Work Type: Ray Romine Diaries

Friday, March 6, 1953
Salisbury NC to Prestonsburg, KY. Long hard hop, mtns, etdc. Turns driving (340 mi). Dinner across from motel, & went bed early.

Thursday, March 5, 1953
STALIN DIED
Beautiful day! Drove to Columbia, SC at noon, picked up Mary Sheneman & friends, met Forrest [Forrest Sheneman Trella Cousin], his Diesel, ate lunch with them there. Brought Mary and “Joy” to Salisbury, NC, & had dinner (grand) with Sara & Eddie. Bed 12:00 at Mary’s.

Wednesday, March 4, 1953
Up, breakfast, left Byron & Ruth’s at 9 – into Ga. pm – & rain & colder!! (bought oranges etc, in Plymouth, Fla.) Tourist Motel at Sylvania, Ga. tonite – dinner downtown, back & recopied Bugday (Sun.) for “fans” & to bed – (Sylvania, Ga.)

Tuesday, March 3, 1953
Up, & visited Cleo’s Ranch – out with them, bugged, explored. Hot. Took off around noon, short run to Apopka, &* Byron & Ruth Smith’s. Nice time – very welcome. Oranges, visited J. McIntire for dad, grapefruit. Sodas at drugstore.

Monday, March 2, 1953
Sarasota to St. Cloud, Fla. Stopped Bok Tower & Cypress Gardens. To Cleo Ludwig’s tonite for supper (catfish, a-ah!). Visited after supper. Room ($5) in private home.

Sunday, March 1, 1953
Up & off with Verne King- breakfast then lunch till 4, we BUGGED! Longboat Key & the Mainland – – showered at cabin & to their house for big turkey dinner! Verne gave me the world, fence around it. Trella had nice day too, with Ruth, beach, shells, etc.

Saturday, February 28, 1953
Ft. Myers Beach to Sarasota, Fla. Collected along way with much success. Lunch in Myakka State Park. Found King* after little trouble; dinner “on” them downtown – talked till 1:15!! Fine time, fine folks.

[Verne & Ruth King]

Friday, February 27, 1953
Ft. Myers Beach, Fla. Up late, breakfast, & wrote awhile, both of us, thence to beach in suits to shell for 2 hours. (Too much sun, we found later, tho cloudy most ‘o time) Ate restaurant- excellent shrimp; back, brushed u p tonite, supper & after went Ft. Myers proper to see Shell Museum. Painted at beach.

Thursday, February 26, 1953
Hot still. Left Homestead, #27 to 41 (Tamiami Trail) across Everglades to Gulf Coast – Ft. Myers Beach. All sorts ‘o water birds; egrets, ibises, coots, gallinules – the canal teemed with life! Stopped Everglade Wonder Garden (?) pm- nice motel near beach tonite.

Wednesday, February 25, 1953
Hot? We left Marathon early as we could, to Homestead, shopped, P.O., & took off into Everglades Nat’l Park. Birds & Butterflies!! Etc. Luxury Motel N of Homestead tonite – letters & cards out after nice supper ala Trella.