Escape to Island Time, Winter Version! Part II, Page II
After a very amusing introduction, Jimmy "appeared" in his pink classic car, and flew across the stage to the crowd's amusement. As every other concert, Jimmy put on the most fabulous show, taking us meandering around the Cuban province. Looked in every nook and cranny while enjoying his vocal tones and old favorites... ahhh, we were once again in heaven. The skies were clear, the moon and stars were out, and we were listening to Jimmy Buffett.... ain't nothing better!
And then it happened! All of a sudden, the skies tore, and angry sheets of sleet came pouring down on us! That's right, SLEET , and it was very cold, very wet, and came down very hard. Brrrr!!! It certainly turned into a winter tour very quickly. And you know what? That wasn't even the worst of it.... there's more bad news for you parrotheads!!! Lightning hit the stage! HIT THE STAGE! Jimmy didn't even get the chance to say goodbye before he and his Coral Reefer band were safely whisked off the stage and bundled up into their tour vans. So much for that night's concert!
And we STILL had to get off the hill, out of the weather, and back to our vehicles 5 miles away. Looked like we were gonna have a lovely long walk back. By this time everyone was totally drenched, very cold and 150% miserable. Besides that, Jimmy was gone......
Danny and Kristy Snowden were up by the stage after getting a note to Jimmy to say that Danny was there and asking him to play "Little Miss Magic". There was no way to know that they had been shuffled out of the arena in the mass exodus and couldn't get back to us...... we had the children and the rest of the family with us, nestled under a sheet of plastic that Billy and Buddy Peoples, and Ernie and I were standing on to keep everyone dry. After the worst downpour, the lights were out and it was obvious we had to get out of there.....so Kristy's sister, Kathy picked up 2 year old Savannah, and Ernie picked up 4 year old Austin to head out to warmer climates. Both children were nestled in plastic and hidden under respective ponchos to keep them as dry as possible on the long walk back......
After a very short discussion, Carol decided to stay on the hill as long as she could to wait for Danny and Kristy in case they came looking.... we didn't know there was no way they could get back. The rest of us picked up everything we could and headed out..... I was right! It was a very LONG and WET walk back to the cars and van. And then we got a good laugh at Billy! Shouldn't have told Ernie that story about the pink panties, either, Billy! Seemed like someone's clothes were so wet that they weren't gonna be real worried about where they got out of them. None of our crowd, but Billy happened to catch a glimpse of it and forgot to pull his poncho out of his zipper! Way to go Billy!! When we all regrouped, we found out about Danny and Kristy being herded out like cattle. Carol had alredy gotten back too so everyone was there and safe; a little wet and very cold, but none the worse for wear. But because of the rain, it pretty much put a damper on our scheduled "after concert tailgate party". Darn!! Hmm, there must be a way we can still pull off a cheeseburger in paradise party after all we'd been through!
And you know the hotel where we were staying had given us so much trouble getting checked in, we decided to have a barbeque right in their courtyard... didn't matter that by the time we got back there and started cooking, it was well after midnight! We didn't care, they wouldn't let us check in before 3:00!!! And gave us a lot of heartburn even getting our rooms then, and we all had reservations!!! Write to me if you want details on THAT hotel!!
I think the cheeseburgers that night were the best I'd ever tasted. Buddy sure is a terrific cook! Yumm, yummmmmmm! And we slept very well that night after getting warm and dry..., but we sure found out what a "winter tour" is all about.
That's it, folks. Everyone headed out to go home the next morning. Danny and his clan all went out to breakfast and a little sightseeing before they returned to Gainesville. Billy and Buddy left around 10:00 am and drove side by side with us out of town. We bundled up our two little baby emus, Billy-bird and Buddy-bird and the three unhatched emu eggs in their respective brooders, and pointed the vans' nose due north..... home to North Carolina. Estimated time of arrival about midnight that night.
Summary of this episode: well, personally Ernie and I feel we were hit with the outside of a tornado. Turns out that two tornadoes had touched down in Miami the night before and we feel that the suddenness and extreme weather change could only come from Mother Nature's hand. It certainly was windy enough, so whether or not the newspapers or TV reported it that way, that's our opinion.... sort of like "tryin' to reason with Hurricane Season!" But it was all worth it cause we got to SEA Jimmy perform and there ain't nuthin' better! I'm ready to go again!
