SEBRING, FLORIDA

SEBRING FLORIDA

By Duncan 

Let me think about how and why this stop is important. 

If you have been following along, you know I have been on a road trip that started in Indianapolis, including London, North Carolina, Jacksonville, Hollywood, North Fort Myers, and Cape Coral. I'm headed to Sebring, Florida, for my next adventure. 

My first marriage ended in the late 1980s. The details might be interesting to some, but what would finger-pointing solve? All the fingers would point at me, and my actions were why I found myself single again. 

I decided to give marriage another try. It's interesting wading through the needs, wants, and desires of a woman who wants her marriage ceremony to be special. I have to ask myself, isn’t that true for all women? 

We were married. One afternoon, I returned to our apartment and found my blushing bride on the floor with the wedding proofs from the photographer on the living room floor. She was crying, and she was very unhappy with the pictures. 

I tried consoling her by saying, "Honey, they are good, fine, great." 

She was having none of it. "You take better pictures than this guy." 

I was an amateur photographer with a black-and-white dark room. Yes, I was using film back then. Digital cameras did not exist at that point. I would take pictures, head to the dark room, and give my black-and-white prints away as a gift. It was my hobby. 

It didn't dawn on me that she was serious until she came home one afternoon and said, 

"We're in the wedding photography business. I've been talking to a girl at work who needs a photographer. I told her we could photograph her wedding."  

This was a huge surprise to me. I had no idea how to photograph a wedding, what to charge, or what camera equipment I would need. The day came, and I was a nervous wreck. 

After the ceremony, I took my film to the drugstore and waited for the results. I was not impressed with my work. I slipped the photographs into an inexpensive wedding album and presented them to the bride. 

The bride loved them, Mom was happy, and everyone was delighted—except me. I couldn’t believe they all liked the pictures. I needed help; I had another wedding to shoot. 

I searched for information about Professional Photographers. I noticed a group called The Professional Photographers of Indianapolis meeting monthly at a nearby hotel. I decided to attend the meeting, even though I would likely not be allowed to participate.  

I walked down the hotel corridor and found a convention room full of people standing around talking with drinks in their hands. I stood in the doorway, frozen in fear. 

A woman in the middle of the room looked up and noticed me at the double doors. She walked to me and asked, 

"Can I help you? What are you looking for?" 

"I was looking for the Professional Photographers meeting." 

"You would be in the right place. Are you a professional photographer?" 

"No, I'm an amateur and need help photographing weddings." 

"Have you photographed a wedding?" 

"Yes, just one."

"Did you get paid?" 

"Yes."

"Then you are a professional. What is your name?"

This woman grabbed my arm. "My name is Nancy Bailey; come sit next to me. We need to talk." 

Everything I know about "professional wedding photography" has come from Nancy over the last thirty years. She is considered a total professional throughout Indiana and the United States. She judges contests and speaks to groups all the time. I'm honored to call her my friend. 

Nancy Bailey - Professional Photographer

So, when Nancy found out I was going to be in Florida, she said, "You are stopping by Sebring and having lunch with me, right?" 

And how could I refuse a request like that? 

As expected, the trip from Cape Coral took a little over two hours. I arrived in Sebring, which is in the middle of Florida. I pulled into Haammock Estates, looking for her home. 

I needed some clarification about the housing addition. They spell the Retirement Village two different ways: HAAMMOCK and HAMMOCK. Everything in town is spelled Hammock. Hammock Park, Hammock Street. So, I can only assume the sign company  “Larry, Larry, and Darryl Sign Company” installed the sign. I can only imagine the questions at the HOA monthly meeting.  

I found the entrance to the addition and drove down the street to find the address. Nancy was outside waiting for me to arrive. The first thing she did was introduce me to her neighbors.

Next-door neighbor Phil. 

Next-door neighbor Carolyn, 

Alan, and Nancy Bailey-Pratt. 

On the front porch of Phil and Carolyn’s home. 

A quick tour of the Baily-Pratt home gave me a little look at their lifestyle. 

The kitchen at the Pratt home. 

Then, it was time for lunch. Nancy decided to take me to what is considered the historic section of Sebring. Sebring was founded by George Sebring, an Ohio industrialist, in 1912.  

Archival records indicate that George Sebring’s “Circle Plan” for the downtown area was based on the design of Heliopolis, an ancient Egyptian city. George’s idea was that all roads should radiate from the center of the community. 

Which has the same street layout as Washington D.C., and Indianapolis. So, it was off to the downtown area of Sebring. The population of Sebring is about 12,000 people. That small-town feel makes you slow down and enjoy life. 

We ended up at Dee’s Place, which has been in business for more than 22 years. It’s a small breakfast restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch and closes at 2:00 PM.

