ride another elevator again, though! Julie and I had pre-dinner drinks in the Schooner Lounge, and then to the dining room where I had salmon (delicious) and Julie had broiled Corvina (fish) which she pronounced a bit on the dry side. From there, we went to an aerial performance in the 12-story atrium in the center of this ship. Here's a photo:
The theater show that night featured Tony Tillman, an extremely energetic and talented entertainer who sang with the RC band and danced and told stories of his life. He has performed as Sammy Davis Jr. in several "rat pack" revival shows in Vegas, and has traveled the world and performed as an opening act for Victor Borge, among others. He got a standing ovation and both Julie and I agreed he was the best of all the shows. I went back to the casino that night and won another $41 at the craps table.
Wednesday Jan. 14
We anchored off Georgetown, Grand Cayman, and Julie took one of the tenders into the city and did a little shopping, including buying a couple of bamboo towels at the Cariloha store there. I stayed aboard and enjoyed the amenities aboard with a half-empty ship. I had an extraordinary soak in the whirlpool all to myself, a refreshing dip in the saltwater pool, a lovely pina colada, and general relaxation. Julie and I reconnoitered at the Windjammer for lunch, followed by more books and general blobbing in the Solarium, which is the covered pool area for adults only and became more or less our sanctuary, away from the noise, hubbub and bad reggae music of the outside pool deck. Pre-dinner cocktails, and Julie and I both had the tiger prawns for dinner that night which were delicious. Right after dinner, I had an invitation to a platinum-level- and-above-loyalty-club recognition event in one of the ship's lounges, where we were presented with yet more food (of which I did not partake) and free drinks (of which I DID partake) and we had our own private band playing dance music, and then got to meet the captain and listen to a short presentation, aimed at persuading us to sign up for more cruises. The 9 p.m. show that evening was "Then, Now, and Forever," a production show featuring the RC singers and dancers, which Julie and I both thought was the weakest of the shows. The costuming and lights and props were pretty and all, but the show lacked continuity and the choreography was choppy. I went back to the casino after
that and lost $53 at the craps table, so now I am only $39 ahead.
Thursday Jan. 15
Today, we docked at Cozumel. Following breakfast in the 'jammer, and we hooked up with Kevin and Georgia (marking their 20th anniversary that day) and went into port and shared a taxi ride to the main downtown area, about two miles from the port. The shopkeepers were aggressive, but I wouldn't say they were terrible or rude or anything. We saw the whole range of goods, from finely crafted carvings and pottery work, to one store with the name "Cheap Stuff You Don't Need." I bought two bottles of Tequila, one aged for five years for sipping, and one bottle of silver grade for margaritas. Also bought a Cozumel T-shirt to replace the ratty one I have back at the apartment which I can now finally throw out. The four of us went searching for an authentic Mexican restaurant a little off the "main drag" and found a place that had a great chicken with mole sauce (for me) and a quesadilla for Julie. Kevin and Georgia called over the strolling minstrels and had them play an anniversary song for them:
We had a very fun time, and I sure appreciated Kevin and Georgia letting us hook up with them, because it made me a feel a little bit safer, although I must say I think the stories of rogue taxi drivers and kidnappings, etc., are overblown.
Julie and I headed back to the ship in a taxi, while Kev/Georgia did a little more shopping. I had Julie snap one more photo of me in Cozumel:
The dining room was serving lobster tail that night as part of a fisherman's platter, so I doubled up on the main course and got a really nice portion of lobster that evening. Mmmm. We celebrated a birthday (Ellen) and an anniversary (Kev/Georgia) so we had much singing and revelry at our table that evening, with singing waiters. There was another excellent show that evening, featuring the piano stylings of John Bressler, a mostly self-taught pianist originally from the Lancaster County, Pa., area with a unique style of piano, vocals, and humor. He did a rendition of Jimmy Webb's masterpiece, "MacArthur Park" at his finale which, backed up with the RC orchestra, was killer. Julie was so impressed with him that she bought both of his CDs at the end of the show, and got them autographed. John was refreshingly humble and appreciative of his audience. He was thoroughly entertaining. I went back to the casino and won $18 at craps, so now I am $57 to the good on gambling.
Friday Jan. 16
Another wonderful and relaxing day at sea. Breakfast in the 'Jammer as usual, and then a day of kicking back in the solarium. The weather took a bit of a cool turn today, so some of the pool rats moved into our "turf," making things a little more noisy, but overall still very enjoyable. Even got in a little afternoon nap. I wish I could say we were a little more "adventurous" and took part in at least a few of the ship's activities, but we simply chilled out with good books, hot tub soaks, good food, and drink. Our final dinner together saw the usual fanfare with a salute to the wait staff and cooks. Julie and I both enjoyed a seafood platter with fish, shrimp, and scallops. All very tasty. The last show of the cruise was another production show by the RC singers, dancers, and orchestra, who were also joined at times by the lounge performers in the various venues throughout the ship. At one point, there were about 20 musicians on stage who did an orchestral salute to the music of John Williams, which included themes from E.T., Star Wars, Raiders, and Superman. Julie and I couldn't believe that we were hearing such a rich full sound and wondered if they had taped musical support in the background or something. It was simply awesome, and I must say it was head and shoulders above the first production show on Wednesday. Back to the casino and lost $32 to the house, so my efforts in the casino for five nights netted me $25. So no great shakes, but at least I can say I ended up to the good. Here are a couple of final pictures of Julie and I, one taken overlooking the Centrum, and the other one the sundeck with the "Jumbo-tron" TV screen in the background:
Saturday Jan. 17
Time to depart. Breakfast in the 'jammer and then we gathered at our departure station and headed off the ship at 9:30. We collected our baggage and went through customs without a hitch. Picked up our car from valet, and on the road by 10:30, back to Fort Myers by about 1 p.m., including a stop for gasoline, and a quick stop at Fleamasters for some fresh produce.
All in all, a wonderful cruise, and Julie and I are already talking about our next one.
Over and out for now,
Bruce
Here's recap of the cruise Julie and I took Jan. 12-17 aboard Royal Caribbean's "Brilliance of the Seas"
 |
| Bruce with Brilliance on the left (Vision of the Seas on the right) |
to Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico. If you don't want to read the long version, the short version is that we had a wonderful time. The 2 full days at sea were totally relaxing; our ports of call were fun. The weather was cooperative most of the time. The food and drink were both delicious, and we both returned plumper.
Monday Jan. 12 -- We left Fort Myers about 9 a.m., arriving at the Port of Tampa Bay at about 11:30. I valet parked the Prius for about $20 more than self-park for the convenience, and the fact it was misting. Passed through security and the check-in quite quickly without incident, and were on board by 12:15 and immediately made our way to Deck 11 to the Windjammer for the "welcome aboard" lunch buffet. By this time, the weather outside was full-on rain, so we were glad not to be out there standing in it. The rain also meant that all the "pool rats" had nowhere to go, so seating was at a premium, but we finally found a seat and filled out tummies. We explored the ship, including our fourth deck inside stateroom in the forward portion of the ship, room 4021. Our luggage arrived intact at about 4 p.m. We changed into our nicer outfits and headed to the dining room for our 6 p.m. seating, which was our dining time each evening. We shared a large table with nine other people, and eventually one other couple who joined us the last couple nights as refugees from another table. Our table mates were as follows, and I have varying degrees of information about them:
Ellen and Phillip -- father and daughter, she from Mt. Pleasant, S.C. and celebrating a birthday, and he from Connecticut;
Keven and Georgia -- husband and wife, from Blairsville, Georgia, celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. Friendly folks, and we instantly connected them, and even spent part of day together with them in Cozumel;
Fran, Honey, and Carol -- three sisters from Long Island, N.Y. They all love NYC, and go there frequently to dine, partake of theater events (last play "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"), so I connected with them instantly with my trips there and internship in 1984;
Kirby and Holly, husband and wife from the Panama City Fla. area.
Mary and Eddie, from Ireland. They are from Ireland, and joined our table only the last couple of nights. I don't know much about them, other than they own and operate a farm with over 1,200 head of cows/cattle. Here is a composite photo of us all:
 |
| From top: Bruce & Julie; Ellen & Phillip; Eddie & Mary; Georgia & Kevin; Kirby & Holly; sisters (l to r): Honey, Carol, and Fran) |
They were all a very good bunch of people, and we switched seats most every night so that we had an opportunity to speak with everyone. I feel Julie and I really lucked out with this arrangement, considering we originally booked for my-time dining with a table for two, and these big tables can sometimes be a crapshoot. Anyway, for our first dinner, both Julie and I had the prime rib and it was very good. We made the 7 p.m. show, and saw the comedian Kelly Monteith, who was big back in '70s appearing on Carson and other talk shows, and is apparently doing the cruise ship circuit now. He was amusing, but not knee-slappingly funny or anything. The usual topical humor about airline travel, the medical profession, etc. After that Julie and I did a turn on the Promenade Deck 5, and then I went to the casino and won $51 playing craps. I rejoined Julie in our cabin and we hit sack around 10 p.m. I slept well; Julie tossed and turned and had to listen to my snoring.
