From Charleston to Florida

By the time we were ready to leave Charleston we’d had overload springs installed on our car and we had also bought electric brakes that we could operate with a lever from inside the vehicle. This was a great saving for the car brakes. Chuck had never pulled a trailer larger than a boat trailer, but he had a lot of experience driving large vehicles.

He didn't think we’d have any problems moving our mobile home back to Florida.  He would not have time to take us to Key West; the Boat was leaving Charleston and going back to the North Atlantic.

Our plan was to drive to Dade City and park it in my parents’ yard till he came back from the North Atlantic, and then finish the trip to Key West.

Old Ashley River Bridge

Towers on Bridge

We left Charleston just at break of day, and were on the downhill grade of the old Ashley River Bridge heading south on old Hwy 17, a Greyhound Bus passed us and as it passed it was sucking us toward it. We had just cleared the end of the bridge.

Chuck braked enough to slow the process, but he over steered a little in turning away and we almost left the road on the right, he turned the wheel in the opposite direction and even though he was not pressing the gas we were going a bit faster because of the downhill grade and the weight of the trailer pushing us.

He tapped the brakes again to slow us down some more, but again he over steered in the opposite direction.  This time we almost left the road on the left side of the highway.

He turned the wheel right again and as soon as he had it going in the right direction this time he locked the electric brakes and really stomped down on the the car brakes at the same time, black smoke boiled out from under the trailer and car. The early morning air was filled with the powerful odor of burning rubber.

We came to a full stop; thank God nothing had been coming from either direction we had the road to ourselves after the Greyhound passed. We just sat there for a minute or so letting our nerves chill, and then we got on the road again.

He learned volumes from that near mishap; the rest of the trip was smooth sailing except for overheating in the hills of Ocala, Florida. We had to stop for awhile and let everything cool down. He even let me have a go at the wheel.  Something I would never have tried alone.

Stock Island Florida
Opposite Golf Course on Overseas Highway

When the Boat came back to Key West he came up to Dade City and we finished our trip to Key West. We moved into a Park next door to the Islander Drive Inn Theater on Stock Island. We lived there for a few months till we could get a spot in town closer to the base.

The Citadel

Winnie, a young single mother with two children lived in the same park where we lived . She was a native of Charleston, after we became acquainted she taught me a lot about Charleston.

We lived in North Charleston and it was not a large town at that time. Winnie and I would ride into Charleston at least a couple of times a week. Just drive around and she would give me the grand tour and spiel. 

A Flag Ceremony

The Citadel

We would usually drive past the Citadel at least once each time we went into Charleston, I was quite impressed, it was the first Military School I had ever seen. At that time it was an all male school.

Nicole (center) was the first female in the Rifle Legion

Never in our wildest dreams did we ever dream that one of our grandchildren would some day graduate from this school. Chuck and I had no children and were not even expecting any at the time.We were there in late 1957 and early 1958.

Graduation
Nicole's Parent's
Stormy and Warren pinning her bars on

But 44 years later in 2002 one of our granddaughter's, Nicole Villareal Bastian, graduated from the Citadel, she was among the first females ever to graduate, and she did it in three years!

Almost all of our family went up to see her graduate. I was lost most of the time, both Charleston and North Charleston are huge towns now. The only parts that were familiar at all were just the old Historical District and the Citadel.

I have to tell you that I was a very proud grandmother, and Chuck would have been popping buttons to watch his grandchild graduate from a Military College. Until the day he sailed on Eternal Patrol he was military to the very core of his being!

Nicole Villareal
1999 -- 2002
In Parade

Our Crazy Dog

We decided after a while in a small mobile that we liked it and we would buy our own. Bobbie Hickman gave us a lot of good advice about buying one.

We shopped around a bit and found one that we really liked and it was on sale. We bought it and moved it into the same Park we were in while renting and stayed till the Boat was finished overhaul in the yard.

Bobbie also gave us a pup while we were in Charleston; she had rescued him one night during a fire in their Park. He was running loose and she was afraid he would be killed in all the traffic.

She had scooped him up and put him in their Spartan till it was all over, she already had a dog, an old Wire Haired Terrier named Pud, she could not find the pup’s owner after the fire and didn't want to keep him she had already named him Goofus when she gave him to us.

A Canaanite Pup

We never knew what breed of dog he was or if he was just a mutt, but I found some photos online and this one looks like he did when she gave him to us.

