Roadtrip with Gilles: February 2010

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Florida

Florida
February 16, 2010
Travel trivia:
I've put on 25,000 km since leaving Sudbury,
I've stayed with 18 couchsurfing hosts for a total of 30 nights. Total couches 5, floors 3, rest beds.
Stayed with 13 friends/relatives for a total of 44(18 in Mexico) nights...all beds.
107 travel days therefore 36 hotels/motels,
The heat and sun are not following me
I arrived in the Sunshine state on February 8th. Put shorts on 2 times, no catching any rays, no swimming, no snorkeling, no kayaking.

In Tallahassee, I stayed with a very nice East Indian couple, both IT persons, for two nights. And they also left me the key to their beautiful home while I went exploring during the day and they were at work....
I then drove to Zephyrhills and visited with Butch and Rocco, two guys I golfed with on Tuesdays at Cedar Green. They were very surprised to find me on their doorstep with no advanced warning. Both live in a mobile home(not a trailer park!!!) community of snowbirds, made up of 30% Ontarians.
Then it was off to Fort Myers where I stayed with Lori, a 74 year old CS hostess. A very nice lady full of zip and zest for life. She shared with me her love of playing the role of Mina,(a one person play)who lived in a concentration camp.

Then it was off to Hollywood driving through the Florida Everglades and "Alligator Alley", as a stretch of highway is called. I arrived at the St Onges, friends from Timmins, where I stayed for three nights. We played cards, shopped, walked the beach at Fort Lauderdale, went to a beautiful art show, and watched the Olympics. There was a internet camera on the beach; I called my daughter Julie in Montreal who was able to see us and she sent me a copy of the picture. Thanks Jo and Rob.

Then, Feb. 15 I drove to Key West. It's a nice drive, about 4 hours from Miami, going from one island to another and they are joined by a highway that runs over the ocean. Each island is loaded with all types of boats. It's expensive here. A camping site for a tent goes for $50.00 a night. Hotels run about $200.00. Meals are pretty expensive too. At happy hour, you get two beers for $5.00. Other times or places, you can get a beer for a buck. Drinking is allowed on the street as long as it's not in a bottle.
Today was Mardi Gras and there were a lot of people roaming the streets, the main one is Duval. A group of people above a bar was calling for passers-by to show skin ie. butts, boobs or more and those who did were showered with beads; it's the same thing that I saw on Bourbon Street in New Oleans only this time, I was on the balcony throwing beads with my hostess and another couch surfer. My hosts, Lori and Desi both work in the service industry, she as a waitress in a bar called "Big Uns" and Desi is a chef in a big hotel. Lori was telling me that waitresses get $4.00 per hour but the tips are very high. When Key West becomes deserted in the spring, her and Desi move to Martha's Vineyard and they work in bars. She says she makes on average $700.00 per night on tips.
The small two bedroom condo they rent is being sold for $190.000.00 . The owner paid $400.000.00 for it two years ago and put in $60,000.00 in renovations. You do the math. These are crazy times for homeowners in the states.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

New Orleans

I spent a few days(Feb. 4-5) in "Nawlins". Apart from Bourbon Street, the French Quarter, the Saints going to the Super Bowl and some nice "rich" areas with beautiful estate homes, there wasn't a lot to see; maybe because the city left me a bit depressed. I had a weird CS experience and seeing the devastation caused by Katrina, I was left somewhat deflated. Mind you, a Mardi Gras Parade I attended was special and seeing all the people in the French Quarter partying it up was certainly an experience, still, I wasn't sad to leave the place.

I took a three hour guided tour of the city which was very interesting. We visited one of several cemeteries with lots of history. In this area, because of the land being saturated with water, bodies are not buried in the ground. In the past when they did this, whenever there was flooding, the bodies often came out of the ground and sometimes they were washed away. So, now they are all placed in cemented vaults. One type that we saw belonging to a religious order had close to 100 bodies intombed in it.

