Friday, June 10, 2005
Lunch in Cottondale and then to Marianna
On Tuesday morning, Eric woke up at 6 a.m. as usual, in DeFuniak Springs, so he could get on the road before it go too hot. I woke up at 7:30 and realized that there was no Eric -- and he did not say goodbye. I panicked a little and wondered what had happened. I was sitting on the couch moping and then the door to the room opened and I thought maybe it was Eric after all, and that maybe he hadn't left yet, but no, it was housekeeping. The woman opened the door, said "Ooops! I thought you'd checked out!" and I said "Oh no, he only left. On his bike." So my moping continued. I took a shower, and then happily, the phone rang and it was Eric saying he thought I needed my sleep because perhaps that was what was behind my several-day-long bad mood. I think he might have been right. After that, I felt pretty much all better.
I checked out of the Hotel DeFuniak and went on to Cottondale where Eric and I were meeting for lunch. I passed him on the road and pulled in to a Tom Thumb convenience store. There we sat on some milk crates under the shade of the roof and had the company of a cigarette-smoking worker, who was on the other side of the trash can from us talking on her cell phone, and a Spanish-speaking young man in dirty white clam-diggers who was busy conversing with someone on the payphone, rattling off several numbers. He talked on the phone for a long time, our whole lunch. When he got off he began to talk to Eric. He kept asking Eric if he had any numbers. It came together slowly -- he was asking for like taxi-cab phone numbers or something. We didn't have any. We suggested that he go to the service station across the street. He did that. Eric and I also observed all kinds of people coming and going from the convenience store, toting fast food with them. Oh yes, and then we saw a strange transaction between a man in a UPS uniform (not in a UPS truck though) who met up with a man in a white sedan and received several large boxes from him. What do YOU think?
From there I drove to Marianna and went straight to the public library. Again, it was a noisy library day. Since school just got out, within a few weeks ago, in many of these towns I've been through the public libraries are starting their summer reading programs. At the library in Marianna, it was the first day of the reading program. That made for a lot of kids and a lot of talking and organizing.
Eric called after I'd been at the library for about an hour saying that he was down by the freeway and that the Comfort Inn looked suspect. He said that maybe I should come get him and we'd look for other options. I drove down to I-10 where he was, seated on a bench by Country Inn and Suites, and we borrowed their wi-fi while we sat outside and looked to see what Marianna had to offer in terms of lodging and B&Bs. We could've stayed at the Country Inn and Suites, which was nice, but we really wanted to stay on the route (I-90) so I wouldn't have to drive Eric back to it in the morning. We found a B&B right on I-90 and we went right over there and rang the bell. It was called the Hinson House. At the Hinson House, it is Christmas all the time. The woman who answered the phone was in the basement and had just gotten out of the shower; she said she'd be right up. We sat on the porch swing and whiled away the time. She opened the door about ten minutes after we got off the phone and welcomed us in. And in the foyer was a Christmas tree and the stairs were bedecked with lighted garlands. She showed us the room and gave us the price and I even heard a very impressed Eric say, "You know Judy, I do think you could stand to raise your prices." I about fainted. Anyway, the rates were low and we were very pleased with the pretty room, the pretty house, and the nice demeanor of Judy, our hostess.
Me on the stairs at the Hinson House B&B
Eric took his post-ride nap and I read. When he got up we got in our swimsuits and headed to Florida Caverns State Park (we missed the last caverns tour though, sadly; they are the only natural caverns in Florida!). We were told there was a swimming hole there and sure enough, the park ranger said "yes, go right ahead, follow the road to Blue Hole." We passed some bogs, some swamps, and some areas that looked like they would be happy homes for alligators, and we arrived at "Blue Hole," and believe you me, it was BROWN, not blue, and you can see for yourself in the photo.
Eric in the "Blue Hole." He is trying to ward off bugs with our orange noodle floaty-thing.
The air there in the late afternoon was also full of insect sounds and we saw some spidery bugs scooting across the pond's water and some buzzing bugs and dragonflies and some horseflies too. Eric was brave enough to get all the way into cold water and he swam across to the dock. I was stricten with trepidation and went no further than thigh-high in the water. It just got too buggy for us to stay there long and we drove through the rest of the park and then drove around Marianna for about an hour and stopped in at a drive-through carwash. There was a man in a maroon Cadillac in front of us for about five minutes. Eric got out and helped him and then we went ahead and cleaned the very dirty car.
We met another man who was staying at the B&B. I cannot remember his name but he made me a little suspicious. He and his wife and son were moving to Milton (by Pensacola) because he got transferred there from outside of Atlanta. He was nice enough but boy, he let us know how he felt about unhygienic ice-cream store clerks.
For dinner Eric and I went across I-90 to a salad/buffet place, Jim's, and Eric was amazed that it was in business. He had some "cabbage-infused potatoes" that were labeled "squash." I had a salad and watermelon and was pleased as punch that I got to eat as much watermelon as I did. Eric had three desserts, so I don't know why he would ever complain about Jim's. He loved their banana pudding. One of the waitresses' families came in for dinner while we were there and her kids were darn cute.
