WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.680 --> 00:00:03.120 So I don't know, did you want to do any kind of a special 2 00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:14.080 intro or trampled underfoot? All right, guys, so this is our Christmas 3 00:00:14.119 --> 00:00:18.320 special, our first Christmas special Mark and I, uh, well, we're 4 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:21.879 gonna see what we talk about here. I think it's gonna be Christmas related, 5 00:00:22.120 --> 00:00:25.000 but we never know where it goes. Right, Well, we just 6 00:00:25.079 --> 00:00:27.839 had the luck of the draw. You know. We put out a new 7 00:00:28.239 --> 00:00:32.880 episode every Tuesday, and it just so happens at Christmas is Tuesday this year. 8 00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:37.280 So Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you got what your little heart desired. 9 00:00:37.759 --> 00:00:45.880 You didn't have any unfortunate surprises in your stocking? Yeah, and if I 10 00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:50.399 hope it's not what I'm thinking, you and me both Cole. Okay, 11 00:00:50.479 --> 00:00:54.000 I was just getting ready to ask you that now. I was going to 12 00:00:54.079 --> 00:00:57.280 ask you about when you were a kid growing up, what did your parents 13 00:00:57.359 --> 00:01:00.520 threaten you with? Mine? Was you know, Santa Claus at call in 14 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:06.480 your stock? That is exactly what my folks would Um, well, not 15 00:01:06.519 --> 00:01:11.519 my folks. My dad he'd spring that one up on me and um he'd 16 00:01:11.560 --> 00:01:15.040 say, if you're not good, you're getting a sack of coal. And 17 00:01:15.079 --> 00:01:19.239 I'm like, oh, yep, that's exactly a sack of coal. Wow, 18 00:01:19.799 --> 00:01:22.359 it's got the whole sack. Man. See, only we only got 19 00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:25.599 a My mother was Santa Claus is gonna put coal in your stocking. And 20 00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:27.079 my dad was, you know, trying to be the joker. Yeah, 21 00:01:27.079 --> 00:01:30.400 it's right, Santa Claus and leave rocks in your socks. Yeah. Um, 22 00:01:30.519 --> 00:01:34.920 that one too was you know, these are things that that come from 23 00:01:36.239 --> 00:01:40.799 the Old world to the New World. Yeah. And although my family were 24 00:01:40.840 --> 00:01:44.760 Spanish, um, these same traditions, you know, moved over to the 25 00:01:44.799 --> 00:01:49.599 Americas. So apparently that coal thing, I've not thought of it much until 26 00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:53.560 you just brought it up now, But apparently it migrated here as well, 27 00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:56.920 from um, from Spain to Cuba, and from Cuba to here, because 28 00:01:57.400 --> 00:02:01.120 I got it here in Miami. To me, honestly, the only as 29 00:02:01.159 --> 00:02:05.560 a kid, I was like coal, it's only it's to me. The 30 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:08.319 impression was that you can't do anything with it as a kid, so I 31 00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:12.120 thought of it as a negative thing. But I could imagine where the origins 32 00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:14.879 of that came from. In fact, I'll check it. I'll look it 33 00:02:14.960 --> 00:02:17.840 up here. Just for giggles here, we'll say I never I didn't understand 34 00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:22.360 that either, because I don't know if I was maybe seven, eight, 35 00:02:22.479 --> 00:02:25.960 nine years old before I even found out what coal was. All I knew 36 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:30.800 was that if they were threatening me with that, it couldn't be good. 37 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:34.919 So if I was bad, Santa was gonna put coal in my stocking, 38 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:38.520 that couldn't be a good thing. Yeah, exactly. Well, here's the 39 00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:43.919 answer to that. At least on the Google searches, it says Holland. 40 00:02:44.360 --> 00:02:49.479 Some people say that the lumps of coal story started in Holland in the sixteenth 41 00:02:49.479 --> 00:02:54.599 century. Before Christmas, children would put their clogs by the fireplace before the 42 00:02:54.639 --> 00:03:00.479 stockings were used, and when a kid was bad, they got lump of 43 00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:04.840 cool but if they were good, they get small toys, cookies or candy. 44 00:03:05.080 --> 00:03:08.560 So that's what they're saying. Um, where that originated? Very interesting? 45 00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:12.719 Okay, I'd never heard that before. Yeah, well, that's what 46 00:03:12.759 --> 00:03:15.800 they're saying here. So it originated from Holland. Okay, Well, a 47 00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:20.840 lot of our traditions came from that area, Holland, Germany. Now, 48 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:23.759 on the subject of stockings, Lenny ask you this, did you ever have 49 00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:29.479 was there any kind of recurring theme as far as what you got in your 50 00:03:29.479 --> 00:03:34.159 stocking? Well, could you count on at least you know, every year, 51 00:03:34.240 --> 00:03:36.319 you knew you were going to have a couple of things. There were 52 00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:38.759 gonna be a couple of things in your stocking. Yeah. Usually for us 53 00:03:38.759 --> 00:03:46.159 in the stocking was candy or for me like candy canes and whatnot. They 54 00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:50.039 wouldn't stuff the presence in the stocking. The presence would be put under the 55 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:57.400 tree. But we actually had a fireplace. Our fireplace was made of marble, 56 00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:01.120 okay, and it was a real honest to goodness fireplace in Florida. 57 00:04:01.199 --> 00:04:08.360 In Miami, oh figure um because the people that built here um back in 58 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:11.479 the day. And we're the second owners of that house that was built in 59 00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:15.360 nineteen forty eight. So the people that that built that back back in the 60 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:18.279 day, and this place was like being built. There was nothing here on 61 00:04:18.360 --> 00:04:23.360 the outskirts of Miami. They came from the north or from out west where 62 00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:26.480 it was cold, and I guess they figured, well, what kind of 63 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:30.319 house is it without a freaking fireplace? Gotta have heat. Yeah, so 64 00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:32.800 they included it that. But by the time I was born, that had 65 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:41.560 been close. Folks had figured it out. Yeah, it's funny you say 66 00:04:41.560 --> 00:04:45.800 that. When we were stationed in Hawaii. The house we lived in there 67 00:04:45.800 --> 00:04:49.800 on the airfield, the government housing, you know, army housing. It 68 00:04:49.920 --> 00:04:54.120 had a fireplace. There was no heat or air conditioning in it. If 69 00:04:54.160 --> 00:04:57.439 you're you know, cold, closed the window. If you're hot, opening 70 00:04:57.560 --> 00:05:00.839 yea. And because it was it was such a constant, consistent temperature, 71 00:05:00.879 --> 