When I was 20 years old, my granddad (we called him Papa) passed away. He was 92 years old. He was the father of seven and had been married 62 years until my Grandma Griffin had passed two years prior. My dad, Jack, was the youngest of the Griffin kids. During the graveside service, it seemed like there were well over one hundred people in attendance. I knew most of the onlookers because the family get-togethers were a gracious plenty to use a grandma phrase and with six sets of aunts and uncles and all of my first cousins. The Griffins were a large group.

I remember walking back to the car and a man that I had never seen before or since made a beeline over to me and asked “was Mr. Griffin your grandfather?” After I replied “yes”, he said something that stuck with me. “Your grandfather was a great man.” And then he walked away.

My dad passed away on Thursday, June 11, 2020, just after midnight. He was 88 years old. He leaves us having been married to my mom for 59 years.

He was born in Tampa in 1931. The baby of the Griffin siblings. Unfortunately, he was the last of his siblings too.

He graduated from Hillsborough High School in 1949. Won a State Championship in basketball and track. A devoted Terrier.

After high school, he served his country in the Navy during the Korean War which paid for his college tuition at University of Tampa where he graduated with a degree in Marketing.

While working for GTE, he met and married Gayla Ivey and they had two great kids.

Blah, blah, blah

What people should know about my dad was his devotion to the Lord, to his wife, to his children, to all the people in his life and to the things he knew to be true and important. He was not a big talker. He was a sweet, quiet man with great strength and resolve. He could sand wood floors, fix electrical problems, do amazing carpentry work and never uttered a profane word even when his son hit his thumb with a hammer.

I remember when I was 19 years old and sitting on the floor watching a soccer match. One of the players lost possession for his team and I blurted out “that guy sucks”. The next thing I remember was being swat across the back of my head and my dad simply saying “don’t talk like that.” That’s all he needed to say. I wish I was like that. Instead, I go on and on and … you get the idea.

He was the type of person that was truly kind and good and was the type of role model that we all wish to be but fall short. He didn’t.

Dad taught by not using his words. Words seemingly fall short, but by quietly demonstrating every day what being a good husband, a good father, a good Christian, a good person looks like. His actions were profoundly life-shaping.

I am blessed to have been in the presence of great men like my grandfather and my dad. Generations of caring, honorable and obedient men. I continue to strive and be more like them. Frankly, I don’t know if I will ever measure up, but as dad would ask “did you try your best?”
Working on it dad. Working on it.

There are a lot of stories. I think I will write more of them so I don’t forget and so that his grandson, Jack, will have the benefit of learning more from and about his “boopa”.

For now, I am going to make a beeline to my son and tell him “your grandfather was a great man.”

So, as part of my personal mandate that I write about #stuffIlike, allow me to describe the reasons for my deep affinity toward Linux Mint.

Allow me to set the stage, I started collecting vinyl records (albums) back in high school. Frankly, I probably went overboard, but when I was done with my busboy shift at Lupton’s Fatman’s BBQ on 30th Street I had between $11-15 cash burning a hole in my pocket (not to mention the $2.01 per hour I would be making in my paycheck).

It was easy to justify going to Vinyl Fever at the corner of Fletcher and 15th and troll through the $1 bargain bin or find a gently used copy of Rush “A Farewell to Kings” for $3.50.

I had collected hundreds of records and listened to them in my parents garage apartment where I could play a little louder than inside the house and where my dad put our pool table. Bliss. Unfortunately, we had a break in and all the records were stolen plus the stereo and pool sticks. After insurance reimbursed the family for the stolen items, my dad made sure I had about $2,000 to put back into my collection. I did go and get the essentials (U2, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jason and the Scorchers, you get the idea…), but it was 1986 and I knew computers was something I was interested in.

Dad and I went to the computer store across from University Mall where they had the newest IBM PC clones. My target was the Leading Edge Model D.  It definitely cost me more than $1,400 and had no hard drive (2 floppy drives 5.25″) and the monitor was monochrome (amber).  It was my first computer.  The operating system was DOS 2.11.  Naturally, this was before I knew anything about Windows.  Windows came much later.  I became proficient at using command line to switch from program to program.

Here we are years later and Microsoft has not improved on its OS since Windows 7.    In my opinion, the need to include apps and other mobile concepts like Cortana have created an OS that I can use, but don’t enjoy.  Since I am trying to write about #stuffIlike, I will not go into the inherent problems with Windows.