Dee Andrew - owner Dee’s Place - Sebring, Florida

Lacey was our waitress. 

Lacey told us that Dee Andrews keeps a low profile. I asked how it all started. Lacey said when Dee was 14 years old, she worked for a woman named Paige Brooker. 

“I guess she saw something in me and taught me all the important things about the restaurant business.” 

Dee managed the restaurant when she was a high school senior. Then, when Dee stopped working for Paige Brooker, she worked at another restaurant. In 1992, Dee decided she could run her restaurant and opened Dee’s Place. 

Dee Andress 

When asked what she likes about running a restaurant, Dee quickly says, “I like the people. You know, you have good days and bad days, but the people are what makes it work.” 

Dee said, “If you are called to do it, do it. Give it a try because you’ll never know if it was meant to be if you don’t try.”  

NANCY BAILEY-PRATT, DUNCAN - Lunch, Dee’s Place, Sebring. 

This is an interesting story, much like my own with Nancy. If I had not shot that first wedding with blind faith, I could have pulled it off, and then, knowing I needed help, I would have never attended a professional photographer's meeting and met Nancy. 

When I think of the people who have given me a boost and shared information and knowledge, I would not be the guy I am today. Let’s call it the circle of life. If you have been there and done that and are asked to mentor, do it! 

You end up with some great friends.

LONDON

 LONDON 

By Duncan 

I’ve been on a road trip. This time, instead of a “Three Day Road Trip,” I decided on a two-week road trip. 

So, I return with lots of stories. Some interesting and some not so interesting. You will, of course, decide which is which. Let me begin by telling you how this two-week extravaganza all started. 

I received a text from an old motorcycle buddy (Rodney “Digital” Myers) who texted me and said … 

“Why is it that you have lunch with everyone else except me?” 

“Rodney, I’ll have lunch with you; where are you?” 

“London.”

“London? London where?” 

“New London, North Carolina.” 

(By the way, folks, I have not been on a Honda Gold Wing motorcycle since 2008.) 

Of course, the first thing that entered my mind was, You want me to drive from Indianapolis to North Carolina to have lunch with you? I asked Google how many miles it was to New London, North Carolina. Google says six hundred miles or about ten hours. 

 

Now, anyone in their right mind would say, “Hey, that’s too far to go for lunch.” But before I open my mouth, I need a little more information. I looked at the population of New London. Needless to say, I have never heard of New London, North Carolina. I’ve heard of Charlotte, Asheville with the Biltmore Home, Huntsville, and Chapel Hill. The population of New London is 641 people. No wonder I have never heard of New London. 

I went on streets and maps and looked around New London. There are lots of churches and a couple of gas stations. I didn’t see any restaurants except a bait shop. My right eyebrow raised slightly. Hum? Where do we have lunch? The bait shop? So I texted Rodney back and asked, 

“Excuse me, Dig, if I come to New London, where do we “do” lunch?” 

“We would need to go to Mount Gilead, a few miles away. Oh, Duncan, we live in the Bible Belt down here, and most restaurants are closed on Sundays. Do you know what day you are planning on coming?”

What day am I planning on coming? I haven’t decided if I’m diving ten hours to have lunch in New London yet, or at all. Rodney is already cocked and loaded for me to visit him, but not on a Sunday! Not on a Sunday? Holy cow, my door is wide open to visit my Personal and Very Close Friend. What to do? What to do? 

Gosh, I haven’t thought about the Bible Belt in years. It’s only a vague memory of my youth when a few restaurants in Indianapolis were closed on Sunday. Being schooled by God-fearing Baptist parents, it was (SOP) standard operating procedure that they believed restaurants and businesses should close on the Sabbath. You know, God created the world in six days and on the seventh, he rested.  

Rodney also threw out another caveat, “There is a hotel down here called the Badin Inn. Established in 1913. I know the owner, and we are close friends. I can get you the room that Maye West slept in when she came to town. Of course, my first reaction was … “Is it the same bed?” I don't know when Maye West slept at the Badin Inn. One can only hope they change the mattress from time to time. Yes, I know, I’m being cynical.   

The idea that I could sleep in the same room as “Why don’t you come up and see sometime” and “When I’m good I’m very good, when I’m bad, I’m even better” is hard to resist. So, I decided to put the trip on my bucket list. I can only hope God will forgive me for what I’m thinking. Yes, I know Jimmy Carter said, “If you think it, you have done it”

Things happen in my life without me even thinking about it. In the next couple of months, all of a sudden, I had additional invitations to Jacksonville, Hollywood, North Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Sebring, and Tampa, Florida. All of the invitations are for late January and early February. With Indiana being “Indiana.” I decided to escape Indiana's dull, cold, and overcast skies. I then decided to combine all the invitations and make it an experience. So, I will be traveling to North Carolina and Florida for the next couple of posts/stories. 

