Why I Am Deleting 12,000 Songs This Week, and The Legal Challenges of Karaoke in Our Area

Warning, this is a long post on a controversial subject.  I will not use this post to debate the issue or interject too much opinion, rather, I will try to state clearly and succinctly what is happening in the legal arena of karaoke for us hosts and our venues.
  

WHAT IS HAPPENING: 

Phoenix Entertainment Partners (PEP) is a company that owns the trademarks for the karaoke brands Sound Choice and Chartbusters.  These brands represent, arguably, a large percentage of the content at many karaoke shows and are often the preferred choice of singers.  Both of those companies are no longer in business, but PEP controls the trademarks.  They have stated that they do not allow karaoke hosts to display their trademarked song tracks using a computer UNLESS the host or the venue go thru a specific process, which either involves a costly blanket license, leasing of original content from PEP, or an audited host who can prove that they have an original disc for each trademarked track offered at their show.
 

PEP has recently contacted most of the karaoke venues in our area and informed them that either they need to be in compliance with this matter or face legal action...meaning, any karaoke show that uses content from CHARTBUSTERS or SOUND CHOICE without being "PEP Compliant" would be open to possible legal action from PEP.  Previously, PEP was litigating the hosts directly, currently they are litigating the venues that hire the hosts.  Again, this is a long and controversial topic, and if you need more info about these lawsuits, google "PHOENIX ENTERTAINMENT PARTNER LAWSUIT".

HOW THIS WILL AFFECT KARAOKE IN OUR AREA: 

A lot depends on who takes the warnings seriously and who ignores them.  Some got the warnings and did not realize what they were.  There will be a flurry of activity initially with people proactively complying, and later more activity as lawsuits actually come to the court.  Immediately you will see hosts either licensing content, deleting content, or returning to disc usage instead of computers.  Hosts can become compliant easily by NOT USING Chartbusters or Sound Choice content, ONLY using them from original CDs instead of computers, or voluntarily being audited to assure compliance and enter an agreement to not be sued.  Hosts that are using collections of content that they have no discs for will most likely have to stop using Sound Choice and Chartbuster songs altogether.
 

HOW THIS AFFECTS LOCAL KARAOKE HOSTS:
They could be fired, or forced to comply .  Since it is the venues being contacted, if they are paying attention, the venue owners may not want to be involved in litigation and may decide to just cancel karaoke altogether if their host is not willing or able to be compliant, and if the venue does not want to shoulder the cost of venue compliance.  It is not up to the hosts to litigate, get an attorney, it is the hosts goal to keep working and insulate the venue from the potential of a lawsuit.
 

HOW THIS AFFECTS HARRYOKE SPECIFICALLY: 

Harryoke is working with PEP to be audited and become a Sound Choice and Chartbuster Certified Host, meaning, that I will have proven to PEP that I have an original SC and CB disc for each song I claim to have in my library, and will be allowed to use my computer to play CB and SC content that I legally own, and will be able to add new SC and CB content as I obtain it, without fear of lawsuits for myself, or for the venues that use me exclusively as a karaoke provider.  I have gone thru the audit process successfully, and will just need to prove to them next week that the 12k CB songs have been removed to assure compliance.  

WELL THEN WHY ARE YOU DELETING 12k SONGS THIS WEEK:
Back in 2012 when Chartbusters was going out of business, I purchased the entire Chartbusters licensed catalog to use at my shows.  I paid thousands of dollars for it, and have all of my documentation.  During my audit, it was revealed to me that the retailer that I got my songs from had counterfeited the material and defrauded me.  Had this not happened, you would see no change in my library, but since this was revealed, I will have to delete those songs from my show to remain in legal compliance.  I will be doing my best to source the missing songs as I can, from other sources or from sourced original media.  This means that a large number of CHARTBUSTER songs will be missing as of this week.  This will not cripple my song selection, but it will put a big dent in it.  I will be sitting about where I was in 2012, aside from any content I have added from other sources since then.  The singers who will feel it most are those who go for the deep country tracks or some of the obscure pop titles that I had Chartbuster exclusive on.  I will be redoing the karaoke song list online this week and the song books will be updated ASAP!

If anyone knows of an attorney in CA who might be interested in taking my fraud case against the retailer to recoup my losses, let me know, I would be interested in talking to them.
 

THAT IS ALL FOR NOW...just wanted to fill in the blanks proactively, and shed some light over what has been on my mind the last few weeks and how it is being handled.  If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or message me privately.  You can also visit the Phoenix Entertainment Partners website or google them for more input.

