The Tampa Two

A Trip through the Spine of Florida

If you are a professional football buff you might recognize the title of this blog post "The Tampa Two" as being a defensive methodology used by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back when Tony Dungy was their coach and they were GOOD - (when Mike "You're In Good Hands With" Allstott [BOILER UP!) played for them in the 2000s.)  Football's got diddly to do with this post.  It's just that Irene and I went to Tampa today to get the Title and Registration on the Trekker taken care of at Lazy Days.  Check another big item off the list. - √

We drove over and down on I-75.  We got to see our salesman Scott Clifford again (whom I HIGHLY recommend if you are in the RV purchasing market.  He's a conscientious, ethical young man who would do right by you and serve your needs.  Joe Mirra was the business manager that took care of getting the Florida Title and Registration paperwork taken care off.  Then we got to see Brooke Veld our Crown Club service advisor and Crystal and MaryKate the two Crown Club Room waitresses that we got to know pretty well.  So, getting to see all of them was really nice.

Driving home we came back on US Hwy 301 for the most part.  Being RVers we enjoy getting off the Interstates and getting to see the REAL Americana - small towns and tiny burgs were people were born, grew up and are now having their kids and grandkids - the Delphis; Frankforts and Americuses of the USA.  The part of America John Mellencamp sings about in his song "I Was Born in a Small Town":

 o/`o/`

Well I was born in a small town
And I live in a small town
Prob'ly die in a small town
Oh, those small communities

All my friends are so small town
My parents live in the same small town
My job is so small town
Provides little opportunity

Educated in a small town
Taught the fear of Jesus in a small town
Used to daydream in that small town
Another boring romantic that's me

 o/`o/`

The part of America that "Citified" people snicker at and Hollywood mocks in so many TV shows.  The part of America that would LOVE the government to just leave them the heck alone so they can live their lives like they want to.  The part of America that doesn't understand how anyone wouldn't want to provide for themselves.  The part of America that knows that contentment doesn't come from money and fame but from family and friends.  One Warning Light towns; Cities with a shuttered up old garage that someone toiled hard to provide for his/her family.  Mom and Pop America.  Go-to-church-on-Sunday America.  The part of America that made "Duck Dynasty" one of the most popular TV shows in America.  Down-to-earth America.  The part of America that doesn't have time to worry about Global Warming and The Rights of Snail Darters and Harmonic Convergence and Yoga classes and "which school" their kids are going to attend because the school they attend is the same one that they went to (and maybe their parents too).  The part of America known to some as "fly-over" country.

Yeas, it was a nice trip home.