Pit stop in Micanopy

Headed back to my regular stomping grounds today, but couldn't resist stopping in Micanopy for a late lunch.

Ye socks who have yet to visit this historic little town between Gainesville and Ocala are really missing out on a unique little corner of Florida.

And, I have found this is the perfect time of year to visit.

A lot of the old buildings along the main street have questionable air conditioning, if any at all . . . but, that's NO issue in late February!

Anyway, thought I was going to make it out of here having spent only a couple bucks on lunch.

Should've known better. Ended up forking over $20 for a really cool old chest of drawers. Worse things have happened . . .

Now, back to the "real world."

Squeezing in a few more things

I chose the title of this post very carefully, as shall be made evident later.

Before heading back home today, we decided to check out the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. After all, it was literally next door to where we stayed the night.

The thing yours truly has always appreciated about any of the Hard Rocks visited to date is the memorabilia.

C'mon, sometimes even folks from Orlando like to play tourist, and it's fun to walk around staring at cases of guitars, drumsticks, and various articles of (questionable) clothing that once belonged to famous people.

Today's meandering thru the Biloxi location featured some pretty cool items, sprinkled as they were between a bunch of national chain franchises like Ben and Jerry's, Starbuck's, and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

The most jaw dropping item was a pair of jeans that Elton John *supposedly* wore back in the 70's. But, looking at them, I doubt even Twiggy in her prime could have managed to get them past her kneecaps . . . much less a grown man!

Oh, well.

Time to get back on the road to the land of the fun and sun.

Biloxi - Day 2

Yes, ye socks, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Mini-Vacation continues.

Day 2 began with leaving the casino culture behind in favor of some real culture on the grounds of Beauvoir, the magnificent old home of Jefferson Davis.

Yours truly had visited the site many times before, so kinda knew what to expect. I was glad to see the home had been restored following Katrina. The former presidential library and museum, however, was completely obliterated and ground will not be broken for its replacement for another coupla weeks.

The grounds were markedly different, many fewer trees. And, the graceful marble arch that once greeted visitors was still laying in pieces near the veterans cemetery like a big jigsaw puzzle.

In strolling thru the rubble, we encountered a former groundskeeper (Gary) who knew everything about the history of Beauvoir and gave us a unique guided tour.

While this historic site still hasn't recovered 100% in the 4+ years since Hurricane Katrina, it was nice to see how much time and effort was being poured into Beauvoir. It is very evident how much the place means to the community, which makes it all the important that any of ye socks planning to visit this little corner of heaven add a stop here to your itinerary.

That being said, it is now time to head back to casino-land. There's the much-heralded strawberry shortcake to be sampled at Boomtown before checking in at the Beau Rivage.

More later.

Biloxi is noticeably different

Even 4+ years after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, abundant evidence of her fury may be found across the region.

Today marked the first time yours truly had returned to this little corner of heaven since the storm.

Frankly, it was shocking.

On the drive down US90, where so many beautiful old homes once stood sentinel over Biloxi Beach, only a few new facsimiles and far too many ghostly foundations remained.

I was told that all the casinos had pretty much been rebuilt. But, I can tell you that Treasure Bay (where yours truly will be spending the night) is nothing like it was before.

They used to have this really cool pirate ship permanently moored in the gulf waters. Of course, that's gone. In the mean time, they've moved all their gaming into the first two floors of their old hotel on the other side of 90. And, they've pretty much ditched the whole pirate theme, which begs the question why they even bother still calling themselves Treasure Bay. Replacing the former kitsch is a bunch of colorful art glass, like the chandelier pictured here. (Apologies for the image quality in advance, took 4 shots and believe it or not this was the best one!)

One of the first things I noticed in walking through the casino is that they have covered up all the slots where passive wagerers like myself used to drop quarters on their way to and fro. Kinda funny when you think about it, slot machines with no slots. But, I guess they are now catering to the more active gamblers who will perch themselves in front of the machines for hours on end. They don't want to be bothered with feeding coins into slots or collecting them as occasional winnings. Instead, they simply feed greenbacks and bar-coded vouchers into the one-armed bandits.

Oh, wait, you probably shouldn't call them "one-armed bandits" anymore. While most of the machines do have a little lever on the side that you would expect on a slot machine, everyone I observed was simply mashing the plastic buttons on the front. The traditional method requires too much effort and, I suppose, will eventually go the way of the coins.

