So Long Mr. Bill...

Image courtesy Yelp

"Wings," my favorite hangout in North Charleston South Carolina is no more. Too bad. It was just the kind of juky little joint that I love. Neighborhood characters, friendly bartenders, and good (if not good for you) food. Their chicken feather wrap was so good that I would order one to go and pick it up on the way to work when I was flying at night.

My best times at Wings occurred when my work schedule shifted from days to nights. After getting off duty at 6:30pm, and not due back until 6:30 the next evening, I had time to spend with my friends in low places. I needed to stay up late to help ease the shift change and Wings got better as it got later.

One of the most endearing features of the staff at the little bar and grill was their attention to how much alcohol one had consumed. If things got questionable April or Josh would announce that a ride home was in order (or no more drinks) and they would drive you themselves, in your own car, with another employee following to bring them back. That is real service. Today we have Uber, but back in the day, the house drove the drunk.

I met my friend Bert Hagen - veteran, retired Jax firefighter and one-time American Lafrance warranty representative -  at Wings. He left the firetruck company there and took a job with E-One in Ocala Florida. Now he is all the way retired, but he still holds court on Fridays at Bonefish Grill in Ocala. Ask for him there and they all know him, but that is a story for another day. I bring up Bert because he was a frequent guest of the "Wings Taxi Service." And I was myself a time or two. When I first met Bert, he was explaining the finer points to rapid-sequence-intubation (an EMS thing) to a couple of smoking-hot paramedic students. Of course, his interest in them was purely academic.

I also met Mr. Bill at Wings. Mr. Bill was a kindly old gent who came in for happy hour, drank his drinks, and loved to share stories. April took special care of Mr. Bill, as he was pretty much on his own. One day, while I was on duty on the medical helicopter in Charleston, April called to tell me that Mr. Bill was in Trident Hospital and she was worried about him. She had somehow become involved in an acute episode he was having, and I think she was the one that called 911. April was scared and asked me for help. I told her that I would go check on him as we were remote-siting our helicopter to Trident in those days. So, in flight-suit, I went and found Mr. Bill.

He looked pretty puny in his hospital bed, and I figured he was circling the drain. But his face lit up when I walked in. We told some jokes and I promised him the next round on me when he was able. The floor nurses took note that someone somewhere cared about this little alcoholic with a smile. Perhaps it made them treat him a little better. I hope so. The point I want to make here is that a young single-mom with a boat-load of her own problems - a bartender - was the last person to really care about Mr. Bill. And I guess in a certain way I loved her for that kindness. And her kindness to me.

So long Mr. Bill.

And April? Well, I hope her kids, now grown, work half as hard to give her a good life as she did to give them one.  They loved Disney World and she worked day and night to take them there. I also hope she is well, tending bar, and her customers are HUGE tippers.

Damn Good Taco's in Fort Worth Texas! Torchy's Taco's Will Make You Happy...

I traveled to Fort Worth, Texas in October '17 in order to present a class on medical helicopter crashes at the Air Medical Transport Conference. The conference was a three-day affair and after the first night of partying with the crowds; on the second night, I was ready for a break and a breather. As it turned out, my hotel, the Hilton-Garden Inn Fort Worth Medical Center is situated a scant-few steps from a hip-looking taco-joint. Torchy's Tacos. Cold beers and no car required! I bellied up to the bar and took the pulse of the place.

The young quick-moving bartender smiled and asked me what I was drinking. I ordered a beer and a menu and looked at what my neighbors were having.

It all looked good. And large. People were tucking-into food-truck fare as if the light were about to turn green and we were all going to have to move along. Everyone was happy.

I ordered a burrito (giant and delicious) and a specialty-taco, rice and beans, and subjected my internals to a pleasant experience. One can quickly see why Torchy's is popular, and I wish owner Mike Rypka would come visit Savannah, Georgia and put a store here. The place is cool. Hip. A hangout for college-age kids, but friendly to solo old dudes too. (Case in point writing this post). SCAD students would devour Torchy's Tacos!

So that was my first visit. Upon completion of the conference the next day, and after helping my friends pack up the exhibit booth for the National EMS Pilots Association, I had an evening to kill before an early plane the next morning. I considered venturing out, but really - if I can walk from room to fun and good food why order an Uber? On my second visit, I was no longer a stranger and I was greeted in a friendly fashion by the same bartender. More beers, some Tito's, and more great food. If I lived in Fort Worth I would be a Torchy's regular.

