Flying West with a GPS and Digital Camera

Yesterday we took 3 flights from Tallahassee to Phoenix. So we got to see Charlotte and Denver along the way.

I enjoy staring out the window and trying to figure out where we are. The first time I flew as a kid I was disappointed that the boundaries were not drawn on the ground with dotted lines and the states were not different colors. Now 50 years later - the next best thing is having a GPS. It tells you exactly where you are - and you can pick out rivers - roads - towns - and mountains.

Here are a couple pictures of from my plane seat.

1. COLORADO - The Denver Airport where the plains meet the Rocky Mountains. Thankfully our plane did not meet the mountains. Just 2 weeks ago - Lulu and I were slugging it through the Donner Pass west of Reno.
2. NEW MEXICO - Shiprock - One of my favorite travel stories to tell is when my boys and I took a rental Cadillac across sacred Indian grounds and put the bumper up to this ancienct 1800 foot high tall volcanic neck.
3. ARIZONA - This is the eastern end of the Grand Canyon where the 2 million year old erosional ditch it not as deep.

I was using a Garmin Nuvi 200 GPS and a Canon G7 Digital Camera.

It is amazing that a trip that would have taken pioneers months to travel through perilous lands - now takes but a few hours by jet and one could nap the whole way.

Greetings From The Arizona Biltmore

One of the best parts of being a trailing spouse is following Lulu to the exotic spots all over the globe. This week is is the Arizona Biltmore in sunny Phoenix.

Lulu was invited to be a guest speaker for a leadership conference sponsored by the School Library Journal - the bible for her profession. Her Project LEAD is a hot topic right now.

We will be in Arizona for a week - 4 days at the Biltmore - then the rest of the time touring around the state.

At this time last week - I had no idea what the Arizona Biltmore was - now I am marveling that it might be the nicest hotel we have ever visited. At one time it sat alone out in the desert - but now Phoenix has grown up to its spectacular entrance. We are about 10 miles north of the Sky Harbor Airport - very near Scotsdale.

One forgets how truly beautiful the desert climate and landscape is in the winter. Everything seems so tidy and clean. Due to the low humidity - cars and buildings seem to last forever.

The Biltmore was designed by students of Frank Lloyd Wright. His native stone and glass lines are everywhere. The stark Mission Style furniture and lights are everywhere.

We had 3 very nice flights out here - first Charlotte - then Denver - then Phoenix - all on time. In Charlotte we could have taken a direct flight - but since our bags were allready checked onto another plane - we had to take the leg to Denver. The sky was clear most of th eway and I got some really nice pictures of the Rockies - the plains - the deserts - even the Grand Canyon.

They are having a drought here too. They normally get about 10 inches of rain a year - but have only gotten 2.5 inches this year. The desert is dry - but one would not think that by watching the very fast moving aqueduct in front of our hotel. The manmade concrete river carries irrigation water from the snow covered mountains to the north.

It is really great seeing Lulu get the VIP treatment out here. Her project is getting FSU and school library leaders some great publicity.

Installing Ceiling in My Barn

This week - Keith and I were busy in my workshop installing a ceiling. At first we were just going to paint the ceiling - and stain the beams a darker color. After rolling the ceiling - we started on the beams - and we soon realized it would take forever.

So we decided to just buy some plywood and install a conventional ceiling. First - we decided to paint the plywood panels before we hung them. The painting went great - two coats. But trying to manhandle those boards was killing us.

Lulu is addicted to home improvement shows. She suggested that we rent a drywall hoist. I heard they were expensive - but after a call to Home Depot - I decided that my back was worth the $30 a day rental.

The "lift" worked like a dream. The panels could be pressed against the ceiling in the exact location. One could then easily nail them in place with the air gun.

Since Keith had to fly home - I was on my own. The "clock was running" - I had 24 hours to complete the task - or pay another $30. That was more than enough incentive to keep me working.

By 5 PM on Tuesday - I was done. I was tired and sore - but I had 2 hours to spare to return the hoist.

All that is left is a few cracks to spackle - and then some touchup paint. Not bad for a one-eyed coal cracker.

