Four Baggers Does Fort Myers

"How about we go to Spring Training?"

For months I'd resisted all overtures of vacationing. Yes, I've been extremely burned out on everyday life, mentally exhausted and stressed to my limits. Point being, I needed a break. But vacations are typically a whole different brand of stress. Replacing the mundane every day stress with new stress in a new location. Then it's right back to the old stress, without skipping a beat.

Add to that, the terrifying uncertainty of President Blundercunt sabotaging the economy with his stupid tariffs and the disappearing of people he doesn't approve of. Add in an insane dose of Co-President Space Douche and his team of blindly obedient incels, destroying every government institution they can get their corrupt little fingers on. All under the name of "efficiency", which goes hand in hand with what Project 2025 spelled out. Guess they were lying when they spent the entire campaign denying this was the plan all along. Hard to fathom some people actually believed that line of bullshit.

Point being, I didn't (and still don't) feel that this was the best time to drop a huge chunk of money on something as frivolous as a vacation. Seems very likely that the very government services our life depends on, will (at the very least) be dramatically altered, if not outright gone for good. So I'm very scared for us and our future, as I try to maintain my sanity navigating our new authoritarian fascist America. 

Needless to say, I was against doing this for months. 

Laura finally got the bamboo to grow the right length under my fingernails, until I had to give in. Her argument based on the fact that we were both turning 50 this year, and we needed to do something special for it. 

We could go to Fort Myers and watch a couple of Twins games...

That would at least give me something to write stories about!

I could hunt for abandoned buildings, and maybe find some more new stories to write...

And we could kick back and relax on the Florida beaches. On the Gulf of MEXICO side.

(I will not dignify the senile ramblings of what that demented man wants to name things.)

Despite my numerous reasons for rejecting it, I did have to agree that it would be nice to do something for our 50th birfdays. Even if we regret it this summer, after Social Security collapses from "efficiency", and her Medicare is taken away so a billionaire can have just a little bit more money on his pile of cash.  We agreed that whatever happens in the future is going to happen, regardless of what we do in March of 2025. Thanks to the direction our nation has gone, the future is going to suck hard. Might as well have some fun before it all goes to complete hell.

So here is my story about that.

And because I'm writing it, it needs a Whatever. While I wasn't going to go nuts at a card store on this vacation, as I did 6 years ago in Delaware, I still wanted to drop by a Fort Myers area shop to check out some singles.

Avzen Sports Cards stepped up and out of the Googles, providing 24 single cards to add into my various collections. They had a bunch of multi-sport shoeboxes, filled with cards for $1, $5 or $10 each. Since the baseball was separated from the football and other stuff I didn't care about, I got a good hour of digging, to mine out these 24 gems.

Top 24 Cards from Avzen Sports Cards

#24 - 1969 Topps - Maury Wills

I already have this card, in MUCH better condition. But this one amused me. I picked it up because a previous owner took the time and effort to update Maury's team. Crossing Expos out, and hand writing -and misspelling- "Dogers" at the top of the card. Brilliant! Also, since Wills is shown here wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates hat and jersey, three teams are represented on this card.

What a deal!

When planning our vacation, we consulted the Minnesota Twins 2025 Spring Training Schedule, matching up our window with games we wanted to attend. Zeroing in on the end of March, with home games against the Blue Jays and Colorado Rockies. The Rockies hold their Spring Training in Arizona, so a preseason appearance in Florida is rare. We must go!

Hammond Stadium, from the main sidewalks off the parking lot.

Twins employees were very enthusiastic about taking pictures of couples/groups. None of the ones taken of Laura and I were very flattering, so they wont be appearing here. 

"Nope... We're good... Just taking a picture of this trash can here..."

It was 11:30am when we got here, so most of the practice stuff had ended and the fields were empty. Except for (Rick) Stelmaszek Field. Named after the longtime Twins coach, this is a full sized MLB field that was currently used for Twins batting practice. The Blue Jays were holding batting practice inside Hammond Stadium. 

Since no uniform numbers were visible, I had a tough time recognizing players. Austin Martin was easy to pick out, with that glorious mane. After looking at the pictures more closely, this is clearly Edouard Julien.

"You need to stay back from the fence! You can take your picture, but you need to move back as soon as you are done!"

Okay overzealous Twins guy...

Before going inside the stadium, I wanted to take a quick look at the rest of the Lee Health Sports Complex. Which I always remember being called the Lee County Sports Complex, from decades of Twins Spring Training coverage.

But everything is for sale.

We walked all the way back to Do Not Enter. Multiple baseball fields are tucked behind the main stadium, although there wasn’t much activity going on at any of them. 

The far end of the Lee Health Sports Complex was home to the Minnesota Twins Player Development Academy. This is where the youngest minor league prospects work on their game before assignment to a team in the Twins farm system. 

There were a buncha more pictures taken from the main sidewalk.

They're not overly interesting unless you're me, so I'll keep going.

Right on into #23…

#23 - 2007 Topps Turkey Red - Jason Kubel

Kubel logged a decent amount of time at the (then named) Lee County Sports Complex. Playing Rookie ball with Fort Myers in 2000 and 2001, then a full season of Low A with the Fort Myers Miracle, in 2003. Which was their name until a rebranding as the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, a few years ago. Kubel played with the Twins from 2006-2011, then a partial season in 2104.

Good idea sign… The skies may be clear, but the game is going to start soon. All of the Twins have left the practice field, and made their way into the stadium. The walk between (Rick) Stelmaszek Field and Hammond Stadium is divided by a chest high chain link fence. Twins personnel told us that we could stand at the fence and try to get autographs as the players walk by. He said that a lot of the players will sign for you. 

Well, that area was crawling with people and lots of children. Getting autographs to me isn’t as big of a deal as it was when I was the age of those kids standing there. Let them have that fun for themselves. As a 50 year old man (now), I wouldn’t feel right in asking adults half my age for their signatures. Especially have no interest in taking that time away from a kid, that it would mean far more to.

Most of the people had gone inside at this point, so I was able to get a people-free photo of the fountain in front, on our to the east side of the park. Because of Laura's wheelchair, we got to use the press entrance to Hammond Stadium. Which lead to a room with multiple doors, each leading to a different "off-limits" area, and the elevator were needed to use. Although, we could have probably gone into the Lactation Room, if we really wanted.

Up and behind the fountain it the main entrance.

This photo is from after the game, since there was no one other than the workers left behind.

Much smaller than Target Field…

Before the game started, I wanted to walk around the stadium for pictures. 

Starting at the third base side, I wanted a better shot of (Rick) Stelmaszek Field.

Where the Twins were practicing less than an hour ago.

Next to that is Tom Kelly Field.

Which is so cranky that it ends after the infield.

How about #22 on the Whatever?

#22 - 1969 Topps - Ron Perranoski

Another lesser condition duplicate. Just because Topps really didn't try very hard to hide the Dodgers on this card. A black blob covering the "LA" on the cap, is really weak, even by 1969 standards. Why not use blue and pretend Perranoski is just wearing a generic cap? By 1972 Topps would start attempting to draw new logos on hats. And as an Expos fan, seeing their terrible interpretations of the interlocking "MEB" was usually hilarious. 

Warning sign fronting the lawn seating, down the right field line.

The second lawn seating section is just beyond the left field fence. 

Most of the photos from my walk around the park were taken with my digital camera. Just to save the battery on my phone. My near 10 year old digital camera still uses AA batteries. Which is convenient for outdoor photos, when you don't have a phone charger nearby.

You know something that is nearby... The Hammond Stadium Beer Garden!

“It's not a cult!”

Looking across the outfield walls, from right.

Behind the right field seating and boardwalk, was a semi-famous swamp. Which is a lot smaller than it used to be. The Minnesota Twins moved their Spring Training and Minor League operations from Orlando, Florida, to Fort Myers, in 1991. I remember watching and reading features on the Lee County Sports Complex, back then. The swamp was always talked about and shown in highlights. Seeing it in person (now) was kind of a disappointment.

When Hammond Stadium was built, the right field wall was the end of the stadium, with no seating behind it. Home runs would sometimes fly into the swamp, since it was so close. The office park behind the outfield wasn't there yet, so the swamp extended further back. With the natural area around it reduced drastically, I doubt there are near as many alligator sightings, as there were 30 years ago.

Half way point of the boardwalk.

I’m not even winded.

The Hammond Stadium grandstands, from just left of the batter's eye in center field.

For the sake of time/space, I'm going to magically teleport to the grandstand, then find the way to my seat.

Love the dry erase board, with a hand-written starting lineup. Don't recognize many of those Blue Jays... No Bichette, no Vladdy Jr., this is pretty much Max Scherzer and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, playing against the Minnesota Twins opening day lineup. Minus the starting pitcher. Looking at this, you'd think this should be a slam dunk win for the Twins...

Well, our starting pitcher’s name in itself was a prediction for how today's game would go.

Too bad it wasn't this guy, circa 2003...

#21 - 2004 - Upper Deck Finite - Barry Zito

Still a Zito fan. Even though there's still 1998 more of these cards floating around somewhere, I'll happily drop $1 for a serial numbered Barry Zito card, that I didn't previously have.

