As we approach the Twentieth Century, at least through my blog post numbers, I now enter the decade known as the “Gay Nineties.” Gay had a different meaning back then, although the word evoked an overall tinge of promiscuity. It was also known as the “Mauve Decade,” because of the prominence of that color in fashion trends. In the United Kingdom, the label “Naughty Nineties” is favored.  Despite these seemingly carefree terms, the period was “marked by an economic crisis, which greatly worsened when the Panic of 1893 set off a widespread economic depression in the United States that lasted until 1896.”

Speaking of gay times, during yesterday’s Borrego Boyz luncheon the ferry trip from Fort Myers to Key West was discussed. We have already purchased discount tickets, as I begin to hear more and more about the lifestyle there. It’s kind of a festive combination of Bourbon Street and P-Town that I’m looking forward to experiencing. The 3-hour cruise down there only adds to the appeal of going. I have great memories of bars in New Orleans and on the Cape, but even those won’t probably rival the rooftop clothing optional bar appropriately called Garden of Eden. One of the guys in the lunch group was going to check it out this weekend. Hopefully, I’ll get the full scoop before we plan our Key West adventure after the holidays. 

Leadership luncheons like this are always good for a laugh, as well as useful information. We’re planning to have one once a month, taking advantage of all the Gulf-side lunch spots here in paradise. I miss the weekly Buffalo Wild Wing get-togethers we had in Portland. The guys are coming to visit in March, unless Spring Training is cancelled due to the owner’s strike. Covid, fires, and potentially this strike have ruined many a good time over the past year-and-a-half. I remember in April of last year being in San Francisco and having our scheduled tour of Alcatraz spoiled by the evil virus. Yesterday, my intrigue to see the place was heightened by a History channel documentary on the escape by the Anglin brothers. Proof of their escape has now been recently verified through a photo taken in Brazil long after they were presumed dead. I find the whole story to be fascinating, just like the Garden of Eden.