Content on this page requires a newer version of Adobe Flash Player.

Get Adobe Flash player

Archive for March, 2009

 

Growing Young

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

My brother Brian forwarded me the below story. I can’t vouch for its literal truth. But the message of this woman’s life and attitude rings true. Enjoy it and live it.

Rose’s Story

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, ‘Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?’

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, ‘Of course you may!’ and she gave me a giant squeeze.

‘Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?’ I asked.

She jokingly replied, ‘I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…’

‘No seriously,’ I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

‘I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!’ she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this ‘time machine’ as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the o ther students She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us.. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, ‘I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.’

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ‘! We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who
are dead and don’t even know it!

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.

Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don’t have regrets f or what w e did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets’

She concluded her speech by courageously singing ‘The Rose.’

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.

When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it!

Posted in Vagabonding | No Comments »

 
 

Spring Break on the Gulf

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009

Spring Break had washed up on the Florida Panhandle. Thousands of college kids covered the beaches like migratory seals beached during mating season, surrounded by millions of discarded beer cans. I was heading toward Panama City Beach – the epicenter of all the madness – on my way to California.

I called ahead for a place to camp on the beach. When I asked the guy if his campground was quiet he laughed – “Quiet, are you kidding? It’s Spring Break. It’s all day and all night.” I imagined loud throbbing sounds and screaming drunks throughout the night. I hesitated and told him I’d call back.

As I drove on down the road it dawned on me that I was turning into an old man – more worried about a night’s sleep and a good bowel movement than leaping into an outrageous all night party. I couldn’t let such rigamordous set in yet. I called back and booked a campsite. I wasn’t dead yet.

As I got closer to Panama City Beach the traffic crawled to a stop and became a giant tailgating party. Trucks, cars and motorcycles revved and honked as the college kids screamed and howled with high octane testosterone.

[View as slideshow]
DSC_0035.jpg
DSC_0049.jpg
DSC_0053.jpg
DSC_0064.jpg
DSC_0083.jpg
DSC_0097.jpg
DSC_0100.jpg
DSC_0234.jpg

I got to the beach just in time to see the sun setting over the beer can littered beach. The scene screamed reckless party. Tomorrow I’d get an earlier start.

[View as slideshow]
DSC_0142.jpg
DSC_0145.jpg
DSC_0166.jpg
DSC_0169.jpg
DSC_0172.jpg
DSC_0176.jpg
DSC_0190.jpg
DSC_0196.jpg
DSC_0201.jpg
DSC_0214.jpg
DSC_0221.jpg
DSC_0227.jpg

The sun went down and I got set for the nighttime party scene. Sleeping would be futile. I sucked down an energy drink and dove into the clubs on the beach. At my age I was a crasher. But in the dark and with the right clothes, I could almost pass for youngish to those who were drunk. With hard liquor I might even be mistaken for young – or so I hoped.

[View as slideshow]
DSC08902
DSC08920
DSC08925
DSC08934
DSC08935
DSC08937
DSC08942
DSC08943
DSC08947
DSC08948
DSC08951
DSC_0232.jpg

I moved through the nightclubs snapping photos. Vanity is a powerful force and merely smiling and pointing the camera at them was all it took to get most partiers to strike a pose.   Only one drunk redneck got angry and said he didn’t want to end up on a gay website. I told him he’d have to loose the beer belly to live that dream.

Like you, I ended up only getting to look (ok, some touching). I went to bed to the sound of trucks, cars and motorcycles revving and honking as the children of the night screamed and howled. What sounds they make.

The next morning I stumbled back on to the beach. I think the photos tell the story so I’ll shut up and let you gawk.

[View as slideshow]
DSC_0005.jpg
DSC_0010.jpg
DSC_0012.jpg
DSC_0017.jpg
DSC_0018.jpg
DSC_0024.jpg
DSC_0041.jpg
DSC_0047.jpg
DSC_0054.jpg
DSC_0065.jpg
DSC_0070.jpg
DSC_0073.jpg
DSC_0082.jpg
DSC_0088.jpg
DSC_0096.jpg
DSC_0100.jpg
DSC_0110.jpg
DSC_0116.jpg
DSC_0126.jpg
DSC_0138.jpg
123►

Next Stop – The Redneck Riviera

Posted in Florida | 3 Comments »

 
 

Glamorous South Beach

Friday, March 6th, 2009

It was “last call” for life in South Florida for me. I was packed and ready to hit the road. I had only three days left in South Florida and I planned to make them my best three days. The beautiful and charming Polish Princess flew into Fort Lauderdale from Chicago and we drove down to South Beach and checked in to the National Hotel.

