One year ago today: January 29, 2023, poor man’s lighthouse.
Five years ago today: January 29, 2019, don’t much like cold.
Nine years ago today: January 29, 2015, a whole new understanding.
Random years ago today: January 29, 2001, an early retirement calculation.
09:23 AM A late start found me on the road through Arcadia. Central Florida is always a mystery and also a very wealthy place. Did you know all those big cattle ranches in Texas raise cows that are born in Florida? The theme of this trip is The Great Ostrich Burger Trek of 2024. The plan is to get JZ out of the house since the guy still thinks you need lots of money to have any adventures. Ha on that one, that’s rich-people think. This house near Waterton, TN got through my filter for having a $25,000 drop. It’s still too expensive at $140,000 but I’ll keep an eye on it. I’m tempted to throw in a lowball of $90 for it. Hell yes, I’d live there.
The traditional Route 66 from Zolfo to Sebring has been pounded into potholes since truckers discovered it, but the road to Arcadia is how a four-lane divided highway. What’s going on? These places are nowheresville.
11:24AM Arriving in Imokalee near noon, I ran into an old problem. No place to buy a coffee except the chain joints. It is a farming community, and the illegals (most of them are) don't drink coffee except in the morning. The machines are there but the afternoon staff does not know how to operate them. I stopped at the local Goodwill and spent $20 as I've already seen all the movies and read all the books over at JZ's place. I called him to confirm the Fuddrucker's was still in business, but he could not get a straight answer out of them if they still served the ostrich burger.
Kim on his home computer.
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12:24PM I’m on my old motorcycle route. And it is gone. All the old places are gone, the land has been bulldozed. Acres of stucco subdivision, thousand of houses 15 feet apart. Empty streets, nobody in the yards, a real nothing existence. It looks like 80% of the land along the roadways, once the scenic route, is being converted to those shit-boxes that sell for $300,000 each. The better winter weather had me roll down the windows and listen to my audio-book, taking in what little scenery is left.
It's always noticeably warmer in Miami, and I always forget how bad the traffic is. Two hours to get there by highway, then two hours to go the last twenty miles. I arrived exhausted, I just don't deal with heavy traffic like I used to. He bought the wrong style of coffee-maker, but that one cup was enough to put me to sleep. IHe was watching documentaries on TV so left me there until past dark. We arrived famished.
You guessed it, no ostrich burger. “We stopped serving those three years ago.” That was meant as an insult, as if we were two old Boomers who did not have the sense to confirm things. Stupid woman manager thinks she isn’t responsible for what the head off office or the web page tells customers. The look on her face was, “yes, but you didn’t confirm it with me” and “you old people shouldn’t believe everything we tell you.” A very third-world attitude, lady.
But, since I now assume these XYZ types are shameless liars, I had a backup plan. The lamb-burger. Took me an hour to eat it all.