The damage caused by Katrina and the subsequent flooding was very devastating. Seeing all the reports and videos on TV at that time and now four and a half years later does not begin describe what really happened. 80% of New Orleans was flooded. They don't have statistics yet but our guide said that maybe up to 50% of the people had not returned. A resident told me that in one district, only one of four schools had reopened. Everywhere in the flooded areas, you see abandonned homes, homes boarded up or in some state of disrepair.

One neighourhood where our guide brought us had "Brad Pitt" homes: built on stilts and with a number of solar panels on the roofs with unique designs, colourful and eye-catching. Other areas have whole streets where all you see are for rent or for sale signs on them and no one to take them up. About the pic with my car in front of the stop sign, the flood waters got up to the sign and stayed there for four days before they receeded. Irreperable damage...mold...

The CS host that I stayed with in New Orleans owns a turn of the century home. It has 12 foot ceilings in the living room and kitchen. It was flooded up to three feet on the main floor. He replaced some of the damaged walls and put in new wiring, changed some cupboards in the kitchen and that's about it. It could be a beautiful home but it isn't, either for lack of money or lack of energy.

So, on Feb. 6th, I left for Fort Morgan, to meet up with Mike, my brother François' former co-worker. I drove through Mississippi and into Alabama where Mike rents a very nice house(and faily inexpensive) on a beautiful strip of sand, similar to Veradero, Cuba. He has just retired and decided he had enough of winter so he moved here for six months. Most of the residents here are northerners escaping the cold. We saw the Super Bowl at a local bar and celebrated the Saints vistory with everyone there. Mike was a very kind host. Good luck with the girls Mike and wish them well for me.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Mercedes (second visit) & Houston (second visit)

Back to the USA
The drive back was a long one but with a lot more to see: drove around Mexico City, 20,000,000 pop.(well, I kinda got lost 'cause roads are not well indicated), saw snow covered mountains...yes still in Mexico, went through some very scenic areas, Monterrey was something else with all its hustle and bustle, sleeping in motels that rent by the hour!!! and most of the driving was done on four lane autopistas.
It took me four days to get back to. Anyways, it was nice getting back to the USA. I told the border agent about my mom and sister Danielle driving all the way from Acapulco in my brother's motorhome, almost 30 years ago. My brother and his wife had been hospitalized after an explosion in the motorhome that eventually caused them fatal injuries. I'msure the roads my sister drove through were not like the freeways I took. My mom always tells the story of arriving at the US border and telling the agent that she was happy to be back home. The agent told her:"But ma'am, you're in the US, not Canada". and my mom replied:"It's like being back home, trust me!" That's kinda how I felt.

I arrived at the Landrys on January 26th and what a relief that was. I spent 4 relaxing days with Adèle and Rick. We golfed a couple of times, attended a quilt exhibition and generally took it easy. The quilt thing really impressed me. They are real works of art and Adèle had five entries and all very unique. I have to ask her if she won any of the awards.

The drive back to Houston was uneventful. I stayed with Christine for a few days and I finally got to meet an old friend of hers, Billy Cline, a 99 year old former lawyer, with great stories to tell. He still lives in his house in Wharton, near Houston. He talked about his life as a lawyer and some of his interesting cases and some anecdotes involving the infamous Pancho Villa. As a child, he also know Howard Hughes and they played together as 12 year olds.

His most famous case came when he represented Jackie Robinson in a court martial.
As some of you may remember(if your as old as I am), Jackie Robinson broke the colour barrier in baseball, when he became the first black man to play in the major leagues. He had been charged with behaviour unbecoming an officer when he threatened a superior officer with physical harm if he ever called him a "nigger officer" again. Billy Cline defended him very well and Jackie was found not guilty. Hollywood made a movie about the court martial. It was a very pleasant afternoon spent with an area legend.

I aslo got a chance to visit with my cousin's daughter, Adèle and her family, for a second time. It was nice to relax and enjoy a hot tub with Dennis and Adèle.