Florida Keys - spent a week in the guest room of a million-dollar home on the ocean, smack dab in the middle of the 'Key Deer Habatat' (the smallest sub-species of whitetail deer, 2-3 ft. tall, currently on the endangered list). Activities included: Deep-sea fishing (Yellow-tailed snapper, a beautiful fish that just happens to be fucking tasty) Snorkeling being a total drunk and stoned beach bum on uninhabited islands you can only get to by way of boat shopping 2 days in Key West Attending the Sunset Festival (in KW), where street performers treated us to Houdini tricks (upside-down suspension with chained straightjacket), jugglers that walked the tightrope, dogs that walked on ropes, and a curious fellow that would dance and jump through a hoop, to name a few... a visit to the Hemmingway house (home to the decendants of his 40+ 'six-toed cats') befriending one of the Atlantic's 12 licensed trappers of exotic fish - should I ever decide to set up a saltwater tank (which I will do eventually), I've got the hookup for fresh *overnight* shipped live rock and saltwater fish - dirt cheap - (I've got my sights set on a few of these ate my first 'real' Cuban sandwich, and brought a 2 ft. loaf of that amazing bread home - I swear, those Cubans really know how to make a fucking sandwich. (speaking of Cubans, if this whole Castro thing wasn't going on, we would've gotten some real cigars, but we ended up getting the next best thing, hand-rolled Key West cigars) St. Petersburg A trip to the Salvador Dali Museum, where 90+ of his works are permanently housed, including 4 of his masterworks, and numerous related items. I was surprised to find out that a whole day there still isn't enough time to appreciate everything they had. A speeding ticket from a friendly highway patrol fella (that thankfully didn't search the car), he reduced the '30 mph over' fine of $300+ to an ambigious 'disregarding speed limit' charge of $115. Alabama Not a damn thing happening here Mississippi Observed an inbred redneck kid cussing up a storm while kicking and punching the shit out of his circa 80's Ford Bronco because it decided to run into the metal post at the gas station. Everytime he struck the driver's door of that vehicle, a little more dried mud was added to the pile directly underneath the truck. I'm just glad he showed that car who was boss - and let everyone else at the gas station know he was doing so in the process. Out of all the events that took place during the trip, this is the one that I wished I'd gotten on the camcorder - I was just too caught up in enjoying the sheer hillarity of it that it never crossed my mind. Stopped in at the Tourist Information Center a mile or so into the state... They had some interesting furniture, one of which was an Oak/glass display case - it drew me towards it, naturally, because on one shelf it showcased a bunch of minerals and other interesting rocks. The legend read: "Unfortunately, Mississippi doesn't have crystal formations... These samples are used in classrooms, blah blah blah..." I thought, that's OK, as I averted my eyes to the top shelf, which displayed some fern fossils, and just as I started to get excited about seeing them, I noticed the sign that informed me that these samples weren't taken from anywhere near or around Mississippi... these fossils came from another state... I swear, what the fuck does Mississippi have? Answer: Hurricane damage that prevented us from using the bridge to some of the casinos, entire shopping centers and even large supermarkets still not reopened Louisiana more hurricane damage, cranes everywhere (not the birds) - as you drive into the city, you can see the shitstains on the houses where the water had risen spent the night at the Place d'Armes, in the center of the French Quarter drank walked the streets, visiting the shops and bars tried fried alligator sausage for the first time - very unique flavor, wanted to bring some home, but forgot it drank stepped over a pile of human feces in the middle of the sidewalk, complete with tracks walking away from it in both directions. witnessed a man taking a leak on the corner, in front of everyone, inside his clothes, piss running down his pant leg, off his shoes, and into a stream on the sidewalk. took advantage of the free drinks at the Harrah's casino, and their slot machines took advantage of my wallet N.O. was an interesting town. A complete shithole, but teeming with life and cool businesses. The 'real' voodoo shops were cool as hell, but the 'VooDoo Mart' on Canal St. and their 'made in China' dolls reminded me of the chink in a beanie standing behind the 'black owned' sign in the first Friday movie. The whole place was dirty and stinky as all hell, but as you walked the streets, every once in a while, you'd catch a whiff of Cajun cooking. It's also the first place on the trip where I actually carried my 357 with me everywhere I went. I'd say a good portion of the people you see on the streets look as if they'd sooner kill you than even smile at you. But then again, who am I to talk - I'm the one roaming the streets at night, drunk as hell, with a loaded revolver in my pocket. All in all, I ended up taking 800+ pictures on the trip, and shooting 4 hrs of video. As soon as I get the pictures organized, I'll post a few of 'em here. Right now, however, I've got some fish to fry.
Dammit! I knew you were lurking out there... ready to jump on my ass about those damn tornado pictures... Fuck, I don't even know where those are. That was back in my 'pre-digital' days. I actually have to search for them without the added benefit of a computer doing it for me... :?
I have to admit I laughed when i saw the T-shirts with Nagin, I think it was Ray Nagin and the Chocolate City, with the willy wonka hat on, classic.
itwas ray Naygun and the chocolate factory, it was hillarious, all the ummpa loompas were the crying/dying knee-grows from katrina
I almost forgot about the iguanas! 3 ft. iguanas roaming the lands... I actually had to stop the car twice to let them cross the road. At the house we were staying at, they feed them daily, and one would even eat out of the guy's hand. I almost wanted to catch one and bring home a live souvenir.
Getting fucked up on un-inhabited beaches is fun as hell. Portsmouth island, outer banks of N.C, aww many good nights.. Glad your vacation was fun, most vacations are though. Speaking of which, I'm about do for one.