Linux Mint 18 Desktop

#LinuxMintRocks

I have several computers and laptops that became slower and slower over time.  Sound familiar?  I know it sounds extreme, but many times I suggest to whoever asks any of these questions:

• I think my computer has been hacked
• Stupid thing doesn’t boot
• My computer is soooo slow
• My computer crashes, like all the time

Answer:  Why don’t you reinstall the OS?  It has been quite a joke around my friends that have heard me suggest it.  Honestly, I think it should be more of a solution now than ever before.  Why?  People should be using the cloud for EVERYTHING!  Mail, photos, documents, music, anything worth saving.  None of it should be on your computer.  Your computer should be just a box that allows you to get to everything.  Security?  Maybe that is a post for another day.

My suggestion for those with a little bit of time and curiosity to reach into the closet and find the computer that you deemed too slow to use and take a few minutes and install Linux Mint.  Yes, there are different versions of Linux Mint 18 (Cinnamon, MATE (pronounced mah-tay), and XFCE).  My favorite for a newer PC including my laptop, work computer and a couple dedicated machines in my house are running Linux Mint 18 Cinnamon.

If I had a particularly old machine, I would use Linux Mint 17.1 XFCE.  It is lighter and better suited for pre-Windows Vista machines.

Why do I like it?

• You can alter the look of the desktop really easily.  Want it to look like Windows, a Mac, or something you envision.  It can be done.
• Updating the OS is not a big deal that sometimes requires rebooting several times
• Linux does not use NTFS.  The Windows File System is 25 years old and is not appropriate for newer hard drives especially SSDs.
• It is much less prone to be infected with a virus.  Most linux users do not install AV software.
• If you are an android phone user and want to move a file on or off your phone, it is super easy.

Here is a video that shows you my computer and how it looks.

With soccer, winning was never good enough.  I didn’t enjoy winning as much as I did the journey and when the journey was over – I would go through withdrawal.  Seriously, we won state championships at Jesuit and I am certain I did not enjoy it.  I was happy for the players.  Many would go to college and play, but for me, I questioned “is this it?”

I am not sure how I became this way, but I recognize it and I am working on it.

My blog has been sitting around collecting “dust” for the past few years.  I think it is time to start writing about #stuffIlike.  I have had it with negative views, negative campaigns, and how easy it is to complain.

My plan is to write about something I like every couple days.  I hope the time I devote to thinking/writing/reading about #stuffIlike will provide me with a positive frame of mind.  For those that read any of it, I hope you it becomes #stuffYouLike.

Every New Year’s Day, our family would get together for a meal and grandma cooked her speciality. Sweet and sour pork chops with rice, black-eyed peas, and hushpuppies. Chantel and I will swear that this is one of our favorite meals of all-time. The worst thing is … it cannot be handed down to our generation. Our entire family has tried. Chantel even stood right next to grandma and watched her prepare the meal and it still cannot be duplicated. I think the pan she used was laced with something that made it extra special.

Without question, my grandma was a southern woman. The strength and toughness of her resolve was incredible.

• She raised her children as a single mother.
• She took care of her mother until she passed at the age of 92.
• She worked for TECO for more than 30 years.
• She taught Sunday School and was a leader with the Womens Missionary Union (WMU)
• She visited the Holy Land more than once.
• She could tell jokes and knew a ton of them.
• She would allow boarders to live in her home and expected them to be as disciplined and principaled as she was.
• She lived independently and could drive a car into her nineties.
• She would travel to help friends. I remember every year she would go help friends in Georgia with their harvest.

There is more but I feel a little weird about writing all this. Perhaps, I just want Jack to remember his G’G’ma and this will help remind me of her. Truth be told, I was certain that she would outlive all of us.

I guess what I am saying is – I am proud to be her grandson. After all, I was her favorite.

Blues fan?  I almost wrote the word ‘aficionado’, but I am quite certain that equating myself to Mike with regard to Blues knowledge would be dumb on my part.

After browsing the web for further details, I did not realize that Johnny was only 70 years old.  I quickly did the math in my head and concluded that it had been close to 30 years since we had seen Johnny Winter live.  Holy crap!  Where does the time go? More on that later.

It was 1984 and my freshman year in college – I have no recollection how I learned about the new album by Johnny Winter “Guitar Slinger”.  Perhaps it was an article in Rolling Stone magazine, it could have been a recommendation from Mike McD or my buddy, Dale Boisvert.  I do remember purchasing my new record at Vinyl Fever at the corner of Fletcher and 15th for $6.99 OR was it at Sensuous Sounds on Busch Boulevard for $5.99?  Most likely, Vinyl Fever along with some other tasty used records to build my collection.  After all, I was working at Lupton’s Fatman’s BBQ at the time making about $3.65 an hour.  I had money burning a hole in my pocket.

