JULY 24, 2016
“Greg, have you changed your plans once again?”
I’M SURE YOU’RE CONFUSED. You supported me when I was deathly ill. After almost nine months, you celebrated my return to health. I made new friends and enjoyed extraordinary medical care. Florence and I became closer than ever before.
LEVIN PAPANTONIO LAW FIRM. One of the country’s top law firms, Levin Papantonio has won more than $3 billion dollars in jury verdicts and settlements. The firm has been in business more than 60 years. Fred Levin is best known for rewriting Florida’s Medicaid Third-Party Recovery Act to allow the State of Florida to sue and recover billions of dollars from the tobacco industry for smoking related illnesses. His legal work on this matter made him one of the wealthiest men in Florida. Makes sense, his fees in that one case alone were more than $300 million. And now, believe it or not, I’m working with this firm on a case that I referred. This will require us to stay in the area longer than expected, but what a fitting cap to my legal career this will be!
PENSACOLA HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME. All of this happened in Pensacola, Florida. It’s been a good run. But Florence and I were anxious to get on the road once I became physically able. And able I am. So I told you guys to hold your horses and give me a few days to get down the road a few hundred miles. I told you I’d begin my attempts at education and tongue-in-cheek humor again then. But for heaven’s sake, just wait a couple of weeks, won’t you?
My friend Julie said this picture looks like it was caught on tape when I was robbing an all night convenience store!
CHANGED MY MIND. But all that’s changed. And as those of you who subscribe to my blog know, one of the things that make our Great American Adventure truly an adventure is that we’re constantly mixing it up, changing our plans, making new friends, discovering new sights, enjoying Americana and generally acting like a couple of carefree teenage gypsies! Indeed, there are hundreds of you who now subscribe to my blog. In fact I’ve welcomed almost 130,000 visitors to this website over the past few years. Thank you. Keep coming back! What’s changed? We’ve got a puppy joining us on Thursday when we pick her up at the Pensacola International Airport to join our family and our Adventure. We’ve made some really special new friends and we’re trying to arrange some time together with them on the road. We are making a few cosmetic repairs to our motorhome and we’re doing a thorough cleaning and organizing of all things travel. Doing this was to have occurred last winter in Gulf Shores, but I took a slight detour via three hospitals and a brush with death. Better late than never: Let’s get organized now, since we couldn’t do it then. We’ll be here for another three or four weeks while we take our time and get all this done. Then we’re off to Maine with some friends and after that…who knows. As always, your comments and suggestions are most welcome.
Chris and his son Jack arrived in the space next to ours this evening. They bought a Westcraft trailer in California and are on their way home in the southern part of Florida.
1950 Westcraft Trailer. This is a classic and a true collector’s piece.
Wood levelors cover the bedroom window in this classic trailer.
WESTCRAFT TRAILERS. Westcraft manufactured two different brands of trailers. Their Westcraft line of trailers featured the “pullman style tops” The early Westcrafts had wood framing with screwed on exterior skins while the later models had aluminum wall framing with riveted exterior skins.Their Westwood line had a more traditional flat roof and some models had all or partial wood wall framing and screwed on aluminum skins. Some Westwood Coronados had the skin rivited to an aluminum framework. There are examples of 1946 Westwood Coronados having the aluminum screwed to an all wood frame. The Westwood Montecito had the skin screwed to a wood frame. All Westcrafts were painted trailers.
The bedroom sports a twin bed. This was a big deal in 1950.
Florence and I felt right at home in this classic trailer. We were just three years old when this trailer was built.
Look at the old fashioned detail on this trailer. The walls and ceiling are all made from real wood.
They sure don’t make them like this any longer. Chris said all the way along his drive here from California, people complimented him on the trailer. I know the feeling. Florence had a vintage 1952 MG auto for a long time. When we’d drive it with the top down to the beach, which we liked to do during the summertime, cars would honk, and pedestrians would wave. What fun.
Come on, Florence. We’ve got to run. Chris and Jack were driving for 11 hours today and they desperately need to get some rest before they continue their trip home in the morning!
TERRY AND CHERYL ANN. A couple days ago we met some folks we really like. In fact we like them so much we’re hoping to get together with them at the end of August and tandem drive to Maine for another look around that beautiful state. Terry and I have so much in common, including having grown up about 2 miles from each other, that it’s almost scary. It’s rare, in my experience, to meet a guy and within a couple of hours have laughed, almost cried, dined and made plans to tandem travel. I’m blessed to have had this opportunity and when we hook up with these two delightful new friends, you’ll learn more about them. Stay tuned.
Sunrise at Pensacola RV Park, where we met Terry and Cheryl Ann. This is a family-owned park and there are lots of good southern folks who come here year after year. It’s not fancy, but the way we’re treated by the owners is amazing. We’re all one big family. For example, there is no lock on the freezer where the ice bags are stored.
We had dinner at a local family owned restaurant Terry and Cheryl Ann knew about. Boy was the food good. Saturday, starting at about 3:30 in the afternoon, the prime rib comes out of the oven. And we made a pretty good dent in it, I assure you. In addition to everything else we have in common, Terry and I both like to cook. I’ve always dreamed of owning a small restaurant and Terry has already done it. Amazing!
Terry and Cheryl Ann. They have a beautiful coach and a beautiful outlook on life. We’re fortunate to have met them. Everything seems to happen for a reason. You guys are going to like these new friends when you meet them in the Fall.
THANKS FOR JOINING US. We hope you’ll return soon. And in the meantime be good to yourself. Because even though you’re sure what tomorrow holds for you, believe me you don’t have a clue. My story is evidence of that. So do a random act of kindness. Say hello to a stranger. Put a smile on your face and before long you’ll have one in your heart. Dance as if no one’s watching. Sing in the shower. Trust me, you want to follow my advice. If you’ve followed my blog you’ll understand why. If you haven’t already subscribed, please do so right now before you forget.
I’ll continue my story next time.
Go for it!