The lead up to the 1980 Trip To Memory Lane!

[lane]

It real started I guess as soon as I let in 1974, just couldn’t, get out of my head, you know the feeling.
When I got home I sent Daisy her money and she sent letter back thinking us for staying there with them. She will become home base now
I had been back a few days and saw I brought a nest of freeloads back home with me.
They could have just stayed in Negril, yes the craps no problem here at home just get some Kwell and all done.
Everyone wants to know how Negril changed, here it is.
John had the bug for Negril bad and he went back in about nine months and stay up at Daisy again, every thing went with no problem he left the car idea at the airport and got a ride this time.
He gets back and there has be a new bar open up just up the road with cold beer and rum punch with ice, it called Rick’s and it’s right on the edge of the cliff with great sets.
Then a few more months later is is off again down there and now they have electricity,
Then again he goes and they have the water line in the ground now and the showers were cooled, but they have some pavement on the road.
A little about John he was a carpenter and work was on an off this is the (Carter Years) interest rate at 17%, that will slow you down, so he had the time to go.
He was also a person who alway know a guy who know a guy, they held with income.
He come back again and Franklin and Daisy have built a 4 bedroom A frame house behind their house to rent out. Now things are moving.
He has a short time turn around and is back on his way down, some times the heat would get a little hot for him at home and he need to cool down in the hot sun far away for a week or so.
Now, they have put up a restaurant The Rock Del.
There is other news he brings back this trip from Daisy which is not good.
Remember Gladstone Daisy said he turned bad and would not stop with the girls an robbing people and the police shoot him dead one night. I has not seen a cop with a gun in 1974 just a stick.
Then Daisy had to take her rooms for let down because a drug deal shoot one of her guess in the front yard. They put a wire fence around the property and got a couple more dogs.
It 1980 now and I am making plans I write Daisy and tell her I am coming can I stay there,
Hear it comes “No Problem Mon” she writes back in a letter.

[lane]

We have our tickets and saved seats, now to fine tune the adventure because I know it’s more then a vac by now, I am somewhat seasoned.
John tell me to look in on the couple that live just a yard or 2 down the road from Daisy’s it’s a new little yellow house can’t miss it, he can get hash oil, cheap, I tell my friend Martin about it and he throws some money in the pot if it good.
We are packed with a bunch of stuff for Franklin and Daisy towels bed sheets for the new house, those things are expense down there and a few tee shirts for Franklin and a half a dozen jars of Oil Of Olay for Daisy she love it for her face. There are fins and mask for them and a bunch of sun glass to trade and barter with, even a few gold chains not heavy bling but enough to show you you are a guy who knew a guy, 2 large suitcase packed.
I had to work until 2 got home and my new girlfriend has her car packed an gassed for the drive to Miami. She is from Hatteras and work in the family restaurant business in the summer and on unemployment in the winter, word out great for her and she is a bit of a wild child, and she has gotten some white aprons and red chief hats for everyone at the Rocky Del.
We are on the road and swallow a black beauty and speeding away we go.
We have radar detector on the dash and are eat up some road, no problems mon.
We get to Miami in record time it about 5:30 am get on the Palmetto Express towards the airport and get off a few exits early to get to my friend and his wife’s apartment, we get them up an it about 6:30 now sitting around in their living room and having a smoke and the light goes off we are really early maybe we can fly out today. I call AJA and get hear it comes “No Problem Mon”.
Lizzie said we could park in the Delta employee parked lot and Joey can pick your car up when I have to fly out this afternoon, she is a stew for you that are not that old they are called fight attendances I so like the old was.
At 11:00 am we are in that bird flying south.
We landed and everything is like I remember it the blast of of hot air and the sweet smell of sea air and jet fuel, the terminal looks like it may be a bit longer with some fresh paint, but it’s still a long open shed roof structure, walking on the tarmac I see a line of black limos driving out and look on the other side of our plane there sits a black B-727 with a big white bunny tail on its tail, Huge has come to town. The cars stop and down he comes with bunnies on each arm and a trial of them following, I could not tell if he was in he pajamas or not.
We find the rum punch and head out to find a ride, no more rental car.
There a white van with a sign on the windshield Negril, can we get a ride no problem mon,
When it’s full in like 5 minutes we are off, no soon come and I am glade.
He stops a small store on the side of the road just out of Mobay are everyone get some beer and a big one to smoke and boy did we.