Then the magic that often happens in a friendly little drinking and eating establishment happened. It's why I go to the places I go - to meet neat friends. A pair of ladies sat down next to me on my left, one younger, one older. We began an easy friendly conversation, and I started having a really good time chatting with this young woman who was a regular, friends with the bartender, and herself in food and beverage. We talked about all kinds of things, and I found her perspective on topics fascinating. It was a real pleasure meeting Maggie Warren and her mom. I knew in an instant that she would be one of my daughter Ashley's best friends in short order if they ever met. As happens today, we became fb friends, and now I can keep up with Maggie in Fort Worth. When next I road-trip through Texas, I am going to warm a seat and kill a beer at this great store.

Thanks, Torchy's for a great time in Texas!

You can learn more about Torchy's Tacos here...

Welcome To Fried Pickles! A Blog for those who enjoy a cold drink on a hot day, friendly people, and visiting new places...

"When the first British colonists began to wash up on our shores, the very first thing they built was usually a tavern." (NPR)

Hey there! Thanks for stopping by and checking out the new "baby." This is an idea that has been bubbling in my brain for a few months, and after visiting another great Tiki Bar in Florida, the Lakeside Anchor Inn, I decided that it was time to stop procrastinating. Today I am going to get some things done! I am going to get my tax records in order for the accountant and start this blog.

Well, maybe the tax stuff can wait 'til tomorrow...

So, from whence comes this idea? Well, it goes like this. I spent several years as a traveling helicopter pilot and crew-resource-management instructor. My work took me all over, always on my own, and always looking for a new place to eat dinner, have some drinks, and make a new friend or two.

I am a member of the "where's the bar?" set. While some people out on their own prefer to enjoy the solitude of a table for one, I am not that person. I would rather slide into a seat and meet the lady on my left and the guy on my right. Some people don't drink alcohol. I like those people - and many are friends - I call them "drivers." One thing I have learned is that a bartender is likely to be the first person any stranger in a city, village, or town will meet. Watch any old western movie about a dusty cowboy walking into a saloon and you will get the idea. Take note Chambers of Commerce; your bartenders are your town's ambassadors.

Consumed in moderate quantities, and along with food, alcohol is a social-lubricant. Saloons, bars, pubs, and grills are where the lubricating and socializing take place. Many great ideas (and some bad ones) owe their start to a conversation in a bar. As a National Public Radio staffer wrote in a book-review;

"When you order a couple of beers at your neighborhood bar, you're not just having a drink, you're taking part in a grand old tradition stretching back to the birth of our nation and beyond."

Legend has it that General James Oglethorpe designed the city of Savannah on a bar-napkin in an English Pub. That may not be technically one hundred percent accurate but it's my story and I am sticking to it. America, it is said, was born in a bar!

Speaking of births, I can't even imagine how many Savannians are a result of a Thursday Night Sunset Celebration either at the old Sheraton (General Oglethorpe) on the Wilmington River or the later version at Tubby's Tankhouse in Thunderbolt. You, dear reader, can no longer stroll on the grounds of the old Sheraton - unless you live there - but you can still enjoy Tubby's and I recommend you do.

Why "Fried Pickles," you ask? Well, I was sitting at Paula Deen's new "Creek House" with family and friend not long ago, and we ordered fried pickles. I love fried pickles. You might think all fried pickles are equal, but they are not. They come in many shapes, sizes, and flavors. But so far, they've all been good. (Paula's are excellent and served at a beautiful bar in a gorgeous setting) I decided that since I am no longer an active helicopter pilot, and I have actually managed to start getting paid for writing for Vertical 911 about EMS helicopters and people who fly in them, that I will let my helicopter blog languish and focus on something fun.

Like Fried Pickles...

Next round is on me...

If you are suffering through the winter storm that dumped a yard of snow in Pennsylvania
over the Christmas Holidays, imagine yourself here, on the elevated deck at the Old Key Lime House
in Lantana, Florida. It's 75 degrees, the bartender is beautiful (and a math teacher),
and the fried pickles are PERFECT. And yes! They project football games on that outside screen.