The Times, They Are A Changin'...or already have...
So...two weeks, no post. That's okay, though, 'cause I'm not really sure anyone's listening/reading. :-) Nothing big has been happening lately (mainly the reason for no new post), just life going on as normal. This morning, however, I saw something that really got me to thinking...and I had an idea for a post. Eureka! Not really...like, please don't be expecting a lot...'cause you'll be SO disappointed.
So I cross the bridge (if you don't know which bridge I'm talking about you obviously are a transplant...and will understand this lingo later) this morning and veer to the right to turn left onto Thomas Drive. There's this new (semi new) concrete median separating left-turners and go-straighters that seems to be the hot spot lately for people holding cardboard signs. Yesterday there was some guy holding a sign that said something like, "Went to shelter and left due to...." and I couldn't read the rest. He had a fish bowl with a pretty good amount of cash...like...he might have made more yesterday than I did...at my job. Anyway, TODAY I drive up and see a police car with its lights on (and let's be honest, we ALL see those lights and HAVE to get a looksy to see what's going on...we all do it...don't lie). As I get closer I see that there are two officers talking to eachother (apparently trying to figure out what to do). BEHIND them are two girls holding a cardboard sign (hobo-type) being PHOTOGRAPHED by some dude. The girls are wearing jean shorts and swimsuit tops...the skimpy triangle ones that my mom wouldn't even let me cut grass in in high school (for which I'm now SO thankful). I don't know why they were holding up signs in the middle of the road at 8:15 in the morning, but I can probably guess that they weren't hurting for anything. And all of this made me think of how Panama City, MY Panama City has changed in the past ten or so years.
See, for those that don't know, I'm a native. I'm not just a native, I'm a true native. I was born here, went to school here, even went to college here. I've lived in HP, Sthpt, PC, and LH. I know almost all of this town and most of its history. I have family living in Pkr and St. And. (meaning that I also know those areas of town). I can't remember the last time I got lost here in town. I grew up hanging out at the marina, parking on Safari Avenue to go swimming at the beach, swimming on BOTH sides of the Bailey Bridge (yeah, that's right...before there was a condo there), and even getting free car washes at the paper mill (if you know what I'm talking about...AWESOME!). And my favorite...driving by King Neptune while "cruising the strip" during the spring and summer months (I actually started thinking about him this morning and realized how much I miss him...if you have no idea what I'm talking about...sigh...we'll talk later).
The sad thing is, to me, how PC has changed so much. Mainly the beach, but in town, also. Not only is King Neptune a memory, but if you drive down Front Beach Road, you're in the shade because the condos are too tall and block the sun.
All of those cheap "Mom and Pop" motels are gone. And I'm not even going to get started on Miracle Strip...'cause Ryan might start crying if he reads this. :-) It's totally different from back then. And yeah, I know, things change, change is inevitable, life is full of changes, blah, blah, blah. I guess it's seeing things like this morning that remind me (more like slap me in the face) that MY PC isn't the same that it used to be.
In high school my friends and I would hit the road (after washing our cars, of course) and spend hours (and gallons of gas) driving up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down the beach. And we had a blast.
One night we actually snuck into Salty's (back door...'cause we were SMART) and were SOOOOO proud of ourselves...we thought we were so cool...until we got busted by my older brother, his wife, my cousins, and their friends. By busted I mean, he came up behind me, planted a nasty kiss on my cheek and yelled, "Hey!!! There's my baby sister!" Ugh...wanted to die. But...everytime we drove by there we thought and talked about it...and it was one of those fun memories. And now, Salty's is gone.
So...not really a point to this post, but oh well. I think it just hit me today how much PC has changed, some for the better, some not. Like this morning for instance...probably wouldn't have seen that ten years ago. Or maybe I thought it was different because I was younger, I don't know. Sometimes I think that I liked the old PC a whole lot better. Less snobs, more real people that weren't so driven to get rich or make it big. Things seemed a whole lot simpler back then. Back then I thought it would be so much fun to have a weekend house at the beach...now I'm thinking a weekend home in Chipley sounds nice. Hmmm......