She had never seen South Beach. So it was mandatory that she experience staying at an art deco hotel with an elegant private pool on the edge of the white sands of south beach. Our back yard was the pool, the beach and the ocean, while our front yard was the party club land of South Beach.

We swam, fine dined and partied and then headed down to the Florida Keys to relax together. It was a fabulous three days. If only life could be such a fairy tale – for more than just three days.

Next Stop – The fabulous Florida Keys

[View as slideshow]
DSC08519.jpg
DSC_0173.jpg
DSC_0177.jpg
DSC_0190.jpg
DSC_0200.jpg
DSC_0216.jpg
DSC_0227.jpg
DSC_0261.jpg
DSC_0284.jpg
DSC_0297.jpg
DSC_0319.jpg
DSC_0336.jpg
DSC_0341.jpg
DSC_0354.jpg
DSC_0397.jpg
DSC_0399.jpg
DSC_0404.jpg
DSC_0417.jpg
DSC_0423.jpg
DSC_0430.jpg
1234►

Posted in Florida | 1 Comment »

 
 

Leaving Florida

Sunday, March 1st, 2009

I’ve always had a love hate relationship with South Florida (see “Florida – A Love Hate Story“). I love the warm tropical waters and the fun in the sun. Yet the generally vacuous, vain and materialistic mind set of South Florida made living there feel like having sex with a seductive whore – satisfying at first but ultimately empty.

The overall “climate” of a place depends on much more than just the weather. It’s the people and the “vibe” that matter most. After road tripping North American for almost two years, I’ve decided that Northern California, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge is the right climate for me (see “Paradise Found”).

But now that I’ve packed my car for the road trip to California, I feel what I will be leaving behind:

  • Rollerblading through the tree and along the water at Hugh Taylor Birch Park.
  • Grilling at the park and watching the sunset over the intercostal waterway.
  • Seeing the beautiful boats floating by.
  • The friends I’ve grown to love.
  • Kayaking in the waterways of Fort Lauderdale and seeing the occasional manatee.
  • Seeing the many beautiful women from South America, Europe and the USA.
  • Swimming in the ocean and diving into the warm waves.
  • Warm soft Caribbean breezes in January . . .

The list of what I’m leaving behind is a long one. But travel has taught me how to let go and move on – to trade one beautiful place for another.

[View as slideshow]
Artist with Cuban mother and her twin the aunt.jpg
DSC00043
DSC00076.jpg
DSC00139
DSC08428
DSC08432
DSC08482
DSCN0015
DSCN2748
DSCN2755
DSCN2768
DSCN2769
DSC_0227.jpg
DSC_0297.jpg
DSC_0460.jpg
DSC_0500.jpg
DSC_0513.jpg
DSC_0541.jpg
DSC_0548.jpg
DSC_0553.jpg
12345►

Florida, thanks for all the wonderful moments and crazy good times that are now part of my life.

Next Stop – Glamorous South Beach and the Keys

Posted in Florida | 1 Comment »

 
  • Contact Pat

    Get Travel Updates


    Great American Road Trip

  • Pages
    • Writing from the Road
    • Great American Road Trip
    • Who’s the Digital Vagabond?
    • My Destiny Motorhome
    • Vagabond Technology
    • Brave New WiFi World
    • Inspiring Media Resources
    • Send Pat a Note
    • Fellow Travelers
      • Professor Moriarty
      • Cowgirl Kerry
      • Ed – Vagabond King
      • The French Psychic
      • The Mayor
      • Panama Jimmy
      • The RV Bunny
      • Punam from London
      • Dave Lives in a Van.com
      • The Polish Princess
      • Ricardo the Gringo
  • Photos and Articles by Date