THANK YOU ALL , and THANKS for understanding and bearing with me through these events. 


UPDATE AND EDIT FROM 6/7/17 - PROBLEM SOLVED!!:

I HAVE SOME PRETTY GREAT NEWS...(long post warning). The short version is, I do not have to delete any songs from my HARRYOKE! library of tunes, and my audit concludes successfully on that note, meaning that I will be a PEP Compliant and Certified karaoke host. Might even say bona fide. LOL.

Last week I posted about the legal state of karaoke and some challenges to hosts and venues. I also posted that I was going to have to delete 12k of my songs because in the course of being audited it was pointed out to me that I was defrauded by a supplier who sold me counterfeit content without my knowledge. My chore this past weekend was to clean the 12k songs out of my library and books and online song lists. Then at 1030 am today, I had another audit set up to verify that was done. About an hour after posting that post on Facebook I was contacted by another karaoke host on the other coast who is a friend of mine, and generally a very helpful person. You know how people say "if you ever need anything let me know" and don't always mean it? He is always willing to help on a tech issue if he can. So he reaches out and I fill him in on how I was defrauded. Back when Chartbusters was going out of business, they started lowering the prices on their product to clear out all stock. When the fire sales started, the price on the full 12k song catalog got too good to say no to. My buddy got HIS directly from Chartbusters, I got mine from a well known karaoke supplier based out of FL. The supplier fulfilled the order from another well known supplier in California. The sales person I dealt with was in California. I paid thousands of dollars to them and they shipped the music to me. That was over 5 years ago. Fast forward to the audit a few weeks ago. I showed them the music I got from CA and they instantly knew it was counterfeit. That was a gut punch they could do nothing about. To be legal, I would have to delete the music.

With my friend the KJ understanding this, he told me he would sell me one of the certified and registered sets that he bought and was not using, to get me out of a bind. I reached out to my auditor at PEP to make sure that was allowed, and to ask him to certify it for me before I paid good money to anyone. He certified it and I sent my buddy the funds and he mailed it out to me and it is in my hands today. So instead of an audit today, I sent the email to my auditor showing him my new replacement music, and that is the last step to my becoming certified legally compliant.

I want to shout THANK YOU from the mountain tops to my friend and colleague for helping me this way, but he chooses to remain off the radar and does not want any public recognition. He is just happy to be able to help. Karma wise he definitely has one in the bank. I cannot believe how the stars aligned to make this happen so quickly.

With this certification, Harryoke, (and anyone who hires Harryoke) no longer has to look over their shoulder or wait for the other shoe to drop in regard to litigation about Sound Choice or Chartbuster content. I will be allowed to continue to use the content that I have proven I legally own, and acquire new content from those brands if I choose to, as opposed to others in the industry who may be forced to remove those brands entirely, or be litigated in court for using them without permissions or certification.

Today I am exhaling, and will be downing a bottle of bubbly tomorrow to celebrate the events of this weekend, and to toast my friend for bailing me out, and toast ALL OF THOSE FRIENDS who came to me after that post with offers of help, donating music, asking what they could do, or just sending me good wishes and good thoughts. I tell myself all the time that I am surrounded by some of the best folks, and this chain of events just proves it further.

THANK YOU ALL for your support, and good thoughts for my colleague for taking the weight off my mind.

Harry  

RUMORS and the Self Fulfilling Prophecy of Failure – Finnegan’s Black Cloud

A self fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself, due to positive feedback between belief and behavior.  Rumors are news that are spread with no necessary link to fact.  Here is my issue.

When rumors are spread, people hear them and buy into them without any basis in fact, or without getting facts from a credible source.  Rumors go out that a restaurant/bar is closing.  That in fact is not true, but the self fulfilling prophecy occurs when people subliminally decide not to go there because they are closing.  In fact, they are not closing, BUT, they are not doing well because people are not going there.  When enough people stop going, of course they will close.
 

The bar I mention is Finnegan’s Black Cloud.  I work there on Sundays.  There are a lot of reasons why they are struggling.  Yes, they are struggling.  Tim is not a millionaire investor who runs businesses as a hobby.  I am by no means their spokesperson or an apologist for them either.  BUT, I have worked for Tim, and been a friend to him for over 17 years, so I feel the need to speak my piece.  