More Reflections on the Trip to Gainesville and the Loss to the Gators

I guess we are real Seminole fans now. We went to Gainesville without tickets to witness a loss to the Gators. Even though we won the two basketball games the night before - nothing salves the sore feeling in your belly as you drive home after getting soundly thrashed by your rivals. Finding out the next morning that one of your fellow fans was brutally murdered in a parking garage near the stadium makes it even worse. It makes your question what life is all about.

In the past we used to enjoy going to the stadium to watch the Seminoles beat up on the 7 dwarfs - the rest of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Lulu was not comfortable until the Noles would pin 4 or 5 touchdowns on an opponent. We would laugh when our Noles would paste Clemson 58-0. We would smuggly boast, "That is your coach's job to stop FSU from scoring - not Bobby's." Now the worm has turned.

Coach Bowden used to always say he was, "Just one losing season from his halo falling down around his neck and becoming a noose." With 2 seasons of 7-6 and 7-5 - we are almost there. It is truly shameful the way some fans treat Bobby Bowden after all he has done for this town and school.

We ended up paying $80 each for 2 seats near the goal line in the sixth row. I will let Lulu explain to you how she got a complimentary admission. So it was 3 tickets for a total of $160 - and face value was $40 a ticket. At game time - single tickets were going for $150. That is what it costs to see the national champions playing their archrival at home.

20 years of dynasty has certainly spoiled many Seminole fans. Folks that have never played the game - think they know better than our coaches - and many of them are so brave to go anonymously on talk radio and computer blogs - to tell everyone what they think.

How does one explain many of the football power house schools having mediocre seasons? Is it parity as they say? Is it because the scholarship rules spread the talent around? Is it because the coaches are getting old and kids are afraid to become lame ducks at schools when the coaches leave? Is it just the law of averages.

I have never understood what attracted so many excellent football players to a place like FSU and Tallahassee to play. Some of the folks told me that it is the bright and pretty co-eds at FAMU. With the exception of Bobby Bowden and the excellent facillities that he built here - there is not much to attract football players to this town.

But the same thing is happening at other "former powers." Look at Penn State - Notre Dame - Miami - Nebraska - Michigan. They have similar circumstances and in many cases have fallen further than FSU. Joe Paterno had 3 losing seasons recently - Notre Dame's coaches office has a turnstile at the door - so many come and go. If a place like Miami can fire a coach that went 50-12 - what is next?

Bob Dylan wrote -

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

So - we finally made a trip to the "present" football mecca in Florida - "the swamp." Last week we wept at the closing of the Orange Bowl. 7 football championships shared by Miami and FSU were decided on that field. One thing seems constant. Wherever the high school football stars from the State of Florida go - so goes the title.

I'd like to paint a better picture of the weekend - but that murder in the parking lot after the game really colors my perspective. Right now I am happy with a lower common denominator - I am just happy my family and I got home alive.

Gators Won

Gators won.....11:20 PM safely at home in Tallahassee......more in the morning.

We Scored Tickets Early at the Swamp

So far our trip to Gainesville has been nearly perfect. The Noles men and women won their basketball games last night. And we landed a nice pair of tickets early.

By the number of "professional" ticket buyers on the streets - it appears that tickets are going to be tight and expensive. So this morning while Lulu enjoyed the Oak Mall from 9 AM to 11AM - I stood along the highway out in front of the mall and held up two fingers. In the 2 hours I shopped for tickets - only 2 cars stopped to talk to me. The first car thought I was selling tickets. The second car had 2 tickets for sale. It was a mixed couple - a Gator and a Nole. They had season tickets for 20 years.

He offered the 2 tickets to me for $100 each. I looked on my map and they were good ones - in the end zone just 6 rows from the field. While I was peeling off some 20s - I asked him how about $80 each. The wife said fine. So we had 2 great tickets - g hours before game time. We could relax for the rest of the day.

We drove into town - and found a great (and legal) free parking spot just 4 blocks from the Swamp. We are parked under a giant live oak tree. To top it all off - there is free wireless here. I am able to update my blog - and Keith is using his computer and our slingbox to watch other games on the TV from home. Lulu is busy scanning the local newspaper - and reading game news.

It is a pretty day here - 75 and sunny with a little breeze. Our tickets are in the south end zone - so the sun with be behind us - staring at the tumor in the other end zone.

The stadium does not open up until 3:30 - so we will sit here and tailgate for another hour or two.