Tuesday Jan. 13 -- The weather took a marked turn, and we had a beautiful day at sea, sunny and in the mid 80s. We started the day with a large and leisurely breakfast in the Windjammer buffet, and basically had a day of reading, drinking rum drinks, and exploring the ship. We had a bit of a scare when we were on one of the glass elevators going to have a pre-dinner drink, and some kid about 6 years old stuck his arm inside the elevator door on one of the stops, and then started screaming hysterically when when door started to close. I was closest to the kid, with the parents in back of me, so I pushed the doors back open manually, and grabbed a hold of the kid and pulled him back into the elevator car, whereupon the the parents and kid exited the elevator to get the kid under control. It all happened in a moment and scared the crap out of me and everyone else in the elevator car, but the kid appeared unharmed, at least physically. He may never ride another elevator again, though! Julie and I had pre-dinner drinks in the Schooner Lounge, and then to the dining room where I had salmon (delicious) and Julie had broiled Corvina (fish) which she pronounced a bit on the dry side. From there, we went to an aerial performance in the 12-story atrium in the center of this ship. Here's a photo:
The theater show that night featured Tony Tillman, an extremely energetic and talented entertainer who sang with the RC band and danced and told stories of his life. He has performed as Sammy Davis Jr. in several "rat pack" revival shows in Vegas, and has traveled the world and performed as an opening act for Victor Borge, among others. He got a standing ovation and both Julie and I agreed he was the best of all the shows. I went back to the casino that night and won another $41 at the craps table.
Wednesday Jan. 14
We anchored off Georgetown, Grand Cayman, and Julie took one of the tenders into the city and did a little shopping, including buying a couple of bamboo towels at the Cariloha store there. I stayed aboard and enjoyed the amenities aboard with a half-empty ship. I had an extraordinary soak in the whirlpool all to myself, a refreshing dip in the saltwater pool, a lovely pina colada, and general relaxation. Julie and I reconnoitered at the Windjammer for lunch, followed by more books and general blobbing in the Solarium, which is the covered pool area for adults only and became more or less our sanctuary, away from the noise, hubbub and bad reggae music of the outside pool deck. Pre-dinner cocktails, and Julie and I both had the tiger prawns for dinner that night which were delicious. Right after dinner, I had an invitation to a platinum-level- and-above-loyalty-club recognition event in one of the ship's lounges, where we were presented with yet more food (of which I did not partake) and free drinks (of which I DID partake) and we had our own private band playing dance music, and then got to meet the captain and listen to a short presentation, aimed at persuading us to sign up for more cruises. The 9 p.m. show that evening was "Then, Now, and Forever," a production show featuring the RC singers and dancers, which Julie and I both thought was the weakest of the shows. The costuming and lights and props were pretty and all, but the show lacked continuity and the choreography was choppy. I went back to the casino after
that and lost $53 at the craps table, so now I am only $39 ahead.
Thursday Jan. 15
Today, we docked at Cozumel. Following breakfast in the 'jammer, and we hooked up with Kevin and Georgia (marking their 20th anniversary that day) and went into port and shared a taxi ride to the main downtown area, about two miles from the port. The shopkeepers were aggressive, but I wouldn't say they were terrible or rude or anything. We saw the whole range of goods, from finely crafted carvings and pottery work, to one store with the name "Cheap Stuff You Don't Need." I bought two bottles of Tequila, one aged for five years for sipping, and one bottle of silver grade for margaritas. Also bought a Cozumel T-shirt to replace the ratty one I have back at the apartment which I can now finally throw out. The four of us went searching for an authentic Mexican restaurant a little off the "main drag" and found a place that had a great chicken with mole sauce (for me) and a quesadilla for Julie. Kevin and Georgia called over the strolling minstrels and had them play an anniversary song for them:
We had a very fun time, and I sure appreciated Kevin and Georgia letting us hook up with them, because it made me a feel a little bit safer, although I must say I think the stories of rogue taxi drivers and kidnappings, etc., are overblown.
Julie and I headed back to the ship in a taxi, while Kev/Georgia did a little more shopping. I had Julie snap one more photo of me in Cozumel:
The dining room was serving lobster tail that night as part of a fisherman's platter, so I doubled up on the main course and got a really nice portion of lobster that evening. Mmmm. We celebrated a birthday (Ellen) and an anniversary (Kev/Georgia) so we had much singing and revelry at our table that evening, with singing waiters. There was another excellent show that evening, featuring the piano stylings of John Bressler, a mostly self-taught pianist originally from the Lancaster County, Pa., area with a unique style of piano, vocals, and humor. He did a rendition of Jimmy Webb's masterpiece, "MacArthur Park" at his finale which, backed up with the RC orchestra, was killer. Julie was so impressed with him that she bought both of his CDs at the end of the show, and got them autographed. John was refreshingly humble and appreciative of his audience. He was thoroughly entertaining. I went back to the casino and won $18 at craps, so now I am $57 to the good on gambling.
Friday Jan. 16
Another wonderful and relaxing day at sea. Breakfast in the 'Jammer as usual, and then a day of kicking back in the solarium. The weather took a bit of a cool turn today, so some of the pool rats moved into our "turf," making things a little more noisy, but overall still very enjoyable. Even got in a little afternoon nap. I wish I could say we were a little more "adventurous" and took part in at least a few of the ship's activities, but we simply chilled out with good books, hot tub soaks, good food, and drink. Our final dinner together saw the usual fanfare with a salute to the wait staff and cooks. Julie and I both enjoyed a seafood platter with fish, shrimp, and scallops. All very tasty. The last show of the cruise was another production show by the RC singers, dancers, and orchestra, who were also joined at times by the lounge performers in the various venues throughout the ship. At one point, there were about 20 musicians on stage who did an orchestral salute to the music of John Williams, which included themes from E.T., Star Wars, Raiders, and Superman. Julie and I couldn't believe that we were hearing such a rich full sound and wondered if they had taped musical support in the background or something. It was simply awesome, and I must say it was head and shoulders above the first production show on Wednesday. Back to the casino and lost $32 to the house, so my efforts in the casino for five nights netted me $25. So no great shakes, but at least I can say I ended up to the good. Here are a couple of final pictures of Julie and I, one taken overlooking the Centrum, and the other one the sundeck with the "Jumbo-tron" TV screen in the background:
Saturday Jan. 17
Time to depart. Breakfast in the 'jammer and then we gathered at our departure station and headed off the ship at 9:30. We collected our baggage and went through customs without a hitch. Picked up our car from valet, and on the road by 10:30, back to Fort Myers by about 1 p.m., including a stop for gasoline, and a quick stop at Fleamasters for some fresh produce.
All in all, a wonderful cruise, and Julie and I are already talking about our next one.
Over and out for now,
Bruce
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Getting Ready for a Cruise
Sunday January 12
Julie arrived yesterday (Friday) and we are preparing to leave on our cruise tomorrow. We spent part of today at Lakes Park and rode a dual recumbent bicycle around the park which was very much fun, and a good workout as well. After that, we went to Pincher's Crab Shack at the downtown marina and had a lovely lunch of fried clams (me) and broiled grouper (Julie). We came back to the apartment and watched the remainder of the Packers/Cowboys game because Julie is a Packer's fan. We are just hanging out now; I'm doing a load of laundry, and finished packing my suitcase and (carry-on) backpack. We may go out for a light bite before bedtime.
OK, I took a little break from this entry, and Julie and I headed down to Mel's Diner, where we split the special of the evening -- a roast pork dinner with stuffing, mashed potatoes, red cabbage, and salad. It was plenty for the both of us, and we each got a mini dessert -- creme brule for me, and a mini chocolate sundae for Julie. The total bill with tip was $22, so it was definitely one of the best meal bargains around, and there was plenty for each of us as the portions at Mel's are insanely huge.
Backtracking a bit, on Wednesday, I finally hit my favorite Mexican restaurant (La Casita) on the day they make homemade tamales. And oh my god, they were delicious. I will probably mark Wednesdays on my calendar as tamale day.
The big news for me this past week was that my Microsoft Surface tablet computer died on me, and I spent the greater part of two days Thursday and Friday) running around town trying several solutions (which did not work), including a trip to the much-dreaded Best Buy, which always gives me cramps whenever I enter their store, but sometime you gotta do it. Eventually, on Friday, I bought a used laptop computer for $175 at the Fleamasters flea market, which I am using now. The tablet computer I sent off to Microsoft via Fed Ex, and they promised to either fix the problem, or send me a totally new computer. While at Fleamasters, I broke down and bought two pair of Sketcher athletic shoes, and ponied up the $140 for two pairs. There was just no getting around it, and Julie told me not to feel bad, because with her size 12 narrow feet, she had to pay $150 for just one pair. So anyway, I'll be going on the cruise with new shoes. One pair is grey, and the other bright red. Wanted to do something different this time rather than the usual white.