Before Tim took over, the community spoke, telling him to please take over the Black Cloud.  After consideration, he did just that.  There was a very strong grand opening, but the crowds have not been overwhelming since the drop off.  There are a few reasons.  Notably, just after taking over, Tim was hospitalized with a serious issue that he has been combatting since.  There was a period of nearly a month or more where he was not on premise.  The management roles and policy were not clear and some balls were dropped.  There was also a money pinch.  An investor who was to come on board with Tim bailed out with no warning as well.   Other management and ownership and staff changes occurred as well, that I will not bore you with.  I will say that some of the staff changes affected service and quality issues, and have been addressed.  The A Team is back in the kitchen, and other changes have been and are being addressed.     

What I will say is, a large majority of the folks who cheered Tim on to take over, have not become customers.  Businesses need customers to survive.  The Black Cloud is off the beaten path, and as I have always said, is the best kept secret in Flagler.  The new faces have not arrived.  The same customers that were there when John owned it, and when the girls ran it, are there.  You cant expect to succeed doing the same things with the same customers.  Where are all the old Finnegan’s customers?  Where are all of Tim’s friends who said they would support a new venue?  Where are all of the displaced customers of McCharacters who were looking for a venue like this? 

Tim is on premise more now, and the ownership and management team are working on getting things smooth, and profitable, with what they have to work with...but dwindling crowds do not a profit make.  

THE BIG ISSUE I HAVE is that EVERYWHERE I go, people come up and say “So , I hear Black Cloud is closing...when is it closing”?  IT IS NOT!!! IT IS STRUGGLING!!  A struggle can be WON with support.  These people hear the rumors, then stay away thinking it is closed or closing...and when enough stay away, OF COURSE it will close. 

My Sundays do well there, but even lately I have seen my crowd diminish, only to see the customers elsewhere and have them tell me they heard it was closing, or that it was up for sale or any other variation of a story that has nothing to do with the fact that they are open, and courting your business, which they need, and would greatly appreciate.  They would love to get back to the full menu (which should be happening this week) and get the big name music acts in, but the crowds have not been supporting the cash outlay so far.  

PLEASE...before you buy into a rumor, vet it from a reliable source.  ASK TIM.  ASK ME.  Do not listen to disgruntled employees, or anyone with a chip on their shoulder.  And if you have not been there for a drink or dinner, why not?  Especially if you know Tim and support his ventures...  

THANK YOU to the regulars who support me, and my nights at the Black Cloud.  THANK YOU to those who hear the rumors and run them by me.  THANK YOU to those of you who do not buy into rumors without considering the source.  AND A BIG THANK YOU to those friends of Tim’s, the Finnegan’s family and the staff there, who are hearing me and will help quell the rumors by sharing the news, and getting some more butts in the seats to generate some business for the Black Cloud.  TIM IS ACCESSIBLE....contact him with any concerns or complaints or suggestions.  Heck send them to me and I will get them to him...but don’t be silent, and don’t stay away only to create a self fulfilling prophecy.  


ADDENDUM ADDED 5/6/16:  NEWS FRESH OFF THE PRESSES...5/6/16: FROM HARRYOKE, REGARDING Finnegans Black Cloud Saloon: I have sad news to report, and a lengthy explanation to follow. The short news is...THE BLACK CLOUD HAS TEMPORARILY CLOSED. This is effective IMMEDIATELY. There is a chance that they will reopen, but to be honest and straightforward, it wont be real soon. THAT BEING SAID...read on for my lengthy explanation:

Many of you read my blog post of a few weeks ago explaining that the BC was not closing, and appealing to customers to come support them. I STAND BY EVERY WORD of that as truth. BUT, several things have happened since then, and there is a lot going on in BC world.

I will say this...the immediate closing was in part due to Tim's poor health and his inability to put in the hours needed, and some issues with the state in regard to the building and a couple of other things that need not be laid out here...needless to say, closing for now is the path of least resistance.

ANOTHER SITUATION that I have been keeping under my hat is about the Moose Lodge. Rumor is out there, and backed in fact, so I am fine repeating this, that the Moose lodge of Bunnell is considering the Black Cloud as it's new location. They are putting it to a members vote on MAY 14. If they vote no, then the BC is dead for now unless Tim or John reopen it, or John leases it to another party...BUT IF THE MOOSE APPROVES THE MOVE, that will be a great thing, and BC will become the Bunnell Moose lodge...and Harryoke would likely continue on Sunday afternoons there as it has for the LAST 9 YEARS!! That would mean that a lot would change there, but I am told that ALL OF MY CUSTOMERS would be welcome, whether Moose members or not...business as usual but with a new sheriff in town.