00:05:04.759 you didn't need heat or air conditioning. But it had a fireplace. And 72 00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:10.279 we found out that the building that we lived in was built in like nineteen 73 00:05:10.360 --> 00:05:15.759 seventeen or something like that, up on a Wheeler airfield, and everybody in 74 00:05:15.800 --> 00:05:18.360 the neighborhood had one. But when you moved in, they had a list 75 00:05:18.439 --> 00:05:21.759 of dudes and don'ts and here's the rules and here the regulations. And the 76 00:05:21.800 --> 00:05:26.600 first thing they said was don't use the fireplace. And I was like, 77 00:05:26.680 --> 00:05:28.800 Okay, that's not going to be a problem because I don't think it's going 78 00:05:28.839 --> 00:05:30.480 to get cold enough to need one. And so we never used it, 79 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:35.439 not once, you know, So why would that be, Well, they 80 00:05:35.519 --> 00:05:39.279 hadn't been maintained. You know, there aren't a whole heck of a lot 81 00:05:39.279 --> 00:05:43.000 of chimney sweeps in Hawaii, so they just they hadn't been cleaned, they 82 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:46.560 hadn't been maintained. I'm sure bricks need to be repointed in everything else, 83 00:05:47.480 --> 00:05:51.160 right, So yeah, it just wasn't needed. It was not needed. 84 00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:56.160 I mean that's an incredible not down there. Yeah, So same story with 85 00:05:56.240 --> 00:06:01.519 you people just simply build what's home to them in in new areas climates, 86 00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:06.560 right exactly. And now there were areas of Hawaii that you did need heat. 87 00:06:08.160 --> 00:06:12.399 Uh you know, you get up in the higher elevations, but we 88 00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:15.560 were we were about maybe one hundred and fifty feet above sea level, so 89 00:06:15.759 --> 00:06:19.600 you know, it wasn't really necessary for us. But on the on the 90 00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:23.759 Christmas stocking thing, I don't know why, and I don't know where it 91 00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:28.360 started, but I could be guaranteed every year we would have candy too, 92 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:30.879 and we would have little small presents. And as I grew older, at 93 00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:35.240 the little presence in my stocking became the batteries to operate whatever it was I 94 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:40.319 got that was under the tree, you know. But I could always be 95 00:06:40.399 --> 00:06:46.079 guaranteed there would be at least one orange and a handful of uncracked in the 96 00:06:46.120 --> 00:06:53.000 shell nuts, you know what. I skipped that part. I just want 97 00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:57.560 to say the same thing. Um there would be some like um what are 98 00:06:57.560 --> 00:07:02.920 the big ones, the not macadamia. I'm not familiar with my with my 99 00:07:02.920 --> 00:07:08.759 my nut categories. Um, we'd get brazil nuts and um, hazel nuts 100 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:14.519 and walnuts and pecans and stuff like that. Yeah, and I still don't 101 00:07:14.600 --> 00:07:17.399 know why, but there was always you know, I think it was like 102 00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:20.920 filler because you had, you know, a whole bunch of nuts down in 103 00:07:20.959 --> 00:07:26.199 the toe and then a few things you know, running up the body of 104 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:28.959 the stocking, then an orange up on top and a couple of candy canes 105 00:07:29.000 --> 00:07:30.759 hanging out. Yep. That's exactly the story. So yeah, that was 106 00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:33.319 the case with me as well. I didn't want to mention it because I 107 00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:38.040 did think in that case, um, like you know those it's in a 108 00:07:38.120 --> 00:07:41.240 moment when when you're talking flash now, I'll leave let that out because it 109 00:07:41.319 --> 00:07:44.720 sounds so weird. I thought it was just something that that that my folks 110 00:07:44.720 --> 00:07:46.240 did. But yeah, they would add as well nuts and in fact, 111 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:50.240 that was very traditional. We'd have a bowl on the table yep, with 112 00:07:50.279 --> 00:07:55.759 the nutcracker, well the nuts, and throughout the holiday season as well. 113 00:07:56.079 --> 00:07:59.879 There's not a lot of big, big difference because I know you've been curious 114 00:08:00.040 --> 00:08:03.959 before with like what what does a Cuban family, you know, Well, 115 00:08:03.000 --> 00:08:07.920 it's not so much Cuban, it's East Coast in Miami because I can only 116 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:09.959 go I've been. I've been on the West Coast most of my life. 117 00:08:11.240 --> 00:08:13.759 Um, there was about a twenty years stretch where I was all over the 118 00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:16.920 place, but most of my life has been on the West Coast and especially 119 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:20.000 up here in the Pacific Northwest. There's a lot of things that are local 120 00:08:20.199 --> 00:08:26.120 here that I don't see us being local down there and up here. Oranges 121 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:28.079 in the wintertime are a big thing because it's cold. You know, you 122 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:33.879 don't get oranges up here. And the orange, the orange thing, you 123 00:08:33.960 --> 00:08:39.200 know, we didn't we didn't get Yeah, And you know, I was 124 00:08:39.320 --> 00:08:43.600 I'm trying to think of how old I was before I had my first pomegranate, 125 00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:46.440 and that was when we moved down to California. So I was probably 126 00:08:46.679 --> 00:08:50.039 seven or eight before I had my first pomegranate because it just wasn't something you 127 00:08:50.039 --> 00:08:52.320 got up in Oregon. Yeah, you know, now we get everything, 128 00:08:52.600 --> 00:08:56.399 you know, all year long, but back then, there's a lot of 129 00:08:56.440 --> 00:09:01.399 similarities. I mean, it's funny how traditions stick, and they stick good. 130 00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:09.480 Yeah, and some things go away. And I think we've discussed this 131 00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:11.480 before. I don't remember if it was in a hangout or if it was 132 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:16.840 on one episode or not. I guess it was about five years ago. 133 00:09:16.960 --> 00:09:20.480 Six years ago. I was Christmas Day and I was out on the front 134 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:22.840 porch, you know, to let the dogs out, and I was just 135 00:09:22.919 --> 00:09:28.519 suddenly struck by how quiet it was. It was silent. Now, my 136 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:33.080 neighborhood isn't overrun with kids anyway, but there's a few. But I can 137 00:09:33.159 --> 00:09:37.279 remember on Christmas, you get up in the morning, you do the family 138 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:41.240 thing, you do breakfast, the presents, and you know, calls to 139 00:09:41.320 --> 00:09:43.600 Graham on this, that and the other. And then we were I mean, 140 00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:46.360 we couldn't wait to go outside and play with the new stuff we got 141 00:09:46.360 --> 00:09:50.320 for Christmas, whether it be you know, bicycle, skateboard, roller skates. 