One year ago today: April 30, 2020, plainly a rushed post.
Five years ago today: April 30, 2016, less than an hour.
Nine years ago today: April 30, 2012, only three radios.
Random years ago today: April 30, 2015, Deland, Florida.
This morning’s feeds are alive. Which means there’s more pleasure in ignoring them. Many Google stay-home workers would rather quit, they say, than go back to the office. Not only does that tell you about the Google atmosphere, but the fewer Google mentalities in the world, the better. It say’s here for $106 a year somebody will tell me how to make money on the Internet. Say again. Technology magazine says the yuan will not replace the petrodollar as the world’s currency. Ha, just you wait until the Biden administration exports the latest in money-printing know how.
Now I say again, this blog is not political in that I’m not taking sides. It only seems that way because I lean toward mentioning idiots. You get to choose who they are. The Bidenistas didn’t help their cause knocking over their political opponents under the guise of “security”. And how about that Trump. He’s being urged to hold more MAGA rallies and I think he’ll do it. But, but, he’s not running for anything, they will scream. And scream. We get it, if Trump uses the rallies to raise money, it will put any future campaign coffers over the top. Sure, the left will say he stole millions, like a billionaire needs to try that. I’m watching to see if the RINOs say the same because they want us to think the money given to them is the same as for Trump. This could be another fun watch.
Here’s another non-political item, but I know these days it is hard to tell the difference. The police were called to a Texas event because someone was flying a Trump flag. The potential “crime” is you can’t pressure anything too close to a polling booth. But coupled with the video which shows the flags in the middle of an empty park and that is was the Democrat candidate who called the police, it went nowhere. But that’s not the news. The news is that the police responded in the way they did. A simple quiet drive-past would show there was no “electioneering” going on, yet the made it into a spectacle.
Lab grown insect meat.
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IOff to Palatka and an ice cold beer at Steamboat Willies. Nope, not the big franchise, but a tiny college pub in the old downtown. I forgot about how close the route through Clemont got to the traffic jam some people call Disneyworld. On this 170 mile trip, it took nearly three hours to make the first 55 miles, including a ten minute stop for coffee in Davenport. I’ve been on stretches of this scenic route by motorcycle, one of the few areas in Florida with hills. Which brought me to Howey-In-The-Hills.
Why look, there’s some spry old guy at the riverbank fountains, seems happy to finally be there. That’s the St. Johns river back there, one of the few on earth that flows north. Trent snapped this scene, he reports the river is a sunken bay. That might also explain why it is so wide for its short length. I’d arrived a day earlier and scouted the terrain. It’s another dying little ex-tourist town. The architecture is 1900s and earlier. Lot’s of character, but nobody can afford the rent. Two out of three buildings are vacant.
Not too concerned with urban decline last evening, I parked near the river and did a walking tour of such of the downtown as is left. Weird planning, Main Street is a residential area. I walked around till past dark. Nothing’s going to bring these towns back short of a miracle, and that would not include striking oil because even that is banned in Florida. Except on the Indian reservations, but they make so much off the casinos, the oil is just a backup.
On the way, I heard some country music and followed it to “Steamboat Willies”, but not the franchise or restaurant thing. Just a tiny pub and there must be a college nearby. My kind of joint, small, character, and a younger crowd, though not by the standards of my day. The drinking age is 21, which would have meant all grad students in my day. These were the bunch that had maybe failed a course or two and demonstrated greatly the change that has come over the campus crowd. Still, it is a lively crowd and a few women came over to chat.
There’s that old guy again, peeking in the window next day. None of these businesses have signs that light up, maybe a city ordinance. Free street parking, free WiFi, but sit at the bar as all the tables wobble. It’s a Florida thing. It’s not a big deal, but there is a natural pecking order on campus and this crowd were probably arts majors. It could be the age difference since my days, but it seems to me college for those people was not as much fun as it should be. A few of the older ones, meaning 23 or 23 years of age, were obviously husband-hunting but the boys would have none of it. They had billiards and TV sports on the brain.
The temperature dropped to the mid-70s, so I crashed at the Wal*Mart RV lot. What a lovely snooze, as the extra few inches of legroom and headroom make a difference. I had looked around for a late-night coffee shop, but that’s wishful thinking in these small towns. Why go out for coffee when you have a 72” TV? Next morning I found a Dunkin, but they had no power outlets. The van is wired, but I’ve already learned you have to keep the motor running to be on the safe side. And with gas prices nearing $4 per gallon that’s one expensive way to charge your laptop.
ADDENDUM
This is a “triple duplex” wall plate cover. They were everywhere when I began my renovations. Now, nowhere to be found. They have become a specialty item, priced at around $5 each. And I’ll be needed 18 of them. No overall savings on this project. The computer all alone requires six and most of the shed outlets are triples. To anyone who goes on-line and has no trouble finding faraway suppliers, now find them in light almond.