One of the pleasures for me is being on the road by myself. I can stop wherever and whenever I want. I don’t know about you, but I enjoy a morning Micky-Dee egg muffin and a cup of Joe. I have come to realize that McDonalds doesn’t offer breakfast all day like they used to. If you show up at McDonalds after 10:30, the odds are they are going to tell you, “We are servicing lunch now.” Which can be a bummer if you have your taste buds set for an egg muffin. I stopped in Cambridge, Indiana, at about 9:30 in the morning, a few miles west of Richmond, Indiana, on Highway 70. I wanted to ensure my experience started with an egg muffin before it got too late. It’s the little pleasures of life.   

In the early afternoon, I pulled over and took a moment. I ordered a vanilla milkshake at a different McDonalds. I had been on the road for about six hours and decided to take a break from the super slab and think. 

I had breakfast with my son Scott the day before I started this trip, and we enjoyed a three-hour conversation at a Bob Evans restaurant in Indy. He was telling me he wanted to move to South Carolina. Much to my surprise, he has already purchased five acres of land and plans to build. He loves the moss in the trees, the climate, and the whole feel of South Carolina. The kids/grandkids are out of the house and on their own, and it’s just the two of them. So, now it’s their turn to do what pleases them.   

 

As I enjoyed my vanilla shake, I remembered when I was sitting on the ninth floor of a resort in Pompano Beach, Florida. I thought to myself back then, “Why can’t I live like this all the time?” And so, it came to pass. I focused on the goal, and the goal became a reality. I enjoyed living in North Fort Myers with my father for five years. And then, my Dad (George) passed in 2018, and I decided to head back to what I consider home. And now my son is doing the same thing. Focus on a goal and expect the best out of life. 

Of course, the fun part of any motor trip is getting out of the car, sitting in the dining room, and watching other people. I try to figure out what the person sitting on the other side of the room is all about. What do they do for a living? Do they have a family? How old are they, and why are they wearing the clothes they are wearing? And, of course, everyone had a cell phone in their hands. Even me when I took the picture below. 

Yes, I asked the man sitting by himself a question. I wasn’t sure where I had pulled off the road. I walked up to the man and asked if he knew the area. He said that he did. I explained I was on a motor trip and wasn’t sure where I had stopped. He said, “You are close to South Charleston, West Virginia. Where do you want to go?”   

I told him I was headed to New London, North Carolina. He looked at me with a puzzled look and I knew that there was no point in trying to explain New London. I thanked him for his information and headed for the “Mean Yellow.” 

I made a big mistake. Instead of stopping right before it got dark, I made a reservation in Albemarle, North Carolina. Albemarle is about ten miles south of New London. Since I hit that moose in Montana late at night, I tend not to want to drive in areas I don’t know. 

To get to the motel, I must drive in the dark for a couple of hours. The roads in this part of North Carolina are two lanes with many trees on each side. That means a deer can come out of nowhere, and I could find myself with a passenger in my front seat. I really wanted to stop driving at dusk and find a motel, but I had made the damn reservation. “Note to self. Don’t make a reservation; get off the road at dusk. Wherever you are.”   

I finally got to the Best Western, Albemarle, North Carolina. There was no one at the front desk. Only a sign that told me to phone the number on the paper. I waited in the lobby for a few minutes, and no one was anywhere to be found. I called the number, and a woman answered and said she would be there in a few minutes. She came down a long hall to the front desk. She said she was in the laundry room washing bed linen. So, I assume management requires the desk staff to do the laundry, too. Interesting. I’m sure it’s hard to find good people in these small towns. 

Let’s end this story here. I will explain the morning routine at the Best Western in the next post. 

FACE TO FACE

FACE TO FACE

By Duncan

“For English, press one; for Spanish, press two. Leave your name and telephone number, the last four of your social security number, and why you are calling. If you are contemplating suicide, call this 800 number. If you need immediate care, call this 800 number; if you're calling about your bill, call this number; for rescheduling, call this number. Leave a message, and we will call you back. MAYBE! 

I was called a salesman. After college and the military, I applied for a job with a radio station, WIFE-AM, in Indianapolis. I wanted to be a star on the radio. However, in my face-to-face interview with the station manager, Jack Marcellus, I was told he would hire me on the spot. I was excited until I realized he saw me as a “Time Salesman,” not an “Air Personality.” I took the job anyway. Why? 

There is an old joke about a man who worked in the circus for 40 years. He followed the elephants around, picking up their droppings. A reporter noticed the man and asked how long he had been doing his job. 