Watch my pages here at FB and my email list and website for news regarding the future, and I will report it as SOON AS I KNOW FACTS... Thank you all for your years of support and friendship, and keep a good thought for Tim, John and all of our friends at the Black Cloud, and those affected by this event. - Harry "Harryoke" Smith.

Observations: When My Dad Was My Age

My father has been gone for 19 years.  All of my life, I always considered him an old man.  This is a combination of the facts that I was a change of life baby for my parents, arriving in HIS 47th year, and because a doctor told him he was sick so he considered himself disabled for most of the time from my birth to his death.

This week I gave pause to reflect on MY age, and ponder where my father was when he was my age.  When my father was my current age, he was relocating the family from New Jersey to Florida.  He had never owned a home, and had no money.  His wife, and 4 kids aged 3, 5, 10 and 11 headed to Florida with little to no money.  He took them to a hotel on US-1 until securing a rented house with what little money they had.  He was waiting on a disability check from the company that he had retired from.  There was so little money, my mother suggested that if any of my older brothers friends invited them to dinner to take them up on it.

I could not imagine being in that position at my age, and taking on that task this late in life.  I know many are in that situation.  I just look at the grand kids around my circle, and I am appreciative that I am not raising 4 of my own kids this late in life, and that I have the security of being a homeowner, and some measure of financial stability.  Just an interesting, personal observation that I thought I would document and share.

The chronology has been on my mind of late as I have been digging into my ancestry and learning more of the stories of my family down the different lines.  As more of my family members die off, more stories are lost.  Last week, my step brother in law passed away.  He and my stepsister have a huge and wonderful family.  It was always interesting as a little child to visit them in S. Florida and have these teenagers introduce me as their uncle,

I had one step sister from my Mom's previous marriage, and 3 step sisters from my Father's previous marriage (only one living still) and my two brothers and a sister.  Large family, and for the most part, we are all strangers to each other.  Thankfully, Facebook connected many of us.    

A Social Contract Between Karaoke Hosts and Singers Who Bring Their Own CDs

It is now the year 2015.  Up to a few years ago, the compact disc was the chosen medium for the karaoke industry, for both singers and hosts.  Avid singers often buy as many (or more) discs as hosts once did.  Now, hosts and singers have large collections of karaoke CDs.  Often, singers have chosen to bring their own CDs to karaoke shows to have the host play their favorite (or most familiar) version. 

The CD is now waning in its popularity.  This is largely due to hosts switching to computers for playback, and the trend of instant downloads of songs in digital formats.  Anyone using a computer for playback, and using digital media, no longer need to burn their songs to CDs.  Some with the savvy still do, or choose to make compilation CDs to carry to shows with them.  Some hosts no longer have the ability or desire to play CDs for customers.  At the Harryoke show, we will continue to play them as long as a lot of people bring them.  The feeling among hosts is that either they feel they already have an acceptable version you should be singing, or that they no longer want to carry a CDG player in their kit, with the maintenance and weight that come along with that.  That being said, there are also plenty of hosts who still carry CDG players (such as I do) or know how to play a CDG from their computer (using hosting software).  

For those who choose to bring their own discs, there should be some sort of social contract...an agreement of sorts on expectations, not only for what the singers expect from the host, but what the host needs from the singers.  The CDG format is falling out of favor for several reasons, and if your host is gracious enough to continue to play your discs, you should consider taking a look at the guidelines below that outline good social etiquette for the CDG user at a public karaoke show.

FOR CUSTOMERS WHO BRING THEIR OWN CDs:

- TRY TO KEEP IT WITH YOU / HAVE IT READY:  Keep your CD with you and bring it to the host when it is your turn.  Have your CD ready when you get to the stage.  If you are getting to the stage and making a production of opening the case to fish it out, or having to run back to the table to get the correct disc or a different one, you are burning another singers stage time.  Sort that out at the table before coming to the stage.  In a perfect world, after your song, stick around a second to collect your disc back from the host. 