142 00:09:50.480 --> 00:09:54.799 I got roller skates for Christmas until I got my driver's license. But 143 00:09:54.159 --> 00:09:58.399 you were outside showing off the stuff that you got for Christmas to your friends, 144 00:10:00.039 --> 00:10:05.159 and it struck me as to how absolutely silent it was. There wasn't 145 00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:09.080 a kid to be heard outside all day long. Same story here, yeah, 146 00:10:09.240 --> 00:10:13.519 you know, And I don't know if that's because the presence they got 147 00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:16.879 were all electronic or if you know, people were out of town or what 148 00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:20.159 have you. So I listened, and every year since then I've tried to 149 00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:26.080 pay attention to what's going on. And last year, little girl lives across 150 00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:30.240 the cul de Sac from us. She's about maybe six something like that, 151 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:33.679 she got her two wheeler bicycle with the training wheels and the whole thing, 152 00:10:33.720 --> 00:10:37.639 and she was up and down the sidewalks, and that kind of made me 153 00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:41.000 feel good. You know, Okay, maybe it's not dead. The kids 154 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:45.000 are getting outdoor things to play with. Well, I think that in our 155 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:46.399 case here. I don't know about your case, but where I live, 156 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:52.279 there was a big boom right about the time that I was born and grew 157 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:58.039 up. So I enjoyed certain traditions that were normal, things that were normal 158 00:10:58.360 --> 00:11:03.240 for people. I don't even want to say that. Let's put it this 159 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:05.039 way. I grew up in a time when there was a boom of kid 160 00:11:05.159 --> 00:11:09.240 of folk getting married and moving out here, and there was a lot of 161 00:11:09.360 --> 00:11:16.360 people my age. In fact, during my time the elementary school was built 162 00:11:16.360 --> 00:11:20.320 in Sweetwater, we did not have a school, and um, well I 163 00:11:20.440 --> 00:11:24.360 moved to that school before we'd have to bus are in my case was driven 164 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:30.559 to downtown Miami or Little Havana, which on the is on the outskirts of 165 00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:33.480 to go to school, right, although there were schools in the area, 166 00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:39.480 but I was going to a private school, Catholic private school. But there 167 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:41.840 was a lot of kids playing on the streets and just like you said, 168 00:11:41.559 --> 00:11:48.279 with bikes and toys and and all that here in Sweetwater, and well you 169 00:11:48.320 --> 00:11:54.279 don't see that anymore at all at all. So those people that had kids, 170 00:11:54.600 --> 00:11:58.399 well they've started to either retire or have reach well retired and if not 171 00:11:58.480 --> 00:12:05.080 passed on like you know my folks did. And it's a new and it's 172 00:12:05.080 --> 00:12:09.240 a new error. Like this place was built up with that sort of family 173 00:12:09.320 --> 00:12:15.159 oriented theme and now it's become something other. And I'm sure there's towns out 174 00:12:15.159 --> 00:12:18.480 there in America that are having that same process occur. It's just not here 175 00:12:18.519 --> 00:12:26.440 anymore. Trampled underfoot. Well, you're you're in kind of a unique situation 176 00:12:26.639 --> 00:12:31.000 in that you basically live in the house you grew up in and you've been 177 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:35.480 there most of your life, well on the property. Yeah, and so 178 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:41.159 you've watched everything the neighborhood's gone through since the day you were born. You've 179 00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:45.799 seen it happen. Yep. So you've seen the demographic change. You've seen 180 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:50.519 the kids you grew up with, you know, grow and graduate and gone, 181 00:12:50.879 --> 00:12:54.159 get married whatever, have kids of their own. And you've seen the 182 00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:56.840 changes come and go. Watch the university, you know, expand across the 183 00:12:56.840 --> 00:13:01.200 street from you. And now I imagine that entire demographic has changed and it's 184 00:13:01.240 --> 00:13:07.600 mainly students or retirees anymore. Oh yeah, there's a lot of people that 185 00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:11.720 have moved in here. And now the mixes, well, you traditionally had 186 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:18.039 mostly Cuban so that entails the adults that came from there, adults that came 187 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:22.039 from there a long time ago, kids that were born there in the sixties 188 00:13:22.600 --> 00:13:26.679 here in the sixties of those parents, kids that were born in the seventies 189 00:13:26.679 --> 00:13:31.159 of those parents, and in the eighties, like myself, of those parents. 190 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:33.679 And then you had Nicaraguans with the same story. Yeah, from the 191 00:13:33.759 --> 00:13:41.039 late seventies on. And you have Colombians, and you have Venezuelans, and 192 00:13:41.080 --> 00:13:45.639 you have so like anything that happens in South America and Central America, you 193 00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:48.919 get, for lack of a better word, the people with means or the 194 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:56.440 ability to whether that's economically stable or not, but slightly able to migrating here. 195 00:13:56.799 --> 00:13:58.480 Yeah, and you get that mix. And now you have the mix 196 00:13:58.519 --> 00:14:03.200 of students coming from all parts of the United States and the world, and 197 00:14:03.240 --> 00:14:13.279 then that includes faculty and so it's the demographics is now quite metropolitan. Well, 198 00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:16.080 now, is there anybody there still in your neighborhood that you remember from 199 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:20.639 growing up? Or is everyoneor is it or have all of the faces and 200 00:14:20.759 --> 00:14:26.000 names changed. No, there's two neighbors which I happen to stay away from. 201 00:14:26.120 --> 00:14:28.519 One of them lives next door, and it's a nosy Cuban neighbor. 202 00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:37.080 Nosy and malevolent is the word for some reason, just total I stay away 203 00:14:37.080 --> 00:14:41.000 from them, very negative stuff. The neighbors you don't want living next to 204 00:14:41.039 --> 00:14:45.440 you. While they're there, well, yeah, as of late they've been. 205 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:48.600 And then another group, same story, that have been here forever. 