Monday, August 2, 2021

Hotel California (and Florida)


The former council office building down the hill on the high street is slowly being demolished, finally. It's been mostly empty for at least the seven years that Dave and I have lived in our current flat, except for some live-in "guardians" who occupied it to keep vandals away. This whole area, which used to include a shop for kitchen and bathroom fixtures and a building-supply yard, is being redeveloped into new housing.

There's a high plywood fence around the building site so it's hard to see what's going on, but I stuck my camera up over the barrier and shot blindly, and got this picture.

Written on the black plywood itself:


I don't want to be insensitive, but..a lover named Fingers? (Surely not really with an apostrophe.)


This poster, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the formation of the Eagles (1971-2001), portrays the cover of the album "Hotel California." It's been hanging askew in this window for many, many months and possibly years. I can't remember how long ago I first noticed it but now I always see it when I'm walking the dog. I'm curious what the inside of that apartment looks like.


But before I make fun of anyone else's hoarding instincts, let me tell this story. You know Dave signed me up for a craft gin club, in which a bottle of special gin and some other goodies are sent to us once a month. Well, a recent box contained a drink recipe that demanded Grenadine syrup, which the club did not send. So I went rooting around in our liquor cabinet -- which is mostly empty -- and lo and behold, we had this bottle! I couldn't believe it. It's at least ten years old, having come (I'm sure) from the flat we rented when we first moved to London. I think the previous occupants left it behind. But anyway, I used it, and it didn't kill me.

So there's a testament to the value of keeping things.

Last night's movie: "A Hole in the Head," from 1959, starring Frank Sinatra. I watched it mainly because it takes place in Miami Beach, and I wanted to see footage of the city as it looked back then. Sinatra plays a ne'er-do-well hotel owner, and the hotel scenes were shot at the Cardozo, which you can see in this post. It had a great cast: Edward G. Robinson, Thelma Ritter and Eleanor Parker, best known for playing the baroness in "The Sound of Music." It was entertaining despite its terrible title, which makes it sound like a crime drama -- and it's not that at all. It's a warm-hearted family film featuring the song "High Hopes." Go figure!

43 comments:

Frances said...

What are the black things in your drink?

Yorkshire Pudding said...

I like that label on the arm of the yellow digger - "Reach for the Sky". Of course it is also the title of a film made in 1956 about the legendary British wartime pilot - Douglas Bader.

Anonymous said...

Just a little mould from the ten year old bottle of Grenadine. He said it didn't kill him.

Anonymous said...

Signed you up for the gin delivery makes it seem like he put your details down and you have to pay.
The movie sounds good, with such a great cast. I am often attracted to a movie by the title.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

I thought they were tadpoles.

Edna B said...

Your drink looks interesting. I don't think booze goes bad, does it? I've had something in a bottle in my refrigerator for eons. Hmmm! I wonder what type of housing will be going up? Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.

Moving with Mitchell said...

I’ve tried to make the apostrophe make sense or sound dirty. But the only way it works is withOUT the apostrophe. So annoying. I loved the old post and now I want to see A Hole in the Head, which I can’t believe I’ve never seen, although I did know it wasn’t a gangster movie.

Mary said...

I remember that movie and the song "High Hopes" (now playing in my head...). Another great actress...Thelma Ritter. You are on a roll.

Ms. Moon said...

WHAT??!! Finger's died?
(That was a joke. I didn't know Finger's.)
Lovely drink. And fancy.

Bob said...

I'm not sure if it's a good thing, or a bad thing, that grenadine doesn't go bad after ten years!

Cheers!

gz said...

They are demolishing some 1960s/70s council offices in Ayr too...odd how modern buildings don't last.....

Pixie said...

I watched the video of you and Dave on the gardening show. So nice to see your face and hear your voice.

I looked up that movie you were talking about, A Hole In The Head and came across Carolyn Jones. I thought she looked familiar. She played Morticia. The internet is a rabbit hole that is so easy to drop down into and so difficult to get out of:)

Steve Reed said...

LOL -- they're dried blueberries, supplied by my craft gin club as garnishes.