- LABEL YOUR BURNED DISC (CORRECTLY):  If all of your compilations are burned, mark them somehow.  Put a number on them, or put a label on them, or in some way make them identifiable.  This helps for many reasons...mostly, stops the person who has 5 identical Maxell discs from bringing the wrong one up and having to go back to the table to get the right one.  Also, if you have a plain disc, and 3 others in the room do too, and you each leave them with me to pick up later, have fun sorting out which of the 3 Maxell CDGs on the table is yours!  If you take them out in public, you need to label them somehow.  ALSO, regarding labels; make sure they are correct.  Handing me a disc where Mack the Knife is labeled #8, telling me to play #8 and being shocked that it is My Way is not my fault.  When you discover mistakes like that, make a new label, or make a note on the label.  We should not be fast forwarding thru the tracks on the disc to find your song each week. 
  

- KNOW THE NUMBER OF YOUR TRACK BEFORE GETTING TO THE STAGE:  If you watch the body english of singers bringing their own discs, many will get to the stage, put on glasses and start reading the disc looking for the number...often not being able to find it before handing the disc to the host to use better light to find the song.  That burns up stage time.  What happens more times than that is when they give the wrong number...coming to the host with a confident “#12 please!!”, and the cheerful host is then greeted with “that’s not my song...” and the disc must be ejected, the correct number sorted, and the disc put back in and restarted correctly.  This also burns stage time, and worse, give the audience the illusion that the host is making mistakes. 

- KNOW IF YOUR DISC IS MULTIPLEX (MPX) (meaning it has guide vocals):  When you get to the stage, if your disc has versions with guide vocals, make sure you have the correct number for the INSTRUMENTAL version.  If a guide vocal starts, 9 times out of 10 a good host can hit the MPX button on the player to shut it off, or if they do not have one, they will have to eject the disc and figure out the correct number (difficult for discs of certain manufacturers who do not put the number on the label).  Either way, once the guide vocal comes out, it usually requires a restart of the song when the singer yells “hey, that’s not me!!”.  This also leads the customers to think the host is making mistakes. 

- KEEP YOUR DISC CLEAN, and FREE OF SCRATCHES AND FINGERPRINTS:  Some peoples idea of “clean” is different than others, but CD surfaces should always be pristine, as mirror-like as possible, free from smudges, schmutz, fingerprints, food residue, water residue or anything wet or sticky.  Often discs are at tables with food and drink, and many make it to the stage looking more like coasters than CDs.  ALSO, aging CDGs deteriorate and wear out, either getting more scratched over time from abuse or poor storage, or handling with finger contact to the surface, or damaged top surfaces that cause the laser to skip when trying to read the disc. 

- IF YOU BURN YOUR OWN CDs OR HAVE OTHERS BURN THEM FOR YOU, UNDERSTAND THAT THEY JUST MAY NOT WORK:  There are several reasons why burned CDGs do not work.  These include: possible defective media, possible errors in technique by the person creating the disc, any manner of compatibility issues with the burner used, or the program used to burn, or the speed it was burned at, or the source of the burn...whether it be from a copied disc, or conversion of digital media (MP3G files, etc...) to the CD.  These are all things out of the control of the host.  VERY OFTEN though, a burned disc is handed to the host that will not play, for whatever reason.  I can’t MAKE it play, or do anything to fix it for you, all I can do is move on, ask you for an alternative song or disc, and keep the show moving.  Once you determine that your disc will not play at a certain show, make a note of it, so that the same disc is not presented to the host over and over with the same conversation.  Your disc may also be in a format that the hosts player does not read.  If you have some weird disc format from Korea that is not CDG or maybe VCD and it wont play, that is not the hosts fault.  They cant be expected to be ready to play any format.  Similarly, bringing a CD in with burned files (MP3G or zips) that are not formatted to CDG cannot be played on most CDG players either. 
           

- TAKE THE BLAME WHEN A DELAY OCCURS, DON’T DEFLECT BLAME TO THE HOST:  A good host tries to do everything correctly, and not make mistakes.  An audience is watching a host and when glitches happen, many times this reflects poorly on the host.  Many times it is their fault, BUT, if any of the scenarios above bring a show to a halt or cause dead air, or a song restart, give your host a break and get him off the hook by TAKING THE BLAME; maybe even on mic.  When the CD starts skipping like crazy, don’t look at the host like it is THEIR fault if it is your disc.  Computer based hosts don’t worry about skipping anymore, but it only happens with discs.  I have even had singer BLAME ME on the mic, and I quickly and diplomatically then make an announcement that the disc belongs to the SINGER, and the SINGER’S disc is defective.  The host should not ever have to defend themselves for a customer’s defective disc, or for any delay caused by any of the scenarios discussed here.  Stepping up and saying something on mic, or apologizing to the audience and taking the blame will make you a hero in the eyes of a flustered host trying to fix YOUR problem.  
   

