Clevelander at Marlins Park

As soon as you step through the gates of the Clevelander lounge, you’ll feel transported away from America’s pastime, and beamed directly into party central USA, South Beach style. The Clevelander serves up refreshing cocktails, savory snacks, and a nightly array of sexy female performers, dancing a variety of lively routines to the sounds of today’s most popular dance tunes.

It’s a uniquely untamed way to spend the evening at the ballpark, among the flashing multi-colored lights and tropical atmosphere. The food is plentiful, and the music kicks it up into another dimension, and anyone can thoroughly enjoy the night in their own way. Diehard Marlins’ fans can watch the game from several rows of comfortable loveseats that look onto the outfield, while others are free to splash around or play a friendly game of chicken in the pool. But get there early, because several highboy tables will quickly fill with bustling party-goers, singing and dancing to the game away, while the bar at the far end of the lounge will be crowded two rows deep.

For those who truly enjoy a good mix of sports and party, welcome to the ultimate sports bar!

(for more photos of the Clevelander at Marlins Park, click here.)

2012 Fort Myers Beach Pirate Fest

Arrrg, the 2012 Fort Myers Beach Pirate Fest was almost the festival that didn’t happen. Two weeks before the big event, the program promoters packed their bags and left the city to fend for itself. Luckily, a group of local merchants and strong supporters of the annual event came together, and in a very short time were able to push through desperately needed permits, allowing the show to go on as scheduled. A variety of street performers, including dancers, magicians, and musicians entertained children and adults alike.

The weekend event kicked-off Friday night, with the Pirates’ Ball at “Ugly’s”, which included music, dancing, and the annual Best Pirate Costume Award.  Saturday started with a hearty buccaneer breakfast at Beach Pierside Grill on the boardwalk, and then a leisurely walk through the tent-covered Old San Carlos Boulevard, where local vendors displayed a mixed array of art, crafts, souvenirs, mock era-weaponry, costumes, handmade jewelry, and artisan works.

A breezy afternoon was just the right ambiance for relaxing al-fresco at Nervous Nellie’s Crazy Waterfront Eatery, where we enjoyed a few cocktails, live music, belly dancers, photo-ops with a mermaid, and a grand view of the exciting canon battle demonstration. Later that afternoon, a bright warm-orange sun, set behind the bay waters of the Gulf Coast, followed by a cool-warm and clear star-filled sky. It was the perfect back-drop for a filling pirate-fest dinner at the Yucatan Bar & Grill. We wrapped-up the day’s events at Ugly’s, sharing good wine and dancing the night away as the Pirate DJ spun the latest pop tunes on his digital mixer.

It was a great Pirate Fest, and we owe it all to the fast thinking and even faster acting local merchants of Old San Marco Boulevard, and specifically the owners of Nervous Nellie’s and The Shipwreck Motel and Emporium, who rallied the local community to ensure the show would go on. Kudos!

A final note: I rarely get lost, but when I do, someone will almost always ask me why I don't just ask for directions; my answer is always the same, "Pirates do not ask for directions. They rely on gut instinct, a compass, or a treasure map."  Happy plundering...!





(for more photos of the 2012 Pirate Fest, click here.)

Space Shuttle Discovery

The Space Shuttle Discovery was NASA’s third operational orbiter. Its name originated primarily from the British full-rigged ship HMS Discovery, captained by James Cook during its final exploration voyage of 1776. The spacecraft Discovery was first launched in 1984, and flew more missions than any of its sister shuttles by the time it was retired in 2011. Today, the Space Shuttle Discovery is displayed at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia – just a few minutes from Washington Dulles International Airport. If you have an opportunity to see her in person, I highly recommend it. 

It’s difficult for me to imagine a national space program without these magnificent space machines, majestically taking-off and landing periodically, but times change and there are some very intelligent individuals in the space program who I’m sure know better than I. So, in my own small salute and tribute to the many years of wonderful and astonishing memories from the Space Shuttle Program, here are a few of Space Shuttle Discovery’s many notable accomplishments:

- Discovery completed 39 successful missions in 27 years.
- Discovery flew 149 million miles and completed 5,830 orbits.
- Discovery spent a cumulative total of 365 days (1 full year) in space.
- Discovery was chosen for the “Return to Flight” orbiter in 1988, after the 1986 Challenger disaster.
- Discovery launched the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990.
- Discovery is the first American spacecraft to carry a Russian into space (1994).
- Discovery carried 77 year old Mercury astronaut John Glenn, back in to space in 1998, making Glenn the oldest person to have ever gone into space.
- Discovery carries the first Spaniard to ever travel into space (1998).
- Discovery was the first shuttle to dock with the International Space Station (1999).
- Discovery was chosen again for the “Return to Flight” orbiter in 2005, after the 2003 Columbia disaster.
- Discovery was the first operational NASA space shuttle to be retired (2011).

