Adventures in Florida

[Big_John]

We're in Florida this week... We did a week on a cruise ship out of Tampa and then another week in Florida. We're headed back home tomorrow...

Yesterday, we stopped at a drug store to pick up a couple of things. We came out and there was a Jeep SUV parked behind my car. Kind of off to the side so I could still back up, but enough to make it a little harder. I looked as I was getting in my car and there was a kid getting doing something at the right rear door. I didn't think anything of it other than it was a stupid place to park and it didn't leave me a lot of room.

As I started to close my door, I heard a kid screaming.... It was coming from the Jeep. The driver was still sitting in his seat and the back door was still open.

I got out and looked on the other side of the Jeep... The kid was about 9 or 10 and the right rear tire was on his foot. He was on the ground, facing away from the Jeep, his heel towards the inside edge of the tire. He was screaming and the driver didn't seem too concerned.

I yelled at the driver that the car was on the kids foot and to back the car up... he just looked at me... so I yelled again... nothing... I leaned in the open door and yelled "back the f*****g car up now!!!" He starts to get out...

I told him to get his *** back in the seat and back the car off his foot. I got pretty animated about now... and he figured it out... kind of anyway.... He pulled the car out of park, honestly I think he put it in drive... but the car rolled back enough that the kid pulled his foot out.

The kid took a couple steps and crouched down in pain.

Finally the driver gets out and comes around the back... and starts yelling at this poor kid. He looks at me and shrugs his shoulders and points at the kid like the kid is a dumbass.... They were speaking another language, possibly Portuguese. No English at all.

The kid seemed OK, kind of shook up, but OK. Since he was walking on it, I assumed it couldn't be too bad. The kid finally calmed down enough to tell his Father what happened and then he seemed a little more concerned... I left as he was taking the kid's shoe and sock off.

I was really shook up and it took me a while to calm down. Mrs. Big John said I was actually shaking.

Other than that... It's been a good vacation.....

 

[Dobalovr]

Wow sure am glad our cruise is leaving out of Fort Lauderdale...sounds like Tampa is hard on people...

 

[Big_John]

Wow sure am glad our cruise is leaving out of Fort Lauderdale...sounds like Tampa is hard on people...

This happened in Kissimee.

 

[monaco75]

That would be the looney bin down here. Its everywhere. Bunch of dumbasses!

Your guys going through/by Jacksonville? More then welcome to swing in for lunch or something.

 

[monaco75]

I like the avatar doba!

 

[Dobalovr]

This happened in Kissimee.

Hopefully it wasn't Pedro's boy who's gonna wax Stan's Lincoln?

 

[Big_John]

That would be the looney bin down here. Its everywhere. Bunch of dumbasses!

Your guys going through/by Jacksonville? More then welcome to swing in for lunch or something.

Thanks for the invite! I think we'll pass this time though. We need to just head home. Maybe next time!!

This is a "different" place here... We have a timeshare condo (never buy a timeshare) that we swap out and the only place in Florida we could get that aligned with our cruise was in Kissimmee. The condo here is OK, not the best, but far from the worst we ever stayed at.

 

[commando1]

Welcome to Florida.
You made contact with Florida People.
They walk amongst us.

 

[detmatt]

Welcome to Florida.
You made contact with Florida People.
They walk amongst us.

I think it's more like you walk amongst them, you talk like you're the majority.

 

[commando1]

Florida is the primary port of entry for 1/2 of the America's southern hemisphere. The poorest and the most downtrodden are suddenly thrown into a society 1/2 made up with Northern elderly and the other half red necked bubbas. It all makes up for an interesting stew.
Liberals call it "a colorful blend of multi cutural societies"
Right.

 

[Big_John]

Florida is the primary port of entry for 1/2 of the America's southern hemisphere. The poorest and the most downtrodden are suddenly thrown into a society 1/2 made up with Northern elderly and the other half red necked bubbas. It all makes up for an interesting stew.
Liberals call it "a colorful blend of multi cutural societies"
Right.

Yep, that seems to be the mix right here.