[lane]

Our ride to Negril was a party everyone was excited to get their adventures stated, they did not act like it was just a vacation. One backpacker with sleeping bad and tent, I told him I hoped he found some soft ground to sleep on, I did not tell him about the mosquito he will meet them soon enough, but cause a coil would not help, 2 couples know where they were staying on the beach and 1 other wanted off at the round-about. All in all the road was much better then in 74 but still not a super highway.
We very one get out of the van along the beach and the round-about and we are the last 2 in the van the driver heads up the west end road towards the Lighthouse and tell the him we are staying across from Tensing-Pen with the white gates, Two Diamonds.
We see a few more places have sprung up out of the bush along the way and see the little yellow house and the new restaurant then the gats and Daisy's and Franklins house, right here, we get out and Daisy come out to the gate to let us in, she has a bit more security not fence all the way around the yard.
We huge and she takes us back to the new A frame behind their house its big with wide front porch and deep,2 hammock hanging a couple of chairs its sit back in the tree some so its shady.
Daisy walks us in and there is a large room with 2 couches and a table facing each other and a large bowl on the table half full of grass, she lets us know that it was left from the last guess, they could not smokey it all. she shows us the room on the right front with 2 windows and wood shuttles and a double bed with clean white sheets and pillows did have them last trip.
Over head lights in each room and a ref in the kitchen across the back and a inside bathroom with a concrete bath tub which will not be used. Large shower out back.
We get un packed and I see the electrical panel is in our room great it will do as a safe and I take the cover off and hide out money.
We rest up some and talk with Daisy and franklin on what going on.
We need to stretch our legs some because we have been sitting for 2 days now. We walk up to the new bar up the road.



More on Rick's Cafe later.
The ride on the way to Negril.

[Rob]

Our ride to Negril was a party everyone was excited to get their adventures stated, they did not act like it was just a vacation. One backpacker with sleeping bad and tent, I told him I hoped he found some soft ground to sleep on, I did not tell him about the mosquito he will meet them soon enough, but cause a coil would not help, 2 couples know where they were staying on the beach and 1 other wanted off at the round-about. All in all the road was much better then in 74 but still not a super highway.
We very one get out of the van along the beach and the round-about and we are the last 2 in the van the driver heads up the west end road towards the Lighthouse and tell the him we are staying across from Tensing-Pen with the white gates, Two Diamonds.
We see a few more places have sprung up out of the bush along the way and see the little yellow house and the new restaurant then the gats and Daisy's and Franklins house, right here, we get out and Daisy come out to the gate to let us in, she has a bit more security not fence all the way around the yard.
We huge and she takes us back to the new A frame behind their house its big with wide front porch and deep,2 hammock hanging a couple of chairs its sit back in the tree some so its shady.
Daisy walks us in and there is a large room with 2 couches and a table facing each other and a large bowl on the table half full of grass, she lets us know that it was left from the last guess, they could not smokey it all. she shows us the room on the right front with 2 windows and wood shuttles and a double bed with clean white sheets and pillows did have them last trip.
Over head lights in each room and a ref in the kitchen across the back and a inside bathroom with a concrete bath tub which will not be used. Large shower out back.
We get un packed and I see the electrical panel is in our room great it will do as a safe and I take the cover off and hide out money.
We rest up some and talk with Daisy and franklin on what going on.
We need to stretch our legs some because we have been sitting for 2 days now. We walk up to the new bar up the road.



More on Rick's Cafe later.
The ride on the way to Negril.

Incredible pic of Rick's Bar! It was his pool but became much more valuable as a bar!

[lane]

Rob just wait for others to follow.
I did know the pool was was the beer and ice was keep under the floor after reading Banana Shoot, a must read to understand the place back in the day.
Boy could the bartenders make a rum punch and spill it on the bar-top in front of you.
The place had more flies then I have ever seen, but they did not land on you, they were after the sugar from the spilled rum punch on the bar and flying drunk.