February 13, 2011--She's Heeeere!

Well, the old Nag arrived last night at 6:30 pm. That's why I'm blogging. She "asked" me to. Again and again and again. She might do some blogging too. Sunny and 60 degrees. Very nice. We started out at 7:30 (I know, but we're on vaca) with a walk on the beach. It was about 40 then; very invigorating. We then had the traditional fry-up and then my first nap of the day.

We had lunch at the Waterfront Restaurant, which by the way is not on the waterfront. It's a keeper, I think. They had a buffet, but we eschewed it (my word of the day). I had soup and sandwich, and a whole sandwich at that, for only $8.59. The soup was turkey and noodles with real turkey! Then a low country BLT with really good B. Peg had a crabcake sandwich which she raved about. We'll take the Flatlanders here.

The we went to Botany Bay Plantation, no fee, which i found surprising. It was an old rice and cotton Plantations (two joined together now. Above are a couple of pics. There are some walks and we will go back.

So we got back home about 2pm, and my second nap of day. After that we had been planning to go bike riding. There are bikes under the house and we go down to take them out...flat tires on the two best. So we look around for a pump and find an electrical one, but it had no plug on it, just some wires sticking out. Peg said "Dick could fix that." So there are two other usable bikes but the seats need adjustment before we could ride them. So we scour the place for a wrench. We find a tool box. Locked. So Peg says "Don't you have tools in the car?" No. "Dick would have a tool box." Great, Peg. He probably changes his own oil, and does the timing on his spark plugs, too. Can't wait for him to get here.

That's that. First thing tomorrow I had to the True Value for a wrench. Maybe Dick will show me how to use it when he gets here.

February 3, 2011--Onto Edisto

Well, I'm on the road again. Was supposed to leave Tuesday, but with the weather forecast I was fretting on Monday morning that I might not be able to leave until Thursday. My wife, G_d bless her, said "No, No, leave right now! This instant!" Always worried about me, and not herself. So I did. I packed up and was out the door with Wallie within an hour.

The first day was clear sailing into Connecticut. But it started snowing Tuesday morning about 3 am. I was going to take a route above NYC and then down to the Garden State west of NYC, but the inland forecast was much more dire than coastal. So I struck out down 95 and thru the city, leaving about 6 am. Slow going until the NJ border, arriving there around 11:30 am. After that it turned to rain and speed gradually picked up. I got across the border to Elkton Md. Had dinner at a Waffle House next door to the La Quinta (staying only at La Quinta's because they are so dog friendly). Had steak and eggs for a bill of $9.30. Friendly advice: don't ever eat at a Waffle House.

Next day set off to Richmond. Could go a lot farther, but can't check in to the house until Saturday afternoon. So no hurry. I quickly left tyhe snow behind at the Virginia border, and the gtemp reached 67! Sunny skies. But this morning when i got up it was 34. Oh, well. Last night dinner at Dennies, from the senior citizen menu. Country fried steak. Yum, yum. But again, the bill was only $9.70. What shall I do tonight?

No pics. Will work on that tomorrow. Am in Raleigh, NC. Will report on that tomorrow. Also about how Sirius radio has changed my state of mind while travelling thru the South.

2/11/10--Pedros South of the Border

Well, this is it. I'm done. In any great endevour there is an ending, and I have reached mine. With Steinbeck, he got to Mississippi and Louisiana and ran out of steam as he got into a funk about how low man can go (he experienced the early days of the civil rights movement and the integrating of a school). His book just ran out of steam and we never heard anything about the last few miles of his trip.

For me, the end came at Pedros South of the Border. I first visited 30 years ago and couldn't wait to go back. To me, it was Everyman's Disney World, like Wally World was to Chevy Chase, the dream was apparently more than the reality. 37 miles out the signs began. (See above) As I get closer my pulse starts to race. Then I get there. There are carnie rides, stores galore, half a dozen restaurants. A fireworks store. Every thing you could want. Like Disney World, you never have to leave the grounds.

There's only one thing wrong. The place is utterly deserted. Nobody is there. I walk into a tourist nicknack store the size of a super Walmart, and I am the only customer. It is now that I realize how bad things are in this country. If Pedros is this bad off, what about the rest of the Country?

So this is goodbye................

2/9/10--Into Georgia

Well, I awoke this morning in Tallahassee with rain falling steadily and I decided that the redneck riviera was just not going to be for me. So I turned on the GPS, programmed in Warm Springs, via Andersonville, and set out. About an hour driving north and the rain slowed, then ceased. I did not see an Interstate all day. The drive thru southwestern Georgia was very rural, with ocassional small towns and rolling countryside in between, with farms, be they peanut or horse or cattle, here and there.

Andersonville, the site of the infamous War of Northern Aggression POW camp. As I get near, according to the Navigatrix, I start looking and I see to the left a road with an archway proclaiming that this is the famous Andersonville. So I pull in to this small burgh, even tho the Navigatrix is shreiking at me to u-turn and keep going. To the side is a small building proclaiming itself to be the "Visitor Center". Can't be a trick, can it.