We are spoiled in Tallahassee getting great tickets for $5 and $10. We have not paid this much for tickets since paying $125 for tickets to the Sugar Bowl in 1996. That was the time the Gators slammed us for the National Championship. Let's hope we have different results today.

Gainesville seems to be more of a college town than Tallahassee. Maybe it is just the big game atmosphere - who knows. Here is hoping the Noles get the trifecta today - winning 3 games against the Gators in 1 weekend on the road.

Men and Women Basketball Teams Sweep Gators on the Road

So far our weekend in "Gatorland" has been perfect.

It started out at 11 AM - when a guy drove all the way from Sopchoppy to buy my truck for $4300. What a nice way to start a weekend. Then we went to Tully Gym to watch the Lady Noles beat North Carolina - 3 games to 0.

Then we drove to Gainesville - and the flea bag hotel that Lulu booked turned out not to be that bad. While resting in our new home - we enjoyed some left over turkey sandwiches and watching FSU women's team beat the Gators on TV.

While driving to the arena for the Men's game - we noticed a lot of "ticket buyers" - amateurs holding fingers in the air and professionals with their printed "need tickets" signs.

I dropped Lulu and Keith off at the arena to scout out tickets while I found a place to park the car. I drove to 20th St and 4th Ave - found an emplty space just behind another guy that pulled in. We were both looking for "no parking" signs - when I asked him if he had extras. He said that he had two extras and wanted face value for them. I called Lulu to see if I should buy them. She screamed into the phone that tickets were going for $75 plus and I should buy anything I could.

So I bought the two tickets at face value - $18 each. By the time I got to the arena - Lulu bought a third ticket for $18.

We got to our seats and the place was sold out. But luckily there were 3 empty seats next to Lulu and I - and Keith came over to sit with us.

FSU fell behind 7-6. Then they shot out to a 10 point lead - and were leading by 15 at the half. The Gator fans were angry - and fell behind as much as 19. Then with about 6 minutes ot go - you would have sworn that Moses came to take them to th epromised land because most of the fans got up and left.

After the game - the traffic was light - and we got back to the hotel by 10 PM. Keith went out to celebrate with some of his FSU buddies.

Let's hope the good Seminole luck continues tomorrow. I have a feeling tickets are going to be more expensive.

Greetings From Gainesville

We had a nice trip from Tallahassee - about 150 miles.

Keith drove most the way - Nancy slept about being up at 4 AM for shopping.

Before we came here - we stopped by Tully Gym to see the Lady Noles beat UNC in volleyball - 3 straight games.

We are staying in the Days Inn - along Interstate 75.

Tonight's basketball game is at 8 PM - tomorrow's football game is at 5 PM.

It is 5:55 PM and already dark here.

We are going to Gainesville for the FSU at UF game Saturday

The Trailing Spouse has lived in Tallahassee for almost 4 years. My friends all tell me that you aren't a real Seminole until you have followed them to the Swamp in Gainesville. Well tomorrow I am going to do them one better. We are going to Gainesville to see the Seminoles play a basketball game and a football game - without tickets.

Two of my family are FSU alumni. Lulu got her doctorate here in 1990. At the time we came here for a sabbatical - which is fancy language for "taking a year off with pay." We pulled the boys - who were 10 and 11 at the time - out of school up north and forced them to attend Cobb Middle School and Moore Elementary School for a year. It was a great year and turned the 4 of us to Noles. Even though the boys went to college at Duke and Georgetown - their feet have been firmly planted in the red clay soils of Northern Florida. After countless trips through the Atlanta airport to Tallahassee and bowl games - they have earned at least honorary helmet spears.

My son Keith got his masters here in 2005 - he now works in Washington DC - but it does not take much arm twisting to get the prodigal son to return for a Noles game or two. This trip he came early enough for the Maryland game last weekend and stayed on to drive to "Gatorland" with us for the 2 games.

I always wanted to say this so here it goes - "being retired and on a fixed income" - we seldom buy games tickets in advance. I like to stand outside the stadium holding fingers up to purchase spare tickets. We have been very lucky. I must look pretty pathetic because often times people will offer me free tickets as they go through the turnstile. A great example would be last Saturday at Doak - we got 4 tickets on the 50 yard line for a total of $30. To be sure - you never know where you will be sitting - but 99% of the time you get great seats at low prices.