What a dog he turned out to be, he had personality plus and we just called him Goofy. He was a natural comedian if he did something and you laughed he would really outdo himself then.

He was white with brown ears and was a medium/large sized dog when he was full grown. We had him for awhile and then gave him to my dad when we moved into a Park that didn't allow pets.

He loved to go fishing with us and he would watch the cork a lot better than either of us. When the cork went under he jumped in and if you weren't really good at reeling it in he would get all tangled in the line and nine times out of ten you lost your fish.

He also loved Pizza, back in those days I made homemade and had a gas stove with a glass oven door. He knew when I was making it and he would sit and watch the oven door like someone watching T V. As soon as it cleared the oven he would start yelping for a piece.

We had to let it cool first or he would try to eat it while it was piping hot and burn his mouth. He was like a spoiled child. If we left him home alone he would tear the house apart while we were gone.

He would tear up all the magazines and string the toilet tissue off the roll all over the house; he would tear all the sheets and covers off the bed and pile them up in a pile.  In general everything was a real mess with his tantrums at being left home alone.

He looked like the photo below when he was older, all white, but with brown ears.

Older Canaanite Dog

He was a great watch dog, and he would not let anyone in the car with me if Chuck wasn't in the car. Many times in the mornings several of the guys would grab a ride with us from the barracks to the Boat, but it was a big no/no till Chuck was back in the car. You will hear more about our crazy dog in other stories.

Skating and Dancing

While we were in Charleston some of the snipes (enginemen) when they were going up for their next rate would come over to our house and Chuck would help them study. One night Chuck and Rocky were talking about skating after study was over.

Rocky was a little shy and I asked him if he liked to dance, he said he had never learned how to. So I made a deal with him if he and Chuck would teach me how to roller skate I would teach him how to dance.

A Roller Rink

And every time he came to study afterwards we would practice dancing later. He did learn to dance! They took me skating, and they both tried to teach me how to skate, but I never got the hang of how to remain upright even with them holding me up one on either side and I finally called it quits, there are only so many bruises that one body can take!

To celebrate Rocky’s learning to dance we decided to go out on a double date to the old Fan-Tan Club, and if memory serves it was on King Street. We met him and his date for the evening there.

Jitterbug

He was doing a jitterbug with the young lady who was his date for the evening and when he swung her, somehow the heel of her shoe caught in the cuff of the man’s pant leg of the couple dancing next to them on the dance floor.

It happened so fast, the man fell and she fell on top of him, Rocky still had hold of her hand and he snatched her up, up and away so quickly. 

The poor guy gets up and is totally dumbfounded as to how he fell, and the lady he was dancing with never missed a beat. I don’t think she even realized that he had fallen.

It was so funny and I still chuckle about it after all these years! And he will kill me if he ever sees me again for telling this story.

Rocky was a powerhouse of work muscle, there was a guy on the Boat who kept asking him what course, what course?

And one day Rocky asked Chuck, “C B what is he talking about?” Chuck said, “He is asking you what kind of body building course you took to build all of those muscles.” 

Rocky answered, “The only body building course I ever took was moving rocks around, following the backside of a mule on the hills of Tennessee.” And this was how he got the nickname Rocky!

Rocky had a plan to invest in pig farming and did a good deal of research, and the other thing he did was save as much of his pay as he possibly could. 

When his hitch in the Navy was up he went back home and he eventually realized his dream and became one of the largest pig farmers in the State of Tennessee.

Bobbie Hickman

After the Boat came into Charleston, I began to meet quite a few of the other wives, not all of them came to Charleston, those who had children in school stayed behind in Key West, but most of the others came.

There is a famous story among ‘Submariners’ about Bobbie Hickman and her trip up to Charleston. As I told you before she was one of life’s greatest characters, and that’s a fact! 

Spartan Similar to theirs

She and Milton lived in a 38 ft Spartan. She had overload springs on her car anyway because she was a hefty little booger; her weight ranged 375 lbs to 425 lbs consistently.

She hooked it up and pulled it up alone! During World War II she had been a truck driver, and when she & Milton got married she owned eleven rigs of her own. So it was not a big deal for her at all.

She was a well educated woman from the upper crust of Cleveland Society. She was also very well read, and she had the vocabulary of a truck driver and a submarine sailor combined, and she never met a stranger!

As she was passing through Georgia, and was just a short distance from the South Carolina border maybe a couple of miles. She had to pass through a speed trap in the last little town in Georgia that was a sneeze in the road, and she got pulled over by the police. There was a small service station on the right just up ahead and that was where she pulled in and stopped.

