An old friend invited me to come to take part in CHAMPS...who doesn't want to be a champ?
Chances are you know about as much about CHAMPS as I did a few months ago, allow me to begin by giving you a quick summary as to what CHAMPS is. This particular organization that holds these tradeshows is a neutral location for people in the cannabis industry to meet in order to encourage networking so that his particular counter culture can prosper. I myself am a big fan of cannabis. Not just as a recreational substance but in general. I am not going to spend all my time trying to convince you one way or another, you are welcome to feel however you want to feel about the subject. There is no way anyone with any sort of intelligence can deny how advantageous cannabis is for businesses or person. Whether you use it for hemp to make various products from or you use it for THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid), CBD (cannabidiol), CBDA (cannabidiolic acid), CBN (cannabinol), CBG (cannabigerol), CBC (cannabichromene), CBL (cannabicyclol), CBV (cannabivarin), THCC (tetrahydrocannabiorcol), THCV (tetrahydrocannabivarin), THCP (tetrahydrocannabiphorol), CBDV (cannabidivarin), CBCV (cannabichromevarin), CBGV (cannabigerovarin), CBGM (cannabigerol monomethyl ether), CBE (cannabielsoin), CBT (cannabicitran) or one of the many more chemicals found in the plant.
My friend, Mitya, flew me to Florida to visit him and attend the CHAMPS convention with him and another of his old friends who is establishing his business and asked for us to join him at this convention. Mitya and I decided to make the most out of the opportunity to help out the friend and to visit with each other. Mitya lives in Wisconsin however he happened to be in Florida helping his mother, who lives in Florida, with some things as any good child would. Mitya and I met in some training back in 2003 and have been friends ever since. We have both grown a great deal and improved as people in those years. It is always good to have friends for so long, especially during those formative years of young adults.
Mitya 2008
When I land in Florida I really don't know what to expect of the time I am in town, I just figure I am going to have an eventful week. It wasn't my first time and more than likely won't be my last time in Florida, if you haven't visited Florida you might as well go ahead and add Florida to your list. I find it to be a fun state with influences from all around the world with a wonderful blend of people. Every visit I have had to Florida has been a great adventure. From Miami to Jacksonville there are things to do of all sorts which can be found at any cost from free to every penny you have. Thankfully Mitya and I weren't in to spend a fortune. The first stop was to get some food and drink, we happened upon a place called Rock And Brews which was perfect for he and I. We wanted some food and brews while we are both fans of rock music. At the time we arrived the restaurant was mostly empty thankfully. From the atmosphere you pick up the vibe that the place fills up often and gets hopping. The food was pretty good and the beer selection is yummy. You should go ahead and drop in sometime if you are ever passing by, worst case just have a beer.
After Mitya and I finish our dish we hop in the ride to head back to the airport to pick up Johnny then head to the event.
Pulling up to the Gaylord Palms you wouldn't expect it to be hosting the event, believe it or not there are many, many things popping at this place. I love legal states. These places are much more inviting than most of the others and you can feel the more accepting, open minds that make the world a better place. It is no one's place to tell another how to live their life. You can and should give them a heads up, that is about all you can do in reality.
Now this place, the Gaylord Palms is a nice place. Straight up, I didn't expect to be arriving to this sort of place. I can't remember going into many places that have an indoor marsh, theme park, restaurants, shops and alligators...
I am taking in all of these surroundings as I make my way through the giant maze of a building to get to the conference area. Once we make it to the proper location inside this elaborate exotic exposee of an expensive resort we find ourselves joining a long chaotic line of fellow vendors. Despite the organized chaos it moves fairly quickly so I didn't feel as if my time was stolen. When I make it through the doors I am met by two beautiful ladies who hand everyone entering some advertising flyers, samples and take pictures with each person who is willing. After this greeting, which reminds me of showing up at a resort in Hawaii getting a lei wrapped around your neck, I take a look around.
Now I really enjoyed this event. I didn't encounter one asshole, that is a great experience. Instead of ranting endlessly about walking through the giant headshop I will leave some pictures and a video for you to enjoy then go on to the other highlights of the trip.
As you can see from the images and the video it was an eventful experience. I enjoyed myself looking through all of the trinkets available and meeting people from all aspects and places in life. I tend to be pretty open about these sorts of things. Needless to say it was a good time yet Mitya and I wanted to do some other things while I was in town. Mitya is a well read individual who also learns local histories. This allows him to be able to give you wonderful tours of the area.
