Upon
arriving in Fort Lauderdale not knowing exactly an area called Melrose
Park sort of caught my eye but when I got there it wasn't what I was
looking for so I got a local paper, a map of Fort Lauderdale and started
looking around. After about an hour I found an area near a major
east-west road called Davie Boulevard. There was an apartment building
set back on another road going north-south across from a high school and
the price was right. I rented a one bedroom apartment which was
basically not far from anything including supermarkets, restaurants,
movies and, to my complete surprise a gay piano bar and restaurant . The Sandpiper had a unique bar that was large, U shaped and an aquarium! The bottom half of the bar was made of wood and the top
half was made of very heavy glass. Your drinks were set down on the top
and your watched the fish swimming around and the more you drank
themorefishyousaw!

The
Sandpiper served very good food and the crowd was friendly, sexy and
many were talented singing along with the piano player. One of the
customers, who I became friendly with, Carmen, would sing "What I Did
For Love" every time I was there.

It
was in the Sandpiper that I met the 3 Micheals: teacher Mike, ice
skater Mike and movie/mafia Mike. Ice skater Mike had traveled around
the country skating in the "Ice Capades" and with Sonja Henie. He
settled down in Fort Lauderdale, gained custody of his son and he died
in early 1981, one of the first in South Florida, of AIDS. Mafia/movie
Mike had worked on the original "Deep Throat" and eventually was a
witness in the obscenity trial in Memphis.  He worked on other movies
but hit a dry stretch and worked as a security guard. He was a funny guy
and we were close until having a fall out in 1983. He eventually left
Fort Lauderdale and I heard he lived in Phoenix and Palm Springs, got
back into the movie business. For the heck of it I just googled his name
and following a trail, and what I knew about him, it looks like he died
in 2002.

The
third Mike was a gem. He was a zealous school teacher, a man who didn't
see wrong in anyone and would share everything he had. He was the first
friend I made in Fort Lauderdale and we were friends until he died. I
met his mother, sister and aunt all who, for awhile, became my family
too. I met him on August 22, 1979 and of history repeating itself, like
with Chuck, I was following him home and lost him. The next night went
better and we became immediate friends. When hurricane David came along
he insisted that Gino and I stay at his place. He had a beautiful
home--owned by his father--with a swimming pool and he opened it to
throw me a party for my 12th Leap Year birthday. Though Micheal was out
in his private life with his friends he wasn't on the job because he
felt that would put his job in jeopardy--remember this is Florida in the
late 70s and early 80s. His parents didn't know, or so he thought, and
when he came down with AIDShedidn'ttellthem because he didn't want them
to know he was gay, though his sister did.  Nancy, his sister, and I
were with Micheal until the end and it is a friendship I still miss but
have many great memories of and just like the Sandpiper will always be
part of my first decade in Fort Lauderdale so will Micheal.

******************************************************************

HOW TO SPEAK REPUBLICAN BY PETE KOTZ
"HOMOSEXUAL
AGENDA: CONSPIRACY CO-CHAIRED BY SATAN AND NEIL PATRICK HARRIS TO
CONVINCE AMERICA'S YOUTH TO QUIT FOOTBALL AND PURSUE CAREERS AS
BOTANISTS AND DEFENSE LAWYERS."