The Sarge’s Corner

There are cigar names that feel like marketing, and then there are cigars that somehow find themselves in exactly the environment they were meant for. ADVentura Blackfin’s Parlay found me aboard The Reel Paws on a Saturday morning, cruising the Fort Lauderdale Intracoastal with Stacey beside me, Saber along for the adventure, …

There are cigars you buy because of the wrapper. There are cigars you chase because of the blender, the rarity, the reputation, or some ridiculous score printed beside the price tag. And then, every once in a great while, you choose a cigar for a completely ordinary reason—and life gives …

There are cigars you light because you have an hour to kill. Then there are cigars that somehow seem to arrive at exactly the right moment. The Room101 17th Anniversary was the latter. I had just finished working Saber at the park. It had been a productive session—sit, stay, recall, …

Before I lit the Dunbarton Sobremesa Tapa Negra, I had already made up my mind about the evening. It was my birthday. And in my opinion, birthdays are largely overrated. At fifty-four, they become less about candles and more about gratitude. Another lap around the sun. Another page on the …

Sunday evening, August 2nd. My birthday was only a few days away, and the South Florida heat had finally surrendered to a tolerable late-evening breeze. The pool lights cast their familiar glow across the water, creating ripples of blue and silver that danced across the lanai ceiling. The neighborhood was …

One of the privileges of home ownership is the constant battle against maintenance. There is always something that needs attention, something that needs fixing, cleaning, trimming, or improving. On Monday, July 27th, that responsibility belonged to the pool. The South Florida sun was already making its presence known as I …

There are evenings that ask for conversation, and there are evenings that ask for silence. This was one of those nights. The South Florida heat had finally surrendered to a gentle breeze as darkness settled over the backyard. The pool had transformed into a mirror of deep blue glass, illuminated …

An early morning aboard The Reel Paws, where the Atlantic, Cuban coffee, and the El Mago James Avenue Habano reminded me that the best journeys begin before the rest of the world wakes up. There is something almost sacred about launching a boat before sunrise. The world hasn’t found its voice …

Some days aren’t about escaping life. They’re about reconnecting with it. The Monday after the Fourth of July weekend felt exactly like that. The celebrations were over. The fireworks had faded into memory, and the crowds had returned to work. I needed something quieter. Something that belonged only to me. …

At 94 degrees in South Florida, most people would call sitting outside a bad idea. I called it therapy. The afternoon sun was blazing, the kind of heat that makes the pavement shimmer and palm fronds move in slow motion. But my backyard had transformed into something else entirely—a private tropical retreat. …