There were two policemen in the car, a big tall guy and a short guy. The big cop was the one who came over to talk with her, he told her because she was passing through if she didn't want to have to go to court the fine would be $50.00 cash. She could cry at the drop of a hat too; and they were not crocodile tears!

She began bawling, and gave him a big sob story about her husband in the Military and all the money she had in the world was $25.00. He was touched and swallowed her sob story, and she handed him the money. She got back in the car and cranked it up. The little guy yelled, “You wait up there, just hold on a minute?”

He came swaggering up to the side of the car, and spoke in a very stern manner, thumbs hooked in his belt, he said to her, “This won’t do, you owe us $50.00 that is the going price for speeding in Georgia, and you ain’t leaving without paying it, do you understand me?”

She looked at him horrified and answered, “Please don’t tell me that you want $50.00 too, I just gave the other guy the last $50 bucks that I had. You’ll have to take me to jail because I don’t have another dime.”

He said, “Lady are you telling me that you gave my partner $50.00?”

She said, “Hell yes I am, and if that ain’t enough you’ll just have to take me to jail, what did he tell you I gave him?”

He told her, “You just wait here while I settle this, I’ll be right back. “She put the car in gear and peeled out when he walked away; she said, “The last thing I saw in my rear-view mirror was the little cop had the big one backed up against the car with his finger in the guy’s face, and I knew I could out-run them to the line!”

She wrote the story up and published it in “Trailer Topics Magazine”. She received a lot of kudos from the guy’s on the Boats!  So many sailors over the years had been caught in that same speed trap.

From Key West To Charleston

A few days after the fish fry some of the guys came by the cottage. One of the guys in the group they called Gator, and he would believe almost anything anyone told him, he asked me, “Mrs. C B where did you meet C B?” 

I knew instantly that Chuck had told him the tall tale because he told it so often to others just kidding around teasing me. He always added to the tale that I had never worn shoes till he caught me and put some on my feet!

I answered, “Well, he didn't actually meet me; he caught me in a bear trap in a swamp up in the Panhandle of Florida.” He said, “Ah you’re kidding me, he told me that story, but I didn't believe him!”.

I said to him, “No I m serious it didn't hurt me too much, but see, I do have this scar on my leg!” I really did have a scar on my leg and showed it to him, and he thought I was being truthful, and was convinced.

From then on he told everyone about it. The guys got a lot of mileage out of that one too!

Not long after he came home from the North Atlantic trip he took a short leave and took me to Charleston to find a place to live and get settled. The Boat would be going into dry dock for yard overhaul. I had never driven that long of a trip alone and he didn't want me to travel alone.

I had everything we owned packed in the car when he got off duty that evening. We knew there was a tropical storm headed our way, but we hoped we could stay ahead of the worse part, because we had to leave I had already turned the keys to the cottage over to the landlady. It was the last storm of the "57" season.

Mainland End of Bahia Honda Bridge

By the time we reached the mainland end of the old Bahia Honda Bridge the seas were beginning to wash over the low places and were splashing against the side of our car.

We had to keep going there was no safe place to stop. Numerous boats had been left alongside the road. 

It was a rough crossing at Lake Surprise in the upper Keys too, we were being buffeted by the winds and water splashing over the road. At last we made it off the Keys and onto the mainland and it was somewhat calmer, but we had rain all the way to the Florida/Georgia line.

It was also a rainy night in Georgia all the way through the state. The only route in those days being the old and narrow, two lane ~ Highway 17.  Neither I-75 nor I-95 existed at that time! When we arrived in Charleston the next day we stopped and had a very late breakfast and bought a Newspaper and searched for a place to live.

As luck would have it the very first place we looked at suited us just fine. There was a sign inside a small window in the door that said, open come in and look. We opened the door and went inside. There was a note on the table that said if you like it move in and I will catch you later for the rent, $ 50.00 per month.

Map of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina

We moved our gear in, I put sheets on the bed and we sacked out. We were exhausted from the trip, but with both of us taking turns driving we had driven straight through on the over a thousand mile trip. We went grocery shopping the next day, and then he had to catch the bus back to Key West and ride the Boat up.

Our little mobile home for the time the Boat was in the yard was on Carlton Street, it butted up against the Base fence and was four blocks from the Main Gate. 