Back in 1988 - when we lived in Tallahassee for the year - my sons broke their piggy banks and bought season tickets to the Seminole games. They thought Deion Sanders was the greatest player ever - and I do not blame them. My sons are 29 and 30 now - and a trip to a Noles game is not complete without them throwing a football as we tailgate with friends.

Lulu worked really hard on the Internet and finally got a hotel room in a one star hotel not too far from the stadium. We will leave Tallahassee tomorrow right after the volleyball game at Tully Gym and be "eastbound and down" to Hogtown.

Check on my blog at - www.harry.everhart.com - for pictures from the game and trip - and find out how lucky we were. If anybody has some extra tickets - let me know.

American Airlines returns to Tallahassee

From the Tallahassee Democrat.

Tallahassee air travelers will get a new option for travel to Miami and beyond beginning in March as American Airlines returns to the market with two daily sets of round trips.

Formal announcement of the new service is expected from both Tallahassee Regional Airport and the airline later today.

“This is exciting because this gives us a link to American’s Miami hub,” said Philip Inglese, deputy airport director.

The two sets of roundtrips are set to begin March 2, the announcements will say.

One set of flights will originate in Tallahassee at 9:10 a.m., arriving in Miami at 10:30 a.m. and return at 6:05 p.m., arriving in Tallahassee at 7:25 p.m.

The other will depart from Miami at 7:15 a.m., arriving in Tallahassee at 8:45 a.m., departing Tallahassee at 4:10 p.m. and arriving in Miami at 5:40 p.m.

“We are fond of saying Tallahassee is one stop away from anywhere,” Inglese said, noting this makes the step a shorter one, since it’s to the nation’s largest airline’s hub.

Check Tuesday’s Tallahassee Democrat for more details.

Feeling Smug on Monday Morning

It is 6 AM - I just got back from a 15 minute trip to the airport. One of my favorite students - Steve - spent a 4 day weekend here with his old science teacher.

Steve was a rowdy 7th grader about 18 years ago. He had a quick reply back then that hasn't changed much today. I should have expected it - since his Dad was in my first science class back in 1970 - and Dad had the honor of being the first student of many to elevate my blood pressure. But even then one could recognize greatness - even in the Ritalin infested classroom of today.

Steven went on to college. He got a bachelor's degree in biology and a masters in environmental science. Not bad for a coal cracker kid that had no choice but to be in my earth and space science class because every kid in town suffered the same fate for 33 years. Steve likes to brag about never taking a computer class in college. He says often - within my limited hearing zone - that the only computer class he ever had was from his favorite science teacher - Mr. Mac.

On the way to the game Saturday - my friend Wayne tried to get some dirt out of my former student. Steve blew him out of the water with, "No other person has had a greater influence on my life that Mr. Everhart." Insert tears here.

To speed up the story a bit - Steven somehow parlied his few hours on a Mac Computer in my classroom to being the Head of the Technical Help Desk at the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington DC. While working for the feds - he went to night school at the University of Maryland and got an advanced degree. He now is earning about double my last teaching salary and at least once a year another firm tries to steal him - and the FAA keeps his loyalty with cash.

Being a retired teacher living far away from his roots in Coal Cracker Land - it is weekends like this one that keep my life in perspective. Yes - FSU beat Steve's Terps this weekend - we had a great party and even better game seats - and Bobby Bowden won his 300th game for the Noles. But on this Monday morning Steve, "Bobby Bowden is not my hero."

Friends and Family Enjoy Visit and FSU victory Over Maryland

Saturday was a long day and it started early.

It was 3AM by the time we got to bed after picking Keith up at the airport and gabbing during the Hawaii/Nevada game on TV. It seemed like the 8AM alarm went off just as my head hit the pillow. But we had to prepare for the big tailgate party at 10.

We had taken a couple cars and stuff to squat out our spot near the stadium. Then - George -Joel - Wayne - Shirley - Steve - Keith - Lulu - and I all piled into our van and drove to the stadium. Our little tailgate party has grown to 20 people. Some folks even just come for the party for the food and good time - then go home for the game. I think one homeless fellow just attends because we are in his spot. The folks around us are paying $20 a spot to park - but we somehow have 6 slots for free - even our own "job johnny" and electrical outlet.

