Mobile Carnival Museum…
“Sticky Fingers Fred”
NEXT IN MY “BOOK-SIGNING SERIES.” This is next in the series about notable clients I’ve 
represented during my 34 years-long career as a litigation attorney. These were clients who’s stories I’ve selected to appear in separate chapters of the book I’m writing about “My Life in Court.” When I introduced you to this series recently I didn’t anticipate posting to it frequently. Although their stories are just tangentially related to our motorhome travel across America they are still part of the journey. Accordingly, this morning when I read a “Sports Illustrated” magazine article which mentioned Fred, I couldn’t couldn’t resist the temptation to reminisce. Now…enough about my blog. Let’s begin today’s story.
Categories: Alabama, Florida, History, My Book Deal, People
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Sentimental Journey into the South…
JUNE 7, 2016
Logo: York Tours of Pensacola and the Florida Panhandle.
A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY. You guys know that our friend Jon, who’s lived in the South his entire life, has been taking us around and showing us the sights. And his “tours” are lots better than what Gray Line has to offer. Those bus tours are better than nothing in a pinch, when we find ourselves in a city new to us with nobody handy to show us around. But they are geared to the typical tourist, kind of the lowest common denominator of folks visiting town. Often as a result they are pretty basic. I’ve remarked that “when you scratch the surface, you get more surface.” Contrast “York Tours of Pensacola.” I’ve told Jon he should open a tour company and that he’d make a small fortune every day in tips!
Categories: Florida, History, Holidays, People, Scenic Byways
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DJI Phantom 4 Camera Drone…
June 6, 2016
Official DJI Phantom 4 Drone photo.
JUST A MATTER OF TIME. I knew it. I just knew it. Florence and I have been married a long while. I have an uncanny ability to predict her next move. I’ve got a respectable batting average. I’m right about 85 % of the time. So, I figured it would be just a matter of time until she purchased a camera drone.
From the first time we saw a drone pilot maneuvering his aircraft gingerly above a stream one afternoon last fall, there was really no doubt in my mind that we’d become proud owners some day. These little aircraft really are phenomenal! They’re fun to fly and fun to watch. But most important for us and for those of you who follow my blog, drones can carry cameras. And those cameras capture spectacular video footage. Dramatic footage that’s impossible to get any other way. So folks, the Blog posts here at Great American Adventure are about to get much more interesting, very soon. Consider this post a preview of coming attractions.
Categories: Florida
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Another Blue Ribbon Tour of Pensacola…
Jon should be a professional tour bus driver. He’d make a fortune in tips!
ANOTHER BLUE RIBBON TOUR. You’ve already met Jon York, our friend and the one who’s made our stay in Pensacola the best it could be. The tour he gave us today was “top of the line.” In fact it was “over the top.” The guy is something else. Just when we think he’s already outdone himself and shown us all that Pensacola has to offer, we’ve been mistaken. And now it’s become obvious that he’s been saving the best for last, as we’ll soon be leaving the area to resume our Great American Adventure. We anticipate a bittersweet departure. We’re excited about getting on the road again, because we’ve been “grounded” for so long on my doctors’ orders that I take plenty of time to recover under their supervision. But we’ll definitely miss seeing Jon regularly. We’ve gotten used to hearing his cheery voice every day or two, when he inevitably announces another activity he’s planned. We’re hoping to arrange a “meeting down the road.” Jon takes a 3 or 4 month trip in his motorhome each year. so, we’re exploring the possibility of meeting him for a few days when we our paths cross at the end of the year. It looks as if we will be heading west toward Texas as Jon heads east returning home to Florida. We’ll see what develops.
We’re hoping to meet Jon “on the road” for a few days at the end of the year. Here’s a photo of Florence pouring over the map to see where our routes might intersect. Florence does all the navigating and I do all the driving. With a rig as large as ours, we’ve found that it’s a two person job getting safely from one spot to the next. Thank goodness for GPS and for the Trip Adviser Software we use for navigating. See my Travel Tips Page for more about Trip Adviser.
Jon and Florence, posing as we begin today’s tour. Notice the electronic controller my wife’s holding. It’s a preview of things to come right here at our Great American Adventure.
OUR TOUR GUIDE, AS ALWAYS. A couple months ago I introduced you to our friend in Pensacola, Jon York. Remember him? I met him via my blog last Fall. After reading my very first blog entry dated June 3, 2013, he learned that I’m a Rail-hound and suggested that we plan a visit to the Nevada Northern Railway in Ely, Nevada. Believe it or not, after successfully completing grueling a two-day class on freight train operation, I’ll be eligible to pilot a full size, real-life, formerly-retired vintage freight train locomotive for a 28 mile run down the tracks on the main line right there in Ely. l mean hands-on the throttle, hands-on the brake and hands-on the whistle driving. I know, it’s hard to imagine. Check it out at the Nevada Norther Railway website and see for yourselves.
Categories: Alabama, Alligators, Armed Forces, Eateries, Florida, Florida, History, Jeep, Museums, People, Places, Railroad, Scenic Byways
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The King and His Court…
Eddie Feigner. 1946.