206 00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:54.799 Yeah, up until recently, maybe three four, maybe five years ago, 207 00:14:56.279 --> 00:15:01.039 I still had two other neighbors. A kid which is like eleven to twelve 208 00:15:01.120 --> 00:15:05.919 years my senior, so he's probably like fifty six or fifty something. He 209 00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:11.080 used to cut grass from my my father, Like yeah, when I was 210 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:13.159 a baby, he'd come over and cut the lawn, and my dad would 211 00:15:13.159 --> 00:15:18.440 pay him for the He moved out with his mom three or four years ago. 212 00:15:18.919 --> 00:15:22.519 I moved down south and sold off the place, and the lady that 213 00:15:22.600 --> 00:15:28.799 used to babysit me lived here too till up until four years ago. Oh 214 00:15:28.840 --> 00:15:33.159 wow, and she moved. I had about a well, I ticked it 215 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:35.559 back, not twenty years. I had about a thirty year break. I 216 00:15:35.639 --> 00:15:41.360 left this valley in eighty two and came back in twenty twelve, and a 217 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:46.240 lot of things had changed. So there was an element of familiar familiarity plus 218 00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:52.000 an element of newness. And they say you can never go home once you're 219 00:15:52.039 --> 00:15:54.919 gone. I don't know how true that is or not, because there's enough 220 00:15:56.039 --> 00:16:00.559 here that it is home. But there were so many change is that I 221 00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:03.039 didn't see happen. It was to me it was a drastic change, while 222 00:16:03.200 --> 00:16:07.679 everybody else that I know that has been here while I was gone said no, 223 00:16:07.840 --> 00:16:10.600 it was very it was very gradually. They didn't even notice that the 224 00:16:10.679 --> 00:16:14.639 changes. They just this is still so small of a town. I'll put 225 00:16:14.639 --> 00:16:18.320 it to you this way. They opened a cracker barrel restaurant down on the 226 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:22.679 Interstate earlier this year. And to this town. That's a big thing. 227 00:16:22.960 --> 00:16:27.200 There are cracker barrels all over this country. Some people like it, some 228 00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:30.519 people hate it. But the place is always jam packed because it's new. 229 00:16:30.840 --> 00:16:36.399 Yeah, they get something new and exciting. It actually makes the evening news. 230 00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:41.440 It's even the opening. Yeah, the opening of a new restaurant that's 231 00:16:41.440 --> 00:16:45.879 never been here before makes news. Living here all this time, I haven't 232 00:16:45.879 --> 00:16:51.559 seen that vantage point that you have. There were buildings here that are now 233 00:16:51.600 --> 00:16:56.840 gone, like the bank tore down. Now there's a huge fifteen story building 234 00:16:56.840 --> 00:17:00.159 there. Yeah. The bar. There was a bar here called the Bonfire 235 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:04.559 or Jimmy's Lounge back in the day. Yeah, that was tore down. 236 00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:10.359 This is where people would come enter the bar and have bar fights before they 237 00:17:10.359 --> 00:17:17.000 made their way out West Post of Florida and bikers and it was it was 238 00:17:17.119 --> 00:17:22.119 what you would expect from a little town outside of you know, the main 239 00:17:22.359 --> 00:17:26.279 sort of hub of Miami. And there used to be things like we didn't 240 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:30.880 have a strip mall. They built a strip mall back in the eighties and 241 00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:33.039 said, well all these changes. There used to be a Lums, which 242 00:17:33.079 --> 00:17:37.799 is like a diner, like a Denny's style diner. But when I was 243 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:40.119 a baby. I would see it driving through. I didn't know what it 244 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:42.720 was other than a restaurant, but i'd see it as a as a baby, 245 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:47.480 and then it would tore down, and then the hardies was put there, 246 00:17:47.720 --> 00:17:49.640 and then that was tore down, and then you know, and just 247 00:17:49.720 --> 00:17:55.000 things. Well, I don't have perspective because I've lived here all this time. 248 00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:56.519 I'm sure if I would have left and come back, this would be 249 00:17:56.559 --> 00:18:03.799 a totally shocking place trampled underfoot. Okay. I don't know if you notice 250 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:07.519 or not, but just about every time you say when it's my edit, 251 00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:11.400 just about every time you say, well, don't worry, we'll edit this 252 00:18:11.480 --> 00:18:15.359 out, I purposely leave it in. Yeah. Yeah, I've seen that. 253 00:18:19.480 --> 00:18:22.799 So that's how you know. That's how you can remember if I did 254 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:25.240 the editor not because he's oh no, we'll let it this out. I'm 255 00:18:25.240 --> 00:18:29.920 like, no, that's damn lets it's something like really embarrassing. Yeah, 256 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:33.319 that's that's hilarious. I have heard it. I never put it in context 257 00:18:33.319 --> 00:18:37.759 of that you're doing it on purpose. Oh yeah, and if well you 258 00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:42.200 told the first time Steve was in you you we were telling him, Okay, 259 00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:45.279 this is what we do. This is how we normally do it. 260 00:18:45.279 --> 00:18:47.359 Don't worry, We'll let it this out. And I jumped in. I 261 00:18:47.359 --> 00:18:49.319 said, no, I'm gonna leave it in. Yeah, and I did, 262 00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:55.599 And that was what we opened with. That was the opening before the 263 00:18:55.640 --> 00:19:00.400 introduction. This is still a small enough town to where things like that generate 264 00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:07.200 excitement, and they still do have Christmas light and Christmas display contests here and 265 00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:14.599 it makes the news. You know, they'll have they'll put up this neighborhood 266 00:19:14.680 --> 00:19:18.480 is doing this, and this neighborhood is doing that, and they'll actually on 267 00:19:18.519 --> 00:19:22.119 their websites, they'll put up little walking tours that they suggest that you take 268 00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:26.680 to see some of the best Christmas displays, and people will go look and 269 00:19:26.759 --> 00:19:30.079 just see how folks are decorating their houses in their yards and what have you. 270 00:19:30.680 --> 00:19:33.440 Very nice. You know, it's kind of cool. I've not mentioned 271 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:38.720 this before, but you're kind of blowing my mental image I've always had about 272 00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:42.920 And I know you don't live in Miami, but the image I've always had 273 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:48.319 of Miami was a hell of a lot more glamorous than you're portraying it to 274 00:19:48.359 --> 00:19:52.599 be. And the reason I say that is because I grew up we had 275 00:19:52.599 --> 00:19:57.480 the Jackie Gleason Show on TV, and they filmed The Jackie Gleason Show in 276 00:19:57.519 --> 00:20:03.559 Miami, well Miami each yeah, and the opening shot with the you know, 277 00:20:03.680 --> 00:20:07.599 helicopter rushing up, it was from the helicopter's point of view, rushing 278 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:11.440 up on the hotels, down on the beach, and everything live from Miami 279 00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:15.079 Beach. The Jackie gleas you know, yeah, from the Fountain Blue and 280 00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:21.960 it was always Miami was portrayed as the height of glamor, fun, sophistication, 281 00:20:22.359 --> 00:20:27.160 party central with the beautiful people. Just like any Western town in the 282 00:20:27.200 --> 00:20:33.119 mid to late eighteen hundreds, you had the gambling and the and the whatnot. 