St. George Island

It has been a while since I've posted and I sure have missed it.  Thanks for coming back for another look!

November 24, 2010  Had a great lunch in Adel, GA, with high school classmate Chokey Stines.  He's the Chief Assistant District Attorney in that part of the world and I wish I'd had more time to hear more stories.  He treated me to the best barbecue in south Georgia and it sure was good.  I regret not remembering to take a photo of Chokey.
   I left Adel and headed toward Moultrie before going due south toward Tallahassee.  Boy did that bring back memories!  When I was stationed at Moody AFB, Valdosta, GA in the '70's, I often had runway supervisory duties at a small airstrip at Spence Field near Moultrie.  There was, and still is I understand from Chokey, a hangar there that manufactures Maul aircraft, know for being excellent bush planes.  I toured it when on duty there during rainy days and it was something to see.  Chokey knew the owners and said he might could get me a ride in a Maul, but alas, not this time.  He also invited me on a canoe float down the Suwanee River on Friday, but I had to pass on that - just too much additional driving in a short time.

After arriving on St. George's and getting set up, I headed to Eddie Teach's Raw Bar, my favorite hangout from previous visits.  I had 2 dozen raw oysters and a couple of Boddington's, a real treat, though too pricey to do again.  The next day I bought 5 dozen for $13, plus some fresh shrimp and the feasting began!  With no TV, no cell phone, no computer, I went outside and enjoyed the stars in the quiet night.   Later that night I went on a scooter ride to the end of the island, past the locked gate, and enjoyed the moonlight and the sound of the ocean.  There were horizontal layers of fog floating by, giving everything a very eerie glow.  I thought about riding naked, but it was just too cold!  A high school friend said my blog is boring and figured that would spice it up a bit!

Hawk in tree looking for fish

November 25, 2010, Thanksgiving Day  I took a long walk on the beach and laughed and cried and sang!  It was great!  I ate most of the oysters I'd bought, either raw or roasted over the open fire.  The raw ones I enjoyed with horseradish and Tiger Sauce, and the roasted ones with herb stuffing.  And, of course, the shrimp for an appetizer.  My beer for that day was Sweetwater 420's, a fine brew.  Later I went to Teach's for a Boddington and wifi.  My mind was filled with thoughts of all the things I'm thankful for and it was a very long list.

November 26, 2010  My good golfing buddy, John Hohn, had his novel published and I finished it today.  What a fine read!  It's titled   "Deadly Portfolio: A Killing in Hedge Funds".  However, the editor and publisher did a lousy job of proofreading and it's filled with errors.  Later that morning I rode the Burg to Panama City, through Mexico Beach, and that had a few memories.  While stationed at Moody, Diane, the kids and I went there for a weekend getaway and I came down with chickenpox at 20 some years old!  Barbara and Derick had them the weeks before, then it was my turn and they got to tell me "don't scratch, don't scratch!"  It was not fun.

   Panama City brought back some memories, too, as I lived there a while when I was 10.  It was there that I got my first model airplane with an engine and that started my passion to become a pilot.  While wandering on the scooter I stumbled across a locally owned restaurant with a long waiting line named Hunt's Oyster Bar.  It was awesome!  Raw oysters on the half-shell were $4.75 and the grouper sandwich was a prize winner. 
   The ride was long and good and the only excitement was seeing 2 eagles and a guy on a crotch rocket passing me at 65 while doing a wheelie.  Idiocy knows no bounds!

The solitude began to wear on me toward the end of my stay and the last night there was not a good one.  Suffice it to say that I had too much to drink and lost my glasses; then got a late start for Sarasota the next day, which put me here after dark wearing sunglasses, my only remaining prescription lenses.  So, no more liquor, period.  Just not worth it anymore. 

I'm glad to be in Sarasota and am enjoying a new club, Loners on Wheels.  As the name implies, it's for RVers who travel alone.  Last night was my first encounter with these folks and it was a good one.  There's a pot luck this afternoon, followed by karaoke at the bar tonight and some tours tomorrow.  The activities at Sun n Fun are endless and I'll get involved in several next week, including golf and line dancing.  And I hope to see my sister, Barbara, and her family this weekend.  Life is goooood!