In The Boondocks

About 1959 a group of us teenagers went to Panama City Beach, Florida.  I was surprised my parents allowed me to go.  I think I only started off with $30.  It was a tradition every year to go to Florida, leave the night of the seniors graduation ceremony.  This was my first time.   We went in Billy Joe Royal's black 1950 Ford.  Yes, Billy Joe Royal was soon-to-be famous rock and roll rockabilly singer.  Also Billy Joe's brother Jack, his friend Charlie, Tommy Hadaway, Harry Whitten, and me.

We left about midnight and drove all night.  I remember waking up and it was early daylight.  Everybody else was asleep  We were driving down a newly cut dirt road with no houses ,no  telephone poles, or anything.  Obviously Harry was lost.

I think we arrived on the strip at Panama City Beach about noon.  Between six of us I had the most money.    We looked for the cheapest room available.  Across the street was  the Key of Rest Motel, a rundown dumpy  little motel with not many units.   It was something like $5 or $6 a day.  Since I was the one with the money I signed us in.  The owner, a suspicious-eye salty middle aged lady asked how many were staying.  Billy Joe, which was in the office with me said "Two"

"What about the others?"

I forgot what he replied, but probably saying they already had rooms.

The room was small and shared a bath room with another room, which was not occupied.

We brought our stuff in and went out to the beach to meet up with friends already.  I was delighted that the sand was so white and the Gulf was so blue and calm and you could open your eyes under water and they didn't burn all that much.

I was also delighted that we could openly buy beer without the store clerks questioning us.  We found a cheap beer, Spearman Straight 8 I think was the name of it.

On the beach was a sun-tan lotion tent.  You pay a fee and to into the tent and get sprayed.  I did not go in but thought it was interesting. 

Next to  the suntan lotion tent  was a sign saying:  COLORED MAIDS IN BATHIN SUITS ARE NOT PERMITTED ON BEACH.   It made me feel bad.  What right did anybody have to deprive a group of people of their right on public tax-paid property.  It seemed far from the SEPARATE BUT EQUAL ruling to me.  There was nothing equal about it.

We swam and sunned.  Then we returned to our room, and sat around on the floor and talked,  drank beer, and remembering funny incidences and so on.  We left the room with  a lot of empty beer bottles and cans scattered about. 

We went out and ate something cheap and came back.  The room was all cleaned up and the empty beer containers were neatly in order.

We had a good time on the beach and that night at "The Hangout", and opened -air pavilion where teenagers hung out and danced to rock & roll music.

When we returned to the room we realized we were all blistered.  We were painfully sore.  The adjoining room was still empty so half of us slept  there.

In the middle of the night she opened the owner showed the other room to a newlywed couple.  She opened the door and flicked on the lights exposing 3 or 4 lobster looking teen boys who had nothing all but their jockey underwear. 

Everybody screamed.

She kicked us out immediately.  I asked for our money back.  She gave me a hateful laugh that meant, "Like Hell!"

When we left she wisely demanded to search our suitcases.  In some of our suitcases she found three or four of her towels.

We finished the night sleeping or talking in the car, now in a public parking lot for the beach.  I think the biggest topic of conversation was "What now?  we don't have a room or money."

In Florida $30 can slip out of your hand  very easily.  Another thing I forgot to mention, at the beginning of the trip I lent Billy Joe Royal $5.  He promised me he would not rest until he paid me back.  That was 56 years ago.  Poor guy hadn't had a peaceful night of rest in 56 years.

My memory is hazy but Billy Joe and Jack wanted to look an old friend that moved there a year before.  We found him, not where he lived but where he worked.  He was working so he couldn't talk to us long.

Somehow we took up a collection among our friends who were not broke, enough to buy us gas to get to Billy Joe and Jack's uncle and aunt in Valdosta, Georgia.    I remember on our trip back we got lost in Tallahassee, Florida, in the middle of darkness.

We stayed with Billy Joe's and Jack's relatives in Valdosta and Tipton, Georgia, for almost three weeks. 

They were not rich people but boarded us anyway.  Although they did request for us to use the same bathtub water.  Six baths with the same water.

They  took us to a dance at the American Legion in Sylvester, Georgia, and a couple of dances in a furniture warehouse in Valdosta.  Interesting, his uncle played the guitar in a band at the furniture warehouse.  During our whole three week stay in south Georgia Billy Joe had music on his mind 24 hours a day.  He sung, imitated popular songs, played their piano and guitar... it seemed like all the time.

Billy Joe started playing the guitar in his uncle's band in the warehouse concerts.  I think that was the first time he played in front of an audience.