One night I heard someone talking outside my bedroom window, and I peeked out through the window; there was a hole in the fence behind our trailer where the guys coming back late or for whatever reason climbed in and out through. I soon became used to it; it was an every night occurrence!

For those interested in the history of the Naval Shipyard click here.

The Fish Fry

When he came home I was there to meet the Boat. It had been almost three months since I had seen him, with no communication except through the US Postal Service! This was many years before cell phones or any of the technology that we have this day and time. It was like honeymoon time again for awhile!

One of his shipmates Red Dog Holden got married soon after the Boat got back, and we attended the wedding and afterwards the reception which was held in the Preview Lounge on Duval Street.

I had never tasted Vodka before and Chuck thought I needed to try a Screwdriver and so I did. It didn’t taste like much except orange juice, and I kept drinking one after another. His pet name for me was Baby Love, and he cautioned me to slow down, but I just phoo phooed, him and said, “There’s nothing to it.”

He cautioned again and said, “Baby Love I’m telling you, you need to slow down it packs a wallop and hits you suddenly.” But I didn’t listen.

The entertainment for the evening was male strippers, another first for me. I thought I was having the greatest time of my life. I kept inviting people over to our cottage for a fish fry the next day as I was introduced to each one or each couple.

Chuck finally made me stop and decided it was time for us to leave. On the way home I got sick and had to barf. I opened the door of the car and hung my head out; he grabbed me with one hand and hung onto me to keep me from falling out and drove with the other.

He got the car stopped and pulled me back inside without injury. When we arrived home he managed to get me inside the house, he put me to bed and let me sleep it off as much as he thought I needed. And then woke me up.

We were having coffee, but food was the last thing on my mind. He asked, “What are you gonna feed all of those people that you invited over to dinner tonight?” My response was, “What the hell are you talking about?” My poor head was pounding, and I had zero recall!

He said, “Baby you kept inviting people over here for a fish fry last night. They all said they are coming, and you need to think about what you’re gonna feed them.” Most single John’s will always accept an invitation for a home cooked meal.

My first thought was he is joking, it would be so like him he loved to tease and pull pranks, but he convinced me he was being truthful, and not joking, and I thought my God what have I gotten myself into. I was so hung-over I felt as if I would have to get better to die, the only thing left for me to do was; honey just grin and bear it!

Yellowtail

I sent him to the fish market for ten pounds of Yellowtail fillets; a very popular fish in Key West that is a real delicacy; while he was gone I had an Alka Seltzer cocktail and then baked a Coconut Cake. 

Coconut Cake

I had enough on hand to make a gigantic green salad. I had no idea as to how many would show up. I put it in the fridge to chill and made a couple of gallons of iced tea and set it in to chill.

Tossed Salad

I mixed hushpuppy batter and covered it, and it went into the fridge. OMG my head, and I had another Alka Seltzer cocktail. 

The only thing left to do would be to make a big pot of cheese grits and fry the fish. I took a shower and changed into clean shorts and a blouse.

Cheese Grits

About mid- afternoon the guest began arriving, they brought booze and mixer and set up a bar on the huge coffee table in the living room. I had a drink and began to feel better. The count turned out to be fifteen including Chuck and me.

We had an apartment size gas stove, I was half way through frying the fish and hushpuppies and the power went off. This happened frequently in Key West. Rocky Byers came in to help me, he held the flashlight and tended one deep fryer while I finished the other. We set everything on the table and everyone served themselves and sat wherever they could find a place to sit.

Fried Fish

Hushpuppies

Our little cottage was bursting at the seams; we were so crowded in that small place! But the food was enjoyed by all. The party cranked up into high gear after dinner. 

One of the guys they called Boo Boo leaned over to put his cigarette out in the big ashtray that was in the center of the coffee table.

He leaned over very slowly and he did put the cigarette out, but kept leaning. He placed his hands on the far edge of the table trying to stop his fall, but his unbalanced momentum kept him going, he looked as though he was in slow motion. 

His feet left the floor and were raised up into the air and he was just suspended there on his hands and hanging onto the edge of the table.

Everyone was holding their breath in disbelief, totally mesmerized, afraid to move at first, it was a frozen moment.  A couple of the guys eventually moved, and quickly went over and took hold of his legs and slowly lowered him back down.

That table was covered with bottles of booze, glasses and mixers, also a bucket of ice, and the only thing that he turned over was a single shot glass. This wasn’t actually a sea story, but it was a very funny story and it was told and re-told many times!