do what you've never done before

Two days of mostly new experiences.- even the old ones were new!

As in, seeing my old friend Bob, who is a different person but still the same guy I grew up around the corner from all those years ago in New Jersey.

We went to the Dali museum on Tuesday first. And I saw Dali in a new light, marveling at many things like his hologram of Alice Cooper and the hallucinogenic toreadors, a mammoth work rich with ideas and meanings.

Then we went to an Italian deli called Mazzaro's for lunch. I learned what Spanish moss is there was some of it attached to a tree in the deli's parking lot. The sausage and pepper heroes and salads full of fennel and sun-dried tomatoes were really good!

Next Bob drove me to one of his old favorite hangouts down in St Pete Beach, John's Pass, where we saw tourist-fishermen and women unloading their bounty, and then unexpectedly found a cigar shop where a father and son were rolling and a himidor filled with their works. This included elusive Candelas, cigars with green wrappers. We both bought cigars.

It was time to take a break! We drove back to Bob's hotel for cocktail hour.And we mapped out the rest of our day: dinner at a Cuban restaurant and then a visit to King Corona Cigar Lounge in Ybor City.

Dinner was plentiful and tasty! And King Corona was just right! My first cigar in Ybor was a Primo del Rey and Bob smoked an Arturo Fuente. We paired our cigars w a nice port.

Bob was staying over across the street from my hotel, so we agreed to meet the following morning for breakfast. Bob also offered to go with me to pick up Kevin Wednesday morning, which was tremendously generous of him but typical of the new person I have known for so long!

Of course we talked all day long! I told him about my cookies which I plan to sell and he told me how he makes sausage. We caught up on family stuff and lots of other stuff!