Beryl's not much

For Stuart, Beryl was just a nuisance. Not much more than a bit of puff and rain. That is a good thing.
We arrived back in Stuart at the beginning of one of the bands of showers and it lasted an hour. So, getting a little wet was the only damage we sustained. It did make the drive from Valdosta, GA an interesting one though.

Yep, we're back. Nope, still not sure about plans yet.

Our last night in Memphis was fun. It started with a surprise birthday party for a good friend and ended with fireworks right outside our windows and over the river.

 The new kitchen... kinda small compared to Rocky Point, but nice and functional

A few folks have asked for pics of the new digs. I took these with my iPhone just before leaving for Stuart.

I guess you could call this the sitting area. It and the kitchen are part of the same room.

Graffiti on the old brewery is always interesting. We've always wondered what it all means.

Though we're only on the 3rd floor, the fireworks seemed as if they were bursting just outside our window.
Little Muddy didn't like this at all, but the fireworks we're spectacular. They marked the end of Memphis in May festivities as well as our stay in town.
4:30AM the next morning brought our departure from Memphis with Istaboa as a destination.
Home away from home and it's good to be here.

Adios,

Istaboa

The Start of the Hurricane Season

Started earlier this year than I can remember and doing weird things too.
Like Alberto, that started in South Carolina — Now Beryl that's kicking up just east of where Alberto began and heading... Southwest?

So tomorrow morning we head back to Stuart and Istaboa... and hopefully just scattered showers.

Weather has been weird everywhere this year. It's been an unusually cool/dry spring in Memphis, very pleasant. The Exumas have seen more rain than they have in years. (Bugs gonna be bad Mon.) There hasn't been winter anywhere except Alaska and other folks at that latitude.
Oh well... can't do anything about the weather. Crew Istaboa starts getting nervous this time year, there's something to be said for keeping the boat on The Tennessee River this time of year.

Memphis has been fun!

Last night we walked down to Main Street where they were having the annual Memphis Zombie Massacre.

Not sure what to think about that, but lots of folks seem to enjoy it.

Tonight is the Sunset Symphony which will be held just below us at the park. It's been fun, but it's time to go home.
Istaboa and our life there awaits.


Adios,

Istaboa

A facinating article

Out of this week's New Yorker Magazine.
All those who read this blog on occasions will probably recall my fascination with Cuba.
Crew Istaboa has always wanted to go to Cuba by boat and even though the current administration is more lenient on travel to the forbidden island nation, we still resist.
Over the years we've met those who are Cuban or of Cuban heritage and we have learned to sympathize with the exiles. Most of them say that no matter what, they will never return until "The Beard" is dead and the regime is dismantled.
Still we dream of doing the Bahamas/Cuban Loop. Maybe someday.
Anyway...  Here's a excerpt from the article — The Yankee Comandante

For a moment, he was obscured by the Havana night. It was as if he were invisible, as he had been before coming to Cuba, in the midst of revolution. Then a burst of floodlights illuminated him: William Alexander Morgan, the great Yankee comandante. He was standing, with his back against a bullet-pocked wall, in an empty moat surrounding La Cabaña—an eighteenth-century stone fortress, on a cliff overlooking Havana Harbor, that had been converted into a prison. Flecks of blood were drying on the patch of ground where Morgan’s friend had been shot, moments earlier. Morgan, who was thirty-two, blinked into the lights. He faced a firing squad.

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/05/28/120528fa_fact_grann#ixzz1vXS6us00

 It's a great read, steeped in history and intrigue.

Enjoy.

Adios,

Istaboa

So, when in Memphis,

Do as the Memphians do.
We did.

We started out for the BBQ contest at around 3:00 and realized it was a long walk and very hot so we turned around and went back home to hang out with the pups and do some more homemaking.

We'd been invited to a party at a friends at 6 and decided if the sun was cooling down when leaving the get together, we'd walk down to the BBQ contest and check out our old team.
It was a typical MIMBBQ contest. Very hot, very crowded, and very smokey, but it was fun seeing our old friend Ralph and catching up.

We arrived just in time to see the sun sink into Arkansas.

