Views from inside the resort bar where I performed.

Nice Pics Gary keep em coming!! man your gonna hate to come home lolol

Donny, my back went out a few days ago, I can barely walk, and Carol may have drive the entire trip home with me in the passenger seat. I'm taking lots of pain pills, but they don't seem to be working. I just hope I can do my last four jobs down here before heading north. Sure is a nice place to live, though. And, I was told by the wait staff at the Hyatt that they wish I were playing there every night because the dining crowd tends to stay as long as I'm playing. When the music stops, the building empties and it's still a couple hours till last call. I guess I must be doing something right. Even the wait staff puts tips in my tip pitcher.

Gary

Sure glad I'm not working on my boat today.

Gary

Tonight, at Bahama Breezes, I had the younger crowd. They loved what I played, I kept them on the dancefloor, and they stayed till last call. The one thing I quickly discovered about the 20 somthings and early 30 somethings was - THEY DON'T TIP WORTH A DAMNED! When the older crowds of tourists are there, the tip jar is overflowing. The younger set told me they loved the music, wanted to know if I would return next week, but tip - not a prayer. So, all you guys that want to play to the younger crowds, you can have my share of them. They're nice to look at, but they're broke.



Gary

Gary,

Thanks for the tip!!

PS: My neighbor just told me that they are moving to Florida. This winter was the reason for moving. Now my wife is contemplating this idea.

Regards,

Jerryghr

Jerry, the weather here this time of year is incredible. Temperatures in the 70s to low 80s, humidity fairly low, about 40 percent, never seems to rain in the Keys during the winter months, lots of neat things to do and see.

As for entertainers, most are seasonal have guitar will travel guys, some are fairly good, but most are not diversified. The pay scale here has finally rose to what it is in the mid Atlantic region, about $150 for three hours. The nursing home jobs are really low, though, average $35 to 50 an hour, which, ironically, is the same scale at the nite clubs and restaurants.

During the height of tourist season, November through March, tips can be pretty good, averaging $75 to $100 a night, but when the older tourists leave, also known as snowbirds, those tips end.

Summer in the Keys is about the same as summer in Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware. However, it's not nearly as hot or humid here as it is in Baltimore, Philly or Virginia Beach. And, there's always a good breeze coming off the ocean. North of the keys, the weather is different - very hot and humid during mid summer.

The cost of housing here is only a bit higher than anywhere else in the nation. The most expensive commodity is water and electricity in the keys. Taxes are relatively low, and some taxes do not exist here.

Most everyone I've met has been very friendly, but that's typical in the deep south. The only reason I didn't move here 35 years ago was my wife did not want to be that far away from our children.

Good luck,

Gary

Here's the place where Carol and I had dinner tonight. Lousy pizza, greasy conch fritters, a two-piece steel band that sounded like a couple high school kids that were just learning to play steel drums. Both had to read the sheets, timing was awful, and I could not imagine sitting through 3 hours of this stuff.

Here's the view of the front of the restaurant.



Here's the view from the rear that the musicians get to see beyond the inside tables.



Gonna head home Wednesday - really hate to leave this place, but with luck, I'll be here again this coming November and stay till March 2016.

Cheers,

Gary