The party ended around 11:30 with Shirley doing tequila shots. Then we walked to the our favorite ticket scalping spot - no real Seminole would attend the game paying for a $45 face value ticket. The Noles are 7-4 this year - and good tickets can be had for a few verses of the warchant. All 8 of us got tickets for $10 and under. I landed 3 great tickets on the 50 yard line - row 34 for $10 each. I gave the tickets to Lulu - Keith - Steve - and waited for a free one for myself. By the time they got to their seats in the stadium - I was sitting there waiting for them with my free ticket - which was even better than theirs - but I ended up sitting with there in an empty seat right next to their blanket.

At kickoff - we were in the sunlight - and enjoyed the Coast Guard helicopter flyover. I do not know why they flew over with 3 giant "gator orange" choppers - but at least the crew was doing the Seminole Chop.

FSU jumped out to an early lead - and the game was never in doubt. Even though most fans stayed until the end - traffic was extremely mild after the game - we were home in 10 minutes by 4:00 PM. We all proceeded to pass out and snore to the other college games on TV.

So FSU is 7-4 now. Next week Keith - Lulu - and I will drive to Gainesville for the FSU/UF game. Nancy somehow scores a hotel room for Friday night - so we will attend the FSU/UF basketball game on Friday night - then stick around for the Noles/Gators football game on Saturday. We have never been to a game in the Gainesville Swamp. Let's hope the Seminoles can drain the swamp before we are up to our eyes in Gators.

Just another typical fall day for the Trailing Spouse.

Keith and Steve are Here for the Maryland Game

Keith's plane arrived late this morning - about 1 AM. Steve Simchak's plane arrived Thursday at 5 PM. Both live in the DC Area now.

My son Keith works in Washington for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Steve lives in Laurel and he is in charge of the computer help desk for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Keith got his masters at FSU - Steve got his masters at UMD. So when the Terps take the field today - Steve will be wearing his red "Fear the Turtle" outfit and Keith will have on his garnet and gold jersey.

We took the truck over to the stadium last night to mark out our "squatters" area for the tailgate. Today at 10AM - Steve - Keith - Harry - Lulu - George - Joel - Wayne and Shirley - will pile into the Honda Van with our our goodies and make the 2 mile trek to the stadium.

It dropped down to freezing here last night - and the cars at the airport had frost on them at 1 AM - but it is expected to be around 70 at game time.

Tangent - last night Keith and I caught the end of the Hawaii/Nevada game at 2 AM. Hawaii is one of the two last teams that is undefeated. Nancy teaches there in the summers. Just last week I was at the Nevada campus in Reno - they were all excited about the Hawaii game coming up. Nevada went ahead with just 3 minutes remaining - only to lose by a last second Hawaii field goal. I wonder what the BCS is going to do with Hawaii?

Harry Meets His Long Lost Cousin

About a year ago – I started writing a weblog for the Tallahassee Democrat. Then a young lady wrote to me asking me if I were related to Arthur Everhart. Little did I know where this story was going. She said she found my Tallahassee Democrat Blog on the Net.

I wrote back to her saying that Arthur Everhart was the brother of my grandfather – my dad seldom mentioned “Uncle Arthur.”

I never met Arthur Everhart or my grandfather Roy Everhart. Both spent some time working in the Anthracite coal mines back in Schuylkill Country, Pennsylvania. My Mom used to say that I had “gypsy” in my blood – I guess she was referring to the Everhart Boys.

Roy and Arthur Everhart both married – but decided that being a coal cracker was not in their future. My grandfather Roy left his wife and four kids – in a coal company house in Coaldale, PA when my Dad was 7 years old. When the coal company decided to evict them – it was agreed that the family could stay in the house on the condition that my Dad would work in the coal mines when he finished school. In 1934 – when Dad graduated he turned down a free ride to Girard College in Philadelphia and fulfilled his promise to worked as an “indentured servant” deep in the bowels of Schuylkill County for 25 years. Needless to say he never spoke well of his father.

The story goes that Uncle Arthur Everhart ran off and married Julia – a young Indian girl. The family disowned them and they moved near the reservation in upstate New York along the Canadian border by Montreal. We never heard from Uncle Arthur again.

My Dad used to say, “Don’t ever have your family tree dug up – you’ll pay $1000 to uncover the roots – and $100,000 to cover them back up.”