We hung out for a while. Ralph treated us to a couple of beers and a plate of his world famous BBQ. It really was excellent. Boy, things have changed at the Can Do BBQ Booth, we didn't know a soul.
Then the convenience of living downtown really kicked in. We walked home and were safely tucked away with the pups within 15 minutes of leaving Ralph's booth. We liked that.

Yep, all iPhone pics. If you play with the apps a bit these phone cams can produce some interesting pics and you don't have to carry around a big camera. Kinda fun.

So that's it, I know we're gonna get outta here soon. Really miss Istaboa. All this real estate stuff has made a mess of our plans to head up the east coast, but you know what we say about plans. They're made for changing.

Adios,

Istaboa

Inner Strength

Saw this on the net today...

Inner Strength 

If you can start the day without caffeine or pep pills, 
If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains, 
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles, 
If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it, 
If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you time,

If you can overlook when people take things out on you when, 
           through no fault of yours, something goes wrong, 
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment, 
If you can face the world without lies and deceit, 
If you can conquer tension without medical help, 
If you can relax without liquor, 
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs, 
If you can do all these things, 

Then you are probably the family dog.

R.I.P. Donald "Duck" Dunn

 Sadly, another one of my inspirations has passed away. 

Duck taught us young wannabes to keep it simple, keep it home, and that's how he did it his whole career. I once asked him what strings he used, his reply? "I'm not sure, I haven't changed em in 15 years." 

While many of my contemporaries were slapping out Bootsy Collins and Geddy Lee licks, I stuck with Duck's advice....  "Keep it simple, keep it home." It worked for him and it served me well in that life, as well as in this one.

Duck on bass, along with Al Jackson on drums and Steve Cropper on guitar were the foundation that many in the music industry wanted to support them. From Eric Clapton to Muddy Waters... Booker T to Jerry Lee; at one time they were the most sought after rhythm section on the planet.  

Duck died in his sleep on this morning, May 13, 2012. He was in Tokyo after finishing two shows at the Blue Note night club in the city.

Duck's bio can be found at this link Duckdunn.com

Good Bye Rocky Point... Hello Bluff City!

The last days of Rocky Point were excruciatingly painful in so many ways. About the only thing good that happened was the real estate agents and lawyers were such assholes, we forgot all about the emotional turmoil of leaving our home of many years and were just pissed off and ready for it all to end. This real estate transaction from hell is an incredibly long/complicated story that can only be told over drinks.

So here we are... Downtowners!! It's been a tough move, but we think the worst is behind us.

This is an iPhone pick so you can't see the Mississippi River back there behind those houses, but it's there and it looks like the sun is setting in the middle of it. We'll have nice vistas out the windows on the west side. I like storms so I'm hoping for a good thunderstorm soon.

 This is the old Tennessee Brewery I mentioned earlier. Our neighboring building.

Being the Art District of Memphis, our building is full of interesting stuff. The above is a pic of the old original warehouse doors from our building done by a local artist who made them a bit more colorful. Nicely done.

This weekend is Beale Street Music Fest and the kick off for Memphis in May; we've been hearing sound checks for the last couple of days. Someone was banging out Purple Haze yesterday and rattling the windows.

From the looks of the crowd in this pic, we're pleased to be able to sit in our condo with the windows open or up on the roof and listen comfortably. We're not crowd folks, but it should be fun to watch from above. The stage is below us a few hundred yards away.

 I borrowed this photo from lalunablanca

We've discovered a really nice park close by where we can safely walk the boys. Butler Park is atop the bluffs overlooking another park and the river. Very clean and popular. As you can see below, the sunsets at the park will be as good as the ones at our marina in Stuart, Sunset Bay.

I borrowed this photo from Kevin Reed

Okay... you're caught up.

We think we're really going to like it here. All the folks we've met so far have been very friendly and actually seem to be like us, some younger and some older, but all seem to enjoy the live and let live approach to life. It kinda reminds us of living at a marina, everyone seems to watch out for each other.

 Don't ask... Just watch the video... Prince Mongo

This should be fun... a new chapter for crew Istaboa.

Adios,

Istaboa

Oh yeah... 

Here's your chance to own Navy stealth ship

 Bids are due by 6 p.m. ET Friday. Good luck.

OMG