Cory Provus and former Twins closer, Glen Perkins, hosting the live pre-game show, along the third base line. Today's game was broadcast on the new Twins.TV venture. My plan had been to sign up for that, but I wanted more details, which never came. The season started and I found that our Comcast tier included the channel that turned on, only for the Twins game, before going dark again. 

Cool. That works for me.

Paying enough for TV as it is...

Meanwhile, all I've read are people having problems with the streaming. I'm sure there would be initial problems that would get ironed out over time. I haven't seen near the complaints that came around the first few weeks. But as long as I can just turn on the TV and have the game on when the game is on, I'm good with that.

There's a nice contrast.

Ty France, Harrison Bader and Byron Buxton warm up before the game starts.

This picture was taken about an hour before the game started. There were a lot more people here than this. However, we had temporary confusion with the stadium ushers, as they had no where to put Laura's wheelchair, and she couldn't easily walk down to our seats. There was apparently some mix up when she ordered the tickets. They let us sit in the wheelchair section on the level we were on. But if someone came and claimed that spot, we'd have to move someplace else.

No one did.

Bottom of the first inning, Max Scherzer pitching to Byron Buxton. Scherzer pitched four strong innings, striking out Buxton here. After the Twins were sent down in the first, I decided it was time to make a run for some food.

I saw no objects leaving the playing field. Just fans copying my plans.

They'll never guess who #20 is...

#20 - 2022 Topps Archives - Brent Rooker

$1 for a Rooker rookie? Sure, why not. Always liked the 1983 Topps design. Almost positive both of the photos on this card were taken at Hammond Stadium. So that's cool. 

Rooker (with Taylor Rogers) was traded to the San Diego Padres for Chris Paddack, in March of 2022. We will be watching Paddack pitch for the Twins, against the Rockies, on Tuesday. Brent Rooker was then traded to the Kansas City Royals in August of 2022. The Royals put him on waivers after the season, and he was claimed by the Athletics. Over the next two seasons, Rooker became a star. In January 2025, Rooker signed a 5 year, $60 million contract, with the A's. The idea being he's a marketable star that can bridge the Oakland - Sacramento - (maybe) Las Vegas - ?? - situation, this abused franchise is currently on.

How does committing real money and years into a star player, to ease the pain that team has put people like you through in the last ten years feel, Super A's Fan Rob?

Good to have you back in the game... It's so hard to leave baseball.

Taste of Twins Territory booth provided uninspiring food options. Pickles getting top billing? Peculiar...

Now this is what I'm looking for... Bud, Burger & Brats! 

(Oh wait... Bud meant beer... Lame...) 

After seeing the charcoal grill going at the Bud, Burger & Brats booth, I didn't pursue any other of the fairly limited concession stands. The concourse was packed and tough to move around in, so why go further? Too many promotional tables sticking out into the concourse, causing traffic jams. That, in addition to all of the people that would just stop moving in the middle of traffic, to look around or check their phone. 

I ordered a cheeseburger for myself and a hot dog for Laura, along with a couple of Pepsi (sigh) bottles. Could not have been happier with the quality of stadium food. This food booth needs to get promoted to the Major Leagues. By the seventh inning stretch, I made a quick run back to Bud, Burger & Brats for a hot dog with raw onions.

Wienerz with a Z.

Time for #19...

#19 - 2004 Upper Deck Finite - Preston Wilson

Found a few cards away from the Barry Zito, in the small cluster of $1, 2004 Upper Deck Finite singles. Same principle applies, only this was a team specific purchase. Not a player specific purchase.

In the middle of the 4th inning, it was time for the Hooters Softee Ball Toss!

Where female Twins employees would stand on the dugout roof and throw Hooters Softee Balls like a girl. Catchers of these balls could redeem them for 6 free wings, when you buy 6 wings. That's a dozen wings, for the price of a half dozen!

And boobs!

Some guy gave Laura his Hooters Softee Ball, in the 9th inning. We didn't redeem it either.

They did the Hooters Softee Ball Toss again when we were here for the Rockies game. However, they announced they only had two Softee Balls left to toss. Really? Why bother? To make this story funnier is that six days after this, Hooters filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. No one goes to Hooters to buy wings and look at boobs, so Hooters couldn't afford to buy more Softee Balls! 

I don't know why I find this so funny.

In the bottom of the 6th inning, Byron Buxton hit a long home run to the left field. I didn't have the camera ready when he struck the ball, so I had to settle for him jogging towards third base.

Since I missed the actual home run, this shot of Buxton on the scoreboard serves as my proof that he hit homer for me on my birfday. And I saw it in person. The fact that my birfday falls outside the regular season, making it more unlikely this would happen. Kinda seals the deal in him being one of my favorite Twins of all time. None of the rest of them hit a home run on my birfday, with me watching in attendance.

Hearing a good rhyming name announced over a public address system will always get a pop from me. So when Eddie Micheletti Jr. came to bat for Toronto, in the top of the 8th inning, I had a new favorite Blue Jays farm hand. Hope he makes the majors, I need a card.

Byron Chourio played left field in the top of the 9th inning, but didn't come to the plate. He was written about in my 2024 Bowman Draft Twins story, from a few months back. I'd hoped to see a Walker Jenkins cameo, but he's been out with an ankle injury. Can't be a Twins top prospect without injury concerns...

I did take a pretty incredible shot of Twins catcher/infielder, Mickey Gasper, right as his bat struck the ball. It went foul... This was in the bottom of the 9th, Twins down by 1. 

They did not get the 1. 

The Blue Jays won, 2 to 1.

And the game is done.

On our way out of the ballpark, we stopped by the team gift shop. I'd wanted to buy a Twins Spring Training T-shirt for my mom, but they were an eye-popping $48 and up... I opted for a grab bag of various Twins Spring Training swag.

Also including a copy of the Minnesota Twins Spring Training program. Which at $5, was the best value of any of these souvenirs. Did pick up a copy for myself, and was impressed by the amount of content included. Sure, there are a lot of ads. I would expect that. And a lot of them are local, which I find interesting. But they had good bios of all players, including some of the later arrivals to the roster. Some of the more fringe minor leaguers also got a mention. So if you were attending one of these games, this program gives you a good idea who the home team is fielding. 

As far as any of the visiting clubs, you're on you own. 

Hope your phone is charged...

Goodbye Lee Health Sports Complex. Thanks for advertising the upcoming Rockies game in a few days, while I waited to turn left onto 6 Mile Cypress. Which was a very easy drive back to our hotel: Take 6 Mile Cypress north to whatever point it becomes Ortiz Avenue, then continue until a right turn on Luckett Road, turn left at the 7 Eleven and blammo! Hotel. Driving an unfamiliar vehicle in an unfamiliar territory, I appreciate that simplicity. 

I also appreciate #18...

#18 - 2023 Topps - Griffin Jax - Gold

Our star reliever has begun the 2025 season as our worst reliever. It's getting to the point where I wonder if he's injured. Did he catch Tommy John Surgery, and hasn't told anyone? Either way, it's a great card for a dollar. Even if he misses the next 15 months at some point in the near future.

Well, he’s pitched better since I wrote this. And the Twins have multiple candidates for worst relief pitcher on the staff. So I hope he stays healthy. Would hate to think that my stupid blog caused Griffin Jax to come down with a case of Tommy John Surgery...

******

You may be asking yourself, "How did we get to Florida?"

While I wish I had some exciting or exotic story like: "We hitchhiked..."

Realty is the much more boring, "We flew there."

I absolutely hate flying. Especially after the sudden increase in airplane mishaps, crashes and wackiness since a certain regime change took place. Getting on a plane made me highly anxious. So I combatted that with some gummies and an extra strength nicotine patch. 

We took the Uber to the airport, checked our bags, then I enjoyed a final cigarette in the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport smoking area. Unfortunately the edibles hadn't kicked in before I had to get us through security. I don't even want to talk about that whole stupid mess that is airport security.

3:53pm - See if I can write tiny notes on a tiny airplane fold up table. Not as shaky as I expected, but I can’t see the lines and I don’t think it will matter once it is done.

Beyond the low hanging wall divider is First Class. They have monitors mounted into the seat backs in front of them. The woman in front of me is using hers for Fox News. I’ve watched that damn El Salvadorian prisoner propaganda loop, on far too many repeats. As the brainless twats on Fox News can barely contain their glee. Scary times that these spoiled blue bloods cannot possible grasp, as they casually dine on their Delta Airlines Chilean Sea Bass. Silently applauding our rights being erased from the constitution.

“I got mine… You’re on your own!”

Looking out the windows as we descend into Ft. Myers.

Inside the Ft. Myers airport concourse, just minutes after de-boarding the plane. There's nobody around. My first thoughts were that we'd likely have to fly into Tampa, then drive to Ft. Myers. Laura found direct flights there and back to Minneapolis, which is a much smaller airport, in a much smaller area. Perfect!

No lines at the Ft. Myers airport Enterprise rental desk either!

Not even a 17 minute wait!