283 00:20:33.480 --> 00:20:38.039 And um, I'm I'm using that analogy because I've been watching some westerns. 284 00:20:38.440 --> 00:20:42.480 Um, you have you have people that work the railroad, for instance, 285 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:47.279 and then you have the big spenders that come to visit and stuff. 286 00:20:47.319 --> 00:20:51.680 So, you know, people that live in Miami, unless you're on the 287 00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:55.160 high end of the of the of the of the scale, you know, 288 00:20:55.599 --> 00:20:59.880 with great fortunes and whatnot, you're living a normal life. And particularly the 289 00:21:00.039 --> 00:21:03.920 for the you know what. Now you could go with your girlfriend, as 290 00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:08.240 one has done, you know, and go to the beach and enjoy and 291 00:21:08.279 --> 00:21:14.680 partake of the festivities, and there is always fun to be had in downtown 292 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:17.920 and on the beach, just like you would imagine, like you know, 293 00:21:17.960 --> 00:21:22.000 but you can't do that as a regular joe because you'll break the bank. 294 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:27.599 So yeah, yeah, it was always kind of sort of portrayed as everything 295 00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:32.599 Vegas is trying to be now, you know. I mean, God, 296 00:21:32.680 --> 00:21:37.359 Jackie Gleeson was on for years and years and years and years. Miami has 297 00:21:37.400 --> 00:21:41.839 a reputation and it is true. It's just that I am not. You 298 00:21:41.880 --> 00:21:45.200 know, on the weekends, you might go to the beach, right and 299 00:21:45.319 --> 00:21:49.200 you might bite yourself a twelve dollars for you and your girlfriend, a twelve 300 00:21:49.240 --> 00:21:57.799 dollars freaking b two bomber with you know, Irish cream and special liqueur mixtures 301 00:21:57.880 --> 00:22:03.240 and a little umbrella. You might do that for twelve bucks a thing. 302 00:22:03.799 --> 00:22:06.519 But you can't do that, you know. But there are people that are 303 00:22:07.079 --> 00:22:11.200 big, you know, deep pocketed, and they enjoy all the extravagance that 304 00:22:11.279 --> 00:22:17.759 Miami has to offer. We have Star Island and that's millionaires and just in 305 00:22:18.319 --> 00:22:23.640 Coral Gables and Miami Beach itself, and all my continues and continues, but 306 00:22:23.799 --> 00:22:27.400 yeah, I mean, you can't do that because you'll you'll break the bank, 307 00:22:27.640 --> 00:22:30.240 you know. So yeah, well, you know, yeah, I'm 308 00:22:30.400 --> 00:22:37.200 I'm sure there are high roller areas in every major metropolitan area, but the 309 00:22:37.240 --> 00:22:41.359 way it was portrayed, because you gotta remember Jackie Gleason, they moved that 310 00:22:41.400 --> 00:22:45.240 show to Miami and I think sixty four, so I was about three years 311 00:22:45.240 --> 00:22:48.960 old, So that's I don't really remember much before that, TV wise, 312 00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:52.640 but I do remember those opening shots from the Jackie Gleason Show, and they 313 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:57.599 always talked about how glamorous, and that's the words that that stuck in my 314 00:22:57.680 --> 00:23:03.440 brain. Those were that was word glamorous Miami wise, if you look at 315 00:23:03.440 --> 00:23:07.640 those old movies from the rat Pack, the Frank Sinatras, when they'd come 316 00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:12.160 down here, you could be in the thick of it, gambling or parttering, 317 00:23:12.440 --> 00:23:15.920 and then all of a sudden they're driving out to the beach somewhere that's 318 00:23:15.960 --> 00:23:19.519 open and there's a few little places, but it kind of feels like a 319 00:23:19.640 --> 00:23:23.519 margharita Ville type thing. Yeah, that was when I was growing up. 320 00:23:23.960 --> 00:23:27.599 So I was born in the mid seventies and by the time it was nineteen 321 00:23:27.640 --> 00:23:32.000 eighties, I was five years old. And well, as a kid, 322 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:36.279 you're taking all over the place because that's what it is, right and you 323 00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:41.160 pick up all the scents and you know, visuals and all around you as 324 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:47.519 you're growing. And there was a feel of like pretty awesome growing up where 325 00:23:47.559 --> 00:23:51.240 the beach is right there and you can go into the water and the water 326 00:23:51.480 --> 00:23:56.599 does not freezeier but in fact it's like as warm as stepping into a bath 327 00:23:56.640 --> 00:24:02.359 at home, for instance. I mean things like that leave an impression, 328 00:24:02.400 --> 00:24:06.240 you know. And yeah, plenty of stores and bars and all the cool 329 00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:11.960 things. But life has also changed in general and technology, and I think 330 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:15.640 that all that has effective. But no, right now, I can get 331 00:24:15.640 --> 00:24:18.920 in the car. It's just I'm what's the point? Like imagine right like 332 00:24:18.000 --> 00:24:21.960 I now I'm thinking to myself, well, what the heck I should enjoy 333 00:24:21.960 --> 00:24:23.519 a little bit of that. I could get in my I could dress up 334 00:24:23.599 --> 00:24:30.599 right now and head towards the beach and there's no lack of entertainment. Dude, 335 00:24:30.599 --> 00:24:33.400 that would be an interesting experiment. I know how you like to experiment 336 00:24:33.400 --> 00:24:37.759 and push things on your YouTube channel. That would be an interesting experiment to 337 00:24:37.920 --> 00:24:42.839 see you, you know, go out and enjoy some of the just go 338 00:24:42.920 --> 00:24:48.200 experience some of the Miami quote unquote scene for folks who have never been there, 339 00:24:48.440 --> 00:24:51.880 folks who have never seen it, you know, because yeah, I 340 00:24:51.920 --> 00:24:55.000 mean you you know as well as I do that if you bring up a 341 00:24:55.039 --> 00:24:57.960 camera on a selfie stick or something like that with a group of people behind 342 00:24:57.960 --> 00:25:00.640 you, they're gonna hoot and aller and wave at the camera for you and 343 00:25:00.680 --> 00:25:03.960 stuff like. Yeah, you get part people to participate. Yeah, boy, 344 00:25:04.200 --> 00:25:08.839 travel to the beach. Yeah, you know. Now, I know 345 00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:12.640 it's really easy to become jaded when you see it every single day. But 346 00:25:12.720 --> 00:25:17.559 you just mentioned something about getting into the water, that it's like stepping into 347 00:25:17.599 --> 00:25:21.880 the bath. I experienced that when we lived in Savannah, Georgia, and 348 00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:26.519 the Gulf Stream came right up around and right up the shoreline there, and 349 00:25:26.599 --> 00:25:30.039 it was that way. I mean the water was in the eighties versus the 350 00:25:30.240 --> 00:25:34.079 entire West Coast where the water is too cold to get into unless you get 351 00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:41.359 down into Mexico Goods Mark, and I mean it's just frigid here. The 352 00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:45.599 water is just frigid. It'll draw the life from your your the ence of 353 00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:48.599 life from your body. Because I jumped in. I told you this before. 