Wanted by Everyone!

Helen, GA - 2013

My latest old time photo folks.  This one was taken last month at Helen, Georgia during our annual Trip South.

Bill and I had almost perfect weather during our trip.  Just a little bit of light rain on this day that I ventured into the tourist town of Helen, Georgia to see what was up.  

Bill videotaping in downtown Helen, Georgia (we were up very early thus no tourists on the streets yet)

Helen, Georgia is a little recreated German Alpine community in the mountains of northern Georgia. It is a little touristy town.  Bill and I were just going to pass through it but we enjoyed our overnight stay so much that we decided to stay two more days.  

Helen, Georgia

We stayed at the Hampton Inn which was a replica of a Bavarian hotel.  Hotel wasn't too clean and had paper thin walls and a terrible breakfast (sour waffles, maybe it was a "German" thing) but we could walk to all the attractions instead of dodging Interstate Highway traffic to figure out where we were going to eat.

On this one rainy afternoon I found an old time photo place so you know I JUST had to take advantage and have my photo taken as a bad old cowboy.

The first time I ever had an old time photo taken was during my first trip to Provincetown, Massachusetts in 1974.  I remember the year well because the Watergate hearings were underway.

Commercial Street - Provincetown, Mass 1974

I was on that trip with my good friend Bob Mc.  Walking down Commercial Street in Provincetown I noticed an old time photo shop.  Sure, these places are overpriced tourist traps but still, I like them.  Here is the photo that was taken. Ironically, the only prop I needed was the gun.  The hat, shirt and leather vest I was already wearing.  Bob and I had planned our first visit to Provincetown to a place called "The Ranch" (which, by the way, was anything but).  So this was my first old time photo.

Provincetown, Mass - 1974

I didn't get another old time photo made until three years ago when I invited my friend Larry down for his birthday and had our old time photo taken.  Now I get one every year.  

Rehoboth Beach - 2011

Back to the Regular Routine (or something like it)

Well folks, we're home and I'm trying to slip back into my regular routine.  Of course there is that "small item" that I have to get through this Thursday, my prostate "procedure" (seed implants).  Have to get through THAT folks before I can resume anything like a regular life.  I just hope there are no complications.

Yesterday I spent hours on the phone trying to straighten out a double billing (and over billing) by a faux reservation company called "Hotels.com".  When I made reservations for our hotel rooms at the Hampton Inn in Marion, North Carolina I thought I was calling the central reservations desk of the Hampton Inn.  When I checked in the Hampton Inn in Marion the front desk clerk told me my reservations were made by "one of those sites that looks like our site."  Uh huh.  Me, the longtime hotel front desk clerk, savvy guy, got snookered by one of those fake reservation scams.  Not to bore you with the details but when I got home I found two charges for $251.00 each on my Discover Card and one charge for $199.87.  So much for the "guaranteed best price" that the fake reservation site promised me.  After an hour or so of trying to straighten this out I found that the Hampton Inn had charged my credit card for one room two night for $199.87.  The phony Hampton Inn reservation site had paid for my other room (Bill's) also $199.87 but charged my credit card $251.00.  Nice little mark-up wouldn't you say for the "guaranteed best price"?  So here's what I did folks, I told Discover card only to pay them the $199.87 for the one room they did reimburse the Hampton Inn for.  I'm not paying anything else to "Hotels.com" or whatever there name is.  I called them yesterday, trying to resolve this situation but they gave me the run around and finally hung up on me.  That's what they do folks.  Be forewarned when you make any future hotel reservations.  Make sure you call the hotel directly because this is the new scam.  I am embarrassed that I got caught up in it.

Since I've been home I've been sleeping like a hibernating bear.  Man oh man, am I knocked out at night.  Last night I worked at the hotel.  I was fairly busy, mainly with TV issues.  We have Comcast and you all know how difficult they are.  By the way, Comcast monitors anything said about them so I will probably get an e-mail from one of their customer representatives.  Hey Comcast, here's the problem - your remote controls are too complicated.  They're not user friendly.  They confuse our hotel guests with what button to push. Is it the "All On" button for the "TV" button or the "Power" button?  Comcast, take some lessons from Apple, make it simple and USER FRIENDLY.

Well folks, as you can tell by reading this posting I'm sort of in a bitchy mood today.  To counter my negativity I'm posting another short video from our fabulous visit to Tallulah Gorge and Falls last week.  Enjoy!

Me with some wall art in Helen, Georgia last week