- NO, I CANNOT COPY YOUR SONGS TO MY COMPUTER, DO NOT ALLOW ANY HOST TO DO THAT:  Many singers ask me to put their songs from their CD’s onto my computer, or offer to let me copy their discs.  For a professional host, this activity is unlawful.  Laws protect users at home who use copied or pirated material, but in the course of a public, for hire karaoke show, it is unlawful to use pirated or copied songs.  For THIS reason, many hosts have hard rules that they will not under any circumstances play a customers burned disc, that they will only play original discs.  When this becomes a legal issue for hosts, you will see more hosts adopt a rule about playing “burns”.   It is important for a professional host to be 1:1 legal; that is, to either have an original disc for each song on their computer, or to have sourced the song from a legal and reputable online site, in order to stay insulated from litigation.     

- A NOTE ABOUT USB STICKS:  As digital media becomes more popular, singers are catching on and the new trend is for singers to want to bring their song in on a USB stick.  Many hosts will happily play a USB stick, others will not.  If the host has a CDG player with a USB input, it is more likely that they will.  If they have to put the USB stick in their computer, then some will and some wont.  (I am one who will not play a USB stick).  Putting a USB stick from a customer into a computer is a dangerous practice, given that the host does not know what software may be loaded on the stick, or what the source of the digital media is, and that could put their show computer in danger.     

That is all for now...hope that was a little enlightening on the perils of CD use for hosts, and that CD users who may read this will maybe learn a tip or two to make the karaoke experience better for everyone.  CD’s will be around awhile, but the next big thing is around the corner.  We are kind of in a flux mode in the karaoke world right now as technology changes. 

4th Annual IGUIDB Walkabout - S Beach/Palmetto Area

I love Daytona Beach.  There is a history here that most people over look, and it is easy to miss if you are not walking slowly and taking note of what is here.  The city is so much more than the crime statistics, the reputations borne of Spring Break, speedweeks or the motorcycle events.  The city is more than the beach.  It is the people who live here, and the places they live, and the landmarks from years gone by, either left to tell the story, or forgotten and overlooked.  Each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I take a group on a stroll thru a section of town to look for the lost memories of the past, and see what the future holds.  

For 2014, I chose the corridor bordered by S.Beach St, Bellevue, Live Oak and Segrave.  

We met at 1030am at Bethune Point Ball Fields.  That was the former site of the old Palmetto Airport, and also where many of our walkers had gone to the circus.  There were just short of 30 of us walking.  We headed out at 11am, east to S. Beach and then north on Beach St.  That corridor took us past lovely original homes from a day when S. Beach street was a thriving residential area just south of the main downtown commercial area of Daytona.  This is an old part of town that was thriving even in the late 1800s, and we have several pics from the turn of the century of that area.  


South Beach from Gardiner Street, facing North...

  

S. Beach looking south...

So, we made our way along S. Beach heading North, taking note of the great homes that are still standing, both restored, and neglected.  

We took note of the apartments and condos that arrived in the 60s and 70s, displacing some of the historic structures and changing the landscape of S. Beach street.

Info about the Windsor site, where the Windsor apartments are now. 

  

We made our way as far as Live Oak, heading west away from the Yacht Basin.  Along that road there are still some fabulous buildings that have aged quite well, as well as some older homes that have been converted into apartments and allowed to decay somewhat.  In years past this neighborhood had become very sketchy with drugs, prostitution and crime a bit out of control.  I have to say that it has cleaned up quite a bit.  I think most of the criminal element has been run off to other areas as gentrification and restoration has begun, and other parts of the city have aged enough to become more accessible to lower income folks.  

This house at Live Oak and Palmetto is calling my name...and it is for sale.  WOW...

We made our way up to US-1 and crossed over, having a peek at Olds Hall, as well as a mansion once owned by Ransom Olds, as well as a former city attorney Mr. Arroyo.  (Arroyo St is just behind the mansion to the North).  It changed hands and fell into disrepair over the years, ultimately becoming a county owned office.  Eventually it was put on the market and bought by owners who have removed all the trappings of a commercial building and restored it to a single family residence.  The lot encompasses all from Ridgewood to Segrave.   In the back yard they have a pen with huge turtles roaming the grounds.  

   

Segrave south to Loomis, where we visited the site of the Loomis Grocery...currently occupied by tenants in the upstairs apartments.  Loomis back across US-1 to Palmetto.  More great pre-turn of the century homes...