So I cross the bridge (if you don't know which bridge I'm talking about you obviously are a transplant...and will understand this lingo later) this morning and veer to the right to turn left onto Thomas Drive. There's this new (semi new) concrete median separating left-turners and go-straighters that seems to be the hot spot lately for people holding cardboard signs. Yesterday there was some guy holding a sign that said something like, "Went to shelter and left due to...." and I couldn't read the rest. He had a fish bowl with a pretty good amount of cash...like...he might have made more yesterday than I did...at my job. Anyway, TODAY I drive up and see a police car with its lights on (and let's be honest, we ALL see those lights and HAVE to get a looksy to see what's going on...we all do it...don't lie). As I get closer I see that there are two officers talking to eachother (apparently trying to figure out what to do). BEHIND them are two girls holding a cardboard sign (hobo-type) being PHOTOGRAPHED by some dude. The girls are wearing jean shorts and swimsuit tops...the skimpy triangle ones that my mom wouldn't even let me cut grass in in high school (for which I'm now SO thankful). I don't know why they were holding up signs in the middle of the road at 8:15 in the morning, but I can probably guess that they weren't hurting for anything. And all of this made me think of how Panama City, MY Panama City has changed in the past ten or so years.
See, for those that don't know, I'm a native. I'm not just a native, I'm a true native. I was born here, went to school here, even went to college here. I've lived in HP, Sthpt, PC, and LH. I know almost all of this town and most of its history. I have family living in Pkr and St. And. (meaning that I also know those areas of town). I can't remember the last time I got lost here in town. I grew up hanging out at the marina, parking on Safari Avenue to go swimming at the beach, swimming on BOTH sides of the Bailey Bridge (yeah, that's right...before there was a condo there), and even getting free car washes at the paper mill (if you know what I'm talking about...AWESOME!). And my favorite...driving by King Neptune while "cruising the strip" during the spring and summer months (I actually started thinking about him this morning and realized how much I miss him...if you have no idea what I'm talking about...sigh...we'll talk later).
The sad thing is, to me, how PC has changed so much. Mainly the beach, but in town, also. Not only is King Neptune a memory, but if you drive down Front Beach Road, you're in the shade because the condos are too tall and block the sun.
All of those cheap "Mom and Pop" motels are gone. And I'm not even going to get started on Miracle Strip...'cause Ryan might start crying if he reads this. :-) It's totally different from back then. And yeah, I know, things change, change is inevitable, life is full of changes, blah, blah, blah. I guess it's seeing things like this morning that remind me (more like slap me in the face) that MY PC isn't the same that it used to be.In high school my friends and I would hit the road (after washing our cars, of course) and spend hours (and gallons of gas) driving up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down the beach. And we had a blast.
One night we actually snuck into Salty's (back door...'cause we were SMART) and were SOOOOO proud of ourselves...we thought we were so cool...until we got busted by my older brother, his wife, my cousins, and their friends. By busted I mean, he came up behind me, planted a nasty kiss on my cheek and yelled, "Hey!!! There's my baby sister!" Ugh...wanted to die. But...everytime we drove by there we thought and talked about it...and it was one of those fun memories. And now, Salty's is gone.
So...not really a point to this post, but oh well. I think it just hit me today how much PC has changed, some for the better, some not. Like this morning for instance...probably wouldn't have seen that ten years ago. Or maybe I thought it was different because I was younger, I don't know. Sometimes I think that I liked the old PC a whole lot better. Less snobs, more real people that weren't so driven to get rich or make it big. Things seemed a whole lot simpler back then. Back then I thought it would be so much fun to have a weekend house at the beach...now I'm thinking a weekend home in Chipley sounds nice. Hmmm......
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