Through a little investigating on the web, I found a group of watch and clock collectors that meets every second Saturday of the month. So I met up with them on Saturday at 10 a.m., and found a couple of other guys who are into watches (the rest of the 20 or so people who were there are into clocks) so was able to do a little buying and a little trading. Nice group of people. I got snagged into volunteering for an "expo" that the club is putting on Feb. 14 at the Fort Myers public library. I will display a few watches from my inventory, and sit at a table for part of the day and give informal appraisals to anyone that might walk in with a watch. I stayed for the club's luncheon, at $12, which consisted of of a cold cut sandwich, chips, cole slaw, and ice tea.
Julie's plane was due in at 5:10, so at about 3:30 I was hungry again, and so went to a Five Guys Burger, and had a regular burger and soda, and then headed out to the airport and waited for Julie's flight to come in, which was delayed by about a half hour. We collected Julie's luggage, then headed back to the apartment, where I made us some sandwiches and macaroni salad. We watched a little TV, then headed off to bed, as Julie was kind of tired from all the travel.
I haven't decided whether to take this heavy laptop on the cruise ship with me or not. I may just keep a handwritten diary while on the cruise. But regardless, I won't have Internet access, so you won't hear from me for a while. But the week ahead looks to be one of relaxation and pampering. I have four books I'm taking along, and hope to finish at least a couple of them. This cruise has two full days at sea, so it should be very relaxing in addition to our two ports of call --- Georgetown Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, Mexico.
Take care, everyone,
Bruce
Julie arrived yesterday (Friday) and we are preparing to leave on our cruise tomorrow. We spent part of today at Lakes Park and rode a dual recumbent bicycle around the park which was very much fun, and a good workout as well. After that, we went to Pincher's Crab Shack at the downtown marina and had a lovely lunch of fried clams (me) and broiled grouper (Julie). We came back to the apartment and watched the remainder of the Packers/Cowboys game because Julie is a Packer's fan. We are just hanging out now; I'm doing a load of laundry, and finished packing my suitcase and (carry-on) backpack. We may go out for a light bite before bedtime.
OK, I took a little break from this entry, and Julie and I headed down to Mel's Diner, where we split the special of the evening -- a roast pork dinner with stuffing, mashed potatoes, red cabbage, and salad. It was plenty for the both of us, and we each got a mini dessert -- creme brule for me, and a mini chocolate sundae for Julie. The total bill with tip was $22, so it was definitely one of the best meal bargains around, and there was plenty for each of us as the portions at Mel's are insanely huge.
Backtracking a bit, on Wednesday, I finally hit my favorite Mexican restaurant (La Casita) on the day they make homemade tamales. And oh my god, they were delicious. I will probably mark Wednesdays on my calendar as tamale day.
The big news for me this past week was that my Microsoft Surface tablet computer died on me, and I spent the greater part of two days Thursday and Friday) running around town trying several solutions (which did not work), including a trip to the much-dreaded Best Buy, which always gives me cramps whenever I enter their store, but sometime you gotta do it. Eventually, on Friday, I bought a used laptop computer for $175 at the Fleamasters flea market, which I am using now. The tablet computer I sent off to Microsoft via Fed Ex, and they promised to either fix the problem, or send me a totally new computer. While at Fleamasters, I broke down and bought two pair of Sketcher athletic shoes, and ponied up the $140 for two pairs. There was just no getting around it, and Julie told me not to feel bad, because with her size 12 narrow feet, she had to pay $150 for just one pair. So anyway, I'll be going on the cruise with new shoes. One pair is grey, and the other bright red. Wanted to do something different this time rather than the usual white.
Through a little investigating on the web, I found a group of watch and clock collectors that meets every second Saturday of the month. So I met up with them on Saturday at 10 a.m., and found a couple of other guys who are into watches (the rest of the 20 or so people who were there are into clocks) so was able to do a little buying and a little trading. Nice group of people. I got snagged into volunteering for an "expo" that the club is putting on Feb. 14 at the Fort Myers public library. I will display a few watches from my inventory, and sit at a table for part of the day and give informal appraisals to anyone that might walk in with a watch. I stayed for the club's luncheon, at $12, which consisted of of a cold cut sandwich, chips, cole slaw, and ice tea.
Julie's plane was due in at 5:10, so at about 3:30 I was hungry again, and so went to a Five Guys Burger, and had a regular burger and soda, and then headed out to the airport and waited for Julie's flight to come in, which was delayed by about a half hour. We collected Julie's luggage, then headed back to the apartment, where I made us some sandwiches and macaroni salad. We watched a little TV, then headed off to bed, as Julie was kind of tired from all the travel.
I haven't decided whether to take this heavy laptop on the cruise ship with me or not. I may just keep a handwritten diary while on the cruise. But regardless, I won't have Internet access, so you won't hear from me for a while. But the week ahead looks to be one of relaxation and pampering. I have four books I'm taking along, and hope to finish at least a couple of them. This cruise has two full days at sea, so it should be very relaxing in addition to our two ports of call --- Georgetown Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, Mexico.
Take care, everyone,
Bruce
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
New Breakfast Place; Shoe and Bike Shopping; Bella Pasta Cooker
Tuesday January 6
It arrived today. A gift from my friend, Amy, that will likely forever change the way I cook pasta. It's a "Fasta Pasta" cooker that cooks all types of pasta in the microwave with no boil-over (guaranteed) and eliminates the need for large cauldrons of boiling water. I used it tonight to make a fantastic fettuccine carbonara where the "sauce" consists of crisped bacon, a little bit of sauteed onion for flavor, egg, and heavy cream. What's not to like? Here is a photo of the finished product:
My only complaint is that I didn't think of this device myself (it's utterly simple) and make the millions of dollars I'm sure its inventor is making! For dessert, I had black cherry sorbet, which was perfect compliment to the rich pasta. It was all very delicious, and I've already downloaded the cookbook and will be experimenting with other pasta dishes in the coming weeks. Amy, you'll also be glad to know I took the Prius to the carwash for the first time since arriving here two months ago. Gave it a thorough wash and wax, washed the mats, vacuumed the interior, and even used the dust mitt you bought me to clean the dashboard!
Backing up to Monday, the day started out nicely at a new restaurant recommended by my bicycle buddies, called the Sunflower Cafe, about five miles from my apartment on Summerlin and San Carlos Blvd. A very typical Greek family restaurant with reasonable prices and some of the fastest cooks known to mankind. My egg/sausage/hashbrown platter was delivered lightening quick and piping hot. Hash browns were especially delicious. The total bill, with coffee and tip, came to under $10, which makes this probably one of the few breakfast places in Fort Myers to rival Janesville prices, and of course I'm only speaking of restaurants that serve actual food; McDonald's and their ilk do not count.
From there, Monday took on an air of futility. I looked at a couple of bikes from a Craigslist seller. One was a Huffy that was an utter piece of junk. The other was a Fuji that, while it fit me well, needed too much work for the price the guy was asking. The clincher on the Fuji was that the kickstand was busted, and the guy wouldn't swap it with for another kickstand from one of the other junker bikes he had laying around. So I left empty-handed.
My next shopping adventure for athletic shoes was equally fruitless. I went to two "Famous Footwear" locations, one in Fort Myers, the other way the hell out in northern Cape Coral, only to find out that the Famous Footwear stores here in Florida do not give the same deal as the ones in Wisconsin where you get half off the second pair when you buy the first pair at regular price. So the two pair of shoes I was looking at -- one pair of Nike "Air Relentless" and one pair of New Balance "Trail Running Shoes" -- would have cost me $150 with tax. And Famous Footwear's beneficent discount -- keep in mind one of the stores was supposedly a discount outlet -- was a mere $10 a pair off suggested retail. Is it just me, or has to the world of athletic footwear gone off its rocker? Hey, I don't deny anyone's right to make a reasonable profit here, but I just can't see forking over $75 for a pair of shoes made completely of synthetic materials, made in Vietnam to boot (no pun intended), and which probably cost Nike/New Balance less than 10 bucks a pair. So I'm switching to Plan B (finding the same or similar shoes at Fleamasters on Friday) or Plan C, ordering them from an eBay seller. The goal is to have new "sneaks" in time for the cruise which sails Monday, or if not the old smelly ones will have to last for another week.
The good news is that all this shopping crap happened with the sun shining, the temperature hovering around 80 degrees, and the roadways clear of any ice or snow. It's hard to complain a whole lot (and to get any sympathy I suppose) when I'm in one of the few locations in the country where people aren't freezing their butts off. So onward.
