I was in a parade this weekend - I think.

I have never considered myself a social snob, or some might call it a class snob, but well I think I might be a closet one. Though this is not something that I easily admit to myself - I don't really want to be a snob about anything..snobs are normally not very nice people. I guess I have to admit to having SOME imperfections and this might be one of the few.

If you are reading this blog you already know that my husband and I just spent a week in Waterworld...erm I mean Fort Lauderdale. Fort Lauderdale is on the Atlantic Ocean side of the state, while we live on the Gulf Coast side so we had to make the drive from one coast to the other through the interior of Florida a very, shall we say, colourful and interesting view of regional living. For one thing there are several Union Jacks flying high in the sky - a hint for those who are not sure what I mean with the previous sentence as to what life is like it small town interior Florida. Funny how the Union Jack always flys far and away ABOVE the good old Stars and Stripes.

Now there is a HUGE lake in the middle of Florida, Lake Okeechobee. This Lake has been made famous in song and story, so Mike and I thought "great a chance to see this infamous body of water" so we took a route on the way to Ft Lau. that caused us to pass along the very bottom part of the lake. We were mildly excited.

Imagine our joy when all we were able to view was the large levy the is built along side the lake to help the homes and businesses that are built in very close proximity of the lake should it decide to flood. The first clue is that everything you see is built on stilts. I half expected to see the people walking around in stilts as well. Anyway, back to the million dollar views...

Oh there were a few little turn offs you could make, sort of scenic detours that took you over the top of the levy, to some little fishing hole, but we found it incredulous that there was no stretch along the highway that you could see the lake, just by virtue of driving by it. So, disgruntled travelers that we were, decided then and there to take another way back home the following Friday. That is where my story really begins...

Pahokee, Florida - Pop: 5985 and one bloated, petrified bullfrog that has managed to work itself (either before death or after) into a very macabre waving good bye position on the side of the road as you leave "the Muck" No kidding Pahokee is known as "The Muck" and I couldn't have said it better myself.

Pahokee fancies itself the garden spot of the Florida heartland, according to some literature I have been able to pull up regarding it on the internet, but what I don't understand is why at approximately 3.00pm on a Friday afternoon, all the residents of the town line the main street, in their cars, on their cars, around their cars, in recliners ( yes as in lazy boy )couches, kitchen chairs, tables, boxes, you name it and watch the cars go by. There were kids and grown ups of every age and size doing the very same thing...watching the cars drive by and we were one of those cars. Thus the title of this post.

Mike and I tried our best to ignore the onslaught of looky-loos but found it impossible and started laughing so hard tears came to our eyes and luckily Pahokee is small enough if you blink a long blink it is gone. But when I saw that bloated up dead, rigored frog at the outskirts of town waving good bye to us I couldn't help but think that I was in some sort of Stephen King Novel. What if our car had broken down? Just what do the residents do with tourists if they become stranded in their little "mucky" town? Do the residents turn into frogs when the sun sets?

I found this on the chamber of commerce site:

City of Pahokee Truck Route
The City of Pahokee and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office would like to inform citizens and truck drivers of the proper truck route. All trucks should use this route. "Its faster, safer and you won't get a ticket."
So this is what I am going to assume all the fuss was about, watching the trucks take their new route. I hope.... frog people scare me and that is the alternative in my warped mind.


We finally did get to see lake Okeechobee a bit further up the eastern side of the lake from Pahokee, there is a bridge that takes you out of the bowels of the levy, gives you just the briefest glimpse and then lowers you back down into the flood plain again. Guess what? There is a butt load of water there...after-all this is Florida, what else would be there.