    • â–º2012 (1)
      • â–ºMarch (1)
        • The Magic Bus
    • â–º2010 (7)
      • â–ºDecember (1)
        • Psychedelic Santa Claus
      • â–ºAugust (1)
        • A Mad Hatter Party
      • â–ºJuly (1)
        • Witch Camp
      • â–ºJune (1)
        • RainDance 2010
      • â–ºApril (2)
        • Bohemian Ball
        • Paradise Found
      • â–ºFebruary (1)
        • Hawaian Heaven
    • â–º2009 (34)
      • â–ºNovember (2)
        • Miracle of Love
        • 2012 Our Ending or Beginning?
      • â–ºOctober (3)
        • Woodstock Flashback
        • SF Decompression
        • LovEvolution
      • â–ºSeptember (2)
        • Earth Dance
        • Burning Man 2009
      • â–ºAugust (1)
        • Burning Fashion
      • â–ºJuly (5)
        • Roads Scholar Laughter
        • Human Soup
        • Crater Lake
        • Walk in the Woods
        • Nerd Attack
      • â–ºJune (4)
        • Harmony Festival
        • Born Again
        • The Evolution Trip
        • 2009 Roads Scholars
      • â–ºMay (7)
        • Land of the Free
        • Words of Advice
        • The Real Palm Springs
        • Arizona Desert
        • Life in a Bubble
        • Paradise in the desert
        • Peyote Way
      • â–ºApril (3)
        • Junkyard Wisdom
        • The Road to Peyote
        • Bat Girl of Austin
      • â–ºMarch (4)
        • Growing Young
        • Spring Break on the Gulf
        • Glamorous South Beach
        • Leaving Florida
      • â–ºFebruary (2)
        • Beyond Hope
        • Recession Special
      • â–ºJanuary (1)
        • Costa Rica Drop Out
    • â–º2008 (50)
      • â–ºDecember (1)
        • Tropical Winterland
      • â–ºNovember (3)
        • Amma the Hugging Saint
        • New Age Make Over
        • Halloween 2008
      • â–ºOctober (2)
        • The Polish Princess
        • LoveFest
      • â–ºSeptember (3)
        • All American City
        • Wall Street Crash
        • Burning Man
      • â–ºAugust (7)
        • Burning the American Dream
        • San Jaun Islands
        • Art Alley
        • Biker Rally
        • 1880 Town
        • Minnesota Originals
        • Going Home
      • â–ºJuly (5)
        • Food Factory, USA
        • Jet Set Aspen
        • Gem in the Rockies
        • Dave Lives in a Van.com
        • Rocky Mountain High
      • â–ºJune (5)
        • Land of Enchantment
        • Club on Wheels
        • A-Bomb City
        • Cliff Dwelling Condos
        • Santa Fe Style
      • â–ºMay (10)
        • Caught in a Vortex?
        • Sedona, New Age Vortex
        • Marooned in the Desert
        • Accidental Trip to Mexico
        • Rules for Living
        • Train Men
        • Balboa Park, San Diego
        • Punam from London
        • Cruising the Pacific
        • Venice Beach Freak Show
      • â–ºApril (11)
        • The American Riviera
        • An American Castle
        • Eccentric Motor Home
        • Monterey for a Day
        • Funky San Fran
        • California Cool
        • Mendocino Days
        • Quaint City, USA
        • Pot City, USA
        • Coastal Giants
        • Tripping with the Trees
      • â–ºMarch (3)
        • Hitchhiking on the Wind
        • Salty Sea Town
        • Beautiful Oregon
    • â–º2007 (36)
      • â–ºDecember (1)
        • Who's the Real Santa?
      • â–ºNovember (1)
        • Cowboy Chic
      • â–ºOctober (4)
        • Middle Age Mountain
        • Stoned Presidents
        • Dead Leone
        • Wide Open West
      • â–ºAugust (2)
        • Flashback Woodstock
        • NYC Madness
      • â–ºJuly (10)
        • Busted Flat in Virginia
        • Hot Girl Hot Cars
        • Ashville – Hipster Oasis
        • Cracker Barrel Love
        • Charming Charleston
        • Sweet Savannah
        • Forest Gump Land
        • Dolce Vita in Florida
        • Florida - A Love Hate Story
        • Camping with Spiritualists
      • â–ºJune (3)
        • Lunch at the Breakers
        • Florida Keys
        • My Port of Call
      • â–ºApril (7)
        • Man of Mystery
        • God's Waiting Room
        • Kayaking Springs
        • Old Florida
        • Worm Gruntin'
        • Live Crucifixion
        • Redneck Riviera
      • â–ºMarch (8)
        • Pearls of Wisdom
        • Military Toys for Boys
        • Mississippi Churning
        • Life on the Plantation
        • New Orleans Devastation
        • My Kind of Hell
        • My Destiny
        • The Road Trip Begins
  • Articles by Location

