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 favorites and the prices were great and the place was always packed...

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 tree line. The smell of cigarette smoke is wafting over from next door, as neighbor Randy begins his daily ritual of pickling himself in tobacco and beer. (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 drink...

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 reputation 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 ch...

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 w...

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...

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 maste...