Steve Reed said...

I do not know that film!

Steve Reed said...

Well, we have a common bank account, so I suppose I am paying in a way!

Steve Reed said...

Nah, booze lasts forever. Grenadine actually doesn't have alcohol in it -- it's just a sweet, red syrup.

Steve Reed said...

I know, I struggled with that apostrophe too! If you like old movies, "A Hole in the Head" is a good diversion, but it wouldn't (and didn't) win an Oscar.

Steve Reed said...

That song is SUCH an earworm. I've been singing it all day!

Steve Reed said...

Finger's's death has been greatly exaggerated.

Steve Reed said...

It's kind of scary, isn't it? But it's basically just red sugar water. I don't even think there's real fruit in it anymore.

Steve Reed said...

I think this is related to austerity, and the forced downsizing of local governments.

Steve Reed said...

Glad you caught our video! YES, Carolyn Jones was in it too. When I first saw her (and before I read the credits) I thought, "Hey, I know her..." But it took me a while to figure out why!

Sharon said...

Great job on that over-the-wall shot. That grenadine makes me wonder what is lurking the the back of my liquor cabinet. I should check that out.

Kelly said...

A craft gin club is certainly a step up from "cheese of the month"! I guess if your ancient grenadine didn't kill you, it means I can keep my pomegranate molasses on the shelf until it's finally used up.

I'm pretending I didn't see that misplaced apostrophe 😑

The Bug said...

I'm glad those blueberries were dried - I knew what they were, but they looked pretty darned pitiful!

Ellen D. said...

I was reading a blog earlier about a chapel in Essex that has stood for 1400 years. Now they knew how to build a building so it would last!
Save some gin for when Dave returns!

Marcia LaRue said...

OK ... let an old lady make it dirty for you! LOL
Finger's = Finger IS my lover! And the RIP thing ... maybe someone's finger was overused!! Whomever it was that wrote that ... they were owning the finger hence the apostrophe!!
Am I correct, Steve or did I really mess it up? LOL Just having some fun with this post!!

Steve Reed said...

Whatever it is, it never goes bad!

Steve Reed said...

Ha! Cheese of the month doesn't sound so bad either, but given a choice, I'd opt for the gin.

Steve Reed said...

I guess I should have said what they were at the outset -- they do look kind of scary if you don't know!

Steve Reed said...

Wow! It IS amazing how long some buildings have lasted. We're just such a disposable society now -- we no longer want things to last forever. No danger of me drinking all this gin! I'm a couple of bottles behind, actually!

Steve Reed said...

LOL! Well, that's as good a guess as any. I still think the apostrophe is weird, though. Why wouldn't they just say "RIP Finger, My Lover"?

(I'm laughing at the fact that we're even having this conversation.)

Anonymous said...

I don't think I've had a drink with gin. Maybe I should try it some time with some grenadine. I like being inspired to try new things!

Marcia LaRue said...

You have to know sooooo many people are ignorant of the use of apostrophes and commas! Drives me crazy, too!
Such fun without being too risqué!

Janie Junebug said...

Poor Finger's was murdered when he flipped off the wrong person. It was a tragedy for his lover, whose name is Toe's. The black things in your drink look like dead flies to me.

Love,
Janie

Marcia LaRue said...

LOL ... 😄

Catalyst said...

Your new gin and old Grenadine made a very pretty drink. And I enjoyed re-reading your old post and seeing my comment!

e said...

Fun post today!

Steve Reed said...

Toe's! Love it! LOL!

Steve Reed said...

Well, it was more than JUST gin and Grenadine. You'd also need some kind of mixer -- I think in this case it was elderberry sparkling water...? If I remember right.

Steve Reed said...

It was pretty, but as is often true with these craft gin club cocktails, I find that I much prefer a plain ol' gin & tonic.

Steve Reed said...

Woo hoo!

Kris said...

I watch a lot of old movies with a different perspective these days focusing on backgrounds, fads, 'current (to them) news' and with google references to world population of the time. Some of the funniest old movies now make me sad and wistful....