354 00:25:48.079 --> 00:25:52.640 I don't mean I just a little interjection. I decided, I'm on 355 00:25:52.680 --> 00:25:53.799 the West coast, I might as well jump in the Pacific. I was 356 00:25:53.839 --> 00:25:57.079 aware that it was cold, because it's a different story, but I said, 357 00:25:57.119 --> 00:26:00.680 I'm jumping in and right off of santam No, not off of Santa 358 00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:03.960 Monica, right off of what do you call that? North of Santa Monica, 359 00:26:04.039 --> 00:26:10.079 just about um sort of malibuish area. Okay, um. We went 360 00:26:10.119 --> 00:26:11.880 down. You know how they have those parking you park and stuff and then 361 00:26:11.920 --> 00:26:18.359 you can walk down. And I walked down. It was rocky and my 362 00:26:18.440 --> 00:26:21.880 girlfriend at the time, all right, go for it, and we had 363 00:26:21.880 --> 00:26:26.319 some blank some towel, and so I jumped in and I could feel the 364 00:26:26.359 --> 00:26:32.640 ocean sucking my life force a wave and pins and needles. I got out. 365 00:26:32.720 --> 00:26:36.880 I was like, I couldn't. It was horrible. It's painful again. 366 00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:42.599 Yep, trampled underfoot. Back to Christmas, Well, yeah, interesting 367 00:26:42.680 --> 00:26:48.720 juxtaposition. I'm trying to imagine a Miami Christmas because I don't picture palm trees 368 00:26:48.720 --> 00:26:52.279 decorated up with lights and stuff like that. They do that, you know, 369 00:26:52.519 --> 00:26:56.200 Oh, I'm sure they do. Oh yeah, I mean we saw 370 00:26:56.240 --> 00:27:00.160 it in Hawaii and seeing a Hawaiian sata with the long beard in the Santa 371 00:27:00.160 --> 00:27:03.519 Claus hat, and that's about all the rest of it was, you know, 372 00:27:03.720 --> 00:27:07.160 board shorts and Aloha shirt and sandals. You know, it's amazing. 373 00:27:07.400 --> 00:27:11.000 It is. Well, you got to remember that m Florida, the name 374 00:27:11.039 --> 00:27:17.359 itself was was given by one of the Spanish explorers, which one I don't 375 00:27:17.400 --> 00:27:21.680 know, Yeah, I'm not sure, but um, that started settling here 376 00:27:21.720 --> 00:27:26.079 and whatnot. And you know they had their little not monasteries what do you 377 00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:30.440 call those things, like the missions? Yeah, like missions, So you 378 00:27:30.480 --> 00:27:33.680 had all these traditions coming over and stuff and turn of the century or like 379 00:27:33.880 --> 00:27:38.799 eighteen hundreds coming this way, like right into the nineteen hundreds started to be 380 00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:42.680 built up and be built up. But um, you know, I mean 381 00:27:42.720 --> 00:27:48.200 just like any other place. It's just that our temperature is that of a 382 00:27:48.279 --> 00:27:53.640 tropical wonderland with hurricanes included, and people adapt just like the fireplace we were 383 00:27:53.680 --> 00:27:57.920 talking about and all that. But it's funny because you can go up and 384 00:27:57.960 --> 00:28:00.640 down, I guess, and a currently east and west and you can find 385 00:28:00.680 --> 00:28:07.839 those tie those binding um threads right like the nuts and the stockings and all 386 00:28:07.880 --> 00:28:12.400 these things. You know, it's not so strange of the world, although 387 00:28:12.720 --> 00:28:17.920 there are slight differences that might cause a West Coaster like yourself to say, 388 00:28:17.920 --> 00:28:19.599 oh, well, wait a second, that's quite different. But you know 389 00:28:19.640 --> 00:28:22.680 what, I dig that kind of thing. I mean that, and that's 390 00:28:22.799 --> 00:28:26.680 one of the things that I loved so much about the traveling that I was 391 00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:30.440 fortunate enough to do. I mean, people talk about, oh, why 392 00:28:30.440 --> 00:28:33.079 do we always have to focus on the differences, and why can't we all 393 00:28:33.119 --> 00:28:37.720 just you know, remember that we're all the same on the inside when actually 394 00:28:37.759 --> 00:28:41.559 we're not. I mean, revel in those differences, man, I mean, 395 00:28:41.920 --> 00:28:45.839 good grief. People forget just how big this country really is. It's 396 00:28:47.240 --> 00:28:52.440 huge, and we have regions. Me from the west coast, you from 397 00:28:52.480 --> 00:28:56.559 the from the southeast. And although I never really thought of Florida as quote 398 00:28:56.599 --> 00:29:00.640 unquote the south, you know, a lot of people will say that, 399 00:29:00.960 --> 00:29:03.079 Yeah, I have some things to talk about about that, which we've talked 400 00:29:03.079 --> 00:29:07.759 about apart from it, but go a go ahead. But yeah, just 401 00:29:07.960 --> 00:29:12.759 the differences. I hesitate to say in culture because I don't think it has 402 00:29:12.799 --> 00:29:18.400 anything to do with culture. I think it has everything to do with environment 403 00:29:18.400 --> 00:29:22.519 and resources, you know. I think it does have to do with at 404 00:29:22.559 --> 00:29:26.559 least the last part that you said does have to do with culture, because 405 00:29:26.160 --> 00:29:29.880 let me see if I can unpack this it so, you know, throughout 406 00:29:29.960 --> 00:29:34.440 I'm watching Western railroad expansion right now, and you have like the Chinese workers 407 00:29:34.480 --> 00:29:41.559 from the west, and then you have the Africans Americans from the East coast 408 00:29:41.559 --> 00:29:45.279 coming out west building. Sure, you have your Irish coming out off the 409 00:29:47.200 --> 00:29:52.839 boats and getting on trains and wagons and walking out west to join the railroads, 410 00:29:52.839 --> 00:29:56.079 and just a bunch of stuff. Um. So you have all these 411 00:29:56.119 --> 00:30:02.039 different cultures which Melbye, we've heard of of a well down here. You 412 00:30:02.079 --> 00:30:07.279 know, you have the access to all of South America, you have Central 413 00:30:07.279 --> 00:30:12.960 America access the Caribbean, which are thorough ways for shipping from heck, from 414 00:30:14.519 --> 00:30:18.279 Europe, and you had the Spanish control of Florida, and you had the 415 00:30:18.319 --> 00:30:22.839 British also controlled Florida for a short while back and forth between Cuba. And 416 00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:27.200 there were things going on here that weren't going on that weren't part of that 417 00:30:27.279 --> 00:30:30.920 we're kind of part of, but not necessarily of things that were happening in 418 00:30:30.920 --> 00:30:38.400 New England and whatnot. And so you have people here that are uniquely Florida 419 00:30:38.559 --> 00:30:44.279 uniquely Miami the at this point, and I think there is a difference between 420 00:30:44.359 --> 00:30:51.279 Anglo right and say Spanish, you know, traditions and a lot of I've 421 00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:56.519 heard it all my life, well Miami. In fact, Steve Nielan mentioned 422 00:30:56.599 --> 00:30:59.240 a lot of people and even people from here mentioned that, well, you 423 00:30:59.240 --> 00:31:02.279 know, Miami, I don't considered it the South. And in a way, 424 00:31:02.839 --> 00:31:07.319 people from Miami throughout history were very much disconnected from the rest of the 425 00:31:07.359 --> 00:31:14.599 country because everything from here north until you reach northern Florida and then Georgia is 