I will say this about Treasure Bay: they have a great buffet. Tonight it featured Dungeness crab. And, we were lucky to have a wonderful waitress named Ok Sun who not only taught us her shell-cracking techniques but also filled our plates in the process.

Beyond recommending the buffet, I would caution any of ye socks planning to stay at the Treasure Bay hotel on two points. First, request a room above the 4th floor, or your only view will be of the maintenance decks. Second, bring your own blanket, as the comforters weigh approximately fifty pounds and the unwitting slumberer could potentially break an arm just rolling-over.

More tomorrow on the changes in Biloxi as this mini-vacation continues.

On the road again . . .

Today's journey carried me to the crapitol of our fair state, perhaps more aptly described as "the belly of the beast" since it has for too long played host to that unmentionable institution of lower learning.

Fortunately, I have found a little corner of heaven even in these parts.

Chez Joanna is a quaint little B&B that offers a private room with full bath en suite.

There was also a crackling fire in the hearth, sweet brownies, even sweeter wine, and good conversation to be had before retiring for the evening.

Vacations never seem to come as frequently as they ought . . .

All the way up to Micanopy . . .

If that sounds like a snippet from a John Anderson song, that's because it is.

Yours truly found himself in this little corner of heaven on one of the muggiest days we've had this spring.

But, it was fun anyway. Here's the laundry list.

* Stopped by a roadside produce stand, and got some fresh roasted peanuts and some blueberry cider.

* Watched some cows chew their cuds.

* Inspected some thoroughbreds and their foals.

* Visited with Big Red (the turkey who formerly ruled the roost at S&S Ranch).

* Toured Windsong Ranch.

* Went to a museum.

* Ate some ice cream.

* Rummaged thru an old book store.

How's that for a Saturday?!

Headed home

Ok, I've decided South Carolina isn't a complete waste of space, but I'd warn ye roadtrippin' socks not to bother venturing north of I-26. All the sites worth seeing seem to be confined to that stretch of Highway 17 from I-95 to the crab shacks beyond Mount Pleasant.

The capstone to my current jaunt thru the Low Country was Frampton Plantation.

Really, it was just a glorified tourist information center, but after the torturously long and slow drive from Charleston, it was at least a welcome opportunity to stretch ye olde legs.

Turns out the original plantation home was burned by the dastardly Yankees during the War Between the States. The current structure was erected on its (smoldering?) foundation in 1868, and you can see the remains of the earthworks residents threw up in the back yard in their vain attempt to save the home.

The grounds featured some awesome magnolia trees with the best smelling blossoms I've found north of the St. Mary's River.

There was also a huge, moss-laden oak tree to contemplate from the "joggler" on the front porch.

Touring the house and grounds is self-directed and free of charge. But, they did get me to buy a jug of cherry cider to tote back to the Sunshine State.

Hope to get back before the rains start!!

Ye Palmetto State

So, after a later-than-I-would've-liked start to the day, I-95 did eventually carry us out of North Carolina this morning.

For ye socks who have never enjoyed that experience, you're missing out on several thousand entertaining Billboards by Pedro along the way.

Bypassing all the tourist schlock, I figured a stop at the South Carolina Welcome Center was in order.

I though--rather foolishly, as it turned out--that someone there might be able to give us some suggestions as to where would be a good place to kill a few hours since ye rendezvous in Mount Pleasant wasn't scheduled until late afternoon. You know, maybe a town within easy driving distance of 95 or 26 that had some historic site, some decent restaurants to choose from, etc.

The recommendation: "Well, um, I 'thank' they's a Shoney's in Dillon . . . they's got a buffet . . . it's only $4.95!"

I do not have a poker face, which evidently led to the second recommendation: "Maybe, you'd like Florence better?"

Florence, for ye socks unfamiliar with this little corner of . . . well . . . South Carolina, is a fairly decent sized town. There weren't any of those brown and white signs one usually sees along the roadway to point out interesting historic sites. But, it was full of a bunch of national chain restaurants, hotels, and gas stations. Just great, because we don't have any of those in Orlando . . .

So, lunch was had at the Cracker Barrel. (Chicken and rice for me, thank you, followed up with a chocolate cobbler.) Not altogether the unique traveling experience I was looking for, but it did fill the void and carry me thru to this afternoon's rendezvous.

Spending the night here east of ye olde Cooper River at my sister's place, chillin' with the Simmons clan. I'll try to get a few pictures posted. If not here, then on facebook.