Bruce
It arrived today. A gift from my friend, Amy, that will likely forever change the way I cook pasta. It's a "Fasta Pasta" cooker that cooks all types of pasta in the microwave with no boil-over (guaranteed) and eliminates the need for large cauldrons of boiling water. I used it tonight to make a fantastic fettuccine carbonara where the "sauce" consists of crisped bacon, a little bit of sauteed onion for flavor, egg, and heavy cream. What's not to like? Here is a photo of the finished product:
 |
| There's supposed to be parsley on this to give it a little color, but the grocery store was out. Trust me, though, it was delicious! |
My only complaint is that I didn't think of this device myself (it's utterly simple) and make the millions of dollars I'm sure its inventor is making! For dessert, I had black cherry sorbet, which was perfect compliment to the rich pasta. It was all very delicious, and I've already downloaded the cookbook and will be experimenting with other pasta dishes in the coming weeks. Amy, you'll also be glad to know I took the Prius to the carwash for the first time since arriving here two months ago. Gave it a thorough wash and wax, washed the mats, vacuumed the interior, and even used the dust mitt you bought me to clean the dashboard!
Backing up to Monday, the day started out nicely at a new restaurant recommended by my bicycle buddies, called the Sunflower Cafe, about five miles from my apartment on Summerlin and San Carlos Blvd. A very typical Greek family restaurant with reasonable prices and some of the fastest cooks known to mankind. My egg/sausage/hashbrown platter was delivered lightening quick and piping hot. Hash browns were especially delicious. The total bill, with coffee and tip, came to under $10, which makes this probably one of the few breakfast places in Fort Myers to rival Janesville prices, and of course I'm only speaking of restaurants that serve actual food; McDonald's and their ilk do not count.
From there, Monday took on an air of futility. I looked at a couple of bikes from a Craigslist seller. One was a Huffy that was an utter piece of junk. The other was a Fuji that, while it fit me well, needed too much work for the price the guy was asking. The clincher on the Fuji was that the kickstand was busted, and the guy wouldn't swap it with for another kickstand from one of the other junker bikes he had laying around. So I left empty-handed.
My next shopping adventure for athletic shoes was equally fruitless. I went to two "Famous Footwear" locations, one in Fort Myers, the other way the hell out in northern Cape Coral, only to find out that the Famous Footwear stores here in Florida do not give the same deal as the ones in Wisconsin where you get half off the second pair when you buy the first pair at regular price. So the two pair of shoes I was looking at -- one pair of Nike "Air Relentless" and one pair of New Balance "Trail Running Shoes" -- would have cost me $150 with tax. And Famous Footwear's beneficent discount -- keep in mind one of the stores was supposedly a discount outlet -- was a mere $10 a pair off suggested retail. Is it just me, or has to the world of athletic footwear gone off its rocker? Hey, I don't deny anyone's right to make a reasonable profit here, but I just can't see forking over $75 for a pair of shoes made completely of synthetic materials, made in Vietnam to boot (no pun intended), and which probably cost Nike/New Balance less than 10 bucks a pair. So I'm switching to Plan B (finding the same or similar shoes at Fleamasters on Friday) or Plan C, ordering them from an eBay seller. The goal is to have new "sneaks" in time for the cruise which sails Monday, or if not the old smelly ones will have to last for another week.
The good news is that all this shopping crap happened with the sun shining, the temperature hovering around 80 degrees, and the roadways clear of any ice or snow. It's hard to complain a whole lot (and to get any sympathy I suppose) when I'm in one of the few locations in the country where people aren't freezing their butts off. So onward.
Bruce
Sunday, January 4, 2015
New Bike Excursion; Won $45 at Craps
Sunday Jan. 4
Greetings from aboard the “Big M” floating casino on Fort
Myers Beach. Yes, it appears I cannot get enough of these $5 ocean cruises,
complete with gourmet fare of a Bumble Bee tuna salad kit, beef jerky, energy
bar, Payday, free coffee-like substance, and $1 Cokes from the bar to sustain
during these next five hours. It’s sunny and already 75 degrees, headed toward
a high of somewhere around 85.
Yesterday, after a smoothie for breakfast, I made a
Publix/Walmart run for a few needed groceries, with sea scallops as the center
piece for my dinner that evening. I also stopped at the New England bakery and
bought a loaf of bread right out of the oven. I got back to the
apartment, and whacked off a generous heel of the still-warm bread, slathered
it with butter and strawberry jam, and downed it with a cup of java. Surely,
this must be the food of angels, or at least a top item on their menu.
Picked up a batch of mail from my mailbox at Omni
Pack-n-Ship, including a couple of late Xmas cards address to 52 N. Madison St.
in Evansville that had to go through two forwardings.
At about noon, I set out to establish a new bike excursion,
this one to downtown Fort Myers and back along McGregor Blvd., 7.3 miles each
way, along sidewalks and various frontage roads. Took me a little over 45
minutes to get there, pausing to look at some of the beautiful homes south of
the Edison-Ford estates (I believe north of the estates begins the official “downtown.”)
Here is one of my favorites, still under construction, on a site that I believe had an old house on it that was torn down:
Plaza de Leon was remarkably deserted, or perhaps not so remarkably given the
beautiful weather that likely prompted all of Fort Myers to the beaches. I
think downtown still have not found its “niche.” The art and music walks are a
start, but the place is still looking a bit haggard, with vacant buildings
looking for tenants and/or in need of rehab.
I couldn’t decide whether to lunch at “The Deli” or “Downtown
Pizza,” so I had a sampling at each – a rare shaved London Broil on pretzel
roll at the deli, and a pepperoni slice at DP, and a peach tea Snapple to drink.
Both food items were delicious, although the sandwich was a bit heavy on the
horseradish sauce, so I will order that one “naked” next time with a little
sauce on the side. Total cost of lunch was $12.50. Ford’s Garage and “The
Firestone” are also nice places downtown, but lunch will run you about $20 at
either place, and close to $30 if you order lunch with dessert. A little too
rich for this frugal semi-retiree.
The bike ride back to the apartment took me a little longer
(an hour) because I had to make a couple of rest/water stops with the mercury
hovering around 85 degrees. I arrived back at the apartment at 3:30 p.m., a
giant sweat ball of a human being, and immediately lowered the thermostat from
72 to 70, and downed a liter bottle of chilled water from the fridge.
Following a short afternoon nap, I made myself a nice large
lime Dacquiri and prepared dinner. The five sea scallops I lightly coated in
sugar on both sides so they would caramelize nicely, and seared them for two
minutes on each side in olive oil. I served to those with a side of chilled
pasta salad, and a tropical slaw. For dessert, strawberry cake with cream
cheese icing from te Publix bakery. Everything was yummy.
I was quite tuckered out, so just watched a little TV in the
evening. I hit the sack about 9:30, reading a little bit in two books I have
going at the moment, “Ship of Gold,” and “In a Sunburned County. Despite my
exhaustion, sleep did not come easy because my knees hurt like a MF’er. Lacking
any Advil, I took an Ambien instead and finally drifted off to sleep.
Today, I played some blackjack (broke even) and craps (won
$45), so left the ship ahead of the game. The drive back to the apartment was
slow going, due to a big accident at Summerlin and San Carlos. This is a nasty
intersection. Took a much needed shower, and am doing a laundry load.
Surprisingly not all that hungry, so I’ll probably just do a leftovers cleanup
from the fridge for dinner this evening.
Bruce
Friday, January 2, 2015
Hot Here; Be Careful There
A quick post today after the long one yesterday ...
Topped the air in my tires on the bicycle and biked over the Lakes Park farmer's market, where I had breakfast of a bagel sandwich, a pint of strawberries, and coffee. The strawberries were from a different vendor this time, and were the size of golf balls. Imagine ... strawberries a hand fruit! They were awesome. Met up with the "Peckerheads" (retirees' bicycle group) and we had a few laughs and shared stories. Dawn, a couple of the guys asked about you and whether you had a good time here.
Biked back to the apartment. I boxed up two watches from the website and sent them out. Looks like I sold four total from the sale coupon I offered on the website. Drove over to Fleamasters where I searched for a book on Fordlandia, the failed city in the Amazon jungle funded by Henry Ford in an attempt to secure a source for rubber for tires. I'll look on amazon dot com for that one. Chris, the book guy, did give me an even-up swap for the 2nd in a series by Tim Dorsey for my 1st in the series. I also bought a book on craps. Nice guy; Dawn I wish you could have met him. He said he had a nice time with his family in Tennessee last week, but that he "missed his books."
For lunch, I stopped at the "Holy Donut" place in the FM food court, and had them top my donut "Elvis style" with peanut butter, bacon, and a little maple syrup. Only thing missing was the bananas, of which they had none, and I believe there is a song about that! Not exactly a healthy lunch, but damn it was good.
Back to the apartment, showered and shaved, and took an afternoon nap. It got up to 87 degrees here today and kind of sapped my energy, not to mention that Abby got me up at about 5 a.m. this morning. She farted around with the vertical blinds and jumped up and down on the bed several times. I finally gave up, got up, and puttered around the apartment. After making a pot of coffee, I found Abby asleep on the bed. I guess she just wanted me up for some reason.