426 00:31:14.680 --> 00:31:18.680 under water and swamp originally a lot of it, and full of Indians and 427 00:31:18.920 --> 00:31:23.759 jungle Ish, so you couldn't necessarily or pine rock, pine land, you 428 00:31:23.759 --> 00:31:27.680 know, tropical and whatnot, and you couldn't have access unless it was via 429 00:31:27.640 --> 00:31:33.359 a ship or boat to get here, and so it was disconnected. And 430 00:31:33.839 --> 00:31:41.359 yes, Florida was part of the South, but it was isolated like you 431 00:31:41.400 --> 00:31:45.000 would not believe. So there are those things do affect plus the culture for 432 00:31:45.079 --> 00:31:48.599 the people that would settle here. So I think all those influences made it 433 00:31:48.680 --> 00:31:52.160 so that Miami, for instance, is its own uni. You won't get 434 00:31:52.200 --> 00:31:56.359 that, by the way, if you go out west towards Naples or Fort 435 00:31:56.400 --> 00:32:01.680 Myers. You won't get that once you hit Broward. You get that here 436 00:32:02.279 --> 00:32:08.079 because it's so darned close to the Caribbean, and so you get that here. 437 00:32:08.599 --> 00:32:13.319 Well, it's also the major city. It's also the huge city, 438 00:32:13.359 --> 00:32:16.200 and that's that's where people tend to gravitate when they're first coming to a new 439 00:32:16.200 --> 00:32:20.160 place. I mean, that's why they went to New York. Yeah, 440 00:32:20.200 --> 00:32:22.200 you know, there were other ports of entry, but they went to New 441 00:32:22.279 --> 00:32:27.279 York because that's where everybody. That's where you went, you know, Yeah, 442 00:32:27.480 --> 00:32:30.440 that was the place to go. And heck, it's an old Jimmy 443 00:32:30.440 --> 00:32:34.680 Buffett song, Everybody's got a cousin in Miami. Oh he also said I 444 00:32:34.799 --> 00:32:39.880 made enough money to buy Miami, but I wasted pistas. Yeah, but 445 00:32:40.240 --> 00:32:43.960 that is the title of one of his songs, Everybody's got a cousin in 446 00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:46.519 Miami, by the way, And by the way, that's almost probably al 447 00:32:47.960 --> 00:32:52.759 yeah, exactly. But but we were remote out here as well, because 448 00:32:52.759 --> 00:32:59.759 you have to remember where you had folks coming down from up north and going, 449 00:33:00.079 --> 00:33:02.880 you know, coming down from Georgia through northern Florida get to Miami. 450 00:33:04.160 --> 00:33:07.599 We had an entire continent people had to come across, and it wasn't until 451 00:33:07.599 --> 00:33:10.640 the railroads were made that they could come across in less than a year. 452 00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:16.400 Basically, I mean, it took it took months if they left Jefferson, 453 00:33:16.440 --> 00:33:22.160 Missouri or Saint Joseph's Missouri. Excuse me, it took months to get here. 454 00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:27.799 And your alternative was to get on a ship back east and go all 455 00:33:27.839 --> 00:33:32.279 the way down around down around South America and come up the Pacific coast if 456 00:33:32.319 --> 00:33:37.440 you were lucky made Yeah, And so it took months to get here until 457 00:33:37.519 --> 00:33:40.920 the railroads were completed. So we were isolated as well out here, I 458 00:33:42.000 --> 00:33:45.640 say, a week as my ancestors came out here in the eighteen sixties. 459 00:33:45.680 --> 00:33:49.519 Well, some cousins came out in the eighteen forty three migration, but that's 460 00:33:49.680 --> 00:33:53.039 a different story anyway, So we were fairly isolated as well that And I 461 00:33:53.079 --> 00:33:57.640 didn't mean to discount culture. What I'm getting at, though, is the 462 00:33:57.759 --> 00:34:01.880 way certain things are done up here are related to our environment and the resources 463 00:34:01.880 --> 00:34:07.039 that we have here, just as I'm sure certain things down there, you 464 00:34:07.079 --> 00:34:15.280 know, not counting the Caribbean and the South American and the Spanish heritage that 465 00:34:15.360 --> 00:34:19.679 goes along with it, just the resources that you have there, the environment, 466 00:34:19.760 --> 00:34:22.400 the weather. You're not out having snowball fights. Yep, you know 467 00:34:23.000 --> 00:34:29.119 you've never made snow ice cream, which a fabulous thing. I do want 468 00:34:29.119 --> 00:34:34.760 to just mention this that I was involved in a snowball fight in Miami in 469 00:34:34.800 --> 00:34:39.360 the nineteen eighties because for Miami, what they would do back then, not 470 00:34:39.480 --> 00:34:44.840 so much anymore that I'm aware of, is that they would ship in ice 471 00:34:45.800 --> 00:34:47.599 or make ice with ice machines. I don't know. I was a kid, 472 00:34:49.039 --> 00:34:52.559 and they would pilot at the Orange Bowl so that kids could come down 473 00:34:52.599 --> 00:34:57.199 and play in the ice in Miami, which by end of the day would 474 00:34:57.199 --> 00:35:04.440 be mud and straw. Now you know, Okay, Now, I don't 475 00:35:04.480 --> 00:35:07.679 like to be in the snow unless I want to go up and be in 476 00:35:07.760 --> 00:35:09.400 it. I don't like it in town. But that just sounds like fun. 477 00:35:09.840 --> 00:35:14.159 It was it does. It sounds like fun by the time I got 478 00:35:14.199 --> 00:35:17.079 there because my dad, I don't remember. I remember being there, and 479 00:35:17.119 --> 00:35:21.440 I remember the activity, but I don't remember every point of the day. 480 00:35:21.559 --> 00:35:24.320 But knowing my dad, he slowly worked his way to getting us there. 481 00:35:24.920 --> 00:35:28.519 So by the time we got there, there was a lot of slush, 482 00:35:28.760 --> 00:35:34.400 icy slush, going on, yeah, I haven't, haven't have had it, 483 00:35:34.519 --> 00:35:40.400 Son, have had it? This is slush like a snow cone without 484 00:35:40.400 --> 00:35:45.960 the flavor exactly. Well, okay, yeah, there's that, um that 485 00:35:45.960 --> 00:35:50.079 that. But I'm telling you that sounds like fun. And my eight year 486 00:35:50.119 --> 00:35:52.760 old self would have been right in the middle of it. My fifty eight 487 00:35:52.840 --> 00:35:53.920 year old self is like, oh, I don't want to drive in this 488 00:35:54.000 --> 00:36:04.039 traffic to get there. Something else trampled underfoot. Would it be fair to 489 00:36:04.199 --> 00:36:09.159 say that growing up, my perception of Miami was what I saw Jackie Gleason 490 00:36:09.199 --> 00:36:14.159 with a blonde on his arm, going how sweet it is? And your 491 00:36:14.239 --> 00:36:19.199 perception was Don Johnson in Miami vice, Uh, yeah, pretty much? 492 00:36:19.199 --> 00:36:23.039 Well, yeah, pretty much Don Johnson And listen man, Yeah, what 493 00:36:23.119 --> 00:36:27.559 can I tell you? Uh there, there's a little bit of all of 494 00:36:27.559 --> 00:36:32.039 that in Miami. We're a bit basically a big, big tourist, please 495 00:36:32.360 --> 00:36:36.199 you know? Yeah, well no, So along those lines though, what 496 00:36:36.239 --> 00:36:38.079 I was gonna get at. Can you think, because you because you've traveled 497 00:36:38.119 --> 00:36:44.840 a little bit anyway for a while anyway, are there any specific Miami or 498 00:36:44.920 --> 00:36:51.400 Florida or Cuban Christmas traditions that you didn't notice anywhere else in any of your 499 00:36:51.400 --> 00:36:54.840 travels something that is specific. Maybe your family did that other folks didn't do, 500 00:36:55.000 --> 00:37:00.920 or what have you. Um, there was outwardly nothing that was different. 