#17 - 1987 Fleer All Star - Tim Raines

1987 Fleer cards absolutely had to have been made with hand stripped film separations. Computer technology really wasn't there to do it cost effectively in 1987. When it came to dropping the background out of this Tim Raines photo, Fleer clearly didn't have their best stripper on the job. The cut out is wildly inconsistent, and they missed two glaring hickeys between the separations. Raines' knee and shin is intruding on the bottom grey border, because the black separation isn't knocked out properly. Oh, and it's all out of register too.

I hate it when my career interrupts enjoyment of both my vacation AND my hobby.

Our hotel was just off the interstate, northeast of town. And only about 10 miles from the airport. It was relatively far away from the parts of town we were going to visit, but not an inconvenience. The night manager told us the hotel has only been open for 7 months. I figured it was new when Laura gave me the address. I looked it up on the Googles, if you zoomed in on the satellite view, you saw a drawing of a hotel. 

Enterprise gave us a Jeep Grand Cherokee, for a rental. I really hated driving that thing. After decades of driving crappy Ford Escorts, I upgraded to the larger Chevy Impala, in 2018. The car's a 2008, with no exhaust and a bad oil leak, so it's still a piece. But it's smaller. I don't like navigating traffic from a high vantage point, in an abnormally large and boxey vehicle. With new blind spots and perspective adjustments to figure out. Plus the brakes in this thing were very touchy. Took some practice to get used to the amount of pressure needed for a slow down, and not STOP NOW!!

"It's not a cult!"

Since my (now 7 year old) phone wouldn't link up to the car stereo, I had to resort to AM/FM radio, for driving noise. Knowing the options that my ears could stomach were limited, I figured I'd find the least offensive option. And as you can see from the above picture, there were a lot of audibly offensive options. 

Classic Rock radio sucked me in with Guns n' Roses, You Could Be Mine. There was nothing better,  so the soundtrack to the vacation became (not just) Guns n' Roses, but AC/DC, Van Halen, Motley Crue, Tom Petty, Metallica, The Doors and Aerosmith. Nothing interesting, just the greatest of greatest hits. In a discernible pattern. If I ever have to hear Janie’s Got a Gun ever again, I’ll get one too...

"Classic Rock 94.5 FM Naples. Broadcasting from the zoo. Yeah, we're the ones throwing poo and classic rock at you!"

Is there really a difference?

Yeah, Enterprise, I know...

As much as I'd love to enjoy a cigarette as I'm sitting in non-moving traffic.

Listening to Free Falling for the third time since I left the hotel...

Neither Laura or I have particularly “normal” schedules. Between my second shift job and her various health issues, we are not going to ever keep bankers hours. So it was kind of surprising to me that on most days, I was awake as the sun rose. 

Which meant I was amongst the first to take advantage of the hotel’s continental breakfast. Which was in this part of lobby area, only there was food here. When it was available, I enjoyed the biscuits and sausage gravy, several times. If not, there were English Muffins and paper-thin bacon, to start the day. Sausage patties and bananas worked well too. I didn’t mess with the waffle irons. Too much effort for a lackluster waffle experience.

The front desk in the hotel lobby. The lights on the wall behind the desk were consistently 1/3 out. They’d occasionally flicker behind the C, but it wasn’t very often. It was a complaint of the desk employees, who said it's been like that since they opened.

Just outside the windows on the left side of the picture is the patio for the pool.

For our 10 nights, we had a nice sized suite, with two bathrooms and the bed in a separate room. Which worked great since our sleeping schedules don’t always align. The bed was very soft and comfortable to sleep on, but it was very low to the floor, which was odd. 

The other side of our hotel room had the kitchenette, couch, desk and tv. The desk was a pull out model on wheels. Which came in handy for reasons that didn’t always involve me sitting under the TV, writing my Appreciation of South Platte River Drive story, that you may have already read.

Say... What is that motivational message appearing on the TV?

ENHANCE!

Impeccable odds that Comedy Central would air the Washington Redskins episode of South Park, at this exact moment as I was photographing the room. Which was about 10:30 in the morning...

THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!

A couple of days after we got in, the TV remote stopped working. Reaching into my supply of AA batteries for my digital camera, I snapped the remote back to life. Now, did I donate my working batteries for the next patron to use? Hell, no. Those crappy “Omni Remotes” branded batteries went right back into the remote, as we were packing to leave.

What say you Bob?

#16 - 1969 Topps - Bob Allison

The 1969 Topps design really looks like 1969...

Probably should have just saved a dollar, instead of buying this beat up example of a Twins card I already had several of.

But I really like this photo.

A couple of miles north of our hotel was the rather run down Morse Shores Shopping Center. I'll have to come back and look at it in better daylight. For now, I was on a scouting mission for stuff.

Acting on a tip from Laura, I visited the Cloud 239 Smoke Shop. Going into this vacation, I had pre-judged Florida's cannabis laws to match up with the batshit insanery of their governor.

Let's just say this was the biggest shock to my expectations I can remember.

Was almost like being in Colorado?!

Restaurants close early in Florida. Texted Laura what the options in this area were, that I could bring back to the hotel. She chose Hardees. I was on board with that, been quite a while since I'd eaten at one. Hardees/Carl's Jr. pulled out of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area a few years ago. The Hardees just blocks from my house, was demolished in July, 2022. 

Waiting at the front counter... A few minutes after I paid for our order, I heard something outside. One of the women working at the end of the Hardees burger slide, asked the other: "That another gunshot?" From her response, they're pretty common around here.

Good to know...

But not enough from me visiting the Morse Shores Shopping Center, Cloud 239 Smoke Shop and Hardees, several times over our 10 days in Ft. Myers.

One evening while Laura was sleeping, I drove up to Hardees for a couple of Bacon Cheeseburgers (forgot how good these are). Returning to the hotel room to enjoy my late dinner, flipping through the TV channels (now that I got the remote to work) and working on that South Platte River Drive story. Knowing that I would have a decent amount of time for hotel writing, I loaded notes and images for three new stories to work on at the hotel. That's the one that got finished first.

Since we got home, I haven't had near as much time as I'd like for writing. Too much else going on. 

And this is a really big and time consuming story to write...

#15 - 1969 Topps - Jerry Grote

Yeah... Why pay $1 for a card in this poor of condition?

I REALLY liked that picture! You've got the trees and the wooden sign and a parking lot with cars in it. You've got a partial shadow of a mystery person, off to the left. And he was a member of the 1969 World Champion New York Mets. So that's a thing... If I had a copy of this card in better condition, I wouldn't have bought it. But this is my first copy of Grote. (Oh wait... Turns out it wasn't... I wasted a dollar...)

******

Sunday, March 23rd, 2025

We drove the 120 miles north on I-75, to St. Petersburg. Laura's cousin lives here, and we were going to meet for dinner, then go to one of the beaches in the area. 

We met her cousin at the Walgreens, on the opposite block of the Grand Hacienda Restaurant. You can see bits of their sign, if you look close. After meeting up, we chose to eat here. The food was great, but the parking sucked. Though I'm sure it wouldn't have been too difficult without having to drive a massive Jeep Grand Cherokee into tight spaces. I hated driving that thing.

South on Gulf Blvd., there's the massive Don CeSar Hotel. It dates back to the 1920's, and while I'm sure it's spectacular, it's also around $700 a night. Yeah... Nope.

Laura's cousin told us this area had been hit hard by the hurricane. The Don CeSar Hotel itself needed extensive repairs after Milton. I was prepared (and actually hoped) for some cool hurricane damage photos. These were about the best I was able to take.

Like this damaged boat storage house... The end and parts of the roof just ripped clean off. You have wonder what happened to those building pieces that were torn off the structure and flew away... Where did they land?

Maybe a big chunk landed on this house? 

Or this damaged bar. The signs posted warn it's an unsafe structure, and to stay away. Well, it hasn't collapsed in the 8 months since Milton... Would have loved to have gone in to see what was left behind, but no way was I ever going to do it.

She brought us down to the town of Pass-A-Grille, in the southern portion of the Long Key. 

Due to availability of parking, we chose the beach at Paradise Grille (in Pass-A-Grille, which is confusing). 

The little note attached to some beads on some string, holding a seashell, is hard to read. It says: "I'm not lost, I'm just alone. If you like me take me home! Grandma Moogie Sprinkles @fb Just helping people smile!" I didn't take it, the picture was good enough.

And there's a free plug for whatever it is you're doing, Grandma Moogie!

Looking back at the Paradise Grille restaurant and changing rooms, from the beach. Most of the beach activity had slowed for the night, but people gathered to watch the sunset. 

Looking north up the beach. The Don CeSar Hotel can be seen in the left-center of the picture.

I didn't think about getting a pair of waterproof sandals as a prepared for the trip. The sandals I did buy (and really liked) would have been ruined quickly by the ocean, so I had to go barefoot. This particular beach has mostly crushed seashells for sand. In some places, the pieces of shell were quite a bit larger than typical grains of sand. And they hurt the feet. 

I know why people gather to watch the sunset over the ocean. It's pretty cool. Laura's cousin mentioned that some people see a brief green flash, just as the sun drops below the horizon. Can't say for certain, but I think I did. The theory makes sense, just given how beams of light interact with water. But I can't say for sure.

