Awake: 6:43am Temp 35 sleep 7+11 sunny overnight @ Holt, FL.
My sister Corinne calls from Lilly, Pa; we share talk time, however it was most appropriate that the nurse used more minutes due to the discussion of Corinne’s blood clot in her leg.
Around noon time, we drive the Suzuki to downtown Pensacola & visit the T.T. Wentworth, Jr., Florida State Museum….all (3) floors. The building was the old City Hall & packed with artwork, artifacts, antiques, old photos of yesteryear, a collection of (800) salt & pepper shakers, history of the U.S. Mail delivery system, a very sophisticated doll house collection with extremely well made miniature furniture, etc. We spent a good (2) hrs looking & reading about the history & lifestyle of early Pensacola.
Next, we drive a few blocks down the street to tour about (10) Historic Pensacola Village homes/buildings of the 1860’s era. Unfortunately we missed the last tour of the day, so we walked around the block to see these buildings/homes from the outside & peek thru a window now & then.
Then, top off the Suzuki’s fuel tank with: 14 gal @ $1.72 per gallon. After that, we visit “Richey’s East Liquor Store.” Ted recommended this place for the best prices in town for wine & liquor. The store was so packed; one could barely push a cart thru the aisles.
Next, we stop @ the Caribbean Soup Company for a bowl of soup. Only one car parked @ the building & it belonged to the manager; our thoughts: what are we in for? Well, this cook/manager wasted no time in giving us samples of some very delicious soups; explaining what was in each, that they use only fresh ingredients, & what taste to expect. We were so impressed with the tastes that we ordered a 12oz bowl of chicken in coconut milk. It came with crackers & he gave us each a slice of cornbread. Excellent! We learned that this restaurant is open from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. We were his last customers for the day.
A block down the street is McGuire’s Irish Pub where we are to meet up with Ted, Jane & her young looking parents: Ed & Joann. Now the fun begins because this is Wednesday & mug night. Ted has (5) mugs ($25.00 each) that McGuire’s hangs on the ceiling along with hundreds of others. Each owner of a registered mug can have as many refills of beer or limited hard liquor in that mug he/she wants for every Wednesday for only $1.00 each. Ted shares his (5) mugs with Ed, Kathy, & me & uses (2) for himself. Jane & Joann both drank diet Coke. Of course, Kathy & I ordered the good Scotch Ale that we liked so much last Saturday.
We both enjoy Joann & Ed & had much to talk about during the evening. K & I shared a mixed salad and popcorn; Jane had a Caesar salad & popcorn & Joann had a garden salad, some sort of egg rolls & popcorn. Ed & Ted limited themselves to popcorn & mug contents. Around 10:15pm, we agree to call it a wonderful evening. But wait! Ed says we have to have an “Irish Wake.” Of course, we don’t know what that is; Jane & Joann protest & want to leave, but Ed & Ted prevail. Turns out an “Irish Wake” is a rather potent rum mixture served in a Mason jar. Ed, Ted, Kathy, & I shared one. It tasted very good, but we were aware of the punch it could throw. We were awarded the Mason jar to take with us.
Something of note & that is widely known about McGuire’s is that for years patrons have chosen to staple $1.00 bills to the ceiling. The bills are signed & dated when hung, a protection against theft. To date the estimated value of this unique decoration is somewhere between $700,000 & $1,000,000.
We look forward to spending more time with this fun group tomorrow & thank Ted for those extra mug refills. We return to our coach @ 11:25pm & no movie tonight.
Lights out: 12:29am
Leave a comment