The rumor was that Roy Everhart – my grandfather – joined the Merchant Marines to see the world. He supposedly died in World War II. It seemed like a noble ending to me. Again, my Dad was very tight-lipped.

When I moved to Tallahassee to follow Lulu here to FSU – everyone asked me if I were related to Lee Everhart. They seemed to admire him so I said I was a distant relative. They would smile. Since my two sons are the only other Everharts I really know – it would not hurt to have a “local” relative. The only other Everharts I heard of were Angie Everhart – the supermodel – and John B. Everhart – a fella that was on the FBI most wanted list for several years.

It turns out that Lee Everhart was at one time the mayor of Tallahassee. He was very civic-minded and would have been a good Everhart to add to my familyc – he also had passed away before we got here.

About a month ago – I got another e-mail from this young lady who claims Arthur Everhart as her grandfather. She said she is a musician and she is coming to Tallahassee to play at Shenanigan’s – an Irish Pub north of town on Thomasville Road. She said she wanted to meet me.

Keeping this information secret from my friends and family – I asked a group of them out to dinner. Last night – we had a wonderful time. Cindy Ross – the manager of Shenanigan’s reserved the best table for us by the stage. When we walked into the dining room – I was a little embarrassed by the big sign with “Harry Everhart” on it – displayed at the table. We all sat down.

On the stage was a very pretty young lady – dressed in Irish garb – getting ready to perform. She is a fiddler by trade - http://www.fiddlerwoman.com/ - she does historic musical presentations at festivals and schools. Her group – she and Lute Glick – are called The Lowlander Highlanders Fiddle and Drum. That’s what it says on her CDs. They play historic Irish music from the Appalachian Coal Country. She must have the “gypsy” Everhart blood in her for sure.

After a wonderful Irish dinner – great music - and maybe too many beverages – we had a chance to talk with my cousin - Beverley Conrad – the fiddler woman.

It was not a myth – Arthur Everhart did runoff and marry a Mohawk Indian. In those days – they still “encouraged” mixed Indian kids to go to Indian School. Beverly’s mother spent her formative years at the Carlisle Indian School near Harrisburg, PA. This is the same school which boasts Jim Thorpe as one of their alumni. Yes – Jim Thorpe – the guy that won Olympic gold medals in Sweden – played professional baseball – and was the first president of the NFL. When they gave Deion Sanders the Jim Thorpe Trophy for playing two sports – this is the guy they had in mind.

Back to Beverley. Her Mom is living in Umadilla, Florida. Her Mom is 85 and still driving her car. I must meet this lady. Beverley says her Mom looks just like me. You can see some pictures of Beverly from last night’s performance at -http://www.olary.com/shen1/

My cousin Bob had a picture post card of Arthur Everhart that he sent to his “Bro Roy” when he was station with the Army in West Virginia. Beverley said that he Mom never saw her father – so Bob gave her the post card. It is one of her most valuable possessions.

Beverley is playing at a music festival in Brooksville, FL this weekend. She gets a chance to see her Mom.

Recently – thanks to the Internet – I did found out the true story about my grandfather Roy. He did join the Merchant Marines. His ship – the Norlandia – was sunk in the Caribbean – not far from Florida on July 2, 1942. The Germans keep better records of this than we do. His ship took a torpedo in the engine room where Roy Everhart was the fireman/water tender. 13 survived the sinking – while they were in the life boats – the German sub surfaced – gave them brandy – and pointed them to land – and submerged.
Almost everyone on the ship was in their 20s – ecept Roy Everhart who was 55. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy afterall.

I was never at Shenanigan’s Irish Pub before. But it is a great place. They were so nice to our party. The decorations were great – the food outstanding – the music very special – and the bill so reasonable that I picked it up. It was ironic that there I was watching my part Indian cousin playing Irish melodies about mining coal back in Pennsylvania while Seminole Bobby Bowden was on the TV screen in the corner doing his talk show with Chief Osceola and Renegade prancing around in the background. So now I have Indian Heritage from my old sod and new home.

Thomas Wolfe once said, “You can never go home again.” He was wrong. The Trailing Spouse is home again – in my new home – in Tallahassee, Florida. Lulu and I love this place. If it wasn’t for Shenanigan’s Irish Pub and the Tallahassee Democrat – I would never had this special evening. Thanks to all of you for sharing it with me.