Drove over to the Walmart Neighborhood Market, and bought $37 worth of groceries. I'm having flounder with mango salsa and rice pilaf for dinner tonight, and will get started on that when I post this blog.
I've been keeping up with the weather status in the Madison area, and it doesn't look good for tomorrow ... some freezing rain, and then topped off with 3-6 inches of snow. To my family and friends up there, I just say, be careful. This is the most dangerous driving combination to be found. So stay put if you can, and use caution if you must drive.
Bruce
Topped the air in my tires on the bicycle and biked over the Lakes Park farmer's market, where I had breakfast of a bagel sandwich, a pint of strawberries, and coffee. The strawberries were from a different vendor this time, and were the size of golf balls. Imagine ... strawberries a hand fruit! They were awesome. Met up with the "Peckerheads" (retirees' bicycle group) and we had a few laughs and shared stories. Dawn, a couple of the guys asked about you and whether you had a good time here.
Biked back to the apartment. I boxed up two watches from the website and sent them out. Looks like I sold four total from the sale coupon I offered on the website. Drove over to Fleamasters where I searched for a book on Fordlandia, the failed city in the Amazon jungle funded by Henry Ford in an attempt to secure a source for rubber for tires. I'll look on amazon dot com for that one. Chris, the book guy, did give me an even-up swap for the 2nd in a series by Tim Dorsey for my 1st in the series. I also bought a book on craps. Nice guy; Dawn I wish you could have met him. He said he had a nice time with his family in Tennessee last week, but that he "missed his books."
For lunch, I stopped at the "Holy Donut" place in the FM food court, and had them top my donut "Elvis style" with peanut butter, bacon, and a little maple syrup. Only thing missing was the bananas, of which they had none, and I believe there is a song about that! Not exactly a healthy lunch, but damn it was good.
Back to the apartment, showered and shaved, and took an afternoon nap. It got up to 87 degrees here today and kind of sapped my energy, not to mention that Abby got me up at about 5 a.m. this morning. She farted around with the vertical blinds and jumped up and down on the bed several times. I finally gave up, got up, and puttered around the apartment. After making a pot of coffee, I found Abby asleep on the bed. I guess she just wanted me up for some reason.
Drove over to the Walmart Neighborhood Market, and bought $37 worth of groceries. I'm having flounder with mango salsa and rice pilaf for dinner tonight, and will get started on that when I post this blog.
I've been keeping up with the weather status in the Madison area, and it doesn't look good for tomorrow ... some freezing rain, and then topped off with 3-6 inches of snow. To my family and friends up there, I just say, be careful. This is the most dangerous driving combination to be found. So stay put if you can, and use caution if you must drive.
Bruce
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Happy New Year! (Long)
Happy 2015 everyone! I hope the new year brings you all health, happiness, new adventures, and even a few surprises (of the pleasant variety, of course!). God knows there's a lot of shit going on in the world, from cop killings, to journalist beheadings, to a North Korean lunatic just itching to drop an A-bomb (anywhere, doesn't matter). The media would have us believe the world is being Fed Ex'ed to hell in a handcart. But don't believe it. I'm not saying to bury your head in the sand; just keep it all in its proper perspective. Eighty-seven percent of people are good, decent, law-abiding folks. Another 12 percent are assholes who we wouldn't want to befriend, but with whom we must interact due to job or other circumstance beyond our control. Still, they wouldn't kill anyone, at least not on purpose. That leaves only one percent of truly whacked-out mo-fo's who, unfortunately, are thrust into our faces on a daily basis. All I'm saying is life is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you go around looking for the bad, you'll find plenty of it, for sure. But you'll find plenty of good out there, too, if you just keep your heart and eyes open for it. May 2015 be a good year for all, and here endeth my two cent's worth.
Holy cow, it's been 10 days since my last blog update, so there's much to catch up. As most of you know, sister Dawn was with me from Dec. 24-31, and we were so busy with activities that we would arrive back at the apartment most days physically spent. And what little energy we had left would be used playing Scrabble or gin rummy or cribbage out on the lanai, or just watching a little TV, including a Packers/Lions game that I'll have everyone know I watched from start to finish because I know Dawn is a big Packers fan.
The short version is that we had a fantastic time. Except for one bad meal (which we made known to the restaurant's establishment and for which we were compensated), everything went off without a hitch. We got to all the attractions that I wanted Dawn to see and experience, and the weather cooperated wonderfully. I feel like we finished 2014 on a high note. Here's a day-by-day look at what we did:
Wednesday Dec. 24. I picked Dawn up at the airport, collected her checked bag, and drove back to the apartment, to which Dawn gave her instant seal of approval which made me happy. She got her stuff set up in the bedroom, and I made us lunch, including a slice of key lime pie to welcome her to Florida. We talked for a while in the living room about her trip, and then she took a sofa nap from being on the road since 2 a.m. (her United flight from Madison to Chicago was cancelled, and she ended up taking the Van Galder bus to O'Hare airport). At about 6 p.m., we made a beeline to Mel's Diner because they were closing at 7 p.m. on Xmas eve. Mel's was one of the restaurants I wanted to take Dawn, and they didn't disappoint. She had fried grouper, and I had a rack of their baby back ribs. For dessert, she had one of their mini ice cream sundaes and I had their mini creme brulee. Bedtime would begin my first of seven nights on the sofa bed, and I am happy to report that it was quite comfortable.
Thursday Dec. 25, Xmas day. I wanted to do something completely different from Christmases up north, so we made it into a day at the (Fort Myers) beach! We did a little walking tour of Estero and Old San Carlos Boulevards. And then walked along the surf line for a good quarter mile, feeling the sand and cool ocean water on our bare feet. We spent the afternoon visiting some of the fun establishments along the ocean front, sampling their appetizer fare and adult beverages. We started out at the Gulfshore Grill, famous for their bacon-wrapped shrimp, which Dawn tried, while I ordered the grouper fingers. Both were delicious. Next we checked out the iconic Lani Kai -- pronounced LONNIE kye (like sky) resort. It has been in business for 40 years, and is one of the last "old style" resorts left on Fort Myers beach, and is completely charming in that kitchy sort of way. Deep turquoise in color, it is instantly recognizable along the beachline, and is a favorite rendezvous spot for locals and tourists alike ("Let's all meet at the Lani Kai.") The high spot at the Lani Kai was that we visited the rooftop restaurant/bar and each had a rum and coke while seated in one of their signature "glider booths" while enjoying the ocean view. We were treated to a virtual cornucopia of people to watch, from biker dudes and sun-crisped cougars trolling for their next victims, to families attempting to squeeze through the aisles with their double-wide strollers. The best was a group of German tourists who apparently saw nothing wrong with bringing their own bottle of Tanqueray to their table and topping off their gin and tonics with an extra helping of booze. They teetered off, no doubt to their next drinking destination, leaving the empty bottle behind for the stunned waitress. Dinner was the Xmas buffet at the Pinchers Crab Shack up the beach a ways, and to my great surprise it was awful. We arrived about 5 p.m., so there were still two hours to go on the buffet, and they were out of several key items on the buffet, and what was left was luke warm, way past fresh, overcooked, or a combination thereof. We picked around and found enough to eat and get ourselves full, but it was all under duress and with the knowledge that if we simply packed up and left, we would likely find few options being Xmas day without dinner reservations anywhere else. Pinchers has long been a favorite of mine, so I was really surprised that they attempted to pass this off and ask $24.95 for it with a straight face. So we had what I consider a very civil conversation with our waiter, and he gave us half off our bill. No great harm done, and like I said at the beginning this was our only let down in an otherwise flawless time spent together. I just wasn't expecting it to come from here, and to be fair we gave Pincher's another try at a later date and ordered off their regular menu, and the seafood was its usual excellent.
Friday Dec. 26. We started the day at the Lakes Park farmer's market, where we had a breakfast of bagel sandwich (egg, sausage, cheese), shared a pint of fresh strawberries, and coffee. I introduced Dawn to the bicycle retirees group (the Peckerwoods) and were thoroughly entertained by their antics, mostly by "Norton" (formerly from Kenosha, Wis.) who regaled us with stories and one-liners. From there, we went to the Fleamasters flea market, where we purchased, mingled, and nibbled. Dawn bought a pair of swim shoes, and a couple of used books. From there, back to the apartment where I made BLT sandwiches from the fresh bread and vine ripened tomatoes we had purchased at the Farmer's Market. Lively games of Scrabble and cribbage followed.