501 00:37:01.039 --> 00:37:07.960 Christmas wise, we'd have either pork or a ham, same thing for 502 00:37:07.039 --> 00:37:13.599 Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving to by the time I came around in existence, my parents 503 00:37:13.599 --> 00:37:17.320 were probably in their thirties, mid thirties, my mom probably in her early 504 00:37:17.400 --> 00:37:22.639 twenties, and that was by the time I come around, Thanksgiving was basically 505 00:37:22.679 --> 00:37:29.880 a turkey or at best or at worst a ham, and with stuffing and 506 00:37:30.079 --> 00:37:36.719 all the So no, oh, well, well your pies might be might 507 00:37:36.760 --> 00:37:39.880 be different. There might be pies. Well no, no, not really, 508 00:37:40.079 --> 00:37:43.760 there might be some little you know what, it's not an awful You 509 00:37:43.800 --> 00:37:46.599 wouldn't notice too much of a difference, really, because when I thank Christmas 510 00:37:46.639 --> 00:37:52.679 growing up, the one of the first things that pops into my brain is 511 00:37:52.159 --> 00:37:58.880 the spices and seasonings. Oh, okay, a lot of cloves, allspice, 512 00:37:59.159 --> 00:38:01.559 nutmeg, things like that in a lot of things. Okay, now 513 00:38:01.559 --> 00:38:06.960 we're talking about a young age eggnog with nutmeg in it, maybe a little 514 00:38:07.000 --> 00:38:10.719 bit of brandy or rum. We that's what we would do spiced wines than 515 00:38:13.119 --> 00:38:17.719 hot spiced wine. Sangria. We'd have sangria because that's a very Spanish thing. 516 00:38:17.840 --> 00:38:21.920 Yeah, we didn't have sangria. We had red wine, um, 517 00:38:21.960 --> 00:38:24.199 and I don't know what kind of wine it was, but it was very 518 00:38:24.239 --> 00:38:29.039 sweet and it had you had, I mean, whole clothes floating around in 519 00:38:29.119 --> 00:38:31.760 it, and it was steaming hot. Nice because it's cold here. Yeah, 520 00:38:34.239 --> 00:38:38.679 well we we'd have we marinade our pork in a very delicious way, 521 00:38:38.719 --> 00:38:43.760 which I might probably bet on the side that that you don't do that, 522 00:38:44.400 --> 00:38:47.480 uh in your area or in many parts of the United States. But maybe, 523 00:38:47.559 --> 00:38:52.960 Yeah, they will add orange. They would squeeze the orange and a 524 00:38:53.079 --> 00:38:58.599 mixture. I guess it's like a like a sassoon, uh, sort of 525 00:38:58.679 --> 00:39:01.639 a mixture of stuff, so the it ends up being a very tasty, 526 00:39:01.719 --> 00:39:05.360 tasty thing. I don't know. Do you guys do that out there? 527 00:39:05.840 --> 00:39:08.559 No. In fact, I was in my thirties before I knew what a 528 00:39:08.599 --> 00:39:15.360 sazone was. Like I said, it's it's pretty white bread out here, 529 00:39:15.760 --> 00:39:19.519 and I tell people and it's the God's to honest truth. I'm so local. 530 00:39:19.599 --> 00:39:22.880 I'm related to myself. You know. It's a small town, and 531 00:39:22.920 --> 00:39:28.000 we've been here a lot of years, voarning all the grandkids. You know, 532 00:39:28.079 --> 00:39:30.119 be careful who you date because you may be related. Well, heck, 533 00:39:30.400 --> 00:39:35.679 this has been a journey. Well there've been one heck of a Christmas. 534 00:39:35.719 --> 00:39:43.079 I'll tell you what. But I do have one more Christmas related question 535 00:39:43.159 --> 00:39:45.280 to you, because it's something I've never understood. So let me ask you 536 00:39:45.360 --> 00:39:49.920 this straight up. I think when you think back of all your Christmas presents, 537 00:39:49.960 --> 00:39:52.840 your Christmas gifts, what have you were you ever given a pet for 538 00:39:52.960 --> 00:40:00.119 Christmas? An animal? I can't remember being given an animal for Christmas me 539 00:40:00.280 --> 00:40:05.119 either, And the reason I ask is because it's one of those things that 540 00:40:05.159 --> 00:40:07.840 I have seen. It's been around for a while, Oh a puppy, 541 00:40:07.960 --> 00:40:10.719 yo, kitty or whatever, And it's one of those things I have just 542 00:40:12.119 --> 00:40:15.920 never understood. You know, how you could give an animal as a gifted 543 00:40:15.960 --> 00:40:19.800 to me? It's just I don't know. I'm a softy when it comes 544 00:40:19.800 --> 00:40:22.000 to critters. You know. I'm a dog lover, always have been. 545 00:40:22.679 --> 00:40:27.920 That would be a beautiful Christmas gift. I don't think so. I think 546 00:40:27.960 --> 00:40:31.119 that's a family thing. I don't think I could choose a dog for my 547 00:40:31.159 --> 00:40:37.000 wife or a cat or a parakeet for that matter. I don't I think 548 00:40:37.000 --> 00:40:38.960 that that's a family. I think the whole family has to kind of be 549 00:40:39.000 --> 00:40:43.199 involved in that. Oh, I see what you're saying. So in the 550 00:40:43.239 --> 00:40:49.000 context of it has to be something that the family all chooses together. Yeah, 551 00:40:49.039 --> 00:40:51.840 there's got to be some sort of a connection there, you know, 552 00:40:52.239 --> 00:40:54.599 to me anyway, And I say that as a dog loving guy. I 553 00:40:54.639 --> 00:40:59.400 mean, everybody knows that one person at a party who just avoids people and 554 00:40:59.519 --> 00:41:01.599 is over and corner playing with a dog. I'm that person. Yeah, 555 00:41:01.639 --> 00:41:05.199 you know, I like animals more than I like most of the folks that 556 00:41:05.239 --> 00:41:09.760 I've met. I've never understood how I wouldn't have assumed to been able to 557 00:41:09.880 --> 00:41:15.320 pick out a pet for my girls growing up. You know. Yeah, 558 00:41:15.679 --> 00:41:19.639 it's you know, they don't want rott Wiler's, they don't want Dobies, 559 00:41:19.679 --> 00:41:22.039 they don't want German shepherds. I mean, she wants something soft and fluffy. 560 00:41:22.159 --> 00:41:25.400 Let her go pick out the dog she wants. You know that I 561 00:41:25.440 --> 00:41:29.679 think is fine. But I think you do that as a family because there 562 00:41:29.679 --> 00:41:31.800 should be a connection there. So I don't know, I probably just cheesed 563 00:41:31.840 --> 00:41:37.440 off everybody that breeds animals in you know, the Western hemisphere. But just 564 00:41:37.559 --> 00:41:42.960 my opinion, I think it's kind of strange, you know, you know, 565 00:41:43.119 --> 00:41:45.480 I wish there was a way people could get a hold of us and 566 00:41:45.599 --> 00:41:47.519 let us know what they think. Well, yeah, dude, we have 567 00:41:47.559 --> 00:41:52.079 a website, Trampled Underfoot Podcast dot Com. Yeah, I forgot all about 568 00:41:52.119 --> 00:41:57.800 that. Yeah, well can't can't they like find past episodes there too? 569 00:41:58.039 --> 00:42:01.039 Yeah, you can find past episodes. We have a long list of awesome 570 00:42:01.159 --> 00:42:06.840 including one of my favorites, which was the Atom Smasher. But you've probably 571 00:42:06.840 --> 00:42:08.360 heard that before. Next thing, you know, you're gonna be telling me 572 00:42:08.400 --> 00:42:12.760 we have a YouTube channel too. Well, you guess what we do. 573 00:42:13.800 --> 00:42:16.039 There's a there's a link on a website, isn't there. M You could 574 00:42:16.079 --> 00:42:21.679 go right to the website Trampled Underfoot podcast dot Com, catch up on past 575 00:42:21.760 --> 00:42:28.679 episodes, episodes that debut each week, and the link to the YouTube channel 576 00:42:29.039 --> 00:42:32.920 Trampled Underfoot podcast dot Com. Dang, it's almost like somebody knew what they 577 00:42:32.960 --> 00:42:37.039 were doing when they set us up. Not me. Yeah either, So 578 00:42:37.159 --> 00:42:39.480 you want to do a closer Yeah, we could do that, right, 579 00:42:39.480 --> 00:42:43.840 So something like, hey, so thanks for checking out the episode. That's 580 00:42:43.920 --> 00:42:46.679 right, and we'll be back again next week with another and Merry Christmas to 581 00:42:46.800 --> 00:42:52.440 everyone. Yes, very merry Christmas to everybody. It's easy to do when 582 00:42:52.440 --> 00:42:55.400 we don't plan anything. Yeah, maybe i'll add that at the very tail 583 00:42:55.559 --> 00:42:59.320 end. Well, we're all about, you know, the the outtakes as 584 00:42:59.360 --> 00:43:00.960 well, trampled underfoot.