Ol' Timers' & Natives Sowal Spring Memories

[steele mama]

:roll: I can almost hear ya'll screamin' and laughin' now! How funn. What grayt memories! Next time I'm on the beach I'm sure to think of all ya'll flyin' around with the whole place to yourselves. Were Rick's and Puzzles clubs? Was that like the rock to disco era? That was kinda scary. :shock: Or was it another kinda scary?

Did ya'll swim in the lakes too? Were there many gators? Can't wild boars kill a person?

Lived several places in Florida but never saw dune lakes until my 1st visit to Seagrove in 1990. Someone told me they are very rare. How awesomely breathtaking ...

BTW, those books are at the library and Eden Gardens gift shop too.
Ya'lls' first hand stories are wonderful. Keep 'em comin'.


liquorqueen!

I think Rick's was probably best described as a dive. Not sure. Very small place!

I swam in Western Lake all my life. We started skiiing at very early ages and I spent time in the lake every day. We fed a gator from our dock but I never saw one while swimming.

I understand that the boars came from the Miller place across the lake. They were raising them and there were no fences. Right? I read that someplace.

Definitely the Good Ole Days!

 

[supermom262]

Hey Steele Mama!
My parents leave Grayton today, will stay in Seagrove with my Aunt and Uncle for a few days before heading back to Michigan. So sad when they leave. If I'm lucky, they will be back at 4th of July, if not it'll be after Christmas

Out of curiosity, what do you think about trying to get a bike path from Grayton Corners past D&K's? I'm not sure if you saw in the Easter Exchange the post I wrote about my Dad getting hit on his bike in Grayton. We have been talking a lot about the flag system for the Gulf, but I think with the amount of people in the road on Defuniak, biking, running, walking their dogs, kids in the street etc, that we need to try to make this area safer for the high usage of people there. I know the homeowner meeting is in April. I'd like to hear what think. Maybe a petition can be circulated, not sure. Kathy from D&K's saw a young girl go down on her bike in front of a car there as well.
Thanks!

 

[steele mama]

Hey Steele Mama!
My parents leave Grayton today, will stay in Seagrove with my Aunt and Uncle for a few days before heading back to Michigan. So sad when they leave. If I'm lucky, they will be back at 4th of July, if not it'll be after Christmas

Out of curiosity, what do you think about trying to get a bike path from Grayton Corners past D&K's? I'm not sure if you saw in the Easter Exchange the post I wrote about my Dad getting hit on his bike in Grayton. We have been talking a lot about the flag system for the Gulf, but I think with the amount of people in the road on Defuniak, biking, running, walking their dogs, kids in the street etc, that we need to try to make this area safer for the high usage of people there. I know the homeowner meeting is in April. I'd like to hear what think. Maybe a petition can be circulated, not sure. Kathy from D&K's saw a young girl go down on her bike in front of a car there as well.
Thanks!

Oh my! No I haven't read that. I don't know what all the legalities of the path would be but it certainly is necessary now. The traffic is unbelievable! We don't need to wait until a child dies. Sorry, that was a sad thing to say but you know.

 

[Grayton Girl]

This is the LiquorQueen's sister here. Thought you might enjoy this photo from 1964 of me and my sisters (those are bathing suit bottoms, not underwear - we were ahead of our time with the topless thing) with our mom on the beach in Grayton at the Pass (what we have always called the outfall of Western Lake).

In the background, above Beachmama's head, is our lone beach house (white) on the dune, and in the upper right near the corner you can see the old Washaway Hotel. (The Washaway was moved to new pilings after Opal in 1995 and it is now much higher and somewhat closer to the beach.)

You will notice no structures on the beach to the west of our beach house. That was our playground, and we had names for every dune and indian pottery location out there. We spent hours and hours playing in the dunes, making expeditions to the Lonesome Pine (a giant pine tree that stood by itself in what is now Grayton Dunes State Park - it was a landmark for fishermen and locals and was featured on post cards at the Store) and having picnics in Magnolia Grove, a place out in the dunes where the magnolias came together to make an enclosed "cave." It was quite idyllic.

