Big Ideas

     Linda's Dad was quite a character, he didn't think like everybody else, in many ways he never grew up but most of the time he was just self centered and egotistical, at least that is my opinion. The man was different from anybody I ever knew and it took me a while to get used to him. He was civic minded  and belonged to every civic organization in the county. His head was full of ideas that would make us all millionaires, life in general better but many of his ventures into money making deals didn't always pan out.
     To start with, Dad was very civic minded and was instrumental in organizing many of the civic clubs in Cocoa and Merritt Island, Fla. One of the clubs he helped to organize was a Ham Radio Club. Dad was a radio operator in the Navy during the war and became an Amateur Ham Radio Operator when he got out. He had a tall antenna erected in his back yard and two large radios set up in his garage, he would spend hours in his garage talking to people around the world about things as important as the weather in New Zealand.
     One of the civic responsibilities the club had was to help out with communications in case of disasters like  hurricanes. Needing to stay sharp with their radios they would spend a couple of Saturdays a month playing a game called "A Rabbit Hunt". The object of this game was that one car load of guys would go out somewhere in town and hide, they would broadcast a short signal every few minutes, they were the rabbit. The hunters, another car load of guys, would ride around town listening for short signals which would help them triangulate the rabbit's position and ultimately it's hiding spot. This is where Dad's strange sense of humor showed up, the rule was that the rabbit had to sit still until the hunters found it but Dad cheated by moving around every now and then thus preventing the hunters from getting a good fix on his position. When Dad told stories about the rabbit hunts he would damn near fall over laughing.

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     Dad was a fisherman and went whenever he could find the time. One weekend when Linda and I were dating he took the family to Crystal River on Florida's Gulf Coast to visit his brother Billy. We went out in Billy's boat to some grass flats to fish for trout. Once on the flats we started fishing for bait fish to cut up for bait, this is when Dad gave me one of his rods and reel to fish with. The first thing I noticed was the bail on the spinning reel was missing, I thought it was broken and commented about it. Turns out the reel was not broken, Dad had one of his great ideas to improve on something that didn't need improving so he removed the bails on all of his reels. Now instead of the turning  bail  picking up the line you had to use your finger as a hook to pick up the line and guide it to the spool. Dad was so pleased with his latest invention he couldn't wait to find out what I thought about it. I could tell that Billy didn't think much of Dad's idea he would shake his head and smile, he even offered me one of his rods. Dad kept after me to tell him what I thought  so I looked at Billy who was smiling, he told me to go ahead and tell Dad what I thought so I turned to Dad and said that I thought he screwed up a good reel, my language was a little more colorful and Billy nearly busted a gut laughing.
     Fishermen the world over are thankful this idea flopped. It was some time before Dad took me fishing again.


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     Dad was always thinking, he was full of ways to make money or enrich someones life. Back in the 70's Eileen was in one of her wandering phases, her life was not heading in the direction she wanted so she went back to Florida (she was living with Linda and I). She had not graduated from high school and was realizing that to get a good job she needed that diploma so she went back home to get it.
     This is when Dad had another of his brainstorms, Eileen needed something that would take care of her for the rest of her life and he knew what that should be - a helicopter pilot. Yep that's right Dad wanted Eileen to take flying lessons and become a helicopter pilot eventually owning her own helicopter. The best I can remember this idea went by the wayside when Eileen looked into the cost of flying lessons. Dad had great ideas but pulling money from his pocket was not one of them so after a couple of lessons that idea fizzled out.



