FLORIDA - Jim Colyer

Michael and I left for Daytona Beach on July 15, 2001. We had 5 days together. That was the main thing, father and son bonding, sharing an experience. Also, I wanted Michael to see Florida as kids in his age group have. We went to the beach and got in the ocean. Michael bought a board which he surfed on. We collected shells at night. We saw crabs in the sand. We stood on the balcony and watched the waves. Storm clouds arose. It rained. We rode over to Orlando. Michael got 2 tee shirts at the Hard Rock Cafe. We drove south to the Kennedy Space Center. We took the tour. It consisted of the Space Shuttle, Apollo program and International Space Station. We went on to Cocoa Beach. Michael got a tee-shirt from Hooter's. A girl signed it, "To a cutie from a hottie." We saw where they run the Daytona 500, the track on which Dale Earnhardt died. We stayed 4 nights in the hotel and were together almost constantly. There was stress, but overall it went okay. It is apparent that Michael wants a relationship with me and is willing to make an effort. This trip was for him, not to indulge myself at the Space Center. We got reacquainted. We are best friends. Michael took pictures. 1961,1962,1963 - Florida We made family trips to Florida. I became acquainted with the white sands of Daytona Beach. We saw Saint Augustine, America's oldest city and the old Spanish fort, Castillo de San Marcos. In 1962, we went all the way to Miami and Lake Okeechobee. In 1963, Jean Adair, my first girl friend, went with us. John Kennedy was President, and I was naive to a fault. Little did I know the coming years would see the assassination of Kennedy, The Beatles, long hair, The Vietnam War, race riots, women's liberation, police brutality, drugs, Woodstock, men on the moon, hippies, Jesus Freaks, homosexuals, Watergate and the resignation of Richard Nixon. We survived by God's will. December, 1968 - Daytona Beach, Florida The 4th trip with my parents and sister. Nothing new. March, 1969 - Miami, Florida I went to Miami with Kerry Goodall. I drove his Firebird a piece even though it was not an automatic. We stayed with Kerry's sister and went fishing in a small boat off the coast with her husband. Summer, 1973 - Deland, Florida I flew to Florida to get a record cut at a studio in Deland. I had "You'd Better Go." recorded. What a waste! At least, I was doing something.
Contact: jim@jimcolyer.com