We took a ride down the coast starting at Punta Gorda and headed north towards Tampa. Venice looked pretty nice....

Mrs. Big John really wants to "snowbird" somewhere in Florida. I have my reservations... Maybe if I found the right area....

 

[300rag]

...

Mrs. Big John really wants to "snowbird" somewhere in Florida. I have my reservations... Maybe if I found the right area....

While doing just that in 2012/13 we found that the cost of wintering in Florida was considerably more expensive than southern Georgia. We stayed in Brunswick for about 1/3 the cost if had we crossed the Florida line.

 

[commando1]

Mrs. Big John really wants to "snowbird" somewhere in Florida. I have my reservations... Maybe if I found the right area....

I don't know your needs, want, and desires, but we found Heaven on Earth right here. It fulfills all of ours.
It's 79°F right now for wiw...

 

[saforwardlook]

Gosh, hearing of all this insanity makes me think I have been too hard on Stan all these years. I am beginning to understand him for the first time!

 

[cm23uoc]

Sick puppies and power widows on every Corner.

 

[cantflip]

Thanks for the invite! I think we'll pass this time though. We need to just head home. Maybe next time!!

This is a "different" place here... We have a timeshare condo (never buy a timeshare) that we swap out and the only place in Florida we could get that aligned with our cruise was in Kissimmee. The condo here is OK, not the best, but far from the worst we ever stayed at.

Sorry I didn't know you were staying so close, I would have tried to work out a visit. I hear Kissimmee was a nice swamp once... then people arrived.

I suppose you now know firsthand why I hate driving the nice cars where the population has a chance to hurt them.

 

[Big_John]

I suppose you now know firsthand why I hate driving the nice cars where the population has a chance to hurt them.

Yea, there's something really annoying about the traffic here. I've driven in a lot of places (including Boston) and there's some unpredictable aggression in some of the drivers here. I really don't like it.

We're headed home this morning. I'm not looking forward to the snow, but I am missing my own bed.

 

[Big_John]

I don't know your needs, want, and desires, but we found Heaven on Earth right here. It fulfills all of ours.
It's 79°F right now for wiw...

The area you are in is on Mrs. Big John's list. We were going to take a drive and look around and we just ran out of time.

We didn't do some of the things we talked about doing when we were planning this trip. I managed to get a trip to the Garlits museum, one thing that I insisted we do, but that was about it.

 

[cantflip]

Let me know on future visits, my schedule is unpredictable, but I can usually make something on the weekends work.

I can understand, even if I don't always appreciate those who want to go faster than traffic. I can not get my head around those who aggressively try to slow, brake check and box in traffic around them... it appears to be a movement amongst some of the youngsters (they even have stickers to announce this on a few cars). The general population just seems to be unconscious or texting... My 11 mile commute is seldom without a handful of cars I just want to stay away from, and that's when I travel off peak hours...

I heard a 20YO complaining just the other day to another sympathetic 20YO about tailgaters while he was clogging the left lane... " they could just go around, why should I move?"

 

[BIGBARNEYCARS]

I have disco

Let me know on future visits, my schedule is unpredictable, but I can usually make something on the weekends work.

I can understand, even if I don't always appreciate those who want to go faster than traffic. I can not get my head around those who aggressively try to slow, brake check and box in traffic around them... it appears to be a movement amongst some of the youngsters (they even have stickers to announce this on a few cars). The general population just seems to be unconscious or texting... My 11 mile commute is seldom without a handful of cars I just want to stay away from, and that's when I travel off peak hours...

I heard a 20YO complaining just the other day to another sympathetic 20YO about tailgaters while he was clogging the left lane... " they could just go around, why should I move?"

I have disconnected the air bag in my steering wheel and I'm very close to having a sign made for the back end of my B-250 that readz something like "IF YOU DRIVE ANYTHING NEWER THEN AH 1946 BUICK YOU HAVE TURN SIGNALS SO FOR GAWDS SAKE PLEASE USE THEM, WE MIGHT START A TREND"