Goodbye Apalachicola, I’m heading home….

Well it was time again to keep moving. As I talked about before I have decided that Bradenton, with it’s faults and and changes was my home. I don’t know where I am going to live but, my crazy life just does what it wants and I am just along for the ride it seems. During the last six months of my travels I sure had a lot of time to think and I did. I thought about dying a thousand miles from my home, I thought what would happen to me? I mean I would be dead and all and I can’t do anything about it, but it was on my mind. Or being in a hospital miles and miles from anyone you know and no way to contact them. My mind kept me on track I guess, but maybe I should have listened to the radio more often HaaaHaaa.

I headed East on 98 towards US 19, and I can tell you it’s a long way. It was a nice drive though, and as I drove this road I couldn’t help think about the Hurricanes this area has endured over the years. And some times it shows. Twisted trees bent by the winds, up rooted and fallen trees that have survived so much. But it’s beautiful there, it’s just unfortunate it has to be the catchers mitt for hurricanes.

I saw flying giant blue crabs and flying great white sharks, I saw tranquil Waterview place to stop and water! It’s a good 3 hour drive from Apalachicola to Perry where 98 and 19 become one, part of the last link home. I made that right hand turn at Perry ( also know to my FSU friends as a important place on their travels back and forth to school). It was all downhill from here, it’s been 6 months away from Florida and I missed it.

Like I said I had no idea what I was going to do once I arrived, so I winged it. I stayed at my buddy Mac’s house one night or maybe two, then I contacted a couple friends here about a temporary place to stay. My good friend David on the island told me I could stay in his little place at his house, a really cool little place he had built for his daughter when see was in college. Perfect, I am one lucky guy to have such amazing friends! I spoke with my friends in Naples who were happy to hear I was back as they needed me to dog sit in a week in Naples. Perfect, when my week was up at David’s I headed to Naples.

It was a great welcome home as I went through Hurricane Helene in Naples and not were I had stayed on the island. In Naples not much happened, just another storm down here. Meanwhile my island was being destroyed. When I got back after the storm I found out that the place I stayed at on the island was flooded and the main house frist floor was flooded with water and sand. It was horrible. I felt so bad, David was so good to me and now I was helpless to help him.

At the same time I needed a home. I didn’t have a lot of choices due to my money situation, but I started the search. I had checked out a place before I left, but was kind of scary, not bad but needed some love. I spoke with my friend Chris who had told me that the place I saw before I left was still available and had be fixed up with new windows and paint. I said I would check it out again. I was happily surprised when I went to see it, looked like a new place. As the owners and I talked we found a interesting connection. First the owners were a father and son who owned the place had connections to Beall’s department stores. The father was married to one of the Bealls family daughters. That’s when I was blown away. He knew my mom!!! He said to me when we met “you are Martha’s son?” I said yes sir, she worked there about 50 years. He then told me how when the word got out at corporate( where my mom worked, she was (“accounts audit” for the corporation until she retired at 89 years old.) that Martha had brought in something she baked they all could be found at her desk. I couldn’t stop smiling. We talked and came to a deal that worked for me and them, I looked at him and said ” this is wild, Beall’s took care of my mom for close to 50 years and now you are helping me”. I was so thankful.

I moved in to my place in a cool location downtown called The Village of The Arts, or VOTA. Close to my long time friend Dave who owns Cottonmouth soul food restaurant I have found my pad. I moved in just in time to test the place during our next Hurricane Milton, The place is part of a 100 year old house, I just figured it has been through it’s share of storms already what is one more. After a crazy night, I woke up in my bed and the lights were on! Unfortunately many of my frends didn’t have power and it would be days before they did. The house survived and so did I. I knew I was home again and for good.

I can’t thank my friends and family enough that helped this trip come to fruition. I talked about it for years, running away from home and traveling while I can and I did it. I thought a lot about my dad on this trip and the vacations we took with him driving. We went as far west as Colorado, as far north as Montreal and as far south as Miami. He liked to drive for sure, loved to drive , but hated to stop once he started. I thought about how I was 66 years old when I took on this trip, he took his last road trip when he was 64 or 65, he died when he was 66. It struck me as I drove through Indiana like I had done so many times as a kid that I believed my father knew something was wrong medically but of course never said anything. He wanted to make that trip to Indiana one more time and he did not realizing ( or he did) he had a brain tumor growing in his head that would take his life a little over a year later. So this trip meant a lot to me, and I know that some of my friends didn’t understand why I wanted to do this. But I did it, it was a challenge for me in so many ways, from not really having a plan, to driving a truck with over 290,000 miles on it and doing it with friends who thought I was nuts but where still there for me. Knowing in their hearts that I would be back, even though I didn’t. Thanks to my cousins that welcomed me into their homes, fed me and gave me shelter. I love you all as you are all I have left. Those were the people I wanted to see and I knew my Mom was right there with me while we visited, listening to the stories they told about my parents. The people I met and the friends that I was able to see were awesome and they will never be forgotten. I did it, I accomplished something! I am Home …