 

[seacrestkristi]

Wow, Grayton Girl ya'll were ahead of your time! What an awesome pix? You should have that blown up and framed. Ya'll look very happy and so did your momma. Look at the little one playin' with somebody's belly button. How precious! Ya'll were just little brown biscuits, weren't you?

My sister and I wore a similar style on Jacksonville Beach about the same year. :clap_1: It was already built up on the beach though compared to these pictures anyhow. How awesome! Tell me more about your playground please. What about the pottery? Was it Creek? Did you ever find any bones? sorry...Is the giant pine still there? What a wonderful playground! Thanks, GG!

 

[liquorqueen]

Hey...sorry SteeleMama. I thought you were your eldest child. Glad your keeping abreast of the area and those "gulls of yours."

Whoever was asking where Ricks Run-a-ground was, it was located in one of the houses that we locals call the "BrickYard." Just down from Sally's Convenience Store that that WONDERFUL LIQUOR STORE, Blue Mtn. Liquors!:clap_1:

As my father likes to say, "you could play tittelewinks (sp?) on 30-A for a good 30 minutes till a car came by. This was the 60's!

The last Wild Boar I heard was about 1985 and I heard it grunting over in the Grayton Beach State Forest in "new Grayton" when I was running. I believe that was the end of that era.

 

[joho]

:roll: I can almost hear ya'll screamin' and laughin' now! How funn. What grayt memories! Next time I'm on the beach I'm sure to think of all ya'll flyin' around with the whole place to yourselves. Were Rick's and Puzzles clubs? Was that like the rock to disco era? That was kinda scary. :shock: Or was it another kinda scary?

Did ya'll swim in the lakes too? Were there many gators? Can't wild boars kill a person?

Lived several places in Florida but never saw dune lakes until my 1st visit to Seagrove in 1990. Someone told me they are very rare. How awesomely breathtaking ...

BTW, those books are at the library and Eden Gardens gift shop too.
Ya'lls' first hand stories are wonderful. Keep 'em comin'.


liquorqueen!

To answer your question regarding Ricks and Puzzles, Ricks was probably
one of "the first" drinking holes on 30A. It was located in one of the houses in Blue Mountain Beach. After it went south another owner tried his luck calling it Puzzles. It was quite the happening place for locals. They would gather for weekend championship darts. Both woman and men would compete. Hey we had to entertain ourselves somehow........
Actually there wasn't anything scary about either one it was all locals and we knew everyone back in those days.

 

[iwishiwasthere]

This is the LiquorQueen's sister here. Thought you might enjoy this photo from 1964 of me and my sisters (those are bathing suit bottoms, not underwear - we were ahead of our time with the topless thing) with our mom on the beach in Grayton at the Pass (what we have always called the outfall of Western Lake).

In the background, above Beachmama's head, is our lone beach house (white) on the dune, and in the upper right near the corner you can see the old Washaway Hotel. (The Washaway was moved to new pilings after Opal in 1995 and it is now much higher and somewhat closer to the beach.)

You will notice no structures on the beach to the west of our beach house. That was our playground, and we had names for every dune and indian pottery location out there. We spent hours and hours playing in the dunes, making expeditions to the Lonesome Pine (a giant pine tree that stood by itself in what is now Grayton Dunes State Park - it was a landmark for fishermen and locals and was featured on post cards at the Store) and having picnics in Magnolia Grove, a place out in the dunes where the magnolias came together to make an enclosed "cave." It was quite idyllic.

What a wonderful pic and childhood!!! The beauty of the place never changes!

 

[ShallowsNole]

Rick's Run-a-Ground...man, I hadn't even THOUGHT of that place in years. Probably decades! When it was open, though, I think I was still underage and more interested in sneaking into Nighttown in Destin.

But speaking of the little brick houses...anybody remember "Moontide?" And the fellow who stuck the little ads up at all the stores in SoWal...assistant needed? Must be female, 18 - 24, offer room and board, all expenses paid...:shock:

Grayton Beach...RIP Nicky Frye. I grew up with him, but you didn't stay any length of time in Grayton without meeting Nicky. He is missed.

And what a grayt pic of the Haynes family...(hope it was ok to say that!) Y'all's mother was an awesome, beautiful lady.

 

[Bobby J]

Does anyone remember when someone painted SEASIDE "SUCKS" on the Seaside water tower...