Author Archives: Sparky
“Woman Trouble” by David Benjamin
Copyright 2021 by David Benjamin. Published by Last Kid Books, Madison WI. The usual disclaimer: I know the author. He is one of my oldest and dearest friends. This is #3 in Benjamin’s series of mysteries featuring Jim Otis, Sheriff of Hercules WI, a small town disparagingly called “hicksville.” Otis is a former Chicago cop … Continue reading
A visit from Gary and Jane
Gary is an old friend – I met him in 1996, a year before I met Jett. There is a connection there – I met both due to my membership in the local chapter of Parents Without Partners in Burlington MA. Gary was President when I was Treasurer. A year later Jett wandered into a … Continue reading
A few photos from Punta Gorda
Marlene and I continue to make almost weekly trips to Punta Gorda on Tuesday evening to listen to the free music (mediocre) and enjoy the water views (terrific). These are photos from our most recent visit.
Island Gypsy Cafe
A few weeks ago Marlene and I traveled an hour to the Island Gypsy Cafe in Isles of Capri FL. This is an outdoor restaurant (under a canopy) on a marina close by the Gulf of Mexico. It is a beautiful setting. Good food, too. We met my friends Oren and Patty there for lunch. … Continue reading
2022 blog booklet
The 2022 blog booklet is now available online. I am on the fence about printing this as it is expensive to do so. If you want a hard copy, send me a request, please. Creating this booklet was emotionally draining as it required me to revisit my tumultuous relationship with Ooma. I put her on … Continue reading
My music education
Thanks largely to dating two women who love music, the past 12 months have been my most intense music education since the 60s. First and foremost is the Buckingham Blues Bar, an amazing (and amazingly inexpensive) bar/club that hosts some first-rate blues jams twice a week. Ooma introduced me to The Buck and I am … Continue reading
Four months and still a mess
I visited Fort Myers Beach for the first time since Hurricane Ian, on the 4-month anniversary of the storm. I didn’t expect to see a fully-recovered city, but what I saw was pretty shocking. I guess the good news is that the main drag – Estero Boulevard – is passable. But many structures are completely … Continue reading
“The Matarese Circle” by Robert Ludlum
Copyright 1979 by Robert Ludlum. Published Bantam Books Inc, New York. I take a break from mysteries occasionally to read popular books in other genres.. This one falls into the “epic struggle of one man against a worldwide conspiracy” category. The protagonist is Brandon Scofield – also and somewhat inexplicably called “Bray”. He is an … Continue reading
Hand, Knee and Foot in my future
A few days ago I learned that Marlene plays Hand, Knee and Foot regularly. As you may recall, Jett and I played this game frequently (with frequent losses by me). I miss both Jett and the game. While Jett is gone forever, it appears that the game is not. I am looking forward to getting … Continue reading
Why I love living in Florida, reason #76
Feral peacocks, encountered recently while walking in the resort.