I finally got a chance to listen to local piano player/vocalist Chris Workman, who performs Saturday nights at the
Lighthouse Waterfront restaurant. I went with “Rona,” who finally appears to be getting a break from playing host and tourguide to friends and relatives. We arrived in separate vehicles at the packed restaurant at about 6 p.m.in a
pouring rain, and were lucky enough to score a high top table in the bar not far from the stage. I was drinking Jack Daniels, while Rona was alternating vodka/club sodas with ice water. Chris started about 7:30 p.m. He’s a fair pianist, playing a Korg electronic piano with some extra voices which he uses sparingly … mostly strings on some of the ballads.
But for the most part, he’s old school, avoiding pre-recorded background tracks and drum machines. It’s just his voice and the piano, which is nice. He played a variety of music, but I would say his style is predominantly blues, with a voice that reminds me a little bit of Marc Cohn. In fact, one of his songs on his playlist was “Walking in Memphis.” He also did some Dylan, Dobie Gray (“Drift Away”), some Don MacLean (“American Pie”). He did a number called "Suzanne," by Leonard Cohen, who is perhaps best known for his song "Hallelujah," which is being performed by everybody and his brother/sister right now. And of course some Billy Joel (“New York State of Mind,” “Captain Jack,” and “Piano Man.”) He also did some ballads, including “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” which Rona and I danced to. We stayed until 11 p.m. when Chris closed down. I bought two of his CDs, and if you want to hear samples of his music, you can go to his website here.
It was great fun listening to his music, and Chris was a very down to earth kind of guy … I talked with him for a while about his style and his choice of instrument. Turns out he’s originally from Maryland, but the northern part around Cumberland, not the southern part where Aunt Pat lived.
For food, Rona and I each had a cup of the house lobster bisque, which was hands down the best I’ve ever tasted --- a thick creamy base with pieces of lobster the size of M&Ms. That was served with a basket of homemade sourdough bread and butter. Then we shared one of the appetizers, a beef tenderloin flatbread topped with roasted red pepper and a balsamic glaze, then finished with watercress and shaved Parmesan cheese.
Delicious. The bill came to $82, which my date and I split down the middle, and each of us left tip on our portion. So the Lighthouse isn’t cheap, but I thought it was a good value for the quality of the food and the music.
Today, (March 3) I am on board the “Big M” casino ship, where I just won $85 at the craps table. I’m on the top deck enjoying the warmth (mid 80s), sunshine, and calm seas. I started the morning at a new (for me)
restaurant on the beach called “Heavenly Biscuit,” just down the road from the Lani Kai about one-half mile. This place is all the rage among the locals and the tourists thanks to websites like yelp and urban spoon, and it’s easy to see why. The cinnamon and pecan rolls are some of the best around, and their made-from-scratch baking powder biscuits from the backbone of their breakfast menu, with a variety of egg, meat, cheese, and veggie combinations that are … well … heavenly. I had a pecan roll, an egg-cheese-bacon-tomato biscuit, and coffee, all for $10.55. The place is teeny tiny, and only seats about a dozen people inside, but most people eat outside on café and picnic tables, or take their orders to go. The line was outside the door and around the side of the building when I arrived at about 8 a.m.., and can stretch well into the parking lot (I'm told) by 10 a.m. They are only open 7:30 a.m to 1 p.m., but the place is a gold mine, proving once again my old axiom that if you build a place that serves a great breakfast, the world will beat a path to your door.
This afternoon/early evening, I met “Rona” at about 5:30 p.m. on the rooftop at the Lani Kai for drinks, to watch the sunset, with the sun dropping below Sanibel Island:
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| From the Lani Kai rooftop, with the city fishing pier in the background. |
and to listen to the band. The lead singer, Mary Winner, is a good friend of Rona’s, and she was on guitar and vocals, and had a second guy on mandolin and harmonica. A bass player friend of Mary's stopped in and joined the duo and made it a trio and helped to fill in the music a little better. Mary's voice was the showcase, and she sounds little bit like Bonnie Raitt at times, and also a little bit like Carrie Newcomer. They did a variety of music from LInda Ronstadt, to Eagles, to Credence. A friend of "Rona's," named Mimi, dropped in unexpectedly, and joined us for a while. It was a lot of fun watching the cast of patrons at the Lani Kai (a great people watching place) and we stayed until 10 p.m. when the band shut down. "Rona" gave me a ride to my car, which was parked on the opposite side of the beach, and I drove back to the apartment pretty pooped out because I spent the entire day/evening at the beach. Here is a picture of "Rona" and I:
It’s official: spring break has started, and traffic on and off the beach will be horrendous now for the entire month of March. This is the month where it’s just as fast to reach the beach by bicycle as by car! So that's why I secured myself a nice parking place for five bucks for the day.
Today is is my airboat tour of the Everglades with “Rona.” We’ll be leaving Fort Myers about 11:30. She has offered to drive, and I will buy lunch, and I am very much looking forward to this, and plan to take lots of pictures.
I have completed my slide presentation and script for my speaking engagement at the mid-winter regional, coming up next week, and this is a relief to have that done. The show chairman called me and said my hotel
reservation was now been made at the "Flamingo Waterpark Resort," just three blocks from the show venue. My airbnb venue is secured in St. Petersburg, and I’m looking forward to meeting Kelly, my host, who happens to be a Realtor and property manager, and she has already indicated she would be more than willing help me find a rental for next season if I decide to give St. Pete a try.
I can scarcely believe I have just two months before making the trek back to Wisconsin. The time has truly flown by down here. I’ve already looked into storage lockers here for my stuff, and have found a nice location on
Cleveland Ave. that has inside climate controlled cubicles that go for about $70 per month for the size I need, if I decide I need storage. If I can’t find suitable and affordable quarters in St. Pete, I’ll likely renew the lease here in Ft. Myers, so we’ll see. St. Pete has a vastly more vibrant downtown, and long stretches of beach, but I would certainly miss my Sanibel Island!
Bye for now,
Bruce
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