One year ago today: May 20, 2015, bye-bye Sweden.
Five years ago today: May 20,, 2011, she was.
Nine years ago today: May 20, 2007, on Aristotle Onassis.
Random years ago today: May 20, 2013, at the old estate.
9:23 AM
Started driving toward Alligator Alley. This is a high-speed trip without the camper pod. Some lady tailgated me for twenty miles, seeming able to guess when I wanted to change lanes or take a ramp, just laying on her horn. Like I was in her way.
The gimps at the highways department have been on 595 again. It is a confusing tangle of roads where you cannot keep in the same travel lane without getting channeled off into some useless shopping district that has no place to turn around. This is a permanent feature of 595 (Alligator Alley). You have to know which road you want, there are no signs.
9:53 AM
At the mile 66 marker near South Bay, one of those Florida nothings that gets all the road signs. Like Haines City. Most people in Florida never heard of these places, but they still keep posting mileages to them. A virtually perfect day, I’m averaging 64 mph.
10:23 AM
Passing through Clewiston. Construction delays of around twenty minutes. Nothing to see there, and be warned the “Okeechobee Scenic Trails” have no places where you can see the lake. You have to find a place to ascend to the top of the levee, and there are very few such spots. They are not marked on any maps.
10:53 AM
Stop for gas in Moore Haven, the prison town. The traditional Burger King stop is out, the place has closed down. I had trouble finding gas as the out of business stations have also left their signs up. I had to pull in and out of two places, with the local police laughing at my antics. Hey, maybe I made their day.
11:23 AM
Biscuits and gravy in Lake Placid, the traditional stopping spot. However, once I move, it is too close to remain a regular. The sidecar was an immense hit, as usual though, it is always guys who want to talk while the women wonder what the fuss is about. Well, 99 women out of 100, I mean. I’m looking for that 1 who hops in and tells me where we are going.
I am making very good time on the open road. Light traffic. I point out that although the speed limits are lower than on the freeway, the travel time is the same due to fewer trucks and lunatics on the pavement. Trucks are still a problem.
11:53 AM
I took the Zolfo Springs highway to avoid the red lights of Sebring. I stopped for a cold drink, noticing the wind was picking up and a cloudy horizon over the Gulf. I made the phone calls, then headed north into an increasingly stiff cross-wind. The sidecar is heavy enough to stay stable, but a side wind can really buffet your ride.
12:23 PM
North of Fort Meade, I hit a downpour, but at least the wind quit. Into the nearest gas station to ride it out under the canopy. I had donned my rain jacket, but not the trousers, which have no pocket slits or fly. In the two minutes it took to get off the highway, I was soaked to the bone. The rain lasted nearly an hour.
12:53 PM
Into the real estate office, I plunked down the required escrow fee. Then directly to the Sweet Magnolia for coffee and potato soup. I calculate under ideal conditions, it is therefore a 3-1/2 highway trip from here to the trailer court. Here’s where I remind everyone that although the new place is not a mobile home, it is also not a real house. It is a one-bedroom cabin, complete with sagging floor and termites.
But it is going to last a lot longer than I am.
Hubble repair launch.
NOON
The water and electric had been inspected. There was a note to turn the water on, which I had to call JZ for instructions, but that works. The electric is a city bill and after chasing around, I was too late to have it connected today. However, the old owner, who has a lot of gear stored in the sheds, came over to say hello. He was nice enough to let me run an extension cord to his shed so I can stay overnight.
I’m going to have to tent the place for those termites and right after that go furniture shopping. I had not really gone over the building, if you recall this is the one that was advertised as a two bedroom, but was just a single. There are hardwood floors, but sagging—but there are no soft spots. The place is good for another fifty years.
If you see pictures, then I bothered to buy camera batteries. Since the only furniture is a sofa, I crashed on that. With the savings in motel money, I bought fans, lights, a case of juice, towels, pillow, and went downtown. There was some sort of celebration on main street.
Lot of antique cars, live band, and once again the total absence of young pretty women between 18 and 38. As expected, some of these local musicians are incredibly good. The area itself is prosperous and it shows in the details. I took a half hour and drove around all the main areas and historic district. The cooler weather is noticeable and welcome. I am on the Florida central plain.
The area is very Texas-like, absent are the scrawny cypress trees and swamp growth of the Everglades. The lakes are plentiful and every last one is surrounded by private dwellings except for the city parks. The parks are actually in use and you see people praying before they eat at McDonald's.
Jacques Chirac: Peace, 1996. Jacques is the dude who kept France out of the European Union, created Freedom Fries by refusing US overflights to bomb Iran, and detonated a hydrogen bomb in the anniversary of Hiroshima. Oddly, he was a French rarity, a leader who got things done, earning him the nickname of “Bulldozer”.
Even more oddly, he would probably be a hero to many as France’s Donald Trump for deporting their unwanteds, but Jacques forgot these ones owned all the newspapers, same as they do in America. So that makes him a bad guy, right?
NIGHT
I took the evening off, stopping for a few downtown. As usual, the staff takes time to get used to someone who is reading and writing. I was scribbling down some preliminaries and measurements. The place needs everything from curtains to chairs. I returned home just after dark to some real peace and quiet. Finally. Although I’m still near some street lamps, I could see the stars and constellations from the back yard.
It was quiet. I could hear the frogs. There are a few dozen feral cats in the neighborhood, nothing I can do about that. I saw raccoon poop in the back yard, I’ll spread some deterrent around. That zig-zag fence in the back yard is a dog pen, on my property. There is a garden area and plenty of room for a 12x18 work shed or a double garage.
Across the back is an empty field. The main air conditioner turns out to be a heat pump, so that solves any cold winter day issues. Besides, define cold in Florida. The appliances and water heater are all new Whirlpool. I bought a Popular Mechanics magazine and sat in my own living room, reading my self to sleep. Ahhhhhh.
ADDENDUM
Here’s picture of a windmill in Estonia. Wiki says the mills were originally to grind grain, but have since been “adapted for many other usages”. Like what? Photography?
Anyway, I heard on the overhead about the Egyptian airliner incident. I’m with Trump, assume such episodes are terrorism and you’ll rarely be wrong. Of course, all the establishment brainwashed clones jumped on him, but they have become self-destructive. It is so obvious they are anti-Trump as they try to pretend they are the reasonable ones, only out to see justice served.
Yeah, served on a gold plate paid for by people who voted for them to do one thing while they do another. They sense their comfortable existence is about to come to an end as they bark like stray dogs about Trump no obeying their self-serving little rulebook.
Last Laugh
WIP
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