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      Just to show that Dad was concerned about all of his daughters he came up with another idea this time for Linda. In the late 70's Linda and I were ready to make a change, grass was tickling my toes so it was time to move.
     Dad had a contract with Southern Bell in West Palm Beach, Fla. which he was always talking about, he was making money hand over fist. During one of his visits with us he really laid it on thick and got Linda and I to thinking there might be something for us. To hear him talk I could make $20,000 plus per year in the phone booth business, this was a good deal more than I was making at the time so we jumped at the opportunity. This was my first big mistake in a long time but that's another story. I quit my job and went to Florida, Linda stayed behind to sell the house.
     One day when Dad was in town he took me for a ride, as he was driving he told me that when Linda got down to Florida she was going to have to take a general contractors exam. He explained that he was required to have a contractors license for his business, at present he was having to pay a contractor for the use of his license and pay quite handsomely. If Linda was to get a license then he wouldn't have to pay.
     I could see where this was going and knew Linda would too so I told him Linda did not know anything about general contracting so she was not going to take the exam. He came back and said " she doesn't need to know anything because I have the answers for the test".  My come back to that was "if you have the answers why don't you take the test ?" His come back to me was that  "he and I were too stupid"  it had to be Linda. I told him Linda would not take the test and that was the end of it, when I told Linda she laughed and said thanks.
     This put the brakes on another great idea, as far as I know he never took the test and paid someone else until he got out of the business.


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     Another requirement for Dad's contract was that he have an electrical license, which he didn't , so he was having to pay someone for using theirs. For whatever reason that arrangement was not working out so he went on the hunt.
     Dad was proud to be a veteran, so proud that he was a member in good standing of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), he was elected Post Commander to the American Legion twice. He also hired Vets to work for him, he claimed they were some of the best workers, they were dependable and would never let you down.
     One day when I made a delivery to West Palm he wanted me to stick around and help him out with an installation the next day. That night we went to an American Legion post as Dad wanted to meet a guy that was an electrician who wanted to talk to Dad about doing some work. We met this guy and had a few drinks, the guy agreed to meet us the next day so Dad could show him the work he needed performed then Dad started telling me the virtues of hiring veterans, the electrician agreed  with him and they were slapping each other on the back. Finally the bourbon got the best of them, the electrician went home Dad and I went to a cheap motel.
     The next day we went to breakfast and another of Dad's workers joined us with the equipment to install  then we headed to the job sight. The electrician never showed up but we got to work installing the phone booth. The other worker and I had problems performing to Dad's standards and several times he pushed us aside and called us "stupid". Finally the day was over and I headed back home, the electrician never called or showed up for work, so much for hiring vets, it's a shame because not all vets are in the same category as that man.
     As for me I never worked with or for Dad again, I'm too stupid.



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     By the time Linda and I moved back to Florida Dad and Mom lived separate lives, they still talked and Dad even slept over when he was in town. I don't know the story but divorce was out of the question. Dad's brother Raymond owned a bottled gas company their father once owned and there were several satellite locations from Jacksonville to Ocala. Dad bought the operation located in Interlachen, Fla. They sold the house in Cocoa and Mom and Vickie moved to Interlachen to run the place.
     Mom and Vickie lived there for several years, Vickie grew up and moved away and Mom died in the mid eighties, she lost money every week. Dad eventually moved to Interlachen and ran the gas company until he sold it back to Raymond, the place never made money.


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      Dad also had other great business opportunities from time to time. He bought a half interest in a shrimp boat because he liked to eat shrimp. He bought an interest in a service station so he would have someone to work on his vehicles and he bought into or out right bought a "Rent A Wreck" car rental agency. All of these ventures failed for one reason or another, I heard but can't say for sure that the shrimp boat sank, I don't know about the service station but I think it closed. He told me that one day the U.S.Secret Service contacted him about a guy who rented one of his cars, drove it to Washington D.C. and threatened to kill the President - they had impounded the car.



     Turns out the contract he had with Southern Bell was the most lucrative of his ideas and afforded him the funds to dabble in his other ventures. Sadly the man with big ideas and a desire to leave something for his family died in a VA hospice facility, Linda and I would visit on the weekends till his death, his brother Raymond and his sisters visited every now and then. At the time of his death he was for all practical purposes broke, along with a few dollars in the bank his left his daughters a lot with a one bedroom trailer on it.
     His daughters all loved him and when they got together they would reminisce about some of his escapades, Linda and Eileen would get to talking and break out with laughter, yep Dad was quite a character.