Saturday Dec. 27. Breakfast today was at a place called "Crave," just around the corner from the apartment at a small strip mall. The place has been getting excellent reviews since their opening in September. Dawn had a veggie omelet, and I had a traditional Benedict with soft poached egg, Canadian bacon, and a velvety smooth hollandaise sauce. I also ordered a bowl of fresh seasonal berries, half of which I put on a single pancake that I ordered as a chaser. We spent the greater share of the day at the Edison-Ford winter estates and Edison laboratory. We had a very entertaining docent by the name of "Andrew" who gave us the full tour, punctuated by trivia and facts little known and quickly forgotten. (E.g., Edison tested 17,000 plant species for a source of natural rubber that could be cultivated in America, finally stumbling upon Goldenrod. All rendered useless of course by the discovery of synthetic rubber in the early 1930s.) We then went to old downtown Fort Myers (just down the street from Edison), where we walked around Plaza de Leon, and partook in sample-size portions of foods from two eateries ... "Deli Downtown," (hot pastrami sandwich on pumpernickel) and "Downtown Pizza" (cheese slice like Ray's Pizza in New York). We then went to the Indigo Hotel where we were going to have a drink at their rooftop bar, but came away empty-bellied because they didn't start serving until 5 p.m. Back to the apartment where for dinner I prepared pork chops with stuffing, and a packaged vegetable medley (Green Giant) with cheese sauce, and fresh pineapple for dessert.
Sunday Dec. 28. A quick breakfast at the apartment, and then at 8:30 we high-tailed it back to Fort Myers beach to catch the "Big M" gambling cruise. Traffic was light, so we arrived in plenty of time to purchase our tickets ($5 with coupon, normally $10) so we walked around Fort Myers Beach for a while, and boarded the ship at 9:45 and played a game of Scrabble on the top deck before leaving port at 10:30 with the ship about half filled with fellow gamblers. We played a game of ship's Bingo, but with no success winning the $90 single jackpot for the "coverall" game. The casino opened at about 11:45 upon reaching international waters. Dawn won $21 at one of the slot machines, I won $30 at blackjack. After that, we enjoyed a snack of tuna salad and crackers that we brought along because the buffet aboard ship is, for the most part, just edible. I went back to the casino and played craps for the first time. In the last couple of weeks, I have been watching a few videos on youtube and played some simulated games on a free app because I have long been fascinated with the game but too intimidated to actually try it. But there appeared to be a friendly game going on in the casino with other beginners, so I gave it a try, and came out another $13 ahead before cashing out. So Dawn and I both ended up on the plus side, which was very nice. The sail out to international waters and back was extremely pleasant, with sunny skies and smooth waters. By the time we docked at 3:30, we were both hungry as balls, so crossed the bridge back over to Fort Myers, and went to "DG Chinese Restaurant" where we ordered up a veritable feast consisting of three dishes from their dim sum menu (pork dumplings, terriyaki beef, shrimp spring rolls), and an order of chicken moo goo gai pan with pork fried rice from their regular menu. The entire bill with tip came to a bargain $38, and we used some of the money that (brother) Curt and (sister-in-law) Karen had given us as a Christmas gift.
Monday Dec. 29. We devoted the entire day to Sanibel and Captiva Islands. The cross-over on the causeway was its usual breathtaking experience. Our day began at the "Over Easy Cafe," a top recommend on Yelp, and we were not disappointed. We started out by sharing one of their homemade cinnamon rolls, then each had a specialty omelet (Western for me, Mediterranean for Dawn) with grits (Dawn) and home fries (Bruce). We used the $22 remainder of our Curt/Karen dollars, kicking in an extra $12 for the rest of the bill, including the tip, so Curt/Karen just to let you know we got almost two meals out of the money you gave us, so thank you. From there we went to the J.N. "Ding" Darling nature preserve. We spent some time at the visitors center, and then did the 4.5 mile car ride along the accessway, stopping frequently to look at the waterfowl and beautiful inlets where the birds and other animals congregate. We saw egrets, heron, pelicans, tree crabs, and an alligator among other wildlife. But the highlight was we got to see a bald eagle swoop in from one of the inlets and make a pinpoint landing atop a utility pole where it perched for a while scoping things out. It was a beautiful sight. From Ding Darling, we drove to Bowman Beach to walk the surfline and look for shells. We both slathered up with sunscreen because it was a brilliantly sunny day. The beach was quite crowded, as this is arguably the best beach on the island. But as we walked along the beach, the crowds thinned the farther away we got from the main walkway that leads to the parking lot. We both got a good dose of sun, spending about an hour at the beach. We rinsed off the sand at the bathhouse (newly built since my last visit two year ago) then headed over to Captiva Island. We were both pretty parched, so stopped at one of local watering holes (Key Lime Bistro) for frozen Dacquiris and an order of chips with salsa. From there, we crossed the street over to R.C. Otters, where we had a gift certificate from Dawn's friend, Jaci, and we each had crabcakes for dinner, which were delicious. From there, we crossed the street over to another eatery called the Bubble Room, where I got a slice to go of their signature Orange Crunch Cake for us to share. From there, we drove another quarter mile or so to the tip of Captiva because Dawn wanted to visit an art gallery there called "2 Islands Gallery Fine Art." It's an artists' cooperative and, as you might expect, stuff was very expensive there, but Dawn found a small print with kitties on it. The shopping center that houses the art gallery is actually part of the South Seas Island Resort, which is one of the more exclusive resorts on Sanibel/Captiva, where a room with an ocean view starts at $419/night (taxes and resort fees put you up around $500/night). This little shopping center also had a provisions store, so we got a cup of coffee and enjoyed our orange crunch cake out of the patio. Our strategy was to try and avoid some of the exit traffic leaving the islands. Unfortunately, we did not totally escape it, and it took us nearly an hour to travel the 12 miles from Captiva to the causeway. We got back to the apartment and both of us showered to remove the combination of sand, sunscreen, and sweat. I think that evening found us the most exhausted from all the fresh air and sunshine, and we both fell quickly asleep.
Tuesday Dec. 30. I made breakfast at the apartment, and then we headed over to Manatee Park in the hopes of spotting a few manatees. But the warm weather that blessed our visit together in so many other ways did not bode well for manatee activity. With warmer temperatures, there is little to lure to manatees to the power plant discharge water, and they head out into the open gulf. We did see a couple of manatee snouts poking out of the water, but little else. Still, it was a nice time, and we got a good dose of education via the 3 videos that were playing at the visitors center. Dawn was thinking of joining the "adopt a manatee" program, but after thinking it through, we decided it's a near hopeless cause for reasons I won't get into. So instead, she just supported the manatees by buying $25 worth of manatee stuff at the gift shop. After, we drove to Sun Harvest Citrus, which I wanted Dawn to see because it is southwest Florida's largest citrus outlet, where you can buy and ship all kinds of citrus of the best quality to be found. Plus, it's a giant souvenir store, and they have a lovely bakery/deli, where you can buy all sorts of treats including ice cream cones to eat on their front patio which have become world famous. Dawn bought a couple of gift boxes to be shipped, and we both got some free juice samples and each bought a vanilla/orange twist cone. Also, because she spent the required $20 minimum, we had a coupon for a free five pound "citrus sampler" bag of oranges and grapefruit, which I am enjoying now. We also bought a couple of "Honeybell" oranges (also called "Honeybell Tangelos"), an unusual hybrid involving Dancy Tangerine, Duncan Grapefruit, and naval orange. It's a favorite among Florida locals for its unique flavor, sweetness, and juiciness. Plus the skin practically falls off on its own when you peel it. They are only available in late December and January, and it's estimated that only one in 3,000 people have ever tasted a true "Honeybell" orange. When you bite down on a section of this orange, your mouth is virtually flooded with juice; there is almost no pulp to this orange. A five pound box will run you $24.95 plus shipping from Sun Harvest. A bargain when you consider a five-pound box of regular navals will run you $22.95. So if you've never tried a Honeybell, I encourage you to order some, or you folks in Wisconsin might check Brennans Fruit Market to see if they are available locally. They are quite something. After Sun Harvest, we drove to the Pincher's Crab Shack at the marina by the Edison-Ford Estate. After the Xmas buffet disaster at the beach location, we wanted to give them another chance, but this time at their downtown location. We ordered off the regular menu, and it was quite excellent. Dawn got a fried clam platter, while I got a fried shrimp platter, and we shared so that each of us got a taste of clams and a taste of shrimp. The clams in particular were especially good. They have recently converted to hand-battering the clams on premises versus getting them pre-breaded from their supplier, and this makes all the difference. For those readers old enough to remember the "Tendersweet Clams" that Howard Johnson's used to prepare 40 years ago before they went corporate and their food turned to crap, this is what the Pincher's clams reminded me of. Back at the apartment, Dawn sent a few emails, we both took short naps, and ended up playing gin rummy and 3-game cribbage tournament after a light dinner of grilled ham-n-cheese sandwiches, prepared on one of my new pans that arrived today from amazon dot com. This looks like a great set of cookware that will last me a long time. I promptly threw away my "old" set (purchased in November and already worn out) from Walmart.