    • â–ºAlabama (2)
      • Military Toys for Boys
      • Pearls of Wisdom
    • â–ºArizona (7)
      • Arizona Desert
      • Caught in a Vortex?
      • Life in a Bubble
      • Marooned in the Desert
      • Paradise in the desert
      • Peyote Way
      • Sedona, New Age Vortex
    • â–ºCalifornia (44)
      • 2012 Our Ending or Beginning?
      • A Mad Hatter Party
      • Accidental Trip to Mexico
      • Amma the Hugging Saint
      • An American Castle
      • Balboa Park, San Diego
      • Bohemian Ball
      • Born Again
      • Burning Fashion
      • Burning Man
      • Burning Man 2009
      • California Cool
      • Coastal Giants
      • Cruising the Pacific
      • Earth Dance
      • Eccentric Motor Home
      • Funky San Fran
      • Halloween 2008
      • Harmony Festival
      • Hitchhiking on the Wind
      • Human Soup
      • Land of the Free
      • LoveFest
      • LovEvolution
      • Mendocino Days
      • Miracle of Love
      • Monterey for a Day
      • New Age Make Over
      • Paradise Found
      • Pot City, USA
      • Punam from London
      • Quaint City, USA
      • RainDance 2010
      • Roads Scholar Laughter
      • SF Decompression
      • The American Riviera
      • The Magic Bus
      • The Polish Princess
      • The Real Palm Springs
      • Train Men
      • Tripping with the Trees
      • Venice Beach Freak Show
      • Witch Camp
      • Woodstock Flashback
    • â–ºColorado (4)
      • Dave Lives in a Van.com
      • Gem in the Rockies
      • Jet Set Aspen
      • Rocky Mountain High
    • â–ºCosta Rica (5)
      • Costa Rica Drop Out
      • Man of Mystery
      • Marooned in the Desert
      • Recession Special
      • Rules for Living
    • â–ºEngland (1)
      • Punam from London
    • â–ºFlorida (16)
      • Spring Break on the Gulf
      • Camping with Spiritualists
      • Dolce Vita in Florida
      • Florida - A Love Hate Story
      • Florida Keys
      • Glamorous South Beach
      • God's Waiting Room
      • Kayaking Springs
      • Leaving Florida
      • Live Crucifixion
      • Lunch at the Breakers
      • Man of Mystery
      • My Port of Call
      • Old Florida
      • Redneck Riviera
      • Worm Gruntin'
    • â–ºGeorgia (2)
      • Forest Gump Land
      • Sweet Savannah
    • â–ºHawaii (1)
      • Hawaian Heaven
    • â–ºIllinois (2)
      • All American City
      • The Polish Princess
    • â–ºLouisiana (3)
      • Life on the Plantation
      • My Kind of Hell
      • New Orleans Devastation
    • â–ºMexico (1)
      • Accidental Trip to Mexico
    • â–ºMinnesota (2)
      • Going Home
      • Minnesota Originals
    • â–ºMississippi (1)
      • Mississippi Churning
    • â–ºNebraska (1)
      • Food Factory, USA
    • â–ºNevada (4)
      • Born Again
      • Burning Man
      • Burning Man 2009
      • Burning the American Dream
    • â–ºNew Mexico (5)
      • A-Bomb City
      • Cliff Dwelling Condos
      • Club on Wheels
      • Land of Enchantment
      • Santa Fe Style
    • â–ºNew York (2)
      • Flashback Woodstock
      • NYC Madness
    • â–ºNorth Carolina (1)
      • Ashville – Hipster Oasis
    • â–ºOregon (8)
      • Beautiful Oregon
      • Crater Lake
      • Cruising the Pacific
      • Nerd Attack
      • Salty Sea Town
      • Tropical Winterland
      • Walk in the Woods
      • Who's the Real Santa?
    • â–ºRants and Raves (3)
      • 2009 Roads Scholars
      • The Evolution Trip
      • Words of Advice
    • â–ºSan Diego (1)
      • Train Men
    • â–ºSouth Carolina (2)
      • Charming Charleston
      • Cracker Barrel Love
    • â–ºSouth Dakota (6)
      • 1880 Town
      • Art Alley
      • Biker Rally
      • Dead Leone
      • Stoned Presidents
      • Wide Open West
    • â–ºTexas (5)
      • Bat Girl of Austin
      • Junkyard Wisdom
      • My Destiny
      • The Road to Peyote
      • The Road Trip Begins
    • â–ºVirginia (2)
      • Busted Flat in Virginia
      • Hot Girl Hot Cars
    • â–ºWashington (1)
      • San Jaun Islands
    • â–ºWyoming (2)
      • Cowboy Chic
      • Middle Age Mountain