The following day Mitya's mother made some excellent breakfast for us, over breakfast we discussed the plans for the day. The goal was to get Jaclyn a gift, go to local breweries and enjoy my visit with an old friend. In other words, I was open for whatever. This leads to me being taken to St. Armands Circle in Sarasota, Florida.
There wasn't anything specific on the schedule thankfully, just walk around to enjoy the area. Honestly, there are a number of things to do and it is a beautiful area. I wish I had more time so that I could have gone out on a charter, maybe next time.
As we stroll around we get to walk through an art gallery done by locals, as you can see by the pictures there was a great deal of topics motivating the assortment of artists. In the area we get to stumble across a statue that I find myself to be more in tune with, the "Unconditional Surrender".
As we are walking around the area we stumble upon this heron putting on it's mating dance for us to witness. I had never seen this occur before so I had to take a picture and a video to share.
I hope you found that as amusing as I did. After this walk about it was time for us to get another meal. I whip out my phone to begin investigating the are to decide where to get a fine meal from. I also want it something different than what is easily accessible in my home city, I decide upon Columbian and we happen to be near the Columbia Restaurant which is most excellent, it had been too long since I had some most yummy plantains. We get to sit outside to enjoy the weather as we discuss our next stop, we have to load as much as we can in the day.
The meal was absolutely delicious. Not a single complaint, about the food. The first beer I ordered I was unable to complete because I am a beer snob. It wasn't a flavor I could deal with, the waiter was kind enough to refuse to allow me to choke it down and insisted to replace it with a beverage I could enjoy with my meal. Great place!
Over lunch Mitya began telling me more details about the area and some places of interest, there are many within short travel distance. I did promise my wife that I would bring her something from the trip, I always will, I think of her often. Mitya takes me to a strip area with many, many different shops to look through. My lady has unique taste so I want to get something that won't always be looked at as a souvenir for a trip to Florida. That would be lame and pointless. Jaclyn and I travel the world, we don't need a P.O.S. souvenir...I end up getting her a seahorse statue, why? She mentioned that she would enjoy a seahorse...here is what I decided on..
Seems good enough, right? Too late if you disagree with it being up to the standard.
Good deal, have knocked out most requirements for this trip. Mitya has been telling me this very interesting history of a local brewery. This particular brewery has an excellent name to go with it's one of a kind history, it is called "The Naughty Monk". If you are to go and read it's history from the website you will discover that some gents happened upon a monk in the Brussels area that wanted to focus more on brewing than meditation so he came to the United States to be the brewmaster of the brewery. How can you do any better than that? Seems like an awesome twist of fate to me. The atmosphere and the brews were completely worth the trip.
Well, since we are now having some drinks I better investigate in other breweries nearby and seeing as I am here in an are near the ocean I should try some oysters. People always talk about the difference in oysters based on what kind and where they are from. I need to test that. I express my interest to Mitya, like always he knows exactly where to go in order for me to resolve my internal debate. Before or after dropping by Motorworks Brewing in the only real question. I decide to go by Motorworks en route to the oysters.
Now Motorworks Brewing is much more than just a brewery. This brewery is located on what once was Hudson Motor Dealership 1940s and 19502, there is a live music stage and many games to play: cornhole sets, a bocce ball court, life-sized Jenga and Connect Four, a large Live Music stage featuring eclectic bands and artists weekly, plus a 22 ft. projection screen for viewing films or sporting events. It is also Florida's largest beer garden. You should check it out if you are ever in Bradenton, Florida.
With another brewery checked of my list it was time for me to swallow some raw oysters. We are not back in ancient Greece or Rome where you are trying to increase your manhood and libido, we are just enjoying our position on the food chain. Mitya pilots us to a locally owned place called Siesta Key Oyster Bar or simply SKOB. Once again I am making this a brief note of our time visiting and knocking this place off the list. I mean, it's an oyster bar, what else do you need to know about it? If you enjoy oysters you would thoroughly enjoy this place. Here is a picture:
As you can see I hit the ground running for the short duration I had to spend in Florida with the infamous Mitya. It was a great trip, the weather was on my side this trip, thankfully. Mitya never lets me down with his knowledge and abilities. I got to visit places of history, good food, good beer, good ganja and good people. It was most excellent and I am thankful that I was able to have this experience to share with you.
Where to next? The world is my oyster.
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