#14 - 2021 Bowman Chrome Futurist - Max Meyer

Another $1 card that I already have, but this one doesn't look like someone sat on it for three years. Topps does make some very attractive and colorful Chrome cards, and I'll always plop a buck down for a visually appealing PC card. Former 3rd overall draft pick, out of the University of Minnesota, Max Meyer is from Woodbury, MN. After battling injuries for most of his first few years, he's finally establishing himself in 2025. At least he'll give me a Marlins player that I can actually name, until he gets too expensive and is traded for prospects. Maybe he'll eventually sign with his hometown team as a free agent?

******

Monday March 24, 2025

Given our late night coming back from St. Petersburg, and all of the beach time fun of the day before, Laura would be sleeping late. I woke up at 9am, not tired at all. Off to the lobby for breakfast! A toasted English Muffin with strawberry jelly and two sausage patties, this morning. And two glasses of orange juice because it was really good and cold. I ate at a small table by the front doors and watched CNN on the lobby TV, while trying to figure out what to do with the next four or so hours until Laura woke up. 

I need to find a card store. I can't go on a vacation of this magnitude and not have a significant addition to the collection. What will it be? And where will I go? The Googles provided half of those answers. I wrote the following on my pocket notepad: "Directions to Avzen Sports Cards: Drive past Twins stadium. 865 (6 Mile Cypress) to 41, turn left, 41 south to Island Park Road. Turn at Goodwill and 7Eleven." Easy enough, and maybe I can finally find some abandoned buildings!

Off to the (damn) Jeep Grand Cherokee!

At some point, my southbound drive on Ortiz Avenue turns into 6 Mile Cypress. 

Driving in Florida was either white knuckle 85mph bumper to bumper anxiety of I-75, or people scared to approach the speed limit. This was seriously unlike everywhere else I've ever driven anywhere. Keeping it 47 in a 50, on a 4 lane divided highway, is a tough adjustment after driving everywhere else I've been behind the wheel.

Speed Limit 50 is just a suggestion... We've got places to be!

There's the Lee Health Sports Complex on 6 Mile Cypress, that I'm supposed to keep driving past. At least according to the notes I took. The Twins would be playing the Pirates here in a few hours. Hmmm... Naw, Laura would be awake before the game ends, and probably be angry I went without her. Besides, we're coming here tomorrow to see the Rockies.

Have to make note of the railroad crossing, just after 6 Mile Cypress curves to the west.

At the stoplight where I need to turn left onto South Tamiami Trail, I see a pretty busy Perkins. Perhaps after my baseball card fun time, I could do some boothrotting? No... Maybe I'll come back at night... Only open until Midnight? That's when the boothrotting beings!

That's not very tremendous!

Just a few miles down South Tamiami Trail, I've found my destination, turned at the Goodwill and 7Eleven to encounter Forest Plaza... 

Home of Mango Rita's, Ice Cream, State Farm Insurance, Permanent Makeup and... Oh no...

"It's not a cult!"

Almost wanted to go inside and see if his dumpy ass was sitting on the counter. Price tag reading: "27 billion dollars" hanging off his ear. No matter how many flags or caps or beer koozies you buy with his name on it, he will still piss all over you, shortly after he takes your money.

Luckily, I didn't have to go near it...

Avzen Sports Cards was located in the other wing of Forest Plaza. Next door to a far more reputable business, a Subway, and the aforementioned 7Eleven. Who were nice enough to let me use the restroom twice, as apparently orange juice flows right through me. 

I spent about an hour at Avzen Sports Cards, mining for the gold you've been reading about. I did find my desired notable baseball card, to commemorate the vacation, in the display case. But I'm not going to reveal it until the end. So there.

I have to give praise to Avzen. It's a fairly small retail area, in a store that isn't that large. Behind the glass display cases are several long rows of shelving, filled with white card storage boxes. Obviously a well organized system for the online sales. Several employees sat at desks with computers and shipping supplies, putting online orders together. That would be a fun job. Here's a list of cards. Go find them in our inventory and package them up. 

When I was finishing up my shopping, he asked if there was anything else I was looking for. I'd hoped for some of the more obscure Montreal Expos cards, so I mentioned that was something I was interested in. He grabbed an iPad and set up the search leading to a spreadsheet of Montreal Expos cards they had in stock, including an image of each card. They had basically all of the major base star cards from 1969 to 2004, and I again regret not making a checklist of the cards I'm missing from each year's team set. I know I need a few Expos from 1969-1974 Topps. But I don't know which ones they are. He had them, including High Numbers, but I don't know which ones I need.

Oh well... I still got out of there spending less than I had budgeted.

Great morning so far... Now I want to find some abandoned buildings!

Well, I missed this one. Looks like it may have been a small fast food restaurant, that was demolished years ago.

Okay.. A vacant used car lot... That's pretty cool...

And that's about it. I saw a different 7Eleven with half its canopy ripped away. I saw a car accident, in the left turn lane of a major intersection. But nothing to get excited about. So I'm thinking the best use of my time is to go back to the hotel and hang out at the pool. 

Due to complex intersections on Colonial Blvd., I missed my turn onto Ortiz. Then in the chaos of the I-75 on/off ramp system, I couldn't make a U-turn until the next intersection. Which happened to lead to The Forum. An attempted upscale shopping cluster, anchored by Home Depot, Target, Petco and Buffalo Wild Wings. I decided to park in the far corner, under a large tree, and smoke a cigarette in the shade. After partially refilling a pop can I had just finished drinking out of, before I exited the car.

After my quick break and multiple levels of relief, I made my way back to the hotel and was relaxing poolside before Laura even woke up.

#13 - 2004 Topps Bazooka - Doug Mientkiewicz - Blasts

Hadn’t encountered any of these Bazooka Blasts before. I wasn't buying much for cards in 2004, and Bazooka was not among the brands I did buy. (Which was mostly Bowman, in 2004.) And not that it means anything, but from writing about cards and the early 2000's Minnesota Twins, I can still spell Doug Mientkiewicz's name from memory. 

******

On another evening,, we visited Lovers Key State Park, to watch the sunset . The drive to get there would take us further down South Tamiami Trail, then when I stopped at Avzen Sports Cards. My hopes that as we get further away from Ft. Myers, I'd find more urban decay!

It's a start...

Tide Laundry Detergent runs a chain of Dry Cleaners?

Of course it's attached to a Starbucks...

Golf Safari Mini Golf was a nice shot, that I could quickly frame, traffic-free, thanks to a red light. Wish it would have cloudy so you could see better detail.

Well, there's a floor for the businesses listed on the sign out front.

Along the way, we stopped at a gas station for assorted stuff. On our way out, we picked up a copy of the Southwest Florida Guide Map. Which looked like a magazine, but unfolded into a map of the region listed above, surrounded by ads for local attractions. We had our destination in mind, but this was good for future reference.

Across the street from said gas station, was this Abandoned Bank.

Which didn't look interesting enough to look any closer.

Laura bought me a package of Kranky, because it fit my mood.

Well, the joke's on her, I liked it! Chocolate covered corn flakes is an interesting flavor combination.

After driving South Tamiami Trail for a while, we turned right on Bonita Beach Road and headed toward the ocean. 

Getting closer to our destination, we had to cross several long narrow bridges between islands. Small ones like this aren't bad, some of the longer and higher ones freak me out.

I need to calm my nerves by counting something down.

Whatever...

#12 - 1995 Signature Rookies Star Squad - Marty Cordova - Auto

Signature Rookies showed up in the hobby in 1994, as an unlicensed prospect focused set. Their gimmick being an autograph per pack, which retailed for $10 a piece. You got 5 cards in each pack, all logoless prospects on base and insert cards. All of which had autographed parallels. Star Squad would have been an insert in amongst the base, with a print run of 10,000. By the looks of things, 750 of them were signed by Marty Cordova, the 1995 American League Rookie of the Year. (Shared with co-winner, Garrett Anderson, of the Angels.)

Authenticity of that autograph was guaranteed via clear sticker, applied to Marty's shoulder. Nice reference to Cranky Tom Kelly, in the write-up. I remember the disappointing 1995 Minnesota Twins, who finally had to commit to a rebuild. Cranky Tom Kelly didn't fully get behind Cordova for a while, to the frustration of all. Losing Kirby Puckett to partial blindness, before the 1996 season, cemented that rebuild. Which took another 4 years.

By then, Marty Cordova was long gone.

******

We have arrived at Carl E. Johnson Lovers Key State Park.

You can tell because of the monument by the road.

When we paid our admission fee, I was given a Lovers Key State Park map, which I kept for scanning purposes. We had to drive a ways in past the Ranger Station to reach Parking Lot #1. I don't see a Parking Lot #2 on the map, so I'm not sure why the number is necessary. The gift shop and snack bar were closed when we arrived, so we changed into swimsuits in the building housing the restrooms.

