{"id":2386,"date":"2023-11-03T01:14:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-03T01:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/?p=2386"},"modified":"2023-10-05T12:59:54","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T12:59:54","slug":"chap-38-can-max-help-with-the-sla-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/?p=2386","title":{"rendered":"Chap. 38 – Can Max Help with the SLA Connection?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chapter 38<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can Max Help with the SLA Connection? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

     It was already morning when the two-vehicle – Land Yacht & Rover – caravan rolled into St. Petersburg, Florida, hoping to get to Sarasota by early afternoon.  In Sarasota, Steve knew a lawyer friend, retired in a spacious condo near the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, who, with his wife, had been planning on our arrival for over a week now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Earlier in the day, an absolutely gorgeous, perfect Florida Sunshine Day, we had stopped for a coffee break and re-visited the list of people on our list to visit \u2013 maybe more than we had time to visit, so we considered jettisoning the few who had no idea we were coming – – – to make sure we got to New York in time for the New Year\u2019s Eve party that Huck was working-up with some of his musician friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cWhere\u2019s everybody planning to stay tonight?\u201d  Sally asked, knowing she and Jack had a back-up plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d Steve said, \u201cI told George and his wife, Hazel, we only needed three bedrooms, so maybe we need to scout out an RV park.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cMaybe we should get a hold of Huck and see where he\u2019s at,\u201d someone said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cReally?  Let\u2019s not,\u201d Patty said.  \u201cLet him find us and hope it\u2019s not with Sunshine and Peaches.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     After the coffee stop, Jack and Steve got in the Rover to drive ahead and scout up a good RV park near Sarasota, while the Land Yacht headed to Treasure Island.  \u201cGlory Days,\u201d the bar Rocky remembered from some 9-Ball pool tournament, was on our list of places<\/em>, not people to visit.  It was a great bar with the deck facing the Gulf and it was<\/em> still there, right where Rocky said we\u2019d find it.  Rocky shot some pool.  Most of us enjoyed the perfectly white tiny-granule sandy beach and swimming in the Gulf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     About four o\u2019clock, Max called and said they were parking the Rover at his buddy\u2019s condo, and we should pick them up to go to this RV park they found called the Sun & Surf RV Park.  That night Max and Steve shared one of Hazel and George\u2019s extra rooms, Rocky and Skip another, and Patty had dibs on the third but said she\u2019d give it up to Jack & Sally, and she\u2019d stay in the Land Yacht at the Sun & Surf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Next morning, we were all poolside at the condo home of this retired couple Steve knew from Minnesota, with lush surroundings in every direction – quite the nice place adjoining the Botanical Garden.  We had told Patty we would be at the RV park by noon.  Thanksgiving was just two days away.  George and Hazel invited us to join them at some fancy downtown restaurant if we wanted.  \u201cBut for sure,\u201d George said, \u201ccome over to our place for some of Hazel\u2019s homemade pies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Arriving at the Sun & Surf, Patty was pool-side, \u201cA pool with a diving board!\u201d Steve exclaimed.  Wanting to be the first one to show off his diving skills, Steve dashed into the Land Yacht, came out wearing a Speed-O bathing suit showing a bit of a bulge below<\/em> the waist, but none above, and shouted, \u201cWatch this, ladies!  Get it on film, Patty.\u201d  Steve then ran head-long off the low board, tucked, and somersaulted feet first into the water.  This started a diving contest, which Patty said would definitely make the cut, because she explained, \u201cWatch this.  What a spectacular diver you are, Sally!   Let me show you this one . . . \u201d as she played the tape back with Sally delicately balancing both feet inward at the end of the high board, not teetering a bit, not looking down, and suddenly leaping backwards, heels-over-head, doing a back flip into the water.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Steve interrupted, \u201cNahh, I know why this is going to make the movie. Same reason you wanted to film that strip poker game.  You just love showing off my bod!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cNo, Steve, us judges were giving you 2\u2019s and 3\u2019s,\u201d Patty came back with. \u201cYou never once sliced into the water.  Big splash every time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

——————————————————————————————————————-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Meanwhile, Skip and Max went strolling down by the gulf \u2013 a three-block walk from the Sun & Surf.  Skip knew Max was a precise sort of guy, always wanting for things to be certain, rather skeptical about a Rump Legislature ever working.  Max had wrapped up a successful medical practice just this past summer, everything done by the book.  The summer before that, Skip knew he had also been very exacting in the divorce terms with his now ex-Lisa, but even more than that, also being very exacting about making sure it was fair to Lisa.  Thus, the friendly divorce.  It was that combination, divorce and retirement, that got Max thinking about a cross-country trip catching up with old Peace Corps friends again, calling it a \u201cfishing expedition.\u201d      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     With the sun blazing down on Max\u2019s bald head and bulbous nose, Skip gave Max his baseball cap and asked if he\u2019d heard much from his ex-brother-in-law Ken.  \u201cNo, just that he misses us and there\u2019s still a buzz about us in L.A. – and lots of folks following us.  Apparently, people found that stuff Patty shot in Hot Springs to be really funny.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cListen Max,\u201d Skip pressed on, lowering his voice, \u201cI haven\u2019t shared this with anyone else, so I\u2019d appreciate you keeping this between us for at least a while, but that guy your ex-brother-in-law Ken put me up with back in Sacramento, Gordy?  Well, he\u2019s a former<\/em> felon<\/em> who<\/em> did<\/em> time<\/em> for<\/em> being<\/em> a<\/em> member<\/em> of<\/em> the<\/em> SLA<\/em>, and I\u2019m worried that he might be up to his old tricks.  You\u2019re still on good terms with Lisa, right?  How well does Lisa know her brother these days?  I\u2019m worried Ken might be in on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cWhat do you mean \u2018up to his old tricks\u2019?  Ken or Gordy?  Lisa and Ken are brother-sister tight \u2013 best friends since grade school.  They\u2019re only a year-and-a-half apart.  Been through a lot of stuff together \u2013 a total trust between them.  If Ken\u2019s up to something, Lisa would know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cOkay.  That\u2019s good.  Next time you talk to Lisa, see if she thinks Ken is up to anything more than just organizing and escorting these days.  Try to ask in an offhand way so she isn\u2019t alarmed or goes running to her brother right away.  Here\u2019s what I know:  I suspect Gordy has ties with a criminal enterprise up in Vancouver.  See if Ken has anything to do with Vancouver.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cGot you.  I\u2019ll give Lisa a call on Thanksgiving.  Anything else I should know?\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 38 Can Max Help with the SLA Connection?       It was already morning when the two-vehicle – Land Yacht & Rover – caravan rolled into St. Petersburg, Florida, hoping to get to Sarasota by early afternoon.  In Sarasota, Steve … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2386"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2386"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2794,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2386\/revisions\/2794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}