Wed. Dec. 31. Time for Dawn to return to the frozen north. I prepared one my strawberry/banana smoothies, and gave Dawn a portion of it, and she pronounced it excellent. I followed that with a couple of scrambled eggs and 2 strips of bacon for Dawn so she would have a little protein in her belly. She finished packing, and we set out for the airport at 11 a.m., arriving about 11:45, with her flight departing at 1:45. I had my gym bag packed and in the car, and after dropping off Dawn at ticketing/departure, promptly headed over to Planet Fitness to try and undue some of the wanton excess of the prior week. I had a nice 2-hour workout, then headed back to the apartment for some lunch. Dawn called me from Chicago, and then from her condo in Madison, to let me know her flights went well and that she arrived home safe and sound. I also got a nice long call from my friend, Amy, in West Allis, Wis., and we had a nice long chat and were able to get caught up. Among other things, Amy passed along the good news that her mom, Lynn, (currently residing in Portage, Wis.) has caught the "Florida Fever" and will likely be putting in an offer on a home in Leesburg. Lynn, if you are reading this, congratulations on your decision. If your experience is anything like mine, you won't regret it. By the time all phone calls were received, it was near 10 p.m., and I headed off to my "regular" bed once again, which felt very nice. The sofa bed is once again in "standby" mode, ready for sister-in-law Julie's arrival 10 days from now, though we will be doing most of our sleeping during her visit aboard the Royal Caribbean "Brilliance of the Seas."
That brings us to today, Thursday, Jan. 1. I had a nice leisurely breakfast at the apartment of a grapefruit, bagel breakfast sandwich, and coffee. I cleaned up the apartment a little bit, including stripping the bed and washing/drying all the sheets/pillow cases. I started this blog entry at about 9:30 a.m., and now it's 4:30 p.m. as I complete the spell check. So if you have made it to the end, congratulations. I should return to the previous format of blogging approximately every other day, with another break Jan. 12-16 for the cruise.
Take care, everyone,
Bruce
Holy cow, it's been 10 days since my last blog update, so there's much to catch up. As most of you know, sister Dawn was with me from Dec. 24-31, and we were so busy with activities that we would arrive back at the apartment most days physically spent. And what little energy we had left would be used playing Scrabble or gin rummy or cribbage out on the lanai, or just watching a little TV, including a Packers/Lions game that I'll have everyone know I watched from start to finish because I know Dawn is a big Packers fan.
The short version is that we had a fantastic time. Except for one bad meal (which we made known to the restaurant's establishment and for which we were compensated), everything went off without a hitch. We got to all the attractions that I wanted Dawn to see and experience, and the weather cooperated wonderfully. I feel like we finished 2014 on a high note. Here's a day-by-day look at what we did:
Wednesday Dec. 24. I picked Dawn up at the airport, collected her checked bag, and drove back to the apartment, to which Dawn gave her instant seal of approval which made me happy. She got her stuff set up in the bedroom, and I made us lunch, including a slice of key lime pie to welcome her to Florida. We talked for a while in the living room about her trip, and then she took a sofa nap from being on the road since 2 a.m. (her United flight from Madison to Chicago was cancelled, and she ended up taking the Van Galder bus to O'Hare airport). At about 6 p.m., we made a beeline to Mel's Diner because they were closing at 7 p.m. on Xmas eve. Mel's was one of the restaurants I wanted to take Dawn, and they didn't disappoint. She had fried grouper, and I had a rack of their baby back ribs. For dessert, she had one of their mini ice cream sundaes and I had their mini creme brulee. Bedtime would begin my first of seven nights on the sofa bed, and I am happy to report that it was quite comfortable.
Thursday Dec. 25, Xmas day. I wanted to do something completely different from Christmases up north, so we made it into a day at the (Fort Myers) beach! We did a little walking tour of Estero and Old San Carlos Boulevards. And then walked along the surf line for a good quarter mile, feeling the sand and cool ocean water on our bare feet. We spent the afternoon visiting some of the fun establishments along the ocean front, sampling their appetizer fare and adult beverages. We started out at the Gulfshore Grill, famous for their bacon-wrapped shrimp, which Dawn tried, while I ordered the grouper fingers. Both were delicious. Next we checked out the iconic Lani Kai -- pronounced LONNIE kye (like sky) resort. It has been in business for 40 years, and is one of the last "old style" resorts left on Fort Myers beach, and is completely charming in that kitchy sort of way. Deep turquoise in color, it is instantly recognizable along the beachline, and is a favorite rendezvous spot for locals and tourists alike ("Let's all meet at the Lani Kai.") The high spot at the Lani Kai was that we visited the rooftop restaurant/bar and each had a rum and coke while seated in one of their signature "glider booths" while enjoying the ocean view. We were treated to a virtual cornucopia of people to watch, from biker dudes and sun-crisped cougars trolling for their next victims, to families attempting to squeeze through the aisles with their double-wide strollers. The best was a group of German tourists who apparently saw nothing wrong with bringing their own bottle of Tanqueray to their table and topping off their gin and tonics with an extra helping of booze. They teetered off, no doubt to their next drinking destination, leaving the empty bottle behind for the stunned waitress. Dinner was the Xmas buffet at the Pinchers Crab Shack up the beach a ways, and to my great surprise it was awful. We arrived about 5 p.m., so there were still two hours to go on the buffet, and they were out of several key items on the buffet, and what was left was luke warm, way past fresh, overcooked, or a combination thereof. We picked around and found enough to eat and get ourselves full, but it was all under duress and with the knowledge that if we simply packed up and left, we would likely find few options being Xmas day without dinner reservations anywhere else. Pinchers has long been a favorite of mine, so I was really surprised that they attempted to pass this off and ask $24.95 for it with a straight face. So we had what I consider a very civil conversation with our waiter, and he gave us half off our bill. No great harm done, and like I said at the beginning this was our only let down in an otherwise flawless time spent together. I just wasn't expecting it to come from here, and to be fair we gave Pincher's another try at a later date and ordered off their regular menu, and the seafood was its usual excellent.
Friday Dec. 26. We started the day at the Lakes Park farmer's market, where we had a breakfast of bagel sandwich (egg, sausage, cheese), shared a pint of fresh strawberries, and coffee. I introduced Dawn to the bicycle retirees group (the Peckerwoods) and were thoroughly entertained by their antics, mostly by "Norton" (formerly from Kenosha, Wis.) who regaled us with stories and one-liners. From there, we went to the Fleamasters flea market, where we purchased, mingled, and nibbled. Dawn bought a pair of swim shoes, and a couple of used books. From there, back to the apartment where I made BLT sandwiches from the fresh bread and vine ripened tomatoes we had purchased at the Farmer's Market. Lively games of Scrabble and cribbage followed.
Saturday Dec. 27. Breakfast today was at a place called "Crave," just around the corner from the apartment at a small strip mall. The place has been getting excellent reviews since their opening in September. Dawn had a veggie omelet, and I had a traditional Benedict with soft poached egg, Canadian bacon, and a velvety smooth hollandaise sauce. I also ordered a bowl of fresh seasonal berries, half of which I put on a single pancake that I ordered as a chaser. We spent the greater share of the day at the Edison-Ford winter estates and Edison laboratory. We had a very entertaining docent by the name of "Andrew" who gave us the full tour, punctuated by trivia and facts little known and quickly forgotten. (E.g., Edison tested 17,000 plant species for a source of natural rubber that could be cultivated in America, finally stumbling upon Goldenrod. All rendered useless of course by the discovery of synthetic rubber in the early 1930s.) We then went to old downtown Fort Myers (just down the street from Edison), where we walked around Plaza de Leon, and partook in sample-size portions of foods from two eateries ... "Deli Downtown," (hot pastrami sandwich on pumpernickel) and "Downtown Pizza" (cheese slice like Ray's Pizza in New York). We then went to the Indigo Hotel where we were going to have a drink at their rooftop bar, but came away empty-bellied because they didn't start serving until 5 p.m. Back to the apartment where for dinner I prepared pork chops with stuffing, and a packaged vegetable medley (Green Giant) with cheese sauce, and fresh pineapple for dessert.
