"Mother Nature's Son"

 My friend Mac Monroe has died. Although he was 20 years my senior, we had two important things in common, drinking and eating. Mac was also a story teller and truly was Mother Nature's Son. I will miss our excursions to bars and eateries. But what I learned from him will always be there.

I was trying to write this while Milton was heading towards us and my only thought was that Mac probably had a few hurricane stories. But the anxiety of the potential doom, did not allow me to think straight enough to give Mac the proper send off. But now the storm has passed, and pretty much spared South Brevard, and I am still struggling to find the right words. So I will share some photos to tell my story.

Me and Mac

Coasters

My first meeting of Mac was at the precursor to Coasters, Hubb's Pub. My boss at ENSCO, John Pitkethly, was friends with Mac from way back in the 1970s (or even earlier). Jim Austin was suffering from loosing his wife, and John and Mac were being the friends he needed and was taking him to Hubb's.

If Mac and I were at the bar having a variety of great beers, and he left to go to the restroom, it was typical for him to stop at many tables and gab with people. Usually it was on the way back from the bathroom. He knew a lot of people.

Hubb's Pub had a drinking club where if you drank 99 different beers (tap, can, or bottle) in 90 days, they would put your name on the wall. That is my name at #3. Although Mac was on the wall too, he liked to brag to people about me being #3. Red means I did it five times and I also received my own bar stool which I still have at my home.

They also had a Corporate Beer Seminar where a team of people would drink 99 different beers in one sitting. You can see my company ENSCO is red (5 times). Mac usually helped us. Above ENSCO is AFTAC/Nuclear Tech in red. That was our Air Force customer, I usually helped them.

I like this shot I took of Mac enjoying another beer with friends at Coasters.

Mac taught me a lot about beers and how to enjoy all the different flavors and types. Coasters still has 31 taps, and are changing them all the time. The new owner David Swartz likes to keep an abundance of European beers and US Craft brews.

Beachfly Brewing Company

But Mac was not happy with just Coasters beers, he loved trying a variety. A new Brewery opened in Indian Harbour Beach call Beachfly, and within a few weeks Mac knew the owners. He loved discussing the making of beers, which he also did, and discussing the hops, and yeast and --- I liked drinking them all.

Here is Mac discussing bears at the Beachfly bar. Sadly, Beachfly moved to Rockledge and we did not go there because of the drive.

Mac also knew my cousin Pam from Coasters, and had met her son Reid when he was just a boy. One time at Beachfly, Reid showed up and had a few beers with Mac and I.

Whiskey Beach

After I retired ten years ago, a group of us (me and a bunch of old farts) would hang out on Tuesdays and Fridays. Early on, we would meet at 4PM, but that ran into dinner time and crowds, so we settled on meeting at 2PM. Our first place was called Rum Island Grill in IHB, but the owner sold the place to Charlie and Jakes. He was going to open a smaller place but that never happened. Some how we ended up going to Whiskey Beach in Satellite Beach. Here is a great picture of Mac and I having beers there. Mac was also a whiskey connoisseur and sometimes sipped from the large variety of booze that Whiskey Beach offered. He would get me try a few but I really like my beer.

Mac and I liked the drinking group but we also liked to go out eating after a few beers. This is Mac outside Whiskey Beach (original spot which is now 321 Mavericks) as we were trying to decide where to eat. Many times we just walked a little North to Nippon Thais Restaurant where we had sushi. A funny aside, we always had the same waiter, a young man who was a student at Satellite High School. One day he announced he was going off to college and this would be the last time he served us, It was unsaid, but Mac and I stopped going there.

Whiskey Beach ended up moving sown where the Cove use to be and where Cadillac Cove is now. This is Ken, John, Peter and Mac at the new place. Our favorite bartender was Tracy but she quit and moved down to Key West Bar further south. I did manage to get Mac in there a few times.

This is Mac, John and his son David being served by Tracy at the original Whiskey Beach. We really liked that place and were sad to see them move.

WOB

Another favorite beer place for Mac was the World of Beer in Viera. That is Mac in the middle of the photo, celebrating his 500 different beers. WOB threw a mini-party for him and he invited me to partake. I only reached 50 beers at WOB and I got a tee shirt. The owners told us the corporation was toning down the rewards program.

