Few days on the road....Florida's forgotten coast....

[Art708]

Thanks for sharing, the Ray Charles stuff was a wonderful surprise. I first heard him on night radio in Detroit, coming long distance from "Randy's Record Mart" (don't remember the station) doing "Lonely Avenue", absolutely electrifying!

   Randy's Record Shop was in Gallatin, TN. The broadcast came from WLAC in Nashville. I used to listen every night when I was a kid.

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

Thanks for the report Joe. Been busy packing the homestead up and moved last weekend to the new digs in KY. Will take weeks to get everything unpacked and in place.  

You've crossed my mind several times Dave I was wonderin' how that move was going. Let me know when you can ride we can hook up somewhere  

Will be in touch when I can for a certainty  Ride safe

[Tim H]

Glad to see you all back safe.  Great job with the ride report.

[GiG]

Hey, Joe - I  was in Florida the same time as you - but at the other end, in Key West.
I was also looking at strange brick jobs. This is a picture of the wall around Ernest Hemmingway's house.




The story is the city did not want him to use brick for a fence and refused to sell bricks to him, so he "requesitioned" (stole) the bricks from a road that was being torn up. The city found out and charged him for the bricks. The wall is not very straight and the height varies because he used his drinking buddies from Sloppy Joe's (now Captain Dave's) Bar to do the labor. 
 

[Grumpy]

I read a bunch about Surface Bonded Block in Fine Homebuilding 15 years ago or so...
I remember them using special block that fit more precisely than block meant to be
used with mortar...

I like the sandbox, where we can talk about Wimp and mortar and Florida all in
the same thread  

-Mike

WR Bonsail developed a system in 1970 called sure wall, the blocks were just stacked and then sprayed with a mixture of chopped fiberglass, resin and concrete that mixed in the gun.  We built a 20 foot long wall shaped like a pyramid, sprayed it on both sides, after it cured we hung it from the top block with a single cable in the convention center to show the strength at a builders show. Was really a neat process, no need for lintels over doors and windows. Just build all solid walls, and cut the openings. We built a building in 71 that is still in use today, no cracks or any problems with it. I think the only reason it did not go over was the initial cost of it.

[highcountry]

Very cool, especially the Jefferson Davis memorial.  I am a descendant of him.

[Valkahuna]

Great report as always Joe! 

I guess the thing that I admire most about you (and envy) is that while I'm thinking of all the places I want to ride to "when I have time", you grab some like minded good riding buds and just "do it". 

Good for you, and thanks for allowing the rest of us to share the experience through your words and pictures. 

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Great report as always Joe! 

I guess the thing that I admire most about you (and envy) is that while I'm thinking of all the places I want to ride to "when I have time", you grab some like minded good riding buds and just "do it". 

Good for you, and thanks for allowing the rest of us to share the experience through your words and pictures. 

I'd love to hit the road on a 3 or 4 week trip out west . I'm pretty lucky living where I do we have some of the best roads in America for the art of motorcycling within a easy day ride. Thanks for the comments ...."when I have time"  Time does'nt wait on anyone

[Valkahuna]

Great report as always Joe! 

I guess the thing that I admire most about you (and envy) is that while I'm thinking of all the places I want to ride to "when I have time", you grab some like minded good riding buds and just "do it". 

Good for you, and thanks for allowing the rest of us to share the experience through your words and pictures. 

I'd love to hit the road on a 3 or 4 week trip out west . I'm pretty lucky living where I do we have some of the best roads in America for the art of motorcycling within a easy day ride. Thanks for the comments ...."when I have time"  Time does'nt wait on anyone

That's on my "Bucket List" too.    I'd like to ride from the East Coast in Connecticut, to the West Coast in Washington or Oregon, to the Gulf Coast, back to New England. Stopping anywhere in between wherever it looks interesting. New England is also a fantastic riding area from as soon as I leave my house. Makes it boring for the time I am down in Florida. Not enough hills and curves. But, at least I am riding, while in New England things are covered with Snow.  So, I'm not complaining!