“40 Years.” 

“Don’t you want to do something else in life besides this?” 

“What, and give up show business?”  

My job at WIFE-AM was to call on businesses face-to-face and convince their business that it was good business to advertise on the WIFE-AM (13.10) radio station. Cold calls are what we called them back in the day. This means I was asked to leave their business more often than I was allowed to pitch my product. I was starting to feel like a Jehovah’s Witness. 

I thought it would be easier than this. The station was owned by Don Burden. They required a sales meeting every morning at 8:00 AM. Then they had a sales meeting at 5:00 PM the same day. Monday through Friday. On Saturday, I was required to attend a sales meeting beginning at 9:00 AM. Needless to say, I didn’t last long as a Time Salesman for WIFE-AM. This just seemed a little too much, “face to face.”   

DON BURDEN - OWNER WIFE-AM RADIO STATION (Early 60s) 

Later, as a salesman, I learned another lesson. You can’t make the sale unless you are talking to the decision-maker. And, of course, the one rule a lot of new salesmen like me had to learn was to ask for the order/sale.   

So, there you have some of the best advice you can get if you want to be a salesman. Oh, and other rules I learned as I traveled the highways and byways of business. This one comes from the Real Estate industry. About 20% of the Realtors sell 80% of the homes.

And, of course, 80% of the Realtors sell the other 20%. That could be true for a lot of sales teams. However, face-to-face communication is old hat these days. 

Where am I going with this? January in Indiana is a little on the dull side. It may be that way where you live, too. So, how do you shake off the overcast and cool, rainy days of winter in Indiana? I have always been blessed with “Doors Opening To Me.” I have some lunches scheduled in a few days that I’m looking forward to. Face-to-face lunches, where you talk to a real person. Plus, people want me to join them in warm, far-off places, too. 

So, let's think positively about the next few weeks. Rodney sent me a message and said, 

Rodney (Digital Rodney) 

“When are you having lunch with me, face to face? You have lunch with everyone else in the world!” 

DUNCAN - RODNEY (DIGITAL RODNEY) - TSAREFF (SHOOTER)  

Rodney is a lovely fellow with whom I used to ride motorcycles nationwide. I discovered he now lives in New London, North Carolina. Of course, he wants me to come to New London for lunch? I looked up New London on Google Maps. Google says nine hours, almost ten. I went a step further; I looked up the population of London. (2021) 616 people. (2024) 637 people. 

I asked Google another question. Google, show me the restaurants in New London. He lives in the boondocks except for the Bait Shop and a few churches.   

The other big draw of New London, North Carolina, Rodney is excited about. There is a motel whose claim to fame is Mae West slept there. No, Rodney did not tell me the day, the night or the year Mae West slept in the motel. And Rodney assures me he knows the guy who owned the motel, and he could get me the room Mae West slept in. How in the world can I pass up an opportunity like that? 

JIM GENTRY - Jacksonville, Florida. 

Then, I was invited to Jacksonville, Florida. In the early '70s, Jim and his girlfriend traveled on Interstate 465, which circles Indianapolis. A truck in front of him had an automobile engine in the back.

The truck driver swerved for some reason, and the engine came off the back of the truck into the windshield of Jim’s vehicle. Needless to say, Jim took the brunt of the accident.

He has been in a wheelchair and hospital bed for the rest of his life. He calls me regularly and asks me to stop by and visit him If I'm in Florida. So, I will stop and enjoy a few minutes with my good friend, Jim. (Face to face.) 

Mr. Garrity has called and invited me to join him in Hollywood, Florida. He has been in this area of Florida before. Hollywood is south of Fort Lauderdale and north of Miami on the east coast. He has sent me pictures of the beaches and suggested I join him for a few days. These pictures are to encourage me to come to Florida? The beaches are certainly not face-to-face.     

After enjoying Hollywood for a few days, I must visit Sebring, Florida, and see a Gal Pal for lunch. Nancy and Alan live in Fishers, Indiana, in the summer and Sebring in the winter. Because Nancy is always on the go, it’s hard to pin her down for lunch. I’m hopeful on this trip. 

NANCY - ALAN 

Now, it’s off to my old stomping grounds. North Fort Myers. As most of you know, I lived in a gated community named Magnolia Landing for five years. And in the five years that I lived in Magnolia Landing, I made many friends. So I will be staying with Tom for a few days.  

Tom is enjoying a read on the couch. 

After a few days, it will be time for me to head back to the house. The trip back to Indianapolis in “Mean Yellow” is a two-day hard drive. One thousand miles divided by two five hundred mile days. I might just take another day and see what I might see. See something else? Stop along the way? We shall see. This adventure (Road Trip) begins at the end of the month.