JJ,So below is the story of when your mom and I met. Something magical in our time called "Twitter."
How did your dad get started with Twitter-- from a fellow cigar smoker - Bob McDuffee (@CigarRadio) . From him I started following many cigar smokers and all manner of folks -- and well -- the rest, son -- the rest led to you.
Today is the day your mother and I get married -- and below is the last two pages from my cigar book that talk about it.
So JJ, for the folks reading this for the first time this is a "pre-print" copy of the epilogue of the book. The book is about cigars-- and how we have a herf with our cigars almost anywhere in the nation. This is about my first "herf" in Tampa.
The photo was taken that night - and is the front cover for that book. Your mom took the photo.
Epilogue
Cigars brought me a new bit of joy. Some friends of mine, fellow foodies
of the underground food movement had asked me to come to Tampa to
a special dinner. At the dinner were two fellow cigar smokers who I had
communicated with on-line — the internationally known philosopher,
Tom V. Morris, and the most prolific wine blogger Matthew Horbund.
It is Native American tradition to bring food when someone invites you
to dinner. The flight from Anchorage to Tampa would be long, but I was
looking forward to spending time with my buddies, and some others that
I knew. Driving down to Ship Creek with fishing rod, Padron Cigar, and a
new license I hoped to catch a salmon to fillet and bring to the dinner.
Took me less than five minutes to catch a 35 pound salmon — a beauty.
Pulled her in — and and quickly fixed it. Nothing like holding a cigar in
between your teeth and filleting a fish at the same time. Kept the mosquito's
away. Once I had tossed the guts back into Ship Creek I took the
fish to have it processed and packed on ice to take it to Tampa.
The overnight flight to Tampa went by quickly and as I arrived in Florida a
phone call came, "Hey, Dr., this is April — I am going to pick you up, hope
you don't mind." I smiled — I knew this young lady, and it would be fun to
have a few minutes of female companionship before meeting the gang.
She arrived in her BMW convertible, ran out gave me a hug and helped me
with my luggage. As I got in she took off her glasses and looked into my eye —
something said, "You're in trouble" as her brown eyes sparked back at me.
The three chefs were delighted with the fresh salmon (and I bought a
halibut to add) and prepared it perfectly. But the best part — Matthew
brought cigars. As the evening went on through one great course after
another it became clear we were all headed out to the porch for cigars.
As we sat and smoked we could have been in any herf anywhere in the
world. Several of us, all good friends, brought together on the social media
— from long distances. While some would say that Twitter was responsible
— it was each of our love for cigars that put us together on Twitter,
and our conversation came to this dinner.
Two thousand miles from Phoenix, four thousand miles from where I
started the day before in Anchorage — all of us smoking cigars. That
herf, a photo of which is on the back cover with my three good buddies—
started a long tradition of many of us getting together.
No matter what happened in life, we have our herf, we have our conversation,
we have our cigars, we have Cigar Talk.
Oh, that young lady, April? Well, by the time this book is published,
she will be my wife. We started a conversation that day — and we never
stopped. And, now there will be a bit of new stress in my life — but a joyful
one — because we did more than smoke cigars — there will be a new
little fella coming in our life — a dog, named Balto — and in the summer
— a little boy named Jimmy (yup, named after my brother). When he is
born, you can bet I will pass out cigars — and all my buddies are telling
me the kind they want.
END
Terry and April Simpson
@terrysimpson and @producergirl
Married: 19 February 2010 -- 5:30 pm -- Phoenix, AZ
Officiant -- @ocdchick -- Sher Bailey (see, we were not lying @ocdchick did marry me - and guess what - she can't divorce me)
To all the folks who follow us on twitter -- thank you.
To those who introduced us @DolceDebbie and @McMedia- thank you
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