The Sunshine Coast

LEFT: George's "indoor pool". The outdoor one is about the size of Lake Ontario.

We arrived back in Sarasota, on Florida's Gulf Coast (AKA, the sunshine coast) following a couple of weeks in Rochester to tend to my mom in the hospital. Vacationus interruptus I believe is the medical term. Anyhow, she's doing better now, out of the hospital after 2 weeks (she has since died, per blog below), and we're off and running with the continuation of our Florida trip.

The next few days will be hectic; we're going to Naples to have lunch with old friend, business mentor, and all around large human being George Karpus. George was my first boss after college, and I've never forgotten how much he did for me in terms of mentorship, and sticking up for me with the "old white guys club" at the bank's trust department where I worked. I was the brash, smart-ass, young kid fresh from college, and wanted to change the world. George and I along with 2 others left the bank, and he founded his investment company, Karpus Investment Management. It's now running something like $1.5B in assets...what a success story.

George's place in Naples is spectacular; indoor pool, right on a golf course, guest casita, golf cart garage. He's done great for himself, and deserves all he has accrued. He had a bunch of buddies down to golf for the week, and they were hysterical. Especially this one guy Mickey. Mickey did stuff like fall into the pool fully clothed, drink 7 manhattans and a bottle of wine at dinner (not mutually exclusive), and pass out fully clothed on the pool deck. I think we can only strive to be like mickey.

After a wonderful lunch in the clubhouse, Kathy and I were on our way to Miami Beach to see old friends the Casparians.

"My indoor pool is a bathtub" Lumpy out!