FIRST IN AN OCCASIONAL SERIES. This blog was never intended to be strictly a “travelogue.” Remember, this is more than a chronicle of our journey across America. Today’s post is the first in an occasional series about specific chapters in the book I’m writing, “My Life in Court.” You remember, don’t you? I told you a long time ago about my book. It’s a memoir about my career as a trial lawyer. (A memoir is different than an autobiography. It’s devoted to one aspect of the writer’s life…in my case the 35 years I spent as an attorney in San Diego. An autobiography is about the writer’s entire life. Trust me…I’m not working on an autobiography. My entire life story would bore you to tears!) It’s about my clients and others I met during those years. Read more
Categories: Alabama, Florida, History, My Book Deal, People
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Memorial Day Weekend…
May 30, 2016
Our flag on display at National Cemetery. Naval Air Station, Pensacola.
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States. A federal mandate years ago set the observance on the last Monday of May, creating a long weekend for most Americans. Since it’s also the traditional beginning of the summer season, many folks don’t seem to know or care about the history of the holiday. For them, it’s nothing more than a long weekend to grill burgers or travel and visit with friends. For us, it’s a little different than that. Please think of this Memorial Day as more than a beach-side, grill-side day off from work.
CONSIDER THIS. Attend a local ceremony, thank a veteran, or reach out to the family of a deployed or wounded service member. Florence and I spent yesterday afternoon enjoying ourselves at nearby Pensacola Beach. Today, our friend Jon gave us a tour of both St. Michael’s Cemetery and the National Military Cemetery at Naval Air Station, Pensacola. Tomorrow, we’re going to take our Jeep for a drive in the country. A good mix, we think, of paying respect to our fallen heroes and also relaxing on the Emerald Coast. Read more
Categories: Armed Forces, Florida, History
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Cooking Class at SoGourmet and Kitchenry…
Pensacola, Florida. May 14, 2016
MY STORY CONTINUES. TODAY I WENT BACK TO SCHOOL. As those of you who follow my blog already know, cooking is my hobby…serious hobby. I’d rather be in the kitchen
cooking for friends than doing just about anything else. I’ve even wondered on occasion how different my life would have been if I’d chosen Culinary School rather than Law School. Maybe I’d have become as well-known as Bobby Flay or Emeril Lagasse. Hopefully not as well-known as Gordon Ramsay! You just never know. I’ve also wondered how I developed such a love for cooking. Was it my Mom’s cooking? Bless her soul, my Mom wasn’t the best cook around so maybe because of that I decided that I’d try to be. Who knows? It’s not important.
Joe Patti’s Seafood Market…
April 29, 2016. Pensacola, Florida.
AN UNLIKELY POST? My story continues with a visit to Joe Patti’s Seafood Market. What’s to post about a seafood market, right? Wrong! Joe Patti’s has become a Pensacola destination for those who
Pensacola’s Parrot Sanctuary and Rescue Park…
April 23, 2016. Pensacola, Florida.
Welcome!
LOCAL ATTRACTIONS. I’m getting stronger every day and I’ll start outpatient rehab at West Florida Rehabilitation Institute next Monday. I’m hoping I’ll get paired again with the therapist I had when I was an inpatient there. Her name is Jackie. An avid swimmer, runner, cyclist and triathlon competitor, she didn’t put up with any of my whining when I complained that she was demanding too much from me. She’s an attractive girl whom I’d guess is in her late twenties and she was “no nonsense.” I liked her at the time and I appreciate her now even more. If she’d not pushed as hard as she did, I doubt I’d be doing as well now as I am doing. Since I’m progressing lots faster than I anticipated, we’re hoping to get back on the road by late July, so we can continue our Great American Adventure much earlier than expected. In the meantime, we’re seeing as many of the sights in the Pensacola area as possible. Those sights include Uncle Sandy’s Macaw Bird Park.
Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola…
Pensacola, Florida. April 18, 2016
A “MUST SEE” ATTRACTION. If your travels ever take you even close to the Florida panhandle, you simply must find time to visit the Naval Aviation Museum, located on base at Pensacola Naval Air Station. As I’ve told you in the past, lots of museums leave me flat…but not this one! More than 150 aircraft on close-up display are but one dimension of the museum’s collection. Weaponry, flight gear, uniforms, medals and decorations add a personal touch to the story of Naval Aviation told here. And the giant screen 4-D theater, the flight simulators…well, I’ll just let you see for yourselves.
At the Museum entrance, bronze statues depict aviators from WW I, WW II, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm.
Categories: Armed Forces, Florida, History, Museums, National Parks, People
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Destin, Florida and Okaloosa Island…
April 4, 2016. Destin, Florida and Okaloosa Island.
