No More Debby Ryan

I have finally developed the film in my disposable camera, and on it are actual pictures of the reclusive and camera shy Karrie.

I had been using pictures of Debby Ryan (above,) of Radio Disney fame, as a surrogate, after browsing the results of a Google search for "Latina girl," and choosing the nearest match, in my opinion, to Karrie, which I could find in less than 30 minutes. Karrie commented upon seeing her photo "I used to look like that." So, kiss Debby Ryan goodbye, and meet my angel, Karrie!

Strange, the way the picture of Jesus reflected the light of the flashbulb, or is it being illuminated by some other-worldly glow, emanating off of Karrie's countenance? Is that why she doesn't allow pictures to be taken of her. I snuck this one, when she was laughing so hard that she closed her eyes. She was LOL, for sure!

Sleeping Karrie
This picture was taken behind the tattoo place in Mandarin, where Karrie and I would wash up sometimes. Their sink has hot water.
Karrie fell asleep that afternoon, her hair still wet, and in her heart, a new found respect for a new beverage, which was only $1.39 per 24oz. can, for, this was also the day that we tried that new beverage, which is called "Earthquake Lager."
Earthquake Lager boasts a 12% alcohol content.
The two dollars were left in Karrie's shoe, in case she desired an aftershock, upon waking. I left her there, so I could go off and play. I felt that she was safe, because one scream would bring men armed with tattoo guns to her immediate rescue.

This one was taken at the ramp, by the hospital, where, I played on one side, and Karrie "flew" her sign on the other. She looks like she is brimming with love, even though I think this was a day when she made only 2 dollars.

I had made about 40 that day, as I recall, and had probably just assured her that we would be alright, and that I still loved her, even though she made only 2 dollars...I actually miss the mutual struggle which we went through, with her rising up one day, and I on another, so that we complemented each other, unfailingly.

I cropped the picture, to cut out most of the scars on her arms and hands, from when she was almost burned alive, as an infant. Visible though, is the scar on her cheek, a result of a knife attack. This occurred during a scuffle which stemmed from something involving Karrie's man at the time.

I'd like to think that she would go to battle for me, also.

I think I was upset with Karrie (left) and this was probably the night of one of our arguments over one of us eating all of our food.

One More Before Lunch

I thought the above (right) one was sweet, though she may have been a little "tipsy" at the time of its taking.

It's raining cats and dogs on Mobile right now.

Suddenly, a plate of something with coleslaw, doesn't seem so important.

I Am In Mobile, Alabama, Feeling Low

Guitar Breaks





I am in the heart of Dixie. I got hear at 4 am., after a 7 hour bus ride, through which I slept and woke feeling scared and lonely.
Once, I woke because I thought that I felt Karrie kiss my lips.
It was probably the weird guy in the seat next to me who kept coughing.


I slept until sunup at the Greyhound. I was then told to leave, since Mobile was my final destination. It was foggy and I could hear thunder in the distance, as I began to walk in the direction of "downtown." It proved to be a big city, much like Ocala.



I walked in the direction of downtown, stopping behind a church of sorts to hide the heavy tent in the bushes, and then continued on.
I stopped at a store for a Mountain Dew.
The lady was nice, the guy told me to leave my bags up front, and was very curt with his answers to questions about Mobile, in general, and resources for the homeless, in particular.

Goths Find Me



I found a bus stop and was sitting there when a couple of gothic teens, a guy and girl, walked over.
The guy had piercings, like the goths in Mandarin, and, like them, expressed interest in music and a curiosity about my doings.
I played a song on my broken guitar. It was a song that I wrote in St. Augustine when I had broken the "g" string, called "My Favorite Horse."
They then gave me a ride to the library, where I learned that I couldn't come in with my big pack.
I went on a city bus to hide the bag, way out of town near the Guitar Center, where I had to pay 40 bucks for a whole new set of tuning machines, in order to make my guitar playable again of songs other than My Favorite Horse.

On my next to last day in Mandarin, my pick broke while I was playing. Then, when I went to tighten up the g string, the tuning machine broke off in my hand. Then, later on the g string itself broke. All on the same day; my last in Jacksonville.

Karrie Cries


I left Karrie at the bus stop on Monday. I was thinking that Monday was the first of June, forgetting that 31 days "hath" May.

I got to the Greyhound early enough to correct the mistake and get back to Mandarin, on the last bus out of town. It was raining and I was toting all my stuff. I got back in time to find Karrie asleep on the back porch of the office building. I had taken the tent from the woods. I felt like I was taking her home away as I uprooted it.



Karrie was her most clinging self ever that night. I could hardly sleep because she was arranging my limbs as if I were a Ken doll, and she a Barbie; if Barbie were an octopus.
The next morning, I ran into Dave and Debbie, local homeless, who informed me that Karrie had sat at the bus stop and cried for a long time after my bus left.
She really thought that she had done everything in her power to please me, and that driving a guy to anger is part of a relationship, and so is him yelling at her; it's a healthy way of showing love, in her opinion.

I rode most of the way to Mobile thinking What kind of man doesn't do every thing in his power, beg, borrow or steal, to make sure his girl is by his side, if he really loves her. I felt guilty.

Dauphin Street

I have found Mobile to be pretty much as advertised.
I now know of 4 places to shower and eat and sleep.
I was told by someone that I will make money on Dauphin Street, and that the cops won't bother me because I am "trying to work for a living."
Right now, I am having a hard time motivating myself.
I was unable to get a bed at the Salvation Army, on such short notice, though I did eat. It was liver and onions, one of Karrie's favorites.
I face the prospect of finding a spot to sleep after I play. I won't have the blanket, because it is in the heavy pack, hidden in the bushes, far from town.

I'm feeling low right now. Oil is washing up upon the island here.

Grabbers (or How Does That Grab You?)

I am ducking and dodging The Law. I'm in St. Augustine, where my life is "worthless."
"My love is strong, and it pushes me onward"
I came back to grab whatever wasn't grabbed, when Karrie and I left here.
I discovered that everything which we hadn't grabbed HAD been grabbed (by someone.)
This is "par for the course" in St. Augustine.
I'm leaving on the last yellow bus out of town, -don't know when I'll be back again-
"I Don't Know What To Tell You"
I saw Larry briefly, last night, while keeping an "eye out," for the bike cops.
I told him I needed a place to lay my head, and maybe a blanket; I had missed the last yellow bus out...
"I don't know what to tell you, we've been staying at Dee Dee's for the past couple of weeks..."
I know what you can tell me, Larry; you can tell me: "I remember that night when we were staying off of the canal in Mandarin and I was curled up and shivering on the ground under a flimsey blanket, and you came and threw one of your two sleeping bags over me, whereupon I relaxed into a comfortable sleep." You might have said something along those lines...
This was God's way of telling me "See, there's nothing here for you in St. Augustine," for those of you who believe in Him.

Photos Arrive

The Ocala pictures arrived from the Lidgeley's.

More on them, and more of them, later...

All Shook Up

Plus, more on John's Wedding, which he decided NOT to have performed by an Elvis impersonator, even though he "thought about it." He thought about it??? He's joking, isn't he??

Elvis: "Do you John, promise to not be cruel, and to love Ester "tender?"

John: "I do"

Elvis: "Ester, if John is in sickness, or poorer, or the Kentucky rain is pouring down; Is that alright, Mama?"

Ester: "It is."

Elvis: "John, are you a hunk of burnin' love for Ester?"

John: "I am."

Elvis "Will you be Ester's teddy bear?"

John: "I will."

Elvis: "Then, by the power invested in me, as the King of Rock -n- Roll I now pronounce you all hooked up! (hey, hey hey!)