Back to Houston

February18^th

After packing the truck with beach chairs & sand toys, food stuffs and wine, and our pickle ball paddles, we set off on that long, tedious trek on I-10. It’s not a pretty road trip by any means. In fact, it’s actually quite dismal and depressing traveling through Louisiana and Mississippi— just a whole lot of swamp! However, Alabama brings optimism, as the Sunshine State is just around the bend. After a quick stop near Tallahassee, we made our way down to The Villages, where one of Jack’s high school track coaches and a major “Fork in the Road” lived. We have always heard so much about The Villages, a retirement community in the middle of Florida, but have never been there. All I can say is—WOW—it’s enormous! It is the world’s largest 55+ community, spanning 90 square miles across three counties, with 3,500 homes being built this year. Almost 160,000 people reside in this Disney-like development. AND NO, I do not see us moving there anytime soon, but it was good to drive through it and see all the activity centers. I confess, I did think it would be a great place to socialize and play pickle! Ok, I digress. The reason to stop in the area was to see Dick and Lanalee Scott, Jack’s HS track coach. They have an absolutely gorgeous home on one of the 56 golf courses. It was great to hear the old stories of Jack as a high school athlete and witness for myself how much influence this man had on Jack’s life. After a few hours with the Scotts, it was time to meet Wayne (Leroy) at his home, where we would stay the night. The Navy life has undoubtedly created lifelong friendships. Jack and Wayne go way back to their days at Flight School and living in the Sercone (Named for Sergrad – Selectively Retained Graduates after getting Wings of Gold to instruct flight students) Ranch in Beeville, Texas. The best thing about military friendships is that they transcend geographic boundaries and time. We may not see or even speak to each other for months or years, but we pick up right where we left off as if nothing had changed. That’s exactly what we did with Wayne. Meeting Tar and having dinner with old friends was such a blessing. Thank you, Wayne, for the spare room and the Drambuie! (That’s a whole other story of the past!)

Coach Dick "Boo" Scott

Jack and Wayne (1979)

Jack and Wayne (2025)

The Gang in Villages

Crete, Greece

London: All That Life Can Afford

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