An ex-Lakelander checking-in; Theodore from the hazy, crazy past.

I just stumbled upon this site whilst trolling the Web. It's good to see that some old friends are still kicking. And....some of the site's photos were a kick-in-the-pants; flashback-city for sure: Steve Brown, Pat McCarthy....Dang Dudes, how's it going???

I can still hear Power's practice sessions in the bank-building loft just down from the Polk Theater. As well as remember the goings on out at Pickard's grove around the campfire(s). Awww yes, those were the lazy, hazy, crazy daze. Heck, I even remember swim practice at the LYCC - running riot with various scallywags: Jackson, Black, White, Childs.....etc. Wow!!!...this is major mental regression....owww!!!!....my head's hurting.

Hey "Mound", good to see you. I've been out on the Left Coast for about 18 years working in the semiconductor industry as an engineer, quite the change, no??? But hey:

Life's a beach.
And then you die.
And in-between
Most wonder why.
Not I!

Anyway, hope Pig-boy is up and kicking soon and all ya'll stay fit, feisty and full of life till the bells doth toll.

All the best,

Dan Theodore

hey danny, long time, still have that p.o box in dixieland? :) hows your sister doing? we are all still kicking here in l's ville rockin & rollin...its unbelievable the "old friends" that keep poppin out of the wood work and showing up at the shows......fun times & great memories.........later, f.e

Frankie,

I gotta say I clicked through all the pictures attached to the various L's-ville Rockers. Hey man, that sounds like a fine old southern rock band or something, no?

"For our next group, please welcome the L's-ville Rockers....give it up for the cream of the southern-rock crop."

We are talking very-big-grin as the pictures appeared on the screen. And, I read through all of the rocker's profiles. That was way cool for sure. It was great to see you still with git-fiddle in hand. My Pavlovian flashback when I saw your pic was to flash on when we used to hangout at McD's on South Florida Ave: bwaaa, haaa, haaa, haaa. Man, were we ever young, dumb and full of....well rhymes with dumb:-)))) This being a family oriented site.

Na, nope, nada: no P.O Boxes no mo:-))) The old objective of "Live hard, die young and make a good-looking corpse" has been an abject failure. I'm living easy, old and will make a butt-ugly corpse:-))) Some bros hit that mark, though. I've failed.

Sister is living just across the Swiss/French border in France and working for the World Health Organization in Geneva. She's been there since 91. Before that she and her ex-hubby lived in Cameroon, Africa for 2.5 years followed by the Netherlands for six and then back to where her ex-hubby was from - a small French community just west of the Geneva, Switzerland international airport. He was an oil-exploration geologist working for Mobil. Her only child, Alyssa is in her second year of university, just west of London, England. Barb's about to take early retirement and then go to the Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland to study Jungian psychiatry. Man, that girl's a trip. My head's hurting just thinking about it.

I'm keeping track of the upcoming shows, might just have to drop-in and drop-out for one:-))) I could use a good "head cleaning," as it is sooooo full of Silicon Valley tech stuff I can't think "straight." I guess I was destined to be a geek.

Later Dude,

Dan

Dam Dam de pushaman Dan....HOW ARE YOU DUDE??? GOD I THOUGHT WE BOTH WERE CREAMATED SOMEWHERE and now arisen! One of the biggest's moments in my hazy life was you coming up to G-Ville ar Blake's request I think, and visiting me at the bottom of a flight of stairs with sister morp00000 you know it, i reached a state i never felt before within 20 seconds....HAAAAGHHHHH....Man it's great to here from you, we gotta hook up dude. Are you coming to Leon??? I bet we can still find trouble like the old days(at least for fun) Write my email above!. I have some property in Arizona south of the painted desert....gonna move and start a commune...tired of all the BS really!
I still can't believe who i am talking too------get up get ready to rewind down to the sixties and back up to us now....Man we a trip and a hoot!
WRITE ME SOON!!!

Dan Theodore--

OK--I'm trying to place you because I, too, was one of those members of the McDonald's hangout....ACtually, I was kicked off the property "for life" three times by the manager for loitering...Truly one of my finest moments!

Gail

Gail,

Hummmm, how to jumpstart your brain synapses, I'm thinking through the female