Palmetto to South Street yields views of amazing houses you would never know were there unless you were walking by...driving past, they would be lost in a blur...

This pic of the Coquina Inn is my favorite pic of the bunch, because their dog Sasha came out to the fence to visit with me, then photo bombed Charles' pic. Look at that smile...  

Heading west on South Street brings us to  six houses built by Thomas A. Snider of Hamilton,Ohio, that are known as the Snider bungalows. He was the owner of tomato farms, the Snider Catsup Co. and orange groves in California. Snider, who was 52 at the time, built the main house at South and Ridgewood for his young, 26-year-old bride.  A move his family was not happy about. So moving her to Florida was probably a good idea. Unfortunately on the way to their new home, the Stutz Bearcat in which they were riding was struck by a train and they were killed.

      The family was interested in learning who died first, to determine whether they, or her heirs, would inherit the property. We're not sure how that turned out, but we do know the property has gone through a succession of owners before we purchased it nearly 20 years ago.

The most magnificent of the bungalows is the house on the corner of South and Ridgewood, which is currently the home of the law offices of Seitz and Tresher.  

South on US-1, we visited the site of the old South Ridgewood Elementary, which has been painstakingly restored and repurposed as office space.  Across the street at the corner of Bellevue and Ridgewood is another magnificent bungalow from the early part of the century...  Next time you drive in the area, observe all the amazing houses nestled away between Wilder Blvd and Orange Avenue on Ridgewood, Palmetto and S Beach. 

We clicked on down US-1 to Hepburn, then back to Palmetto to Fremont, to S. Beach, where we ended our walk at Waldens Bar.  Now 3rd generation owned by the grand daughter or Ed, Daughter of Barry.  She posed in a pic with some of us.  

This concluded another walkabout!  There were far more sights than I have listed here as I did not take a lot of pics.  The pics here were culled from shots contributed by myself, Charles Griffin and Sue Warters.  

THANKS to those who came along, and we will do it again next year. 

The Illustrated Story Of Foster...A Good Boy. 2003 - 2014

Just wanted to put up a few words and memories of my buddy, my son... our dog, Foster.  Foster came to us around August of 2003, and left us in November 2014.  His life was a great one, and he gave as much as he took.  He was as unique in character as he was in appearance.  His story deserves to be told.  I have a ton of stories and memories, and could go on forever about him, but I think I will post a few pics that exemplify his life.  I have tons more pics than these...he was a frequent subject of my lens.  To his final days, I would still find myself staring at him, in awe of his markings and handsomeness.  

Foster came into our lives as a stray, abandoned puppy, at the Volusia Mall.  Lori was there and saw the puppy in the parking lot.  It is Lori's belief that the person abandoning the puppy was also there making sure that someone took it.  She took it back to work with her to figure out what to do.  Lori's sister took the dog home to care for it in the meantime until plans could be made, but since they already had dogs, keeping him was not in the plan.  We had Tiny at the time, and when Lori said that we would be fostering the pup for the weekend, I was apprehensive as to how that would work out.  I had no interest in training a puppy or figuring out how this was going to go over with my Tiny.  

We got him home and of course, everyone fell in love, including Tiny.  Tiny did a great job of taking on a motherly role for the little guy, and was very tolerant of his personality.  We had no idea what breed his was...thinking he was a mix of Labrador and Aussie Shepherd, based on his markings, eyes and webbed feet, coat, etc...  

   

He had a belly full of worms and needed some TLC, and we all rose to the challenge.  A big challenge was housebreaking.  We did not crate train, and of course accidents will happen.  I remember one episode that was particularly horrific, and I actually entertained the idea of giving up on the little guy...yes it was that bad.  BUT, right after that, we had a visit to the vets for shots and a check up, and miraculously, the accidents virtually stopped.  It was like a switch had been thrown, or like he picked up on how frustrated I was getting...and it just stopped. 

I had moved my Mom into the house next to ours, and she loved to visit with Tiny and the new Puppy.  We thought he was an Aussie, so we named him FOSTER, because he was our foster child, and Fosters is Australian for beer, HAHA!!

Thus began a great relationship between the two dogs, and us, that would only get stronger and better with time.  As my mother got sick, I would take both dogs to the assisted living facility and visit with her, and the other patients who liked dogs.  Foster has always been a rock star.  

