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Island Fever

iUniverse, Inc.

Contents

Preface........................................................xi1. The Magic City..............................................12. The 1930s...................................................103. The Fabulous Forties........................................144. Off to War..................................................295. Radio School................................................376. Across the Pacific..........................................417. Homeward Bound..............................................588. Strategic Air Command.......................................659. Back to School..............................................8010. The Graduate - Jamaica Bound...............................10211. Going South................................................11312. Moving On..................................................12513. Back to the Future.........................................13514. Jamaica Farewell...........................................15215. The Egg and I..............................................15916. A Little Traveling Music...................................16617. Business Beckons...........................................17218. The Store Dick.............................................18419. Africa Calling!............................................19220. The Old Island Itch........................................20021. A Union in the Woodpile....................................21222. Tribunal Retribution.......................................22123. What the Hell Did He Ever Do?..............................22424. I've got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts!.......................22825. It's a Crime!..............................................23126. Travel Show Heaven.........................................23427. Dance .Gypsy!..............................................24428. Lord Love the Bartenders!..................................24729. Across the Yellow Banks to Great Exuma.....................25330. From Club to "Crows Nest"..................................26131. Peace and Plenty Beach Inn.................................27932. It's a Spaghetti World.....................................28833. The Land Baron.............................................29634. It's an Ill Wind!..........................................30335. The Shark Lady.............................................30836. Celebrities Visit Exuma....................................31337. The Bonefish Lodge.........................................32638. Bush Medicine..............................................33539. Calling Doctor Kildare!....................................33840. It's Regatta Time in Exuma Mon!...........................34141. Fancy Meeting You Here!....................................34542. The Twilight Zone..........................................34943. Adventures in Central America..............................35444. It's a Tie!................................................36745. Club Peace and Plenty Turns 50.............................37046. I Thought I Saw a Pussycat!................................37447. Tropical Gardens...........................................37748. Retirement Looms...........................................382Epilogue.......................................................391

Chapter One

Weather reporting in the 20's was a little sketchy at best ... no satellites to pinpoint tropical disturbances and communications primitive, particularly from the islands, so little notice was given to the approaching black thunder clouds and sprinkling rain. As the wind increased, my Grandmother, with a mother's concern, took the children across the street to a neighbor's house, itself little more than a wooden shack set on concrete blocks, but offering more security than a canvas tent that had provided temporary shelter to the family since their arrival from Montana. Grandfather had rejected the idea of `a little wind and rain' causing any problems and refused to join the family at the neighbor's across the street.

As the story unfolded, the infamous 1926 hurricane roared over nearby Biscayne Bay hitting the Miami-Coconut Grove area like a battering ram with extremely high winds and blinding torrents of slashing rain. As the onslaught continued to gain strength, Grandmother crawled back across the street and dragged her husband, in his underwear, to the relative safety of the cottage, where the children were laying on the floor of a wildly shaking building. When the wind and rain finally subsided, the family loaded into the tile truck and drove to nearby Dinner Key on Biscayne Bay, eager to see the resulting storm damage to the bay front area. They were stunned by the massive devastation of buildings and score after score of sail and power boats scattered like toys all over the highway and hundreds of yards inland. Many of these battered hulks coming to rest against multi-million dollar mansions, reposing far back from the highway on higher land, as a testimony to the power of the storm's surge.

While marveling at the destruction of natures fury, few of the sightseers paid any attention to the sudden increase of wind velocity until a hard, piercing rain began pelting the crowd, announcing the arrival of the second half of this catastrophic hurricane..... The storm's eye had passed! With the sudden realization that there was more to come, there was a mad dash back to the truck, stinging rain peppering those that couldn't fit in the cab, and a race back to the house before another onslaught.

With the wind at well over 100 MPH rotating from another quadrant, the rickety cottage blew off its block foundation and crashed to the ground. The frightened occupants narrowly escaped serious injury when the stump of a massive Australian Pine Tree under the house smashed through the flimsy wooden floor, knocking everyone off their feet, but effectively anchoring the building to the ground preventing a major catastrophy.

When the storm finally subsided, the family returned to their tent site to view what little was left of their canvas home. My Mother said they were astonished to see nothing but the main tent cross beam which had fallen and pinned my grandfather's pants to his broken cot along with his intact wallet. Welcome to Miami, Briggle family!

It wasn't long before the family found and purchased a suitably large house, solidly constructed of a local wood (Dade County pine) that resisted rot and termites, well located, and with a huge double garage Grandfather could use for his tile business. It was built in 1912 and is still standing well into the 21st Century.

In 1931 the `Magic City' of Miami, jewel of the Sunshine State, claimed only 175,000 sun-drenched, year-around citizens, spread out over a vast area of bays, canals, beaches, Indian villages along the Miami River, horse and dog tracks, luxury beach hotels, and wealthy winter visitors. Miami was rapidly becoming a beacon for snowbirds seeking to escape the harsh northern winters in relative warmth and glitz of south Florida.

Near Eight Street (later famous as `Little Havana's `Calle Ocho') I was born at Riverside Hospital on a bright, Saturday morning on May 23rd ... only child of Philip Pflueger and Ethel (Doll) Mae Briggle Pflueger.

Philip Pflueger was one of the three sons of the Pfluegers' that emigrated from Hamburg, Germany, landing on Ellis Island in 1895, settling in Elizabeth, New Jersey. An...