So I go inside this rather rustic building (not the kind of snazzy visitors' centers you usually find at Civil War battle sites.) There's a little old lady inside an otherwise deserted building with a charming southern drawl who welcomes me to Andersonville. I say it's pretty quiet and she opines it is the off- season. So I say, I understand there is a museum and she says Oh, yes, and directs me thru this rickety door with the admonition that there is no heat in the museum. Well, there wasn't a heck of a lot else, either. I'm used to spending hours in such museums, and I was in and out of there in 5 minutes. And the theme was mostly about how the North unfairly treated the Commandant at the end of the war, and how he did what he could. (He was tried and hung as a war criminal.) Which, from what I have read, is largely true.

So I say to myself that was hardly worth a detour, and I reprogram the GPS for Warm Springs. I get a mile down the road and there's a fancy sign announcing the Andersonville Prison Camp Visitor's Center and Museum! I pull down this side road and there's a nice brick Visitors' Center and Museum befitting the name, and I spend over an hour there. It is much more middle of the road vis a vis North vs. South and who treated prisoners worse. In fact, it had a whole section devoted to Northern "colored" troops who were captured and how they were treated or mistreated. See pics above of the site of the prison.

So I wonder what the story is of the two different visitors centers and museums.

2/8/10--Into Redneck Country

Well, yesterday was pretty dull, travelling from Fort Myers to Homossassa Springs (because Norman recommended it) to Lake Mary for the evening before dropping off Peg at the airport this morning. Except for Homossassa Springs. It's a wildlife area with them airboat rides that look like a lot of fun. But we didn't have enough time to do anything but visit this 19th Century sugar mill. See the above pics. But definitely someplace to spend some more time.

Today I am on my own and ended up in Tallahassee at La Quinta again, mostly because my experience with the two other dog friendly motels didn't go so well. The Days Inn in Perry got these horrible reviews re cleanliness and cockroaches, etc. All the days Inn's I've considered fare very poorly in the internet reviews. I guess it is a chain in decline.

But the Chaparral Inn takes the cake. $40, met that criteria. I call and get this female montone "Yessssss?" "Is this the Chaparral Inn?" "Yesssss" "Can I book a room tonight?" "$45." "I also have a dog." "That's an extra 10." "Okay." A pause, then "Okay, goodbye." Click. She hung up on me! I guess I was just supposed to show up.

So I decided to push on to civilization. Tallahassee, a college town. A very pretty country drive thru small towns and rolling acres of orange groves and horse farms and not many cars. But I've got to tell you. Norman said when I got into SW Georgia I would find a real redneck, rightwing area and should watch what I say. Well, you don't have to wait for Georgia. Northern interior Florida will do just fine.

And I got back to my AM radio thing. I was really bummed out because every station was either right wing talk or right wing evangelical christian radio. Until I found one station that had this guy called Mike Smerconish. He's out of Phillie. And he's a Republican, so that's how he get's on in the south. But he voted for Obama and he's moderate. Hey, moderate's okay after what I've been putting up with.

This area of Florida for retirement. Not a keeper.

2/7/10--Visiting Old Friends

Well, today was a time to visit old friends, Norman in Bonita Springs and Gene and Linda in Naples.

Norman lives in a gated community called Bonita Bay and spends his days playing tennis or golf and is very happy spending the winter in Florida and the summer in Bethany Beach, Delaware. What a life. I practiced law with Norman for a few years and never thought he would retire because he is one of those type As who always has to be moving. But he has slid into retirement quite well. I applaud him. Plus he picked up the tab for lunch. He is the lean guy above with the golden retriever.

Gene and Linda are more "of the people". No gated community for them, although they do live on the second hole of the local golf course. Gene is the guy who mentored my wife thru her professional career, and is therefore most responsible for our own future retirement. Thank you, Gene. Carol , our friend from Maine, was visiting Gene and Linda and we all had a good time chatting in what I believe is called a "Florida" room.

Tomorrow on to Lake Mary before Peg leaves for Bangor and Wallie and I continue our quest.

2/6/10--The Conch Republic

Well, according to Peg, we just spent 2 nights in the only part of Florida worth a spit. Key West is great. We need to spend more time here. And we have the Flatlanders to thank for finding it for us. They are our trailblazers. We send them ahead to check places out for us and they report back.

Stayed at a wonderful B&B called the Bottle Inn run by Mark and Dennis and their dog Casey, who weighed about 8 pounds dripping wet. Wallie liked him. We got in about 1pm and had lunch around the corner at the Azur. I then napped whilst my wife took the Conch train ride around town. She then came back and we had cocktails on the verandah right outside our room. We then napped again. Then had dinner at the Cafe Sole across the street. We then went to bed.

You're all thinking, how exciting. So much sleeping. But that is because thetrip was almost a non-starter. You know those pesky little speed bumps they have in motel parking lots? How many times have you tripped over one? Well, me, too. I fell on my right hand and bent the fingers back so that I could touch the back of my hand. Several hours at the ER to make sure the hand wasn't broken, only badly sprained. Then a sleepless night wishing I had taken the PA up on the prescription for painkillers. But three days later I am much better with splint off.

The next day I was rested and good enough to rent and drive an electric car all over Key West! Wallie liked the wind in his hair. That night was spent down on the harbor sipping mojitos and watching the sunset.

So you too can own part of this idyllic place. Just $900,000 will buy a one thousand foot bungelow on an interior side street!

You won't believe this! Wallie couldn't. Seems that cockfighting used to be big down here, until they needed some federal money during the Depression, and they had to mend some of their ways. So they freed all of the fighting chickens. Just let them go. And they now wonder the streets like stray alley cats.