Touring ye Tarheel State

The early morning hours found me approaching North Carolina's capitol city: Raleigh.

Nice place. They call it the "city of oaks" for a reason. Lots of construction going on here, but that's not the reason for my visit. I was bound for the National Genealogical Society's annual convention.

Parking was easy to find, and much more reasonably priced than I expected after so many years of being at the mercy of parking garages in Central Florida.

The brand new convention center (opened in September) was amazing, easily navigated, and welcoming.

Saw a lot of cool things on the convention floor. Some of it wasn't even genealogy-related (i.e. "Happy Feet" insoles?!?) I have to congratulate my self-discipline in avoiding the purchase of any new books. But, in a moment of weakness, I did give in to the urge to buy a souvenir t-shirt.

Met some nice people, and received a pin for my volunteer work with familysearch.com.

Then, it was a jaunt a few miles west on I-40 to Greensboro to visit a site that played an important role in the history of our family: Guilford Courthouse Battlefield. It was there, on 15 March 1781, that one of my ancestors gave his life in the American Revolution. I've known that fact for a long, long time, but never imagined the site of the battle would look the way it does. It's not some remote field in the middle of the countryside. Instead, it is completely surrounded by urban sprawl.

The NPS rangers, though, did a great job of interpreting the site and were kind enough to look up my ancestor's service record to help me pinpoint exactly where he fell during the fighting. (Or, at least where his regiment was positioned.) Unfortunately, an horrific deluge ensued, and I was unable to walk the grounds.

If not for the rain clouds, the shadows would have been growing long by that point anyway, so the decision was made to head back east. I was surprised that we made it back as far as I-95 before pulling over at a Hampton Inn here in Dunn, NC.

Now, it's time to wind-down and get ready for the big Ghost Whisperer season finale . . .

On the road again . . .

Well, ye socks, yours truly is taking this rambling road show on tour once again.

This time around, the Carolinas are in my crosshairs.

I didn't manage to escape work-related entanglements til nearly noon, but eventually put The City Beautiful in my rearview mirror for awhile.

A quick jaunt up I-4 connected me to I-95 northbound in Daytona.

Least favorite part of the trip: Jacksonville (as usual). And, it wasn't nearly as bad as it usually is.

Favorite part of the trip: rolling up on a truck trailering a load of hogs and seeing their pink snouts, floppy ears, and curly tails poking thru the railings. Origin of said livestock has not yet been ascertained. Perhaps a little hog farm I've visited before in a remote corner of the Show-me state?

Anyway, made it to the connection with I-40 west bound, and am now just a few miles short of tomorrow's big doings: Raleigh.

Paid a little too much for a hotel room, but was fortunate enough to catch the tail-end of "Survivor." Glad to see Coach got the boot. Should be able to sleep better tonight, perhaps with visions of piggies dancing in my head?

More roadtrip posting to follow.

St. Petersburg!

Well, ye socks, this fine Florida day found yours truly basking in the sunshine of Tampa Bay.


But, I wasn't on the Tampa side of that equation.


I was over on the Pinellas Peninsula most of the day, hitting Haslam's Bookstore, cruising Snell Isle, and swinging by the St. Petersburg Pier.


Believe it or not, they have a Columbia Restaurant in that inverted pyramid thingy at the end of the pier.


Of course, it doesn't really compare to ye olde favorite over in St. Augustine. But, then again, what does, right?!


I hadn't been over to St. Pete since the early 90s, when my sister and a cousin drove over to check out the "Treasures of the Tsars" exhibit in one of the downtown museums. The exhibit it self was awesome, but I didn't come away with a very good impression of the city itself. Oh, how times have changed, though. They've really cleaned this place up!

On the road again . . .

Well, ye socks, I am sorry to report that our Thrashers suffered a rather humiliating defeat at the hands of the Alabama champs last night.

Mercifully, they ended the diaster on the diamond in the 5th inning when it became clear they were running away with the game.

The good news is, the boys have played so well up to this point that they secured a wild card spot against the North Carolina champs.

The bad news is, it starts at 1pm today, and yours truly had to get back on the road this morning to make it back to our little corner of heaven and get ready for the work week.

But, we're keeping our fingers crossed for Bowden and his teammates! As I reminded them last night, the mighty Gators had to suffer a loss in both their national titles . . . of course, that was football, but I think they got the point.

Anyway, headed south, and will be glad to cross the border back into Florida today!!