Then I hit a big win at the Horseshoe Casino...enough to move down here and finally get out of Lexington.
So, after I got back from Vegas, I put the big stuff in storage until I could get back to KY and packed my car with all the basics (early "evacuation" practice?) and flew my tailfeathers south down I-65. Knowing how bad it is to keep a radio station in tune while traveling through cities on the interstate, I turned off the radio and spread out a handful of cassettes on the seat next to me. I was jamming to Billy Joel as I came to Nashville and I missed the turn west on I-40. Next thing I knew (because Tennessee is such a narrow state), I was seeing lots of Bama license plates. I realized I was almost to the state line and needed to re-check my map. I discovered I could take I-20 and so I set my sights on heading that route. When I got close to Birmingham, I started to encounter some thunderstorms and while I was cruising westward on 40, the wind picked up. It got really messy and hard to see, so I pulled off the road at an exit, found a phone, and called a friend back in KY to let them know I was going to stop for the night, even though it was only about 6:00 PM. I explained that it was too stormy and that's when she introduced me to Georges.
Needless to say, I didn't stop for the night because there were no rooms available in Alabama along that route. I was told I'd either need to go east to FL, north to TN, or west to TX. I was heading to TX anyway, so of course, that's how I kept going. Got into Longview at 1:30 and found a place to rest for the night. Then I got up the next morning and drove on down to start my life in Galveston.
After only a short time here, I knew it was home. It felt good to live here and I decided this would be home for life. I couldn't help but hear the song "Two Pina Coladas" by Garth Brooks and think about Galveston. Of course, I'm a designated driver more often than not, but the basic thoughts in the song say it all for me when it comes to how I feel about Galveston now.
Oh now I've gotta say
That the wind and the waves
And the moon winkin' down at me
Eases my mind
By leavin' behind
The heartaches that love often brings
Now I've got a smile
That goes on for miles
With no inclination to roam
I've gotta say
That I think I've gotta stay
'Cause this is feelin' more and more like home
Odd now when I see that line about "the wind and the waves."
Nevertheless, the fact still remains...I asked for two pina coladas, not one 'Rita.
Hey, bartender!! I think you got my drink wrong!!!