Campari, Bitter Lemon, Torremolinos

I am sitting on the balcony, sipping a Campari and bitter lemon. In front of me is a small bowl of green olives, a plate consisting of some crostinis and manchego cheese. It is hot, but the sight of the Mediterranean Sea promises an offer of a cool breeze. Torremolinos is a busy resort town on the coast of Spain. The streets are full of tourists, some heading to work, others dressed for swimming and sunning. I am looking forward to a walk along the beach later- maybe grab a cup of blood orange granita,, maybe a plate of ensalada russo, with a hard roll. I will enjoy the sun, maybe a dip in the water- and head back to the hotel. Maybe I will have another Campari and bitter lemon, take a cool shower followed by a nap. The town gets very loud and busy at night. There is live gypsy flamenco music. the smell of grilled meats from the street vendors and vendors selling their wares. For dinner-hmm- I am in the mood for a paella- I will have to ask the hotel manager for a good restaurant. I pour myself another Campari drink-ahhh- so perfect for a hot afternoon in Torremolinos. Someone shouts out my name- I open my eyes- I am slightly bewildered- I hear my name again- "Bob-are you ok? I look around, the beach is gone, the people are gone- and my neighbor is calling my name- I look down from the balcony--"Yeah I'm ok- I was just daydreaming". Man, what happend. Here I am- I am still at Americana Finnmark- did only two Campari and bitter lemon do this-- I look around-my neighbor heads off- do I still hear the gypsy music-- I pour myself another Campari and bitter lemon.

A Renaissance Man

My father was not the stereotypical father. He worked over 30 years at a grocery store. He did not drive. He was not a big sports fan.He did not drink, smoke and seldom lost his temper. He did speak two languages, wrote poetry and love letters to my mother, he sang, he danced and he loved the movies, broadway and award shows, and he was a good artist. he did not become interested in baseball until he met the famous baseball pitcher Camilo Pascual- who shopped at the grocey store. They would talk about politics,(Pascual was from Cuba, my father was from Spain) My brothers and I met Camilo Pascual one day when we went to pick my father up at work. My father soon became a baseball fan-He took us to our first baseball game- and not knowing any better, walked down the aisles to the Senators dugout and shouted out Camilo's name.- Much to our surprised, Camilo came out, shook hands with my father and autographed our baseballs. It made our day and we thought our dad kinda special-he knew somebody famous We attended a few more games over the years, and my father became somewhat of a baseball fan. My father loved to read- and although he did not graduate from high school in this country, he knew American history better than most Americans. We use to watch Jeopardy and he would whiz through the answers- he was really good with history and the arts and entertainment questions. On his days off, he would go down to Georgetown with our neighbor George Psira, they would look for a nice location along the canal, set up their easels and paint-they were both very good painters-a trait I did not inherit. He loved the holidays and made each one special, and filmed or photographed every family get together-when he died there must have been over a thousand photgraphs of family and friends. Award shows were a big deal for him- he loved showbusiness and always had dreams of becoming an actor-. Whenever there was an awards show on, he would buy fancy cheese and meats, crackers, sparking wine and make a big production of the evening- guessing the winners of the Oscars, Tony's or Emmy's. He made a point to see all the nominated movies during the year. When I turned 18, he took me to see my first "racy movie". It was Gypsy- with Natalie Wood, Ethel Merman and Karl Mulden. It was pretty risque at the time and we had a great time. There are so many great stories to tell about my father- and I could go on and on. But that will be for a later date. I can only say, he died to soon, and he is greatly missed. I have said it before and I will say it again- he came to this country to become a great actor- and instead he became a great father. Happy Fathers Day Dad- we still miss you.