Here's a little history.

I grew up in Detroit, graduated from Henry Ford High in 1966 and have such fond memories of my “younger days.”

Ah, the excitement of rushing to downtown Detroit to catch the Bob-Lo Boat for a day of rides and hotdogs.  Were you there at Edgewater Park to catch The Who smash up their guitars at the end of their performance? 

How about the Walled Lake Casino with Little Stevie Wonder headlining? Superb performance!! I couldn’t count the evenings we went cruising Woodward Ave and stopped at Ted's Drive-in for one their famous burgers. 

Darn how that time goes so fast and before we know it we’ve settled down, gotten married, had some children, work our butts off until you find you’re growing older then you thought you ever would.

Second jobs were a must even then. In 1970 I took one as a singer/guitarist with the Country Club of Detroit. Soon I was playing private parties and working five nights a week at Bloomfield Hills’ Fox and Hounds restaurant and nightclub.

Remember that great eatery Petker’s Place in Rochester? I performed there from 1976-1980 when we moved from Novi to SW Florida. We started our real estate career then but my wife and I continued to entertain until 2004. Sharon’s great vocal sound kept us busy. Now we occasionally play for family and friends at parties.

Sharon and I have two wonderful sons, Chris and Todd. Chris is the guitarist and singer for the band Less Than Jake. Perhaps you or your kids have heard of them? I’m known in these parts as “the oldest punk rock fan around.”

Todd graduated from NC State where playing baseball on the university team helped him remain in school. Now living in Raleigh with his wife Michelle, he is employed with Verizon Business. He tries to explain what he does there but a “super-tech” I’m not. I love them both and we are looking forward to grandchildren. We do have three “granddogs” though.

To start all over again and make a drastic move is frightening,  but we soon found out that big boats, amusement parks and more casino's then you've ever seen before are here. 

When it dawns on people that it’s time for a change and the vision of winters’ cold and snow get the best of them, some make their way to Florida as we did.

If you’re thinking of making a change or just plain old tired of winter, come and join us here in SW Florida where we can talk about the old times and share your new ones. I promise to make your change as smooth as our clear blue waters. See you soon.   

Regards,

Doug DeMakes