Mac aldo got his name on this wall, I don't remember how many beers you had to drink...100, 200, 300??

Lou's Blues

One of the last spots we became regulars with our group was Lou's Blues Beachside. It is still my "Cheers" and I go at least once a week. Lou, the namesake owner, sold the place to Mike, behind the bar in this photo. He is talking with my old boss John with Mac in the background. 

Another shot of the curved bar, which has been replaced with a more rectangular bar. That's my drinking group including Mac, Ken, Jim, Peter & his wife, and John P.

As the guys started getting into their 80s and 90s, it became harder for them to do the stairs to get to the bar at Lou's. We started to go to other places so Mac and John could more easily get in.

Eating Out

As I mentioned earlier, Mac and I were not finished after the group broke up for the day. We liked to go out and eat. And we tried a lot of places because I had my Bucket List Item to eat at new places. Mac was kind and joined me on a few of these excursions.

Here is Mac studying the menu at The Salty Fox in Eau Gallie. It had just opened and I asked if he wanted to try it out. We did not know at the time that it was a Lesbian spot. They did not mind our company and we enjoyed the food. The beer selection was not good though.

As I have said, Mac would make me try new things when we went out to eat. Here Is my weird Greek beer at Niki's Rainbow Restaurant in Satellite Beach. We went here more than a few times, we both liked Greek food.

Mac had told me of a fancy spot his wife Christine and him were regulars. But Christine was getting sicker and unable to go out as much. She passed in 2020. But I was happy to try the Café Coconut Cove on A1A south of Melbourne Beach. It is listed as a "Romantic" German Restaurant with beautiful sunset views over the Indian River. Mac even got me to share his bottle of wine, or maybe it was two bottles. I did say Mac liked to indulge.

Since I enjoyed that so much we decided to try one of the Wine-Pairing dinners at Café Margaux in Cocoa Village. It was really great but the pandemic hit and we did not try it again. Now I wish we had.

Of course, if you like beer, you will love Guinness Stout. Just down the street from Mac's home was The Cottage Irish Pub. Although small and quaint, we made it here more than a few times.

They know how to properly pour a Guinness. Mac salivating in the background.

Mac in front of his Lexus SUV. He was finally not able to drive anymore and he moved into Victoria's Landing in Eau Gallie. I would jokingly call it Victoria's Secret. Even after all this, there were a few times when I would pick him up and we would go have a few beers and maybe some dinner. Although his body was failing him, his spirits were always filled with joy and happiness.

Another favorite was Masa Taqueria y Cantina on Eau Gallie Blvd. Again, Mac is studying the menu.

Both Mac and I loved raw foods. I cannot count how many times we went to Bunky's for oysters on the half-shell, or one of the many sushi places in the area. We tried most of them.

Rest in Peace

This past Thanksgiving, Mac's four kids, Ian, Douglas, Morgan, and Arden, organized a feast at a rented house in Melbourne Beach. I think it was the last time I saw Mac in person.

And I think it appropriate, that the last picture I took of Mac at age 86, was him grabbing one more bottle of wine from the cooler. Here's to you Mac, may you Rest In Peace!

After hearing about Mac's death, I went to Lou's to let servers Jenn (in pink) and Jess know that he was gone. I got me a Guinness, and only had pleasant thoughts when I thought of Mac.

If you knew Mac, the family is holding a Celebration of Life for Mac at the Doubletree Suites by Hilton on A1A in Indiatlantic from Noon to 3:30PM. A toast at Coasters Pub will happen afterward, in the Beer Garden.

About Title

"Mother Nature's Son" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album The Beatles (also known as "the White Album"). The song was written primarily by Paul McCartney, and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was inspired by a lecture given by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi while the Beatles were in India. The same lecture inspired Lennon's song "Child of Nature", the tune of which he later re-used for "Jealous Guy". Although credited to the group, the song was performed by McCartney alone (with a brass arrangement by George Martin), while the other Beatles were working on other "White Album" songs.

According to Paul McCartney he was inspired by Nat King Cole's song "Nature Boy" he heard growing up. He wrote the song in Liverpool when he visited his father.