I am not sure how many blues records I bought during this time frame, but some really important blues artists were putting out incredible work. After all, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble released ‘Texas Flood’ in 1983 and followed it up with ‘Couldn’t Stand the Weather’ in 1984.  Robert Cray had mainstream success with ‘Strong Persuader’ in 1986. B.B. King records “When Love Comes to Town” with U2 in 1988. Not to mention, The Blue Brothers movie (my first rated “R” ) came out in 1980.

In between, I would buy just about every album by independent blues label, Alligator Records, Koko Taylor, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Albert Collins, Roy Buchanan and more.  It was like Christmas when the package arrived from Chicago.

So when Johnny Winter announced he was playing live in Tampa at the London Victory Club in July 1985, Dale, Mike and I were definitely going.  It cost $12 to get in.  That’s right… twelve bucks!!  Concert started at 9:30 and I think Johnny walked right through the crowd to get to the stage.  What I do remember is Johnny on stage.  I loved his record, but Johnny was UNREAL live!  He was about 40 years old at the time.  I don’t think there is any question he was at the peak of his ability.  He may have been better known in the 70s for whooping it up in the background when Muddy Waters recorded ‘Mannish Boy’, but he came out and just ripped through his set.  Awesome!

Afterward, I complained that the set was too short. He played for about 80 minutes and I had paid $12 to see a show!!

Regardless, I missed seeing Stevie Ray Vaughan after I had plenty of chances:

September 28, 1983  Mr. T’s Club 19 – Clearwater, FL
August 3, 1984 USF Sun Dome – Tampa, FL
November 5, 1985 Curtis Hixon Hall – Tampa, FL
December 27, 1986 Curtis Hixon Hall – Tampa, FL
January 27, 1987 USF Sun Dome – Tampa, FL

At this point, I am just embarrassing myself.  What was I thinking?
RollingStone has Stevie Ray Vaughan at #12 on the list of 100 Greatest Guitarists.

Johnny Winter was #63 on the same list.

Johnny died too young (like so many).  Once again, I missed an opportunity to see one of my guitar heroes again as he was slated to play at the Rock n Blues Hippiefest at Ruth Eckerd Hall on August 16, 2014. I had not bought tickets, but a chance to see that part of my musical past again would have been too much to pass up.

I guess what I am trying to get across is … Johnny B. Goode

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGEUFq7jYGI&w=540]

In order to play his first rookie tournament, Jack had to become a member of the USTA.   Also, the youngest age group in which a player can register is 10 and under.  Since the kid is 7, he was almost certain to play against older players.  Both Peter and I explained to Jack this is a first tournament and the goal will be to gain experience playing against an opponent, scoring, and learning court etiquette.  Frankly, our expectations had nothing to do with winning or losing.

Unfortunately (or fortunately based on your point of view), Jack’s age group only had a total of 3 players.

One of the players, Michael, was 9 years old and had considerable experience playing in rookie tournaments.  Michael was also a “lefty” which was different.  Not to mention, Jack had never played on a clay court before, but it did not seem to bother him at all.

Michael beat Jack 8-2 in the first tennis match of the tournament.  While Jack was not victorious, he had a blast.  He was competing really well and was scoring points in every game. The kids were talking during breaks and having a good time.

In the second match of the tournament, Jack played another TRUE rookie (first tournament), Devin who was 8 years old.  Jack defeated his opponent 8-0.  Just like the previous match, both players were having a good time chatting with each other and exchanging phone numbers about a possible rematch.

While the next tournament at Tampa Palms in November 2010 will, most likely, have more participants – this first tournament was a tremendously positive experience.

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Shockingly, I did not trust the GPS  while driving on I75. It told me to reroute and take Exit 52 (Dade City) and then drive North on US301 and pick up I75 later. Naturally, I thought that the dumb machine was wrong.   Little did I know that the GPS was trying to keep me from heading into 9 miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic.   Score 1 for technology.

After stopping for the night in Georgia, we started our journey again when we ran into quite a bit more traffic.  This time, I decide to hit the reroute button myself and it led me through winding roads and small towns.  I am not sure how far this new direction extended our drive time, but, if I had to guess, it would probably be about an hour.  Oh well, we were on vacation.  No big deal.

As we were driving, DeeDee found that the GPS displayed elevation in feet.  As a Floridian, anything north of 100 feet above sea level is a mountain.  Naturally, we were all fascinated by the steady climb and were amazed as the GPS informed us that we were over 5,000 feet above sea level.