After dinner we hung out on the porch swing and talked to the business man who I said I was suspicious of. This is when we learned that he flipped out when an ice-cream clerk put his cone right down on the counter. Bad form, I agree, but it happens. Eric and I drank some of the complimentary white zinfandel and that was that for Marianna.
I checked out of the Hotel DeFuniak and went on to Cottondale where Eric and I were meeting for lunch. I passed him on the road and pulled in to a Tom Thumb convenience store. There we sat on some milk crates under the shade of the roof and had the company of a cigarette-smoking worker, who was on the other side of the trash can from us talking on her cell phone, and a Spanish-speaking young man in dirty white clam-diggers who was busy conversing with someone on the payphone, rattling off several numbers. He talked on the phone for a long time, our whole lunch. When he got off he began to talk to Eric. He kept asking Eric if he had any numbers. It came together slowly -- he was asking for like taxi-cab phone numbers or something. We didn't have any. We suggested that he go to the service station across the street. He did that. Eric and I also observed all kinds of people coming and going from the convenience store, toting fast food with them. Oh yes, and then we saw a strange transaction between a man in a UPS uniform (not in a UPS truck though) who met up with a man in a white sedan and received several large boxes from him. What do YOU think?
From there I drove to Marianna and went straight to the public library. Again, it was a noisy library day. Since school just got out, within a few weeks ago, in many of these towns I've been through the public libraries are starting their summer reading programs. At the library in Marianna, it was the first day of the reading program. That made for a lot of kids and a lot of talking and organizing.
Eric called after I'd been at the library for about an hour saying that he was down by the freeway and that the Comfort Inn looked suspect. He said that maybe I should come get him and we'd look for other options. I drove down to I-10 where he was, seated on a bench by Country Inn and Suites, and we borrowed their wi-fi while we sat outside and looked to see what Marianna had to offer in terms of lodging and B&Bs. We could've stayed at the Country Inn and Suites, which was nice, but we really wanted to stay on the route (I-90) so I wouldn't have to drive Eric back to it in the morning. We found a B&B right on I-90 and we went right over there and rang the bell. It was called the Hinson House. At the Hinson House, it is Christmas all the time. The woman who answered the phone was in the basement and had just gotten out of the shower; she said she'd be right up. We sat on the porch swing and whiled away the time. She opened the door about ten minutes after we got off the phone and welcomed us in. And in the foyer was a Christmas tree and the stairs were bedecked with lighted garlands. She showed us the room and gave us the price and I even heard a very impressed Eric say, "You know Judy, I do think you could stand to raise your prices." I about fainted. Anyway, the rates were low and we were very pleased with the pretty room, the pretty house, and the nice demeanor of Judy, our hostess.
Me on the stairs at the Hinson House B&B
Eric took his post-ride nap and I read. When he got up we got in our swimsuits and headed to Florida Caverns State Park (we missed the last caverns tour though, sadly; they are the only natural caverns in Florida!). We were told there was a swimming hole there and sure enough, the park ranger said "yes, go right ahead, follow the road to Blue Hole." We passed some bogs, some swamps, and some areas that looked like they would be happy homes for alligators, and we arrived at "Blue Hole," and believe you me, it was BROWN, not blue, and you can see for yourself in the photo.
Eric in the "Blue Hole." He is trying to ward off bugs with our orange noodle floaty-thing.
The air there in the late afternoon was also full of insect sounds and we saw some spidery bugs scooting across the pond's water and some buzzing bugs and dragonflies and some horseflies too. Eric was brave enough to get all the way into cold water and he swam across to the dock. I was stricten with trepidation and went no further than thigh-high in the water. It just got too buggy for us to stay there long and we drove through the rest of the park and then drove around Marianna for about an hour and stopped in at a drive-through carwash. There was a man in a maroon Cadillac in front of us for about five minutes. Eric got out and helped him and then we went ahead and cleaned the very dirty car.
We met another man who was staying at the B&B. I cannot remember his name but he made me a little suspicious. He and his wife and son were moving to Milton (by Pensacola) because he got transferred there from outside of Atlanta. He was nice enough but boy, he let us know how he felt about unhygienic ice-cream store clerks.
For dinner Eric and I went across I-90 to a salad/buffet place, Jim's, and Eric was amazed that it was in business. He had some "cabbage-infused potatoes" that were labeled "squash." I had a salad and watermelon and was pleased as punch that I got to eat as much watermelon as I did. Eric had three desserts, so I don't know why he would ever complain about Jim's. He loved their banana pudding. One of the waitresses' families came in for dinner while we were there and her kids were darn cute.
After dinner we hung out on the porch swing and talked to the business man who I said I was suspicious of. This is when we learned that he flipped out when an ice-cream clerk put his cone right down on the counter. Bad form, I agree, but it happens. Eric and I drank some of the complimentary white zinfandel and that was that for Marianna.
# posted by jnewwave @ 6:07 PM 
