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To balance all in life: the good, bad & in between, sometimes you have to give an extra effort to make impactful memories or to nurture the ties with lifelong friends and family. Recently, I had such an occasion: a Cuba-America Gentlemen's Lunch on my verandah this last week with dear Cuban-Americans, both of whom are fit and fun at age 93.
~ In the center is mi tio (uncle) Raul Laffitte, great-grandson of the famous pirate of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, Jean. Raul was a very well-known expert in steel construction and an outstanding ballplayer. He played 2nd base in the senior league until he was 85 and is in the Hall of Fame. He has known me all my life, even when my Mom was pregnant with me! Raul was a friend (and honorary little brother) of my father's since 1945.
~ On the right is legendary naval architect & boat manufacturer Kiko Villalon, who comes from an ancestry of famous Cubans. He has known all of the great sailors of America in the last 60 years, and was recently given the lifetime achievement award for his vessel designs & boat building.
~ The photo at our table is the man who brought us all together: my dad, Robert Charles Macomber, a brilliant, patent holding steel frame construction & civil engineer who built buildings around the world, spoke seven languages, and was regarded as a true gentleman in many countries, and by both Raul & Kiko.
~ The lunch was pure Cuba from the 1950s: arroz con pollo, which I made, served with an excellent bottle of Rioja and also a garnacha red blend, both from Spain. We got cafe cortadito Cubano and flan from Azucar restaurant in Cape Coral [FL], then finished the meal with the finest sipping rum in all of Cuban history: 23-year old Matusalem.
~ We spent over 5 wonderful hours together, with English-Spanish discussions on Cuban history, American history, Cuban & French cuisine, the bond between the Cuban and American peoples, Freemasonry, the future of Cuba, my Dad's many accomplishments, his love for Cuba, and, of course, an assessment of the finest rums of Cuba.
~ There was laughter, misty-eyed memories, serious philosophy, and delicious Cuban wit. Amistad... friendship. Priceless.
Onward & Upward my friends,
Bob
Robert N. Macomber
Pine Island, Florida
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