One year ago today: May 26, 2014, fake ATM cover.
Five years ago today: May 26, 2010, I examine Amtrak.
Six years ago today: May 26, 2009, I’m cobbling.
MORNING
Here’s proof we made Yeehaw Junction. See the Toyota cab? The famous Desert Inn, named by a Florida real estate agent because there is no desert, inn, or restaurant on the premises. But there is a bar and we arrived about noon, just as JZ developed a thirst. We hauled out of Deland just about checkout time and did morning coffee in the truck as we headed south. It was regrets time to see Deland fading over the horizon.
Who is whistling a different tune? JZ, who, when we started out said he regretted not “staying at home and sitting this one out”. Ha! As usual, he had the time of his life and wants to head back there for a decent spell. I take that to mean a month. Rent a place for a month and really do the town.
You see, there is something there he cannot resist. Single, unmarried, available, friendly white women. He was in paradise and said I could tell you so. Man, he had babes dressed like angels holding the door saloon doors open for him. That would be “Issues”, the club he super likes for some reason. Probably that dill pickle show last Saturday night. I have not gone drinking since then, so maybe he’s got more tales to tell.
The Desert Inn, that’s the house of ill repute. It’s got itself an historical designation and all, I like the hardwood floors, polished to a gleam. It’s a dollar to use the restroom. I figure that’s fair. Whoever lives out there is already on the fringe of civilization, you shouldn’t expect them to mop the pee for free.
NOON
“Happiness if having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.” --George Burns
After pointing out the cheap properties and hidden speed zone of Okeechobee, JZ and I made the obligatory stop at the “Serenity”. The coffeehouse on main run by some plain-clothes hippies. It’s a custom. Once JZ caught on that in these small towns, you had to drive in the correct lane before you made a turn, we got on okay. Good, because the police and troopers were so thick they actually had my buddy wearing his seat belt.
I have experience at this. In my second year, I had the only single room in the dormitory. So any gal who got locked out or came home and found here roommate busy generally wound up in my room, 213. See, I told you that number 213 kept cropping up in my life. Anyway, here is a picture of our hotel room that cost us only $35 per night.
Hence, Deland is the longest trip we’ve made. Twice as long, twice as far, and twice as expensive. In the final tally, we shelled out $325 each and I was too busy to itemize. It was $105 each for the room, and $40 each for gas. So not bad, we went through $180 each in three days. JZ headed out more, I only went out twice, but one of those times I was treating Peggy to champagne brunch.
Right now, we are moving fast to beat the rush hour traffic southbound on I-95. You can thus conclude we are winding up one hell of a great vacation in sunny downtown Deland, Florida.
EVENING
Home safe and sound, in the end I never did get the usual postcards mailed. My lasting impressions of Deland for the trip? Gazebos. The town is full of them, they're everywhere. Here's a handsome chap posing on the gazebo just outside the Amtrak station. I also noted that, in general, the early morning joggers of Deland are far prettier than what's left in the south. There are more used bookstores and lots of thrifts in the area, although there was no time to tour them this trip.
The best part of the journey is the one I can give the fewest details, but it was that surprisingly active and progressive club, "Da Vinci's", it is too much club for too little town. It is, with my record, entirely possible that I hit town on the only two nights of the year the entertainment were superb. Still, there can be no doubt Deland is a clean and traditional area with what crime there is confined to a small and conspicuous area or two. Both a good distance south of the campus grounds.
The climate is healthier in the summer, being above that frost line. It still gets hot, but there are longer morning and evening periods of wonderful weather for those of us that don't like ice and snow. Don't trust the bus system and yes, most of the town shut down for the long weekend. Including the military museums, which I found odd. We walked around the grounds anyway. If anyone remains unaware, JZ & I are strong pacifists and I am a supreme isolationist as well. Get out of Viet Nam and anything even remotely like Viet Nam.
Togla goes surfing.