(for more photos of the Space Shuttle Discovery and other aircraft at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, click here.)

My Friend Marvin

My friend Marvin is a very friendly and good looking fellow. He lives in a beautifully forested and peaceful neighborhood in Westwood, Massachusetts. Although Marvin is the only one of his kind in the area, he is not discouraged, and happily flirts with some of the wild turkeys that also wander these woods. 

One afternoon, a particular turkey (we’ll call her Betty) caught Marvin’s interest, and he could not help himself but to perform his best courtship dance. He fanned out his long tail in a marvelous display of colors, and he turned one way, and then the other. Betty, however, was not impressed, and quickly veered left, away from Marvin. Ah, but Marvin was fast and blocked her escape; unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, and no matter how much Marvin swayed and danced, Betty was simply not interested. 

After a few escape attempts, Betty finally found a small gap, and she quickly ran through. Poor Marvin just stood there for a few seconds, and slowly lowered his feathers. “So long Betty”, he must have thought to himself, and then he dashed off into the woods to continue the search for his perfect match.

Another beautiful morning in South Florida

This shot was taken at the Marco Beach Ocean Resort in Marco Island, Florida. It’s a masterfully decorated place, with all the amenities you would want in a “weekend getaway” resort. It has several restaurants, including a small ocean side café where this photo was shot.

Two floors up, The Terrace at Sale e Pepe restaurant provides both fine and casual dining experiences; and, if you prefer your dinner al fresco, request outside sitting for spectacular sunset views - a light ocean breeze will keep the summer night air delightfully cool.

One Hundred Pennies Make a Dollar

The U.S. penny is a coin worth 1 cent, but it costs more than 1.6 cents to mint. Canada plans to abolish the penny sometime this year, and my guess is the U.S. will eventually follow. That will be a sad day for me, but I understand the logic behind it. The reality is that it costs more than a cent to produce a penny, and that’s just one of many financial drawbacks to the general use of pennies. So, in the spirit of historical trivia, here I present a few interesting facts about the penny.

1. The word “penny” was introduced around 790 A.D. by King Offa, the English Emperor who ruled Mercia from 757 to 796. The word penny referred to an English coin made entirely of silver.

2. The word “penny” was originally used to describe any sort of coin, not just the small denomination that is known for today.

3. When the U.S. started producing pennies in the 18th century, the official name given to the coin was the “one-cent-piece”. The term didn’t stick, and we continued using the British term “penny”.

4. The first American penny was designed by Benjamin Franklin. On one side the words “Mind Your Business” are set below a sun and sundial; on the other side “We Are One” is encircled by a 13 link chain representing the original colonies.

5. The modern day phrase “a penny saved is a penny earned” is attributed to Benjamin Franklin. The origin can be traced to the Welsh-born English poet George Herbert; in a circa 1633 publication of proverbs, Herbert writes “a penny spar’d is twice got.”

6. The first Lincoln penny was issued in 1909 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s birth. It’s the first time a U.S. coin bears a picture of a President.

7. The original penny was completely made of copper. That amount has decreased significantly since the rise in price of this red metal, and today’s pennies are made up of only 2.5% copper - the other 97.5% is Zinc.

8. During World War II, copper reserves were saved for military use, prompting the production of zinc plated steel pennies in 1943. The “steel penny” was also often referred to as the “wartime penny”

9. U.S. military bases overseas stopped handling pennies in the early 1980s, and all transactions are automatically rounded up or down to the nearest five cents.

10. There are about 150 billion U.S. pennies circulating around the world today.

I have a few of those pennies in a tin jar at home, and I have no intentions of parting with any of them any time soon.

Go Marlins!

Today is the season opener of the new Miami Marlins, and the first regular season game in their brand new ballpark. The Marlins' new stadium is located in the Little Havana section of Miami, and it covers approximately 17 acres once occupied by the unforgettable Miami Orange Bowl. The stadium will provide cover from the rain by a state of the art retractable roof, and provides seating for over 37,000 fans. A truly first-class home for the new Miami Marlins – Good luck guys!