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Category Archives: The Florida Keys

My Best Friends with 4-Paws

American Press Travel News March 12, 2020–Bob and Barb “Stopping to Smell the Roses”,  and remembering his best friends.

My first dog pal was Shishkabob, she was alternately covered in bands of white and black fur. She reminded me of my favorite skewered dish of Shishkabob. I don’t have an image of her for this article, just pictures of her in my memory. I was in my last year of college, It was February, the coldest month in Vermont and it was snowing. I looked out my apartment window and saw this dog next to the front door of a Jewelry store in Brattleboro, VT. It was shivering. A patron opened the door and I saw it run in. Donning my coat, I went down the stairs, across the street and entered the store. The owner was shooing the near- frozen- dog out of the store, and the patrons smiled and looked on. I asked if this was anyone’s dog? No one responded, and so I scooped her up, took her home and she became my first, 4-paw, best friend.

Terry lived with me for 14-years. She really lit-up my life. Long gone now, I remember her funny, and sometimes delightful antics. My second dog was when living in the Florida Keys. It was a rainy New Years and Barb heard about a dog that was being held, but being mistreated by this family in Key Largo. The puppy-dog was 7-months old. He was being left in a closet in a plastic garbage bag with his muzzle taped, so when the owners who were tenants, and not allowed to have a dog, left their home, he couldn’t bark. I took him, after being extremely gruff with the people, cleared him of ticks and worms, and Charlie became my dock-dog. He too made it to 14-years. He was our traveling companion all over the USA as we traveled in our motorhome, fly fishing America!! My third dog also traveled with us around America. Terry, mixed up Terry, was our fabulous pal for about 14-years too! Terry saved me from a huge tree that fell in the exact spot I had been standing, one evening at our farm. He pulled so hard and whined that I walked away from repairing a solar fence light. The tree fell seconds after I was away from the fence. We buried Terry 2-years later after his kidneys failed, on our farm, with a carved granite head-stone made for me by a Cherokee Indian in Alabama. Dogs-just cannot live without them, and for me it was proven!!!!

Barb in Minnesota fishing with Charlie.
Charlie with pup Terry!!
Terry as an adult.

Grandpa’s Diner & Flavor Restaurant and Seafood

Reindeer Lady brought us our Antipasto salad at Grandpa’s Restaurant.
Chicken Stew at the Caribbean Restaurant. Great rice and plantanos. This was a Haitian dish.
Antipasto salad for two at Grandpa’s.
A Caribbean meal at PSL’s best Caribbean restaurant.
Grandpa’s offers up many Italian dishes. We did like the Antipasto salad.
Pork chunks at our new Caribbean restaurant with black rice and beans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Press Travel News December 5th,Port St Lucie, FL–Bob and Barb “On The Road Again”–Grandpa Bert Veluca, a New York original has had 35-restaurants serving Italian specialties. He retired, but wanted to be socially active and not bored. So, Bert affectionately known as “grandpa”, opened Grandpa’s between Ace hardware and Publics, just off US 1, South Federal Highway. Serving daily breakfast, lunch and dinner. We stopped for lunch and enjoyed shrimp and grits, a broiled cod meal. We tried a short order of chicken wings and drums in garlic and parm sauce, too. Grandpa Bert told us that beef liver and onions, fish and chips, and meatloaf are entrée’s most often ordered at Grandpa’s. Grandpa’s has the breakfast, lunch and dinners anytime you want to visit a real local, non-commercial food spot.
On another day we lunched at Flavor Restaurant and Seafood off of S.W. Bayshore Blvd. They call it “best Caribbean food in town.” We had Stew Chicken with black rice and fried pork dish with mushroomed rice. Flavor Restaurant is located on Bayshore Blvd. in Port St Lucie, FL