A couple of news items caught my eye lately. One of the boats used in "Gilligan's Island" as the S.S. Minnow is now for sale. The one in question is the one used in the opening credits of season two. The asking price is $100,000 and you'll have to go to Vancouver, B.C. to get it. In total, there were four boats known to be used in shooting the series. As a kid, I spent many an after-school afternoon giggling in front of the TV at the antics of the 7 castaways. Years later, I received a thrill when the (now) late Bob Denver (Gilligan) and Dawn Wells (Mary-Ann) stopped by to say hello to me during my show. They were every bit as nice as you would have imagined they would be. Much to my delight, I learned Dawn Wells has a very naughty (wink-wink, nudge-nudge) sense of humor not evident in the TV show. She showed her known sentimental side by later surprising me with a hand-typed and signed thank you letter for the time I gave them on the show. I was glad to see the entire series was finally released on DVD. All the episodes (including the pilot... featuring several different actors instead of the ones who eventually did the show) plus bonus materials make it a nice keep-sake for those who enjoyed the series. The episodes have been re-mastered and as a result look and sound much better than how they appeared on television. I have been watching an episode here and there when my time allows. Interesting that Sherwood Schwartz (producer), said in an interview that he did not know what had become of the boats used in the series, but sure would like to find and purchase one. I bet we know who will be buying the "Minnow" being sold in B.C!

Also in the news... the inventor of the "Philly Cheese-steak" is dead. Harry Olivieri and his brother Pat (they named the place "Pat's King of Steaks") teamed up in 1933 in Philadelphia after growing tired of the limited local street food offerings. The rest as they say, is history. Having spent 5 years working radio in the Philly area, I developed a great taste for Philly Cheese-steaks. You'll feel like a snake that ate an elephant afterwards, but they sure are tasty! Makes me think I should market my favorite drink, affectionately known as "Byrd's Brew" by the folks at my local Starbucks. It's like lightning in a bottle, this stuff. It's something I came up with after years of tinkering. After being asked for the recipe numerous times... maybe I'm on to something? Four shots of expresso, 10 pumps of vanilla syrup, and uses cream instead of milk. Add sugar to your taste (I take four sugar in the raw's for the large cup) and you have a drink that tastes great and will jump start a corpse! (or a very sleepy Byrd)