OK, this is SO not my style of music, but it happens to be my favorite "Flo Rida" song, and that's what this blog in my Small Town series is about. My time in Florida.
Like I said earlier, my father went where the work was, at this time he was a big shot at Caterpillar, and they needed someone to get a new shop in Florida running. So off we went!
Started off in Clewiston which is on the south end of Lake Okeechobee. That's the giant lake you see on ANY map of Florida. Man made lake to hide ships during WWII. I learned a lot about different cultures, manatees and BASS FISHING! We didn't spend a lot of time in Clewiston, and to this day I'm not sure why. But that's OK. Oh boy was that OK!!!
We ended up in Cape Coral FL. Yeah, let's take a 17 year old boy to the Gulf Coast full of sand, bikinis, and as I like to call it opportunity!
I drove my first ever vehicle down there, a 1978 Chevy truck. Bought a cap, and loaded all kinds of stuff in the back. Pulled into the driveway on South East 40th Terrace and hit my "La Cucaracha" horn! I'm a redneck from Small Town Ohio, remember? I was kind of a bum for a while, then decided I needed to be a part of this lifestyle I knew NOTHING about.
Little did I know when I played La Cucaracha, that we were literally the ONLY family on the street that weren't millionaires! LITERALLY! Not a huge deal, Dad and I made fast friends, and soon we were working on yachts on our dock in the back yard. I quickly learned the art of salt water fishing, I'd go every night 40' from my back door in the canal. Making some money, not really doing much of anything.
Then the evil world of girls showed up.
I was getting gas in my farm truck one night, dressed in work boots and a flannel. This young blond pulls up in a 380 ZX at the next pump (Purely paraphrase here, I don't remember the car. SHE was HOT, I remember that!) and instantly laughed at me. That hurts. Time to change things to fit my environment. Spent the next 2 weeks working on the truck, just to get more trade in value.
Traded my 1978 Chevy Farm Truck and whole persona in on a (Farmer wasn't cool back then, this was 1987) new style. 1980 Ford Mustang Cobra!
Got a job as an over night maintenance man at McDonald's. Cobra taught me about turbos, of course Dad already knew about them, so we spent a few nights in the garage working on my Cheez-Whiz orange Mustang. Holy shit did that thing scream bloody murder when we were done!!!
I'd go to work at 10:30 PM at McDonald's. Manager would leave at 11:00, store was closed, lock me in. I literally had my own McDonald's at my own disposal. Giant sammich and fries then off to work. Clean, actual maintenance, the ice cream machines SUCKED! Get everything converted over to breakfast, then NAP. Morning manager would let me out at 6:30 AM.
It wasn't long before I found Ft. Myers beach watching the sunrise, even though I was on the Gulf Coast. Just have to look at the water until I saw the sun's reflection. I soon had a second job! At Ft Myers Beach in the rental office.
I can see this story getting long, and I have to cut it apart. But I'll leave you with this. 17 year old with a Mustang Cobra, 2 jobs, more money than I know what to do with, one of those jobs is on the beach, and girls.
God Damn girls Billy.