When you are traveling, it is my belief that you should try the local cuisine.  This may shock you, but I am a member of the Kansas City BBQ Society and I have judged a competition before.  I know… I know…  Hard to believe.  So, when you are driving through Dillsboro, North Carolina and you see a sign that says Dillsboro Smokehouse – why wouldn’t you stop and partake of some North Carolina barbecue.  I am not going to bore you with the details, but I really enjoyed my meal.  Sweet Potato Fries… a plus.
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When we arrived on Sunday night, the rest of the crew was waiting for us.  The cabin was NICE!  We stayed in the Silvercreek cabin at Elk Springs Resort.

On Monday, we decided to drive to Cades Cove which is located in the Smoky Mountain National Park.  Driving through the park, I was amazed with the number of available areas to pull off the road and just explore, hike or take photos.  Awesome.  During our drive to the cove, I sensed that Jack was getting a bit antsy.  I pulled off to the side and let him get into the water.

While driving the loop at Cades Cove, there was a lot of cool things to see including young black bears hanging from the trees.  As cool as that sounds, I have to complain about the other drivers on the road.  Cades Cove is a ONE LANE ROAD with designated areas for pulling to the side and stepping out to view historical buildings, taking photos and hiking.  So, when someone spots two baby bears hanging from the trees, they simply stop, get out of the car, and take hundreds of photos from every conceivable angle blocking all traffic until they are good and ready to keep going.  Rude.  Very Rude.  I wanted to honk my horn, but I was trying no to freak out the momma bear who was on the ground with at least half a dozen amateur photographers within 30 yards (and no barricade) from a mother bear protecting its young.  Smart.  As for DeeDee, Jack and I, we were able to view the bear by stopping our car for about 10 seconds with DeeDee standing up through the sunroof and taking as many shots as she could.

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Cades Cove also provided us with an opportunity to check out Abrams Falls.  I knew going in that the hike would total 5 miles (roundtrip), but what I wasn’t prepared for was the hike climbs three hundred and forty feet up the mountain over rocky terrain.  I have heard people claiming that this is a moderately difficult hike.  I am not going to lie.  This hike kicked my butt.  Jack, on the other hand, was jogging circles around DeeDee and I.  Smart aleck kid.

On Tuesday, DeeDee, her dad, Randy, and his wife, Marilyn, drove over to Asheville, North Carolina to the Biltmore Estate.  We toured the estate and gardens (both were magnificent).  But, I cannot help but think – why is the entry fee so expensive ($60)?  It is less expensive to go to a theme park.  On the plus side, we had lunch at Deerpark at the estate.  The food was excellent and it really wasn’t too expensive.  While I did enjoy the wine tasting at the Biltmore Winery, it was not charming or special in any way.

On Wednesday, Jack and I went white water rafting.  I decided to use Smoky Mountain Outdoors located on the Little Pigeon River.  It was good fun.  I almost fell in when going down a rather steep rapid.  Jack was smiling the whole time.

On Thursday, DeeDee, Jack and I went to Dollywood.  Since we frequent the parks in central Florida all the time, we were not too impressed with Dollywood.  In fact, we could not even fill a whole day at the park.  While I am complaining, I might as well get it all out.  We went to the Old Mill Restaurant in Pigeon Forge.  Yuk! If you want more details, I wrote a review on Yelp.com.

Forunately, we did have a good meal the following day at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant.  Fritters served with apple butter, fried chicken, sweet tea – I was a happy camper.

I do have more photos from the trip. CLICK HERE FOR SLIDESHOW.

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Simple Sauce

1 1/2 cups of ketchup
1 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1 cup of packed dark brown sugar
2 Tablespoons of chili powder
2 cloves of minced garlic
2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
3 slices of lemon or orange (whatever is handy)

NOTE: I use a sauce pan, put the first two ingredients (ketchup and cider vinegar) and then put the pan on low while I add and mix the rest of the ingredients.  Once I am done and the creation is getting hot, I leave on simmer for 20 minutes or until I am ready.  DO NOT BURN BBQ SAUCE.

Spicier Options

Simple Sauce PLUS the following:

2 additional Tablespoons of chili power
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
2 Tablespoons of dry mustard (try a little at a time until you get it  just right)

Competition Note:

Some people add honey to the sauce before submitting their entry to the judges.  Presumably, it offers a desirable glistening quality to the meat.  In my opinion it is not necessary but to each his own.

