Here's to lots of tiki fun in 2017!
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Thursday, November 17, 2016
November's Been Hell
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge - Just Because
Friday, November 4, 2016
Heather and I planned a fun little get together for the end of the first quarter. I suggested Psycho Suzi's and she sent out invites. We had a nice turn out of about 10 people and an overly gorgeous November Friday to celebrate.
Monday, November 7, 2016
Psycho Suzy's Motor Lounge - Tiki Table
Friday, November 4, 2016
Upon entering, we were greeted by this tiki table in the main entryway of Psycho Suzy's Motor Lounge.
Upon entering, we were greeted by this tiki table in the main entryway of Psycho Suzy's Motor Lounge.
Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge - Getting the Party Started
Friday, November 4, 2016
Heather, Brad, and Tracy takin' in the tiki at Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge.
Heather, Brad, and Tracy takin' in the tiki at Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge.
Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge - Fu Manchu
Friday, November 4, 2016
Have never tried the Fu Manchu. Changed that tonight. The drink menu describes it as "Special Kung Fu flavors of Jamaican rums, coconut, Hawaiian coffee, and pineapple. Circa 1960." Loved it. Tracy was obviously happy for me.
Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge - Round 2
Friday, November 4, 2016
Tracy goes for the Psychotic Suzy.
So do Meghan and I.
Tracy goes for the Psychotic Suzy.
So do Meghan and I.
Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge - Lighting of the Torches
Friday, November 4, 2016
As the sun started to set the tiki torches were lit. Gorgeous weather for November but it got chilly quickly as the sun disappeared.
With the sun down, it got chilly quickly. Jackets on we had a little fun with the nose cards Jess brought.
With the sun down, it got chilly quickly. Jackets on we had a little fun with the nose cards Jess brought.
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge - Heather
Friday, November 4, 2016
With work buddy Heather at Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge in Minneapolis. Heather and I started working together about 18 years ago. I was in that job with her for 4 years and then left. She appeared at my current workplace 2 years ago. So nice to reconnect with old friends.
Shag Tiki Mug
Ordered a limited edition tiki mug from the online Shag Store a couple weeks ago and it recently arrived. I love it. Dale, not quite as much (I think).
Monday, October 31, 2016
Halloween 2016 - Creature From the Black Lagoon
Although the Creature from the Black Lagoon takes place in the Amazon, it's really not too much of a stretch to imagine he could live in the lagoon of a Polynesian island. Here, I have a couple of images of him in more of a Tiki-Pop setting.
Halloween 2016 - A Developing Creature
From top to bottom: My renditions (drawn freehand from other drawings) of the Creature from the Black Lagoon as a baby, adolescent, and adult. Not bad, although I really appreciate people who can come up with images without having to look at other ones to draw them.
Halloween 2016 - Monster Movie Night
Halloween 2016 - Cocktails with Mike
Mai Kai
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Mai Kai
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| Tim "Swanky" Glazner |
Monday, October 24, 2016
Cat-Tikis
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Not long ago I came across these ceramic Cat Tiki glasses at a tchotchke shop. They were marked down to half price so of course I couldn't pass it up.
Not long ago I came across these ceramic Cat Tiki glasses at a tchotchke shop. They were marked down to half price so of course I couldn't pass it up.
Cigar Time
Sunday, October 23, 2016
The weather isn't very "tiki-like" although it's never to cold to use a tiki mug or, in this case, a cat-tiki mug. Not filled with a tiki drink unless a grapefruit juice with vodka qualifies as that.
According to the box, this one's name is Ruby.
According to the box, this one's name is Ruby.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Psycho Suzy's - Long Time No See
Thursday, October 6, 2016
It's been a while since we've been to Psycho Suzi's so Dale, Maggie, Cindi, and I took Mary Martin out to dinner. Cindi and I were the only ones drinking tiki drinks. Cindi got the Coconaut, which is one of my favorite's there. I was up for trying something new so I went with the Psychotic Suzi. According to the drink menu: "Suzi says, 'Your petty concerns of authenticity are irrelevant.' A 20 oz. delirium of Redrum, Sailor Jerry, Trader Vic's, and a whole lime. Amazing! Circa 2008." Actually it came with a half a lime but I'll give them a pass on that.
The drink was delicious. For my second round I ordered the Coconaut which the drink menu describes as: "A cross between a tropical white Russian and a pina colada, but not really. Vanilla, coconut cream, allspice and West Indies rum."