Sunday Dec. 28. A quick breakfast at the apartment, and then at 8:30 we high-tailed it back to Fort Myers beach to catch the "Big M" gambling cruise. Traffic was light, so we arrived in plenty of time to purchase our tickets ($5 with coupon, normally $10) so we walked around Fort Myers Beach for a while, and boarded the ship at 9:45 and played a game of Scrabble on the top deck before leaving port at 10:30 with the ship about half filled with fellow gamblers. We played a game of ship's Bingo, but with no success winning the $90 single jackpot for the "coverall" game. The casino opened at about 11:45 upon reaching international waters. Dawn won $21 at one of the slot machines, I won $30 at blackjack. After that, we enjoyed a snack of tuna salad and crackers that we brought along because the buffet aboard ship is, for the most part, just edible. I went back to the casino and played craps for the first time. In the last couple of weeks, I have been watching a few videos on youtube and played some simulated games on a free app because I have long been fascinated with the game but too intimidated to actually try it. But there appeared to be a friendly game going on in the casino with other beginners, so I gave it a try, and came out another $13 ahead before cashing out. So Dawn and I both ended up on the plus side, which was very nice. The sail out to international waters and back was extremely pleasant, with sunny skies and smooth waters. By the time we docked at 3:30, we were both hungry as balls, so crossed the bridge back over to Fort Myers, and went to "DG Chinese Restaurant" where we ordered up a veritable feast consisting of three dishes from their dim sum menu (pork dumplings, terriyaki beef, shrimp spring rolls), and an order of chicken moo goo gai pan with pork fried rice from their regular menu. The entire bill with tip came to a bargain $38, and we used some of the money that (brother) Curt and (sister-in-law) Karen had given us as a Christmas gift.
Monday Dec. 29. We devoted the entire day to Sanibel and Captiva Islands. The cross-over on the causeway was its usual breathtaking experience. Our day began at the "Over Easy Cafe," a top recommend on Yelp, and we were not disappointed. We started out by sharing one of their homemade cinnamon rolls, then each had a specialty omelet (Western for me, Mediterranean for Dawn) with grits (Dawn) and home fries (Bruce). We used the $22 remainder of our Curt/Karen dollars, kicking in an extra $12 for the rest of the bill, including the tip, so Curt/Karen just to let you know we got almost two meals out of the money you gave us, so thank you. From there we went to the J.N. "Ding" Darling nature preserve. We spent some time at the visitors center, and then did the 4.5 mile car ride along the accessway, stopping frequently to look at the waterfowl and beautiful inlets where the birds and other animals congregate. We saw egrets, heron, pelicans, tree crabs, and an alligator among other wildlife. But the highlight was we got to see a bald eagle swoop in from one of the inlets and make a pinpoint landing atop a utility pole where it perched for a while scoping things out. It was a beautiful sight. From Ding Darling, we drove to Bowman Beach to walk the surfline and look for shells. We both slathered up with sunscreen because it was a brilliantly sunny day. The beach was quite crowded, as this is arguably the best beach on the island. But as we walked along the beach, the crowds thinned the farther away we got from the main walkway that leads to the parking lot. We both got a good dose of sun, spending about an hour at the beach. We rinsed off the sand at the bathhouse (newly built since my last visit two year ago) then headed over to Captiva Island. We were both pretty parched, so stopped at one of local watering holes (Key Lime Bistro) for frozen Dacquiris and an order of chips with salsa. From there, we crossed the street over to R.C. Otters, where we had a gift certificate from Dawn's friend, Jaci, and we each had crabcakes for dinner, which were delicious. From there, we crossed the street over to another eatery called the Bubble Room, where I got a slice to go of their signature Orange Crunch Cake for us to share. From there, we drove another quarter mile or so to the tip of Captiva because Dawn wanted to visit an art gallery there called "2 Islands Gallery Fine Art." It's an artists' cooperative and, as you might expect, stuff was very expensive there, but Dawn found a small print with kitties on it. The shopping center that houses the art gallery is actually part of the South Seas Island Resort, which is one of the more exclusive resorts on Sanibel/Captiva, where a room with an ocean view starts at $419/night (taxes and resort fees put you up around $500/night). This little shopping center also had a provisions store, so we got a cup of coffee and enjoyed our orange crunch cake out of the patio. Our strategy was to try and avoid some of the exit traffic leaving the islands. Unfortunately, we did not totally escape it, and it took us nearly an hour to travel the 12 miles from Captiva to the causeway. We got back to the apartment and both of us showered to remove the combination of sand, sunscreen, and sweat. I think that evening found us the most exhausted from all the fresh air and sunshine, and we both fell quickly asleep.
Tuesday Dec. 30. I made breakfast at the apartment, and then we headed over to Manatee Park in the hopes of spotting a few manatees. But the warm weather that blessed our visit together in so many other ways did not bode well for manatee activity. With warmer temperatures, there is little to lure to manatees to the power plant discharge water, and they head out into the open gulf. We did see a couple of manatee snouts poking out of the water, but little else. Still, it was a nice time, and we got a good dose of education via the 3 videos that were playing at the visitors center. Dawn was thinking of joining the "adopt a manatee" program, but after thinking it through, we decided it's a near hopeless cause for reasons I won't get into. So instead, she just supported the manatees by buying $25 worth of manatee stuff at the gift shop. After, we drove to Sun Harvest Citrus, which I wanted Dawn to see because it is southwest Florida's largest citrus outlet, where you can buy and ship all kinds of citrus of the best quality to be found. Plus, it's a giant souvenir store, and they have a lovely bakery/deli, where you can buy all sorts of treats including ice cream cones to eat on their front patio which have become world famous. Dawn bought a couple of gift boxes to be shipped, and we both got some free juice samples and each bought a vanilla/orange twist cone. Also, because she spent the required $20 minimum, we had a coupon for a free five pound "citrus sampler" bag of oranges and grapefruit, which I am enjoying now. We also bought a couple of "Honeybell" oranges (also called "Honeybell Tangelos"), an unusual hybrid involving Dancy Tangerine, Duncan Grapefruit, and naval orange. It's a favorite among Florida locals for its unique flavor, sweetness, and juiciness. Plus the skin practically falls off on its own when you peel it. They are only available in late December and January, and it's estimated that only one in 3,000 people have ever tasted a true "Honeybell" orange. When you bite down on a section of this orange, your mouth is virtually flooded with juice; there is almost no pulp to this orange. A five pound box will run you $24.95 plus shipping from Sun Harvest. A bargain when you consider a five-pound box of regular navals will run you $22.95. So if you've never tried a Honeybell, I encourage you to order some, or you folks in Wisconsin might check Brennans Fruit Market to see if they are available locally. They are quite something. After Sun Harvest, we drove to the Pincher's Crab Shack at the marina by the Edison-Ford Estate. After the Xmas buffet disaster at the beach location, we wanted to give them another chance, but this time at their downtown location. We ordered off the regular menu, and it was quite excellent. Dawn got a fried clam platter, while I got a fried shrimp platter, and we shared so that each of us got a taste of clams and a taste of shrimp. The clams in particular were especially good. They have recently converted to hand-battering the clams on premises versus getting them pre-breaded from their supplier, and this makes all the difference. For those readers old enough to remember the "Tendersweet Clams" that Howard Johnson's used to prepare 40 years ago before they went corporate and their food turned to crap, this is what the Pincher's clams reminded me of. Back at the apartment, Dawn sent a few emails, we both took short naps, and ended up playing gin rummy and 3-game cribbage tournament after a light dinner of grilled ham-n-cheese sandwiches, prepared on one of my new pans that arrived today from amazon dot com. This looks like a great set of cookware that will last me a long time. I promptly threw away my "old" set (purchased in November and already worn out) from Walmart.
Wed. Dec. 31. Time for Dawn to return to the frozen north. I prepared one my strawberry/banana smoothies, and gave Dawn a portion of it, and she pronounced it excellent. I followed that with a couple of scrambled eggs and 2 strips of bacon for Dawn so she would have a little protein in her belly. She finished packing, and we set out for the airport at 11 a.m., arriving about 11:45, with her flight departing at 1:45. I had my gym bag packed and in the car, and after dropping off Dawn at ticketing/departure, promptly headed over to Planet Fitness to try and undue some of the wanton excess of the prior week. I had a nice 2-hour workout, then headed back to the apartment for some lunch. Dawn called me from Chicago, and then from her condo in Madison, to let me know her flights went well and that she arrived home safe and sound. I also got a nice long call from my friend, Amy, in West Allis, Wis., and we had a nice long chat and were able to get caught up. Among other things, Amy passed along the good news that her mom, Lynn, (currently residing in Portage, Wis.) has caught the "Florida Fever" and will likely be putting in an offer on a home in Leesburg. Lynn, if you are reading this, congratulations on your decision. If your experience is anything like mine, you won't regret it. By the time all phone calls were received, it was near 10 p.m., and I headed off to my "regular" bed once again, which felt very nice. The sofa bed is once again in "standby" mode, ready for sister-in-law Julie's arrival 10 days from now, though we will be doing most of our sleeping during her visit aboard the Royal Caribbean "Brilliance of the Seas."
That brings us to today, Thursday, Jan. 1. I had a nice leisurely breakfast at the apartment of a grapefruit, bagel breakfast sandwich, and coffee. I cleaned up the apartment a little bit, including stripping the bed and washing/drying all the sheets/pillow cases. I started this blog entry at about 9:30 a.m., and now it's 4:30 p.m. as I complete the spell check. So if you have made it to the end, congratulations. I should return to the previous format of blogging approximately every other day, with another break Jan. 12-16 for the cruise.
Take care, everyone,
Bruce
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