In order to get to the beach, we had to wait for a beaten down pick-up truck, hauling two trailers lined with benches. You would ride this trailer bench deeper into the park, where they would drop you off at a turn-around, and you still had a half mile walk to the beach. Which was South Beach, if you're following along on the map. And I don't know why you wouldn't be.

Apparently someone spotted Manatees at Lovers Key Beach today. Well, I didn't see any while we waited for our ride to the walk to the beach.

We rode the benches across a bridge that looked north, to where a new bridge was being built in the distance. I wanted a better picture, but I wasn't prepared and this was the best I could do.

Knowing there was no way Laura could walk that distance in loose sand, and her pushing her wheelchair through this was simply not an option, Lovers Key State Park offers free loaner beach chairs. Once loaded with a human being, and all the bags said human being brought with, pushing this across the sandy beach was quite the workout.

Some of that was a wooden bridge, so it was at least somewhat smooth, though still an incline. And you can see how far away that is. The tire tracks from our chair in the left corner of this picture provide some perspective.

Of the three beaches we went to on our vacation, this was my favorite. The sand was fine and not painful to walk on at all. The water was warm and the sand at the bottom was clear of sharp debris or weird plants. For me, I discovered the revelation that fat floats in salt water very easily. So I was having a great time walking out to chin deep water, then floating on the waves as they pushed me back to shore.

Lovers Key Beach put on a nicer sunset for us than Paradise Grille showed. 

Unfortunately, the state park closes at sunset. So as soon as that orange ball dipped below the water, we had to book it on the chair with bubble tires, back to the truck and bench trailer turnaround. Some people got left behind and the driver was all angry about something. Like a switch was flipped. He took off speeding through the trail and people were complaining about his driving. He was a pretty cool guy when he brought us there.

It was almost dark when we got back to the car, and the parking lot had no lights. The restroom building was already locked up for the night, so we waited for most of the other cars to leave and changed into our clothes in the parking lot. Holding up a towel between car doors for her privacy. I could move quicker and didn't care about mine.

******

Saturday March 22, 2015

Because today was the 49th anniversary of this day.

#11 - 2021 Topps 1986 Anniversary - Vladimir Guerrero

Topps did a really good job on the 1986 35th Anniversary cards. When I first started collecting cards, the 1986 set stood out to me. It was that bold junky font, on the solid black box used for the team names, that grabbed me. I bought so many of the 2021 Topps Silver Pack 1986 35th Anniversary cards, that I had to write a story about them. Although I have relatively few of the non-Chrome versions. Including this Vladimir Guerrero, which I did not own before finding it at Avzen.

To commemorate my future purchase in advance, I wore his jersey for a decent chunk of my 50th birfday. Even though his son wasn't in attendance, I needed to represent the Expos at the Blue Jays game.

For Canada!

After the game, we made a supply stop at the RaceTrac, then back to the hotel. Laura was wiped out and went to bed, I went into the pool briefly, but the water was a lot colder than it was yesterday. Only ventured in for a minute or two after the sun went down (around 7:45pm), because some obnoxious little kid was in the pool, spitting water all over the place. Fat ass stupid lazy mother on a lounger, wouldn’t look up from the phone between her legs. Not wanting to interrupt her movie. Occasionally she’d look up, saying “no” to her her kid. Then right back to not caring what her stupid kid was doing.

Watch out, or she might have to count…

Pool fun time not in order for tonight, so I went back to the room to check on Laura, and take a shower to rid myself of the day's worth of sunscreen combine with a little pool chlorine. She had zero interest in waking up, so I sat down to figure out what to do with the night. I could write on my computer and watch TV, or I could go down to the pool area, sit at one of the tables and write in my notepad. Going down there means I could smoke cigarettes while I wrote. Tropical Boothrotting! (Sort of…) Now I just need a refreshing beverage to enjoy. There's several bottles of Coke Zero and Diet Mountain Dew in the fridge. So we have a winner! 

And I have an idea...

Laura bought this bottle of Kay Avax Cannabis Infused Mango Flavored Fruit Syrup. She'd been putting it her drinks all week. She said if I wanted some, you put a cap full in the bottle and shake it a little. Okay. But it would be irresponsible of me to dirty the inside of the THC Syrup bottle cap with THC Syrup. So I'll just dump some directly into my Coke Zero bottle.

Mmmmm... Mangoey!

Quarter after 9pm, when I went down to the pool. The table next to the Smokers Pole was open, so I set up camp. Pack of smokes, bottle of Mango THC Coke Zero, pen and pocket notepad. On the far end of the patio was a couple of loud and proud New Yorkers, talking tough and trashy. The ignorance and stereotypes were as disgusting as you can get, and it was distracting me from my writing. But they left about a half hour after I got here, and I was able to focus. 

When I first sat down, I wrote the following: "Wouldn't have been a proper birfday for me if I didn't find a way to hand write stuff on paper. So this year's edition involves patio furniture, inside the smoking area of the pool patio, at the Comfort Suites in Fort Myers, Florida. I can smoke cigarettes here, but not a bowl, as I’d rather. Laura bought a bottle of Mango THC Syrup, that I’ve mixed into my bottle of Coke Zero."

That was my warm up. For the next two and a half hours, I wrote out notes and first drafts of stories that are included here. I had a second bottle of Mango THC Coke Zero and was starting a bottle of Diet Mango THC Mountain Dew, when I noticed it was really starting to affect me. Bearing in mind that I've probably built up a decent tolerance over the last 27 years… But shortly before midnight, I realized that it had been many years since I'd been this high.

My peaceful writing time was interrupted at 11:30pm, when the obnoxious New Yorkers returned. Talking at full volume despite sitting right next to each other. Seriously, your heads are less than an arm's length from each other. It's close to midnight. Dial it back a little, people are trying to do things that don't include you! The first thing I hear when they come outside is misguided praise for a speech that President Blundercunt gave earlier. They gush about how great he is, as the guy pulls out his phone to watch that speech back on YouTube. On the phone's loudest volume of course...

"It's not a cult!"

Not content with the current level of noise pollution, she pulls out her phone (highest volume of course) and starts watching videos on YouTube. After a minute or so of dementia and lies, he switches to a different YouTube video. I can't see what they're watching, but I can hear both phones dueling for attention. Holders of the phone are mostly silent, except for occasional laughs or comments. For the next half hour, they sat and loudly watched videos, changing them to something different after approximately 30 seconds. So the media was changing constantly. There was occasional dialog, and background noises of birds and freeway traffic, mixed in. 

Combining all of that with being as high as I've been in a long time, made me start to enjoy this interruption. I refused to look over their direction because the whole thing was starting to feel like a Negativland performance, with a theme based on the current political climate. Evil ideas spun so loosely they barely contain the evil they're trying to hide. From a point of view I do not share. All the conflicting sounds started forming a highly entertaining audio collage. If I didn't acknowledge the humans responsible, I could create my own context.

Don Joyce would have been proud of their work.

They left at midnight, so their performance that night was the end of my 50th birfday. Seemed like an appropriate end. I got to watch baseball. Byron Buxton hits a home run for me. I got quality writing time while getting really high, which is finished off with loudmouth right wingers being racist, sexist and just plain stupid! I finished up writing around 1am, and went up to bed. Laura didn't even notice.

Now, if I could only Photoshop loud obnoxious New Yorkers into something much cooler.

Just like Topps did...

#10 - 2004 Topps Bazooka - Juan Rivera - Blasts

Using the magic of 2004 era Photoshop skills, and the need to update for an off-season trade, they converted a New York Yankees home uniform to a crappy imitation of a Montreal Expos home uniform! First off, the jersey number is too small and in the wrong place, What they tried to do with the "Expos" script is laughably small and at the completely wrong angle. Sleeve patch is also way too small, with only the helmet logo looking close. Though that is too small as well. All that considered, you wouldn't know this was a Yankees uniform unless you cared enough to look at how poorly Topps executed the makeover.

I do like this card...

******

Wednesday March 26, 2025

Now that it's daylight and I don't have anything going on until Laura wakes up, I'm going to drive up to Palm Beach Road, and the rather run down Morse Shores Shopping Center. I know there's some stuff up there worth a picture or two.

How about a boarded up house?

That's pretty cool...

The west end of the Morse Shores Shopping Center was pretty occupied. Anchored by a Save-A-Lot grocery store, a Subway and some of your other typical shopping center stores. Including a brand new Waffle House at the far west end!

The middle of the shopping center is anchored by a vacant Big Lots!

Since I didn't find a whole lot for abandoned buildings while I was down here, I had to put in a little effort at Big Lots! This was pretty much the best I was going to get.

Looked like some work was being done on the canopy, covering the sidewalks.

Sales floor through a dirty window.

Someone left the P.O.S. turned on...

And...

So yeah... Big Lots!...

Yup, Pretty boring.

Sitting outside the east side of the shopping center is a rather abandoned looking Metro by T-Mobile store. They are still open, and have been since at least 2022, according to the Googles. They took over an existing Metro PCS store, that had been open since at least 2015. I'm sure there was a company sale or corporate takeover in there somewhere...