MY STORY CONTINUES. About an hour from our temporary digs in Pensacola is the little seaside town of Destin, Florida. Only about
12,000 folks call it home, but more than 5 million people visit annually. Lots of the locals we’ve met have suggested we take the drive and give it a look. So hop in, buckle up and join us. Today’s the day. The weather is beautiful in the Florida Panhandle right now, despite some pretty wicked thunderstorms and tornado watches last week. We’re told the summer months coming up shortly are brutally hot and humid, so this is a good day for an outing before it gets too hot to do anything but sit shoulder-deep in the swimming pool. I mean, when the temperature hits 104 degrees and the humidity is 100%, what else can you do?
Categories: Florida
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Miracles happen…
March 18, 2016. Pensacola, Florida.
There’s no doubt about it!
MY STORY CONTINUES. Do you believe in miracles? You will after you hear this part of my story! The worst part of my nearly fatal illness and brush with death has been the idea of being tethered to a dialysis center for lengthy and unpleasant treatments three times each week for the rest of my life. I wouldn’t be able to get away for a vacation or even a long weekend. Ever. Our Great American Adventure would come to a screeching halt. We’d have to sell our motorhome and decide on a place to retire…close to a dialysis center. But wait! I got a call from my nephrologist a few days ago and he asked me to come to his office right away. He said he wanted to review some recent lab results with me. It sounded a little strange, but this is a doctor whom I like and respect, and who’s going to be a big part of my life for the next six months. When I arrived, he took me into his office and told me “You are a miracle.” He said my kidneys have recovered enough that I no longer will need dialysis! He said this kind of recovery occurs in only about one in a thousand patients! Wow!
Categories: Brush With Death, Florida, Miracles Happen
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Sunday with Annie and Roger…
March 6, 2016. Pensacola, Florida.
Our friends Annie and Roger.
MY STORY CONTINUES WITH OUR FRIENDS ANNIE AND ROGER. Before our plans so drastically changed last November, we had arranged to spend this Winter at the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama along with our friends Annie and Roger. We met them last winter at Buckhorn Lake Resort in the Texas Hill Country, enjoyed their company, and at the end of our stay we all decided to meet and hang out this year in Gulf Shores. We were so looking forward to it. As things turned out, however, Florence and I were unable to spend any time with them because of my illness and prolonged hospital stay.
My Brush With Death…
November 8, 2015. 2:20 PM.
Gulf Shores, Alabama. Bella Terra Resort.
MY BRUSH WITH DEATH. We pulled into Bella Terra Class A Resort at exactly 2:20 pm. on November 8, 2015. I parked our rig and that, literally, is the last thing I remember about the next twelve weeks. I’m told I just slumped and lost consciousness. Florence got me to the nearest hospital by ambulance. I was placed on life support and continued that way for two entire months! All of my organs had stopped functioning. My temperature spiked to 106 degrees and I was placed on an ice mattress. A ventilator did my breathing for me during the next eight weeks. I was fed with a tube into my stomach. My heart stopped beating and I was paddled back to life three times. I was in the Intensive Care Unit for about ten weeks. I was put on dialysis because my kidneys failed. On the first day of my stay, Florence was told I had about 12 hours to live. Bullshit! The hours passed and I was still alive. Days passed and I was still alive. Weeks came and went. After a couple of months when I awoke and was able to understand what was going on, I decided I wasn’t going down without a fight! To hell with the doctors and their predictions of gloom!
Categories: Alabama, Brush With Death, Florida
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Thoroughbred Farms in Marion County, Florida…
NOVEMBER 6, 2015
MY STORY CONTINUES. Tomorrow our coach will be out of the shop and good-to-go. And on Sunday we’ll begin our two-day drive to
Gulf Shores, Alabama, where we’re spending the winter at the beach. So, with just one more day in the state of Florida we decided to visit some of the nearby Thoroughbred Farms in Marion County, which is one of the four major thoroughbred centers in the world. There are six hundred horse farms here and they have produced 45 national champions, 6 Kentucky Derby winners and 20 Breeders’ Cup champions. With over 70,000 pristine acres of breeding and training grounds, Marion County is a “can’t-miss destination” for equine enthusiasts. There are more horses in residence here than anywhere else in the entire country.
We’re jumping for joy!
OCTOBER 28, 2015
MY STORY CONTINUES. We’re jumping for joy today! Having arrived at Alliance Coach in
Wildwood, Florida for what we’d anticipated might be a month-long hotel stay while our coach was having major surgery in the shop, we were delighted to learn this morning that a rather insignificant repair is all that’s needed! We’ll be in and out in a fraction of the time we’d expected. Hooray! Further, the dealership has its own campground for customers, so we can stay in our coach rather than in a hotel. It’s a neat system: On all but major repairs where it’s not feasible, the coaches are “staged” in the campground, taken into the shop in the morning and returned to the campground in the evening. And, customers are invited into the work area to discuss repairs and upgrades as they’re being done by the technicians. I’ve never before seen this system at a dealership, or the extent to which customers are accommodated during the repair process. It’s never any fun having your coach in the shop, but when it’s necessary there couldn’t be a better place than Alliance Coach.
Categories: Florida
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About Greg!
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