For dinner I ordered the Vodka Sauce which their menu described as "Italian fennel sausage, San Marzano tomato, cream, fresh basil, Stoli, parmesan, long noodle." Delicious.
So nice to catch up with Maggie, Cindi, and the unstoppable M3 (Ms. Mary Martin). I believe a good time was had by all at the unique tiki palace that is Psycho Suzi's.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Friday, October 7, 2016
Psycho Suzi's - The Psychotic Suzi
Thursday, October 6, 2016
I ordered Suzi's namesake drink, the Psycho Suzi. And yes, the mug it came in (see above) is now mine (for 10 bucks). I think it's swell.
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Tiki Cocktail
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Okay, this time for my rum drink I used 1 part dark rum (Myers's Original Dark Rum), 1 part light rum (Bacardi Superior), fruit juice (Dole mixture of orange, peach, and mango), topped off with club soda, and sprinkled with nutmeg. Not bad, if I do say so myself.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Gene Rains
Recently I picked up a copy of this Gene Rains CD.
The following is from Wikipedia: " Gene Rains is a vibraphonist and leader of the Gene Rains Group, a jazz quartet from Hawaii that played a musical style know as Exotica. Rains' short career spanned the early to the mid-1960s and consisted of 4 LP recordings released on Decca Records and the Vocation label. These LPs were released during the golden era of Hawaiian and Exotica music and the Tiki culture in the United States. The Gene Rains Group repertoire featured popular Hawaiian and Polynesian Island melodies as well as popular American tunes of the era."
"Gene Rains was 'discovered; by the enormously popular Hawaiian crooner of the era, Alfred Apaka. At the time, Apaka was the talent director for the Hawaiian Village Hotel in Waikiki, Hawaii. Apace recruited the Gene Rains Group to perform in the Shell Bar at the Hawaiian Village, which was the hot spot for the Island's top performers, including Martin Denny and Arthure Lyman. It was also Alfred Apaka who introduced Rains to Decca Records."
"Today Rains is considered the third man of Exotica, behind Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman. Although he did not achieve the level of renown of Denny or Lyman, Rains' albums nonetheless are textbook examples of the style of Exotica. With the resurgence of the Tiki culture in the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, Gene Rains' albums have become much sought after by collectors of the genre."
"In July 2014, Real Gone Music released a compilation CD featuring 19 tracks and containing [a] large portion of each of Rain's three LPs. During the production of the CD, Universal music, the holding company for deck's catalog, stated that the Gene Rains master tapes had been destroyed in a fire years earlier. As a result, the Real Gone Music team called upon Mark Riddle a/k/a Digitize to supply the cleanest possible LP transfers. Riddle is the host of a popular Exotica-themed podcast 'Quiet Village Podcast.' Even though the compilation was LP sourced, the audio is exceptionally clean."
Yes, I will agree. The compilation CD mentioned in the previous paragraph is the one I have obtained. I've already listened to it frequently. I agree that the sound is great considering it was sourced from LPs and not the original master tapes. And, yep, they are pretty textbook, especially considering all the bird calls!
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Rum and Pinneapple
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Pineapple juice with rum was the drink of the day in the Mermaid Lounge this evening. I wanted an easy tiki drink so I googled rum and pineapple juice. I found one recipe that suggested adding grated nutmeg to the mix which I did. It worked well although for the second cocktail of the night I didn't add quite as much. I also topped the drink off with club soda. Good enough to make again although I think next week I'll add some dark rum to the light rum and maybe add a little lime juice.
Aloha Shirt
Saturday, September 17, 2016
I got my first Hawaiian or aloha shirt way back in high school. It was for some kind of school spirit week something or other where one day you had to wear a Hawaiian shirt and so I picked one up at Ragstock. I believe I had a chance to wear it on another occasion or two.
Long after that shirt disappeared I found myself wanting another one for a luau in Hawaii. My brother was getting married there back in 2001 and he had invited us all to a very large ticketed luau to attend while visiting. It was great fun. Dale, my brothers, and I believe even my dad picked up aloha shirts in the hotel gift store for the event. I've looked for that shirt lately but it seems to have disappeared.
In the absence of finding that one I decided to get a new one just for the heck of it. I ordered it through a company that sells through Amazon and it just arrived the other day. I think it looks pretty good. Dale even complimented me on it (see top photo). I might just have to get another one...
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