Popeye Too !

…….. Popeye had gone missing  …… The prolific homeless panhandler of Sunrise Boulevard hadn’t been seen in nearly a year, and I had worried that he had made good on his threat to throw himself under a train,,,

 

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……  But there he was just yesterday, rolling up the sidewalk, just north of Sunrise – on his spanky new Hov-a-round!

….. He looked much better than the days where he was living in the elevator shaft at Home Depot! He says that he is living at a sober house south of the tunnel, and has to put the scooter on the bus to get to Sunrise to panhandle, so he doesn’t get up here much ……   His head looks better –

 

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…… but the sunburn from years of outdoor activities has done a permanent number on his legs …

 

pop21  ….

 

……………..   thank God he came in from the cold  …. and please don’t give him any money !!!

the Beach …. and the Calvin

…. I hadn’t jogged the beach for awhile. so I thought I’d get some exercise in and  see if any new skyscrapers had appeared since my visit last month …..

 

calvinhigh

 

….. Nope, no new skyscrapers, but I was quite surprised to see     …. – Calvin !

…..   Calvin is a giant fellow, a notorious character for the beach … He is on and off homeless, a problem for the Police, and I thought he had been banned from the seaside… ….. He is a little mentally ill, talks very LOUD, and doesn’t like Cops telling him what to do  …. he would relax on the sand and yell at anyone that got too near to him  ….

 

calvinonbeach

 

… He is so big that the Police couldn’t budge him, so they would entice him with food to get him up and off the beach! ….His weak spot was a McDouble, and the Cops often did what they had to do  …..

….. So it was that I first knew Calvin must be back on the beach  … I jogged up on his calling cards –

 

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…..   endless scattered McDonalds wrappers – assorted drink bottles etc. tossed on the sidewalk!

 

cal11

…. there he was….larger than life ………” hey Calvin”, I said   ……  “Who you?” , he barked    ..”I’m the guy who got you that pair of low cut army boots you asked for a few years back” I replied ….  “size 14 extra wide”, he shouted   …

……  Calvin says he is a Marine – says he was the youngest lifeguard ever at Nova – (22 years old) ….  says he has slimmed down from his old 880 pound frame, to a wheel chair fit of only 385 lbs.   …..

…….   says he was glad to see me, that he could use a few bucks, and needed a new pair of those low cut army boots – size 14 EXTRA WIDE !   ….   I gave him two bucks, and said I’d let my readers know about the shoes if he would give me one more fun picture –  ……    then  he said “remember I told you I was a Marine?”  …. and let this one off –

 

cal31

 

…..   would someone take Calvin some new shoes ?

City Elections in Just Days

                     Dateline : Feb. 2018

 

…… In what will most certainly be called the most unusual election in Fort Lauderdale history, Tuesday’s votes will elect a new Mayor, three brand new Commissioners, and, for the first time, elect nobody to represent the wealthiest district – District I ……

 

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Jack Seiler, after serving three terms as Mayor, and being term limited, is running for Governor, islocked in a tough race with Republican Adam Putnam …. Seiler changed his party affiliation to Independent, which is what he used to be before becoming a Democrat .

… Most pundits say that move might have given him a chance in the conservative northern part of Florida  …

 

…. All of the sitting Commissioners are vying for the open Mayor’s post…

… – Commissioners Roberts and Rogers, both term limited, Trantalis, who says he is not term limited as he only served a partial first term to replace Charlotte Elizabeth Rodstrom ( who used to be just Charlotte Rodstrom) , but decided to run for Mayor anyhow, and Commissioner Mckinzie ( who would have guessed ?)

…. Rounding out the mayoral field is Chris Brennan, who gained infamy last year when he chained himself to bulldozer that was about to take down the giant Rain Tree…..

 

hutchchrisbrennan

Brennan pictured above – before chaining himself to the tree  … After a short stint in Broward General, he says he is doing just fine ….

 

….. But the craziest news is in District I, which is the northern part of the City – Oakland Park Boulevard north …. the folks in that District have always had limited interest in running for Commissioner – saying things like ” everything’s real good up here, why bother”.

…. So with no candidates emerging, the Commission took an unusual step…. They made up a candidate, just so the Florida law would be followed !

 

hutchnobody

 

…. He will be listed as Mr. Nobody !

 

… In District II, the candidates are –

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Earl Rynerson, who lost so many Mayoral races, no one can remember, is going to try for  Commissioner this time !

 

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… Well respected marine industry guy Frank Herhold, who might be in the lead,

 

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… Steve Glassman, a sharp cookie, who ran unsuccessfully in 2003, shown here miming that his is to the left of the other candidates…. and,

 

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……..Rodstrom … no one is sure if it is former Commissioner Charlotte Elizabeth, or former County Commissioner John who is running, because they filed with just the one name Rodstrom  …

 

….In District III, you have

 

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Bernadette Norris Weeks …. and

former Commissioner Bobby Dubose, who quit his State House seat, saying no one knew he was actually in Tallahassee anyhow !

 

..  last but not least, District IV

 

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…. Poker magnate Jackie Scott, who won one million dollars in Vegas, and was not seen for two years, before coming home and declaring her candidacy –

 

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Marilyn Mammano, long time head of the Council of Fort Lauderdale Civic Associations   …. and

 

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Cindi Hutchinson, former Commissioner – I’ll say no more … and

 

hutchsteve

 

  …..  Sturdy civic activist Steve Buckingham ( this is not his picture, but I like him, couldn’t find a picture of him,  and thought he deserved an image !)

…… If this all boggles your mind, refer back to the Dateline at the top of the post !

 

thanks, Tim