]]> https://drewgriffin.com/barbecue-sauce/feed/ 0 https://drewgriffin.com/our-wedding/ https://drewgriffin.com/our-wedding/#comments Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:03:06 +0000 http://www.drewgriffin.com/?p=604

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DeeDee and I decided long ago that a traditional wedding was not the approach we wanted to take. We both agreed that Chantel and Mike’s (my sister and her husband) wedding was more to our liking.

Chantel and Mike got married at Circles Bistro in South Tampa. A friend married them. The food was excellent and the cake was from Wright’s Gourmet in South Tampa.

Like Chantel and Mike, we decided to check out some restaurants that we enjoy including Gino’s, Tio Pepe in Clearwater, the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor and a few others.

We decided on Chateau France (no longer in business) in downtown St. Petersburg.

Our guests arrived at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 30, 2010. We decided to start off with French Cheese Platters as an appetizer. After everyone had arrived and greeted one another. Our group was seated and entrees were chosen. Our menu included a choice of Wild Salmon au Citron, Ménage A Trois (Shrimp, scallops and lump crabmeat with Champagne), Poulet Marie Therese, Filet Diane, and Filet Mignon Noir. We decided to go with the house Cabernet Sauvignon and the house Chardonnay.

After ordering our dinner selections, it was time for the ceremony. While no one actually pulled a stop watch out and timed it, Dave Riordan (my friend and officiant for the ceremony) read through the script like a seasoned pro (maybe a little nervous, but still…). If the wedding ceremony took 75 seconds, I would be surprised. I think is was closer to a minute. No time for getting nervous and no time for DeeDee to reconsider. Whew!

Since neither DeeDee nor I are big fans of cake, we decided to let our guests choose between Soufflé au Chocolat, Soufflé au Grand Marnier, Crème Brulee, or Crepes Suzette. That’s right, NO WEDDING CAKE!! No freezing the top of the cake while it sits for an entire calendar year in my freezer taking up valuable space I need for Ice Cream and Lean Cuisines. I know it doesn’t make sense, but it’s MY freezer.

Rather than critique any aspect of our meal, I will just state that our wedding was fantastic. DeeDee and I enjoyed it. Our guests enjoyed it. The kids enjoyed it. The staff was exceptional and accommodating. The food was excellent.

The best thing that happened last Saturday IS after years of being in love, over two years of being engaged, and a year living together, I can finally call DeeDee my wife.

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So, for the last 30-plus years of living in and around Temple Terrace, I had never had a meal at Café Don José.  Strange, huh?

DeeDee and I have been looking for restaurants to consider for our wedding next year.  Since the proximity of Café Don José was so close to our new house, we felt we had to include it in “the list”.

We arrived fairly early on a weekday night.  We called and let them know we were coming so that they could show us their private banquet rooms.

The owner greeted us courteously and show us the room available for a special event.  Afterward, we were seated and began to look over the menu for something different (and a glass of wine to go with it).

First Recommendation: If you are ever dining at Café Don José, YOU MUST TRY THE OSTRICH APPETIZER.  Not only is it delicious, it is good for you  Ostrich is low in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.  Let me clarify – even if it was bad for you, I’d still recommend it.

Second Recommendation: If you want to go to a restaurant that has outstanding service without seeming pretentious, give Café Don José a try.  Our server was on the ball with everything.  She was polite and well-mannered.  Truly a pleasure to give her a tip a the end of our meal.

After looking over the menu, DeeDee decided on the Filet Mignon (I know … shocking) and I opted for the Shrimp Scampi.  Both dishes came out without a long delay.  The presentation was adequate but not exceptional.  I had a bite of DeeDee’s steak – it was …. good.  Not great… just good.  The same can be said for my shrimp scampi.  It was good.  Not great…. just good.

I enjoyed it, but I was expecting more.  The food quality was good.  The temperature on serving was good.  The seasonings and spices used to prepare our two dishes were good.  But nothing we experienced (except for the aforementioned ostrich appetizer) was outstanding.  It was good.

Without question, I am a sucker for a nice dessert and one of my favorites is creme brulee.  I wish I could make it myself, but I have not been successful at making it to the point I can brag about it.  The creme brulee was caramelized right in front of us.  Eagerly we tried our first bite and … it was just good.

After reading  some of my thoughts, I want to be quite clear in my conclusion.  This NOT a bad review.  This is a good review.  Over the years my expectations have grown extremely high.  So much so that anything short of a superior dining experience was going to be seem somewhat negative, but this was not a negative experience.  Good food and outstanding service should never be put down.  I was just expecting something special.

Would I eat at Café Don José again? Yes I would.  In fact, I don’t think I will wait for thirty years to pass before we return.