We figured out that Foster was indeed a Catahoula, specifically a Blue Leopard Catahoula.  Most people have never heard of them, but after doing research, they are a great working breed with an interesting history.  Found a breeder in Oklahoma who had a stud that looked exactly like Foster.  He was definitely an exemplary specimen of the breed.  He also ran to the larger side of the breed, staying at about 95 lbs his entire adult life.  

He had a great talent of using his paws like hands.  He would reach out and grab things and bring them to his head.  He learned early to do this with water bottles, his favorite early toy of choice.  He would lay down and hold a water bottle with his paws, unscrew the cap, remove the plastic ring, then crunch the bottle flat and chew on it.  He was obsessed with water bottles.  One day on a walk, he found a tennis ball in a parking lot, and a new obsession was born.  He would also hold and bat a tennis ball with his hands.  When we would play catch in the living room, he would hold the ball in his paws and bat it to me.  
  

OK, he was an ok accountant too...at my Mom's house...poring over her books.  

There is also a ceramic dog around town that was made for a humane society fundraiser.  It was painted and dressed in biker gear and named Rosie Spokes.  Lori did the paintwork and used Foster as the template.  

He was such a unique dog.  When we would walk, people would stop their cars to ask what he was and if they could visit with him.  Foster generally liked people, was really great with kids, and smaller dogs.  I never would have dreamed I would have gotten him and a cat together after Tiny passed on.  

Foster and Yvette Mew Mew...who would have ever thought that he would accept a cat into the house...she accepted him from the get go.  

We never had to worry about him with the grandkids...his temperament was wonderful.  

Rex stayed with us for a little bit until we got him adopted.  He just showed up at the house one day.  Hopped in Lori's van like he owned it.  He was a catahoula as well.  

Foster took to often laying upside down on his back.  To the day he died it would always make me smile.  I always said out loud that I would NEVER get tired of coming home and finding him like that.  

  

Foster and Tiny were always regular fixtures at my bonfires as well, where they would mingle with the guests.  Foster would obnoxiously offer you a muddy tennis ball on your pant leg if you were lucky.  

I loved when my buddy would share bed space with me, especially on those lazier mornings.

There are a ton of things I will miss about him.  I loved when he would ride in the van or truck with me.  He loved to sit up on the front seat and observe and smell the world.  I loved our walks and adventures, and the people and dogs we would meet around the neighborhood.  I loved that he was in tune with me, and could pick up on my mood and avoid me when I was angry.  I loved the dopey look on his face with his tongue out just a bit.  It would always make me happy.  My favorite face.  

With that, I close my blog, in memory of Foster Smith.  Muh boy.  My son.  He would often hear me chanting "you da man" along our walks when he would do good on his obedience.   I did not speak to him like a dog.  I talked to him like a friend and he responded in kind.  If he had a speaking voice, he would have sounded like Tony The Tiger.  I would often taunt him by saying "theyre grrrrrrrrrreat" and he would bark back at me.  He had a unique style of saying "roooo roooo" as a puppy that continued into adult hood with that low deep voice of his.  I will miss him very much.  

As I said 10000 times walking into the house:  "Foster Smith...Foster motherf***** Smith...Mrs Smiths favorite son".  HAHA.  A paraphrased old line from the Richard Pryor movie Bustin Loose.  It always cracked Lori up that I would say that,.. but it was true.  Foster Smith was the man.  

That was my last pic with Foster.  Foster had great health overall.  He scared us years ago with a poisoning from eating lantana.  Figured that one out and he really had no issues.  As he got older he developed joint problems like big dogs do, and we got past that with a chondroitin regime.  

At the end, he developed symptoms of congestive heart failure (edema, anemia, etc...) and we began treatment with diuretics.  Over the course of a couple of days he was not getting better, and his kidneys seemed to shut down as he was not urinating.  He lost his ability to walk quickly and it was apparent his organs were failing him.  The blood work we had done on Monday did not show the obvious culprits, meaning it was a 90% chance that it was cancer.  We had removed malignant tumors from him back in February so that was on my mind this year anyway.  I am thankful he did not suffer a prolonged amount of time or totally lose his dignity and quality of life.  We got to the vet at just the right time.  Way too soon for me emotionally, but I know we did the right thing and that he was at peace with that too...he and I talked about it all the night before.

Foster (Foose, Fooey..Buuuud)  leaves behind many memories with those who loved him, all the kids that come to the house and the people and animals he encountered each week.  Life will not be the same without you boy.      

Good boy.  

Foster's Facebook Page    

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