As long as I was in the Googles way back machine, I found this building was a Juicy Lucy's burger drive through in 2007. Complete with umbrella covered outdoor seating on the side of the building. Which switched to pizza by 2011, rebranding itself as Pepperoni Express in 2011. By 2013, there was no more pizza, and the holdover umbrella covered tables were all gone. The building was sad and boarded up in 2014. 

At least the frame for Juicy Lucy's old sign still remains.

Driving further down Palm Beach Road, I found a Kwik Stop Food Store, with that classic logo.

Which was right next to the same set of railroad tracks that I crossed on 6 Mile Cypress, 10 or so miles south of here.

I turned back at the Mobil gas station. I tried to buy gas there, but the pumps were malfunctioning, so I gave up. I managed to pump 37 cents worth of gas in just under two minutes. It wasn't just me. Other -far more patient- people were complaining about the pumps being slow, and the store knew about it. Well that's just great...

I did like the look of the hotel behind it.

This is a very Florida picture.

That's more like it!

Here's the only late night food delivery option we had on Friday night. Without trying to deal with Door Dash or Uber Eats, this Dominos pizza was the only place that would come to our hotel. They're responsible for our co-50th birfday (Lava) cakes. For a cheap pizza, Domino's isn't that bad. A lot better than the Papa Johns that's still going on the east side of Morse Shores Shopping Center. A few doors down from Cloud 239 Smoke Shop.

Wanted to make note of the covered basketball courts in Schandler Hall Community Park, at Palm Beach Road and Ortiz Ave. The first time I drove up here, it was dark, but people were playing basketball under the lights. Looked kinda cool from the road.

#9 - 2024 Stadium Club - Kody Funderburk - Auto

I'll never see a Kody Funderburk card, and not think of this...

Yes, that was indeed his mother giving her son one of the worst unintentional burns ever.

The card (2024 Topps Chrome Orange Refractor) that Kody's mom was balking at the price, features the same photo as his 2024 Stadium Club card. Given that an Orange Refractor is serial numbered out of 25, I still think $100 is a bit much. It's not even autographed. (But the one I bought for $5 is!) My best guess on an Topps Chrome Orange Refractor parallel, of a left-handed rookie middle relief pitcher, is probably around $25, at most. As long as he's still active. If he doesn't have a long productive career. It's a $5 card at best.

Kody Funderburk's mom is absolutely right here. No disrespect to Kody, but that card isn't worth $99.

I'm sure she meant well.

******

And now a few words about our adopted Florida gas station chain, RaceTrac.

Kwik Trip of the south...

But RaceTrac has far better pizza. Still hot and fresh, approaching 11pm. Can't argue with that. Along with a full supply of drinks and other essentials you need, without having to go to a real store. This particular RaceTrac visit was a drive home stop from Lovers Key State Park, as we both needed restrooms. I noticed the phrase: "Leaving the seat up is allowed." on the men's room door. Okay, now I'm curious, what does the women's room door say? "The seat will always be down."

This RaceTrac, on 6 Mile Cypress, featured a covered seating area. Perfect for enjoying our late RaceTrac pizza dinner. Other RaceTrac stores had their seating areas near the front doors, with only tabled umbrellas to shield you from the elements.

Like the RaceTrac at Ortiz and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. I stopped by for pizza, on my way back from Avzen Sports Cards. There was a Spiteful Crow eyeing me from the fence as I ate. I can take hint, and shared a pizza crust with him. Setting it on the far end of the table. Quickly swooped in and landed on my table, picked up the crust piece and flew it up to the canopy over the gas pumps.

Before we left Minnesota, I did a little research on the price of smokes in Florida. Due to laxer taxes, I'd be paying a minimum of $3 less per pack down there, than I do up here.

A RaceTrac horn of plenty...

I left Florida with a nice stash of cheaper packs of smokes in my suitcase. It saved me some money.

Well, you do a few things right...

#8 - 1995 Signature Rookies - Paul Spoljaric - Auto

Spoljaric was a late favorite of the Junk Wax Prospector era. I'd predicted a lefty starting pitcher with a high strikeout rate, helping to keep a run of competitive Blue Jays teams. What we got was a decent relief pitcher that had a couple of good years in Toronto, then he fell apart after a trade to the Seattle Mariners. Brief stops in Philadelphia, Kansas City, then an abandoned attempt in the minor leagues of Cleveland's system, didn't work out. And Spoljaric was out of professional baseball in 2001.

For $1, I needed this card.

******

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Another beach we visited was Lighthouse Beach on Sanibel Island, in Sanibel, Florida. Southwest of Ft. Myers, it's not all that far from Lovers Key, but on a completely different piece of land. Giving me another chance to find abandoned buildings along the way!

Like this former retail store!

Or this Circle K.

Which is either coming or going... I can't tell given our one time drive by.

Dante's looks done. When I looked this place up on the Googles, i found the property goes a lot further back. And this vacant storefront labeled Dante's, is just the end of a pretty large retail complex. Didn't look like it was very active and may be on it's way out. It's a pretty significant piece of land, in what has to be a prime real estate area.

Entering the Sanibel Causeway, to reach Sanibel Island. Just beyond this intersection is a toll booth. We crossed several tolls in and out of St. Petersburg, in addition to this one. All of the toll booths are cashless. Your license plate it scanned as you drive by, and you car is charged accordingly. We contacted Enterprise, who tried to sell us a Sun Pass. Allowing unlimited use of toll roads for $30. No thanks, we'll risk whatever we get charged for what we do.

After returning home, and everything was settled with the car rental, we were charged just over $27 in toll fees.

More than a third of that $27 went to Enterprise, in administrative fees.

You're welcome!

Coming down from the high peak of the Sanibel Causeway bridge. I always hate steep inclines on bridges over water. That always kicks my anxiety up a few notches. This bridge was not as bad, because you were quickly up and back down. Then there was a stretch of land before you cross another bridge, that wasn't far above the water's surface.

Roof repairs being done to houses along Periwinkle Way.

No one was able to verify it for me, but I suspect this is the lighthouse that Lighthouse Beach is named after.

Before heading to the water, I took a quick educational course in Rip Currents.

Just in case.

Part of the beach was blocked off, as the natural areas had been hit hard by the hurricane.

We found this coiled up thing just sitting on the beach.

I have no idea what it is.

Shortly after the sun went down, a couple of dolphins showed up to the shore. We were gathering our stuff to leave, so I wasn't looking at the water. I was informed by some guy's immediate call of "SHARK!!" 

No... That's not what those are...

The dolphins swam around the beach for a few minutes. Jumping out of the water occasionally and putting on a show for those of us watching from the beach. This was the best picture I got. With the sun gone, it was getting dark quick. Both of the dolphins were unpredictable as to where and when they would surface. I just aimed my phone where I thought they might surface, and started clicking. Deleted about 30 pictures of just water.

We were on the east side of the island when the sun set, so we didn't actually lose the orange ball. But after seeing two sunsets from the looking west perspective, I liked this one as a contrast.

#7 - 2022 ProSet Baseball - Chase Petty - Auto

Seeing this card in the Avzen $5 box led to a conundrum. Would this be considered a Minnesota Twins card, or a Cincinnati Reds card? Since it's a Panini product, it's pretty much prohibited from outright telling you. 

Here's the internal argument: Minnesota drafted Petty, in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft, 26th overall. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, on March 13, 2022, for Sonny Gray. 2022 ProSet Baseball was released at some point in the Spring of 2022. Well after the trade. Meaning Petty was a Reds prospect when the set was released. But was he a Red when the card was printed? And was he a Red when his sticker auto was stuck to the surface? The photo is of him pitching in the amateur Perfect Game tournaments, which was from before the Twins drafted him. And well before they traded him.

Fast forward a few years... Chase Petty has developed better than expected, and is currently holding his own at AAA Louisville, as a 22 year old. He's expected to make his major league debut at some point this season. He's a legitimate top prospect now, making him a tough loss for the Twins. However, we got 2 very solid seasons of Sonny Gray pitching at the Major League level, a prospect that didn't pan out, and a Qualifying Offer pick after Sonny left the Twins for St. Louis. That pick was used on Shortstop Kyle DeBarge, currently playing with the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels and ranked as the number 12 prospect in the Twins system.

Taking all of this into consideration, I cannot in good conscience put this autographed Chase Petty card in the Cincinnati Reds box. It belongs with the 2021 Bowman Draft Petty cards in the Twins box.

UPDATE: Between writing this and posting it, Chase Petty was called up to Cincinnati to make his major league debut. Petty pitched like he was still with the Twins... 2 and 1/3 innings, 7 hits, 2 walks, and 9 earned runs given up. He was sent back to AAA after the game. So as of now, his major league record is 0-1, with a 34.71 ERA. Ouch...

******

Preparing to leave Lighthouse beach and find dinner, we were shut down by nearly every option in the area. Everything closes at 9pm. Luckily we found that the Lighthouse Restaurant was open until 10pm. Which was the first turn after we cross back over the Sanibel Causeway. It'll take a few minutes to get there, but we could be there by a couple minutes after 9.

The entrance looks interesting enough...

And those door handles are extra sweet. We open them up just in time to be told that Googles is wrong, they closed at 9pm. Well, back to the Googles to try and find a restaurant that isn't lying about their rules.

