Bruce's Travels

Just saw the movie "Birdman" last night. After it won all those Academy Awards Sunday night, including Best Picture, I got curious and had to see it. Had to travel 14 miles to Estero/Bonita Springs because that was the closest theater showing it. But it was worth it. It was raw and gritty at times, exposing the underbelly of show business, and ultimately dealt with the desire for redemption, which most of us have felt at one time or another. Not myself, of course, because it's difficult to improve upon perfection. Ha! Just seeing if you were paying attention! Seriously, though, it was a really good movie, and surely is Michael Keaton's best performance to date. After the movie, I had dinner at Big Al's Sports Grill in Bonita Springs. They had a location in Fort Myers when I was here two years ago, but they went out of business for reasons unknown. It's a pity, too, because it was one of my faves and the prices were great and the place was always packed. Th...

Good Monday to all of you. It's President's Day, another bogus holiday that only postal and government employees get off. Just finished lunch at a place called "Burgercue" which features, you guessed it, burgers and barbeque. Had a lunch portion of their ribs (four joints) with beans and slaw, plus ice tea, with the total coming to $20 including tip. So definitely not cheap eats, but good food. I'm presently hanging out with the other barnacles at Starbucks, seated outside in 75 degrees with tall Pike Market blend with cream and sugar. The weekend was decent, highlighted by my attendance Saturday at a watch & clock exhibition at the Fort Myers public library, sponsored by a local group of collectors. I saw a couple of interesting watches (pocket and wrist) that people brought in, and gave value estimates on. I spent four hours there, mostly jawboning with other members of the club and getting to know them. The one guy I was hoping would show up, another wris...

It's Sunday morning, and another glorious sunny day here in Fort Myers. Abby and I are sitting out on the lanai. A couple of blue jays are duking it out for territory along the treeline. The smell of cigarette smoke is wafting over from next door, as neighbor Randy begins his daily ritual of pickling himself in tobacco and alcohol. (Nice guy, heart of gold, but racing to an early grave.) I don't have a lot to report since my last blog entry Wednesday. I have more or less fallen into a comfortable routine of goofing off and doing as little work as possible to keep my little watch enterprise going. Thursday, I met with (former landlord) Heather to catch up and see if there were any developments on her two rental units. She brought me two bottles of Wicked Dolphin Rum (one straight, and one spiced) as a  thank-you for my positive review of the Cape Coral Distillery, where her boyfriend (soon to be fiancee I'm told) is the head distiller. She also treated on the dri...

I’m on board the “Big M” casino ship, wondering if I made the right decision. It’s supposed to hit 73 degrees today, but I am dubious, being currently at 49 degrees, plus there’s a pretty good wind blowing, so it promises to be a bumpy, chilly ride. I have my sweatshirt on, one of only a couple days I can remember wearing it since arriving here back in November. All of which would feel welcome, I’m sure, to you folks back in Wisconsin. I see that it’s currently 3 degrees in Madison, and I see there’s more snow on the way to boot. I had breakfast this morning at Marti’s, a family style restaurant on San Carlos Blvd. that’s very popular with the locals, plus is gaining a favorable rep with the tourists/snowbirds via Yelp and TripAdvisor. (Sister) Dawn, I didn’t get a chance to take you there, but it’s very similar to the Cottage Café back in Madison. Generous portions, and breakfast is usually under $10, including coffee and tip. This morning, I had a Western omelet with Swiss cheese, h...