Feeling the brotherly love in Texas

We were thrilled to greet Tom, Mike's brother,
who just weeks before narrowly missed the bombing
when he finished the Boston Marathon.  Tom was
only 200 yards away, in a building basement having
some medical attention for his sore feet.  He didn't
hear the blast, only knew that he was supposed to
evacuate immediately and that his cell phone was
jammed.  We were so relieved, hours later, to
find out that he was OK.

OK, so Texas Roadhouse is a chain over 40
states.  But seriously, the ribs are better in Texas.

From the left: Sue, Mike, Tom, Matthew, Adam
(Ashley's boyfriend), Ashley and Laura.  Cheers!

This is why I will probably never be a vegetarian.

       

Going Old School in St. Augustine, FL

The oldest wooden schoolhouse in America, circa
 1705.  Originally a homestead, built of red cedar
and cypress.  Everything was made by hand,
 including the nails and wooden pegs.  The giant
 anchor and chain that wrap the building are from
 1937, when a hurricane threatened.  So far, so good!  
The rules for teachers include this - "Any teacher
 who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents
 pool halls or gets shaved in a barber shop will
 give good reason to suspect his worth, intention,
 integrity and honesty."

Old St Augustine is a lovely walk through
historic buildings, bursting with music from
 every other door.

The Colonial period, between 1500 - 1800
were years of almost constant warfare, as European
countries vied with each other to control the
economic wealth of the "New World".

St Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied
European settled city in what is now the United States.   
Explored by both the French and Spanish, a
 Spanish admiral landed in 1565 on the Feast of
 St. Augustine, declaring the city name.
The location is strategic geographically, now
home to the Florida National Guard.

Historic hand painted tiles depict local Floridians
offering music and wine to a visiting dignitary
(in a turban?!) - note he is protecting himself
from burned skin in what is now known as
"The Sunshine State".

Po-Boy is a traditional southern sandwich,
Po-Girls is just a good ol' southern bathroom sign.

           

World Golf Hall of Fame St. Augustine, FL

The King (Arnold Palmer) and the Bear
(Jack Nicholas) collaborated on this course.

Couldn't agree more!

First recorded game was in 1296

USGA women's open in 1898.  Not only are
the outfits amazing, but it looks like they only
used about six clubs!

Bob Hope and President Nixon comparing noses.

           

Golf mecca - the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Inductees, announced annually, include 141
golfers like Phil Mickelson, Annika Sorenstam,
and Bobby Jones, not to mention Dwight
Eisenhower and Bing Crosby.  Tiger Woods is
NOT yet a member, because the inductees
have to be at least 40 years old.

Alabama Wild Game Cook-Off

GETU1!!!  Alabama has Wild Game Cook-Offs
all over the state, leading up to the state finals.   

Last year's winner was "Grilled Dove Breast
wrapped in Wild Boar Bacon stuffed with
 Jalepeno Peppers and Monterey Jack Cheese"

Rattlesnakes are highly venemous
but the meat is perfectly safe.  In 2009,
they caught a 7 footer in Florida!

Coot, which reportedly tastes like wild
duck, but much worse.

Possible winner:  Venison burgers on glazed
donuts.  These guys may have had a sample or two.

Squirrel sausage

           

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Prattville, AL

In Alabama, along the "Robert Trent Jones Golf
Trail", a string of spectacular courses, all done
by the same brilliant course architect.

The practice range awaits, with balls in
perfect little pyramids.

Capitol Hill courses, boast three dynamite
18 hole courses, called the Legislator, the
Senator and the Judge.

Something more than intimidating is the first
hole of the Judge course - tiered tee boxes sit
200 ft. over a narrow fairway with water on
the right and swamp on the left.

Nice little par 3, unless your ball lands in all
those lily pads.

To quote the starter: "Y'all can git yer ball outta
da weeds o' da water, but mind ya it IS snake
season - we got rattlers, water moccasins
an' copperheads.  But y'all do whatcha want."

         

Visiting the home of young MLK in Montgomery, AL

Montgomery was home for a while to a young
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.  Dexter Avenue
Baptist church provided him this home as a
parsonage during his tenure there.  A placque
on the lower right of the photo shows where
the home was bombed during the bus boycott.

27 year old Martin Luther King, Jr.
 made a name for himself in
Montgomery.  Church leader was
the highest position of authority
a black person could then achieve.
Coretta Scott King, who had married
a preacher, found herself in the middle
of historic social change. 

King holding a press conference.  "Nonviolence
is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without
wounding, and ennobles the man who wields it.
It is a sword that heals."

King was arrested during the bus boycott,
handcuffed, fingerprinted, mugshot and
jailed - for driving a car 30 miles per
hour in a 25 mph zone.

King was the recipient of numerous death threats.
His youngest daughter, Yolanda, was born in
Montgomery, and King feared for her safety.

King's kitchen, circa 1955, has been restored exactly as
 it was when he had his defining moment.  The phone rang
 at 1am - "Nigger, we're tired of your mess.  If you aren't
 out of this town in 3 days, we're going to blow up your house
and blow your brains out."  Shaken, King stared into his coffee
 and prayed out loud for courage.  He explained,
"I could hear an inner voice say to me, Martin Luther,
 stand up for truth.  Stand up for justice.
Stand up for righteousness."  The fears ceased, but not the threats.
  The bomb landed 3 days later.

 

           

Rosa Parks Museum, Montgomery, AL

On Dec 1, 1955, after a long day as a seamstress
 in Montgomery, Alabama, 42 year old Rosa
 Parks boarded the bus home.  The bus was full,
 and Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat.
  Most people left the bus when the driver called
 the police, but she sat firmly and calmly.  As she
 said, "I wasn't physically tired.  The only tired I
 was, was tired of giving in."

The bus system rules in Montgomery in 1955
were a humiliation repeated daily.  Black people,
 who comprised 75% of the ridership,
had to sit at the back of the bus, give up their
seats to any white rider, and board and exit
through the back door.

           

Rosa Parks mug shot.  She was arrested
for disorderly conduct, and fined $14 for
violating the city ordinance.  Word spread,
and blacks boycotted the bus line for 381
days.  The bus line lost huge revenue.
With the help of local reverend,
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
the Civil Rights movement was born.

In 1956, the US Supreme Court ruled that bus
 segregation was unconstitutional.  The next day,
 the bus boycott ended, with a victorious ride
 including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. riding in
 the front of the bus.  Rosa Parks,  icon of the
 Civil Rights movement, suffered hardships, and
 was unable to find work.  She lived out her days in Detroit.

Travel guides, circa 1955, listed hotels and
restaurants where blacks were welcomed - where
they could "vacation without humiliation".

Segregated drinking fountains were a mystery
from a child's point of view.  Many snuck a
drink, convinced that the "other" water would
be actually white or colored, and taste different. 

Put da lime in de coconut

Girls just wanna have RUM!

Graceful coconut palms sway in the breeze
overlooking the Atlantic, just outside our door.

A fast machete made quick work to get
down to the fresh coconut juice.  And
he still had all his fingers!

Dan and I decided someone should properly
demonstrate how to hold the coconuts.

Our favorite dinner spot - the Firefly, where
we had chilled stone crab under the stars.

Wrong turn, we're fresh out of real estate.