Enter Bahama Breeze!

Laura called them as we drove in their direction, and they assured us they'd be open in we got there by 10. We made it at 9:30pm. By staying open, Bahama Breeze got to be providers of a tasty bacon cheeseburger for me and steak and shrimp for Laura. Although I ate half her steak. It was delicious. 

#6 - 2023 Optic Contenders - Larry Walker - XFractor.

Never been able to commit to memory all the different names that Panini comes up with for their Topps' inspired parallels. Topps would call this an XFractor, So that's what I'm deciding that Panini is going to call it. Either way, I'm absolutely buying this for $1. Fondest of memories of Walker's time in Denver, patrolling right field at an MVP level, after coming over as a free agent from the Montreal Expos. 

So happy that he made the Hall of Fame.

******

Of the ten days we stayed at the Choice Hotel (you can have comfort, or a mainstay, it's your choice!), I spent time at the pool almost every day. This is the south side of Choice, taken from the parking lot, with the three braced up Palm Trees. Since the hotel was only 7 months old, these Palm Trees were too young to stand on their own.

The pool was small, but I didn't need it to be any larger. Swim a couple quick laps, float around for a while, go smoke a cigarette and scroll Reddit from a deck chair. Rinse and repeat. Knowing I was going to be out in the sun, I did remember to wear plenty of sunscreen. Never burned and I've never looked so tropical. 

Let's see how many of the rules I violated... I didn't shower directly before entering the pool, but I did within a few hours before. I didn't bring any animals in, nor did I bring in my 22 clones. I was in the pool after dark, but I'm over 12 and didn't need a lifeguard. Also didn't put any furniture in the pool, nor did I drink any of its water. Didn't but I did like the specificity of "ill with diarrhea", instead of simply having diarrhea. "Ill with" makes it sound a bit more pleasant experience!

One afternoon, a bus full of baseball players checked into the hotel. Later that night, the bus dropped them off at the front door. All of them looked about 6'4 and in impeccable shape. The next morning, I  was on the elevator with one of them. I asked who they were with, and he said Daytona State University, here for the weekend playing one of the local colleges that I can't remember. We briefly chatted about baseball on the elevator, and I went to smoke a cigarette. 

He did not. 

Found a few, but none of these guys got too close.

Must be lotsa food around the hotel, for the spiders to get this big. 

Before we came down to Florida, I was excited that we had a brand new 7Eleven just across the parking lot of the hotel. That would be a handy resource for our time here. Coming in from the airport, we stopped at this 7Eleven before we even went to the hotel... And was greatly disappointed by their inventory.

Across Luckett Road was Pilot.

An old school, full blown truck stop, with a lot more features than 7Eleven had to offer. 

Laura wanted to go there on her own one afternoon, but was thinking she had to go east, under the freeway to get there.

I tried explaining it and she was still unclear, so I drew her a not-to-scale map to Pilot.

My first visit to Pilot came shortly after waking up, the morning after we landed. Laura was still sleeping, so I went out alone. I ate Subway that morning. It was so not good. Subsequent visits for drinks, smokes, cheap souvenirs, snacks, etc. were always a positive experience. So much that I only went to 7Eleven three times, despite it being a whole lot easier to get to. Hint: If you're out of my brand of smokes on my first visit, I'm not likely to return.

I'm not guessing when "McLane shows up".

Special shout out to the flirty morning cashier. All of Florida checks ID's for cigarettes, and that's fine. When I gave my license to her, she wished me a happy birfday, asked why I cut my hair (from my license photo from in 2023) and complimented my recent weight loss. (Without paying attention or trying to do anything about it, I'm down about 40 pounds from three years ago.)

I'm a 50 year old, fat, balding man.

Flattery from women half my age is going to stand out and get remembered.

#5 - 2002 Upper Deck All Star Swatch - Mike Hampton

This card confused me. It's a 2002 card, so the jersey almost has to be from the 2001 All Star Game. Which was in Seattle. The Mariners have no red in their color palate, so what is this? Well, I actually looked up 2001 MLB All Star Game Warn-Up Jersey, and found that the National League did indeed wear red. Absolutely do not remember this. Buying this card for $5 made me think that I need a Mike Hampton autographed card. 

Because of the Denver area school system.

Luckett Road east to Ortiz Avenue, was traveled nearly every day we were in town. Ortiz is a major north/south route, even though this stretch is just two lanes. Running parallel to the freeway, it was just easier to deal with to get anywhere. Sure the freeway would have been faster, but I didn't need any of that. I'll stick with Ortiz, thank you very much.

Ortiz Food Store sits on the southwest corner of Ortiz and Luckett. The building has the appearance of an old 7Eleven.

Which is entirely possible, as there's a relatively new 7Eleven a few blocks south of here. 

Different angle of the abandoned(?) building on Ortiz Avenue, from the beginning of this story. It was in the middle of the area widening Ortiz from 2 lanes, to a 4 lane divided highway, so getting decent pictures was hard. According to the Googles, it was built between 2015 and 2018, and looked to be an apartment building. The latest street view of the front of the building is from 2019, when it really looked like an apartment building. The lower level windows were not covered up then. So I still know very little about this structure. 

The vacant lot on the northwest corner of Ortiz and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive really interested me.  Some food trucks have set up shop on what used to be some sort of foundation. Looking at the satellite view, there's a lot of broken and missing pavement. Going back to as early as the Googles will show, aren't very different from this. 

So whatever was here, hasn't been for a very long time. 

The intersection of Colonial Blvd and Ortiz, has a big bunch of retail and a WalMarts on the south side of Colonial Blvd. Somewhere in this area, Ortiz Avenue becomes 6 Mile Cypress. Not sure where that happens, I never found a sign informing you of this name change.

And in case you want to send a message to Space Douche... There's a Tesla dealership on my immediate left.

#4 - 1995 Signature Rookies Member Only Preview - Jeremy Powell - Auto

Signature Rookies gave me a great photo for an unlicensed card. You've got much of a Montreal Expos logo behind Powell, who is shown warming up for the Gulf Coast League Expos. The GCL Expos wore the same uniforms as the Montreal Expos. Except the Major League jerseys would have names on the back, while Rookie ball would not. Powell's signature is a lot cleaner than it would get over the next few years.

This card lies! Powell was the Expos 4th Round pick in the 1994 MLB Draft, not the second round! 

Jeremy Powell pitched for Montreal for parts of the 1998, 1999 and 2000 seasons. He pitched in Japan from 2001 to 2008, then came back to the states to pitch in AAA Indianapolis, in the Pirates system. After retiring as a player, he went into coaching. He's currently a pitching coach with the AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, in the Marlins system.

$1 for an autograph of a former Expo and baseball lifer? Absolutely!

******

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

After I paid to park, they had me turn on the hazard lights, alerting the flag wavers that we have handicap plates. They directed us to the Eddie Guardado aisle for the Blue Jays game, and a spot very close to the stadium. We drew the Rick Aguilera lot for the Rockies game. Also very close to the stadium.

Front of Hammond Stadium after the game. There was a whole lot less people around then.

The Twins player and team employee parking lot. At the back of the main lot, two semi trucks with empty car hauler trailers, sat waiting for everyone to leave. My theory was some of the players would have their cars loaded up and brought back to Minnesota, while the team was opening the season in St. Louis. I've read that is a fairly common practice.

Visiting Colorado Rockies starting lineup, looking pretty much like it would on Opening Day. Today's starting pitcher is German Marquez. Who is a holdover from the Rockies rotation going back to 2016. Even more astounding is Marquez, along with Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela, comprise 3/5 of Colorado's starting five, since 2017. That's for the Rockies. Who play in Colorado. As cool as that is, it's also a testament to Rockies management. It's been a decade with these guys and you can't win a game. Should have traded them to rebuild years ago. As a team, you need to recognize when you NEED to rebuild, and NOT give Kris Bryant $180 million. 

After the Twins leave, their Low A team, the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels takes over Hammond Stadium. On the walls of the main concourse, there was a poster of the Mussels 2025 schedule. I had assumed the schedule for the Florida State League would follow the typical 3 and 4 game series with each opponent, alternating home and away. The Mussels year is mostly filled with 6 game series. I'm assuming that would be for travel reasons. Still, was surprised by this.

Today's starting pitcher for the Twins is Chris Paddack. I like his socks.

Paddack was kept on the team, despite his $7.5 million salary, when the Pohlad's are trying to pinch their pennies last winter. Coincidentally, when the news broke that the Pohlad's somehow added $450 million in debt, to the Twins. (This nugget saw the light of day, shortly after the Ishbia brothers backed out on buying the team.) The reason they backed out that we weren't told right away, was the Twins were trying to include that debt with their asking price for the franchise. Suddenly they no longer had to cut payroll, and actually found nearly $10 million more, to upgrade the roster. 

Pretty late to save face... As ticket sales and poor reception Twins.TV has proven.

Kris Bryant hadn't gotten hurt yet (that came less than 2 weeks later), and is standing on 1st base after legging out a single. I have a feeling this is the last game I'll ever see Kris Bryant play in person.

TC Bear tries to distract the fans from the fact that Kris Bryant just got a base hit.

Panoramic shot from our seats. Pretty much the opposite of where we were for the Blue Jays game. There wasn't any bright sun today. It was pretty brutal for Toronto.

Well that's really cool!

Thanks Laura, love you!

#3 - 2022 Leaf Metal Draft - Jose Miranda - Auto

Miranda was the only $10 card picked out of the Avzen $1, $5, $10 boxes. I didn't have a Miranda auto before, so I needed one. And this one is supa-sparkley and all sortsa unlicensed!  He made the 2025 Twins roster, but did absolutely nothing at the plate (except for a shocking clutch 3 run homer) and was demoted to AAA St. Paul. Two days later, he dropped a case of bottled water at Target, and messed up his hand. Too bad, with all the (expected) injuries on the 2025 Twins, Miranda wouldn't have stayed with the Saints for very long.

Quick Home Plate shot as I was going out the main seating entrance.

This game flew by, I didn't even make my planned food run until the bottom of the 6th inning.

Okay... One more picture!

On the mound is my new favorite Rockies pitcher, 22 year old Angel Chivilli. (Pronounced: CHEE-vee-yee.) He did make the Major League roster.

My food run took me right back to Bud, Burger & Brats! The same woman was running the register, and the same guy was manning the grill. As I waited for my fresh off the grill fare, he recognized me from my Expos jersey. Although I was wearing Pedro Martinez today, Vladimir Guerrero was Saturday. He asked if I was from Canada.

When I told him Minnesota, he said "Canada might annex you guys!"

My immediate thought was blurted out loud: "I hope so!" Not knowing if he was on team sanity or team Nazi, I waited for his response. Silently acknowledging that he's cooking my food... "If they do, I’ll be running up to Minnesota first thing!" We then shared a few thoughts about the wanton destruction of Social Security and Medicare, though we have different reasons why this will affect us.

Just after I took this picture, regrouping after getting my food, to walk back to our seats. The table next to this has two aging loudmouth Boomers, both wearing American flag desecrating images honoring President Blundercunt.

How 'bout those tariffs destroying a good and healthy economy?

How 'bout ICE now being allowed to break down your front door without a warrant?

How 'bout people disappearing to a foreign gulag without receiving Due Process?

You want to call yourself a patriot and you support unconstitutional bullshit like this?

"It's not a cult!"

Oh look! Zac Veen is on deck!

Zac Veen didn't make the team. (Shoulda taken his Vac Zeen...) The Rockies called him up to Denver a week in. He didn't fare very well in his first few weeks, and was sent back to AAA Albuquerque. I'd been waiting to see what he'd do since he was drafted 9th overall, in 2020.

Now we'll wait to see what he does in his next shot...

Colorado's bullpen, not too far from our seats.

Relief pitcher, Seth Halvorsen, undergoes the Umpire Sticky Check, upon entering the game.

While the Rockies have an infield mound visit.

The Twins are having a much smaller conference, around the shortstop position.

Then some basebally stuff happened and the Twins won!

Final score Minnesota 5 and Colorado 3. The game was barely 2 hours long. That kind of sucked, I would have liked to have the game last a bit longer. To be fair, this being the final game of Spring Training, I'm sure every player and all team personnel were anxious to get out of Florida and start the regular season.

#2 - 1998 Donruss Signature - Carl Pavano - Auto

Carl Pavano has a cool signature. I'm sure it got sloppier over the years, but you can almost make out every letter. Plus, the C and P being part of the same pen stroke is a really cool touch. I need some more 1998 Donruss Signature cards. I have a couple from each of my 3 main PC teams, but I should branch out and pick up some others. Before merging with Pinnacle and sudden bankruptcy, Donruss was doing some cool stuff in the late 1990's.

Since this was the last game of Spring Training, under the main concourse, Twins and Rockies equipment was being loaded into Ryder Vans. The Twins were on their way to St. Louis. The Rockies were just heading 120 miles up the road to Tampa, to open the season against the Rays. In the New York Yankees Spring Training ballpark. Because Milton.

I was particularly interested in the two clothes racks, loaded with Twins jerseys and pants, then shrinkwrapped in place. Guess all that stuff has to get to Minnesota. Just interesting to see that process from this side.

But the people responsible for loading the trucks were just playing basketball until more stuff was carted out.

One last look inside Hammond Stadium, before we go...

A couple came close, but nothing within "I should move" distance.

Uh... Hey Twins... You've been pretty awful so far... Did you think the "great spring" ended when you left Florida? Your record has been anything but great... And spring lasts quite a bit longer...

Most everybody has left.

We should do the same.

Goodbye Hammond Stadium... We're going to the beach!

Today's Twins and Rockies box score, courtesy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. I was very disappointed that the box score for the Blue Jays game we attended a few days ago, wasn't printed by either local newspaper. Glad I wrote the name "Eddie Micheletti Jr." down in my notepad, since I can't count on the Pioneer Press or Minnesota Star Tribune, to remind me.

******

Before getting to number one on the Spring Training Baseball Whatever, I have to make one more flashback to the Twins and Rockies game...

Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, went 1 for 2, with a single to left field, during the game. He's been one of Colorado's few success stories over the past few seasons, and signed a nice contract extension that will keep him with the Rockies, through a couple years of free agency. Bottom line, he's a new star for the team I fight to keep caring about. 

So what was my favorite card I bought on the Ft. Myers vacation?

#1 - 2023 Topps Chrome - Ezequiel Tovar - Auto - Blue

For all the reasons I mentioned above, I've wanted a Tovar autograph for a while. This is far better than just a base card, that would have been good enough. I like to find a significant card to tie to a memory of a big vacation. In this case, a 50th birfday in addition to vacation. This one is perfect.

The other 23 were a nice bonus. Cheap autos and relics for my PC teams, for not a lot of money. 

While at Avzen, I looked at all the different unopened new wax boxes they had on sale. Didn't take long before I realized I had zero interest in any of it. At the prices they’re going for, Fanatics can sell their unopened product to someone else. You can pay $300 for that box. I'll wait a few months and buy the cards I want from it for $20.

Sure, you don't get the rush of opening packs...

But also don't have the disappointment of opening packs, after you paid far too much for them.

And with that, it's time to leave Ft. Myers.

Time to leave Florida. Time to go back to Minnesota. And back to work.

And back to all that everyday stress I'd almost put behind me for 10 days.

Welcome to leaving!

Before leaving, I paid a visit to Cloud 239, and told the helpful woman running the store: "I have to get on a plane in the morning. I want to believe I'm not getting on a plane." 

Her answer was Purple Passion Fruit THC Gummies. I popped two of them before starting to pack and quickly realized that two is pretty strong... Though they made me quite productive. They were also tasked with keeping my head happy during the flight.

I hate flying.

5:08pm - Waiting for my gummies to kick in... Going to attempt a day by day recap, while listening to the new Jim Cornette podcast. (Couldn't have planned it, but I timed it so well, with periodic pausing for various reasons, the show ended exactly when the plane landed in Minneapolis.)

6:13pm - Not sure which time zone that is representative of... Bless the 2 gummie and nicotine patch combo. Not as high as I got the other night, but enough to not be entirely freaked out by the delay caused by pre-take off engine issues with the plane. Heard them announce they'd start the engines one at a time, by the gate, over my Jim Cornette podcast. Laura said she's never been on a flight that had this happen.

Great...

Ride has gotten bumpy lately. Took a massive whiz in the tiny restroom, as we passed over St. Louis. We are currently just southwest of Des Moines, Iowa. The pilot is warning us of a bumpy descent and landing, due to weather. We should land in about 30 minutes. If we land at all… And if we do, my burden will be at Luggage Carousel 8. Feel like I need to write that down. Hopefully there’s no delay in getting us to the Uber pick-up location. Wherever that may be…

And we're back at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport baggage claim carousel 8.

Back in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and the home of our cat.

Harley needed to get right back to work in helping me write all this stuff out. 

It was a good ten days. Disappointed in the lack of hurricane damage, abandoned buildings and/or urban decay in general. However, the quality of legal weed options was top notch. Beach was fun. Baseball was nice to see in a new location. But relaxation was key. That was needed and there was much of it. Stuff was convenient, but getting there was awkward. Tobacco products were nice and cheap. Helping all of the sitting around smoking time that was had.

With Reddit.

Lots of Reddit.

******

Now that I've finally finished this story, I have to compare it to the old Wasted Quarter Vacation Journals, from 1996-2003 (for the most part). This one was put together in much the same way, and would have translated to an 80 page, saddle-stitched, digest sized zine, very easily. Been a lot of evolution in my writing over the last 25 years. From content to medium. This story feels like the most "Wasted Quarter" story I've put on Four Baggers.

Perhaps it's the whole turning 50 deal, that put this in my mind.

Reflections on a half-century.

Whose peak didn't match mine...

And it took far less than two months to get this story out!

Very unlike my writing the year 2000...

When I had even more spare time...

******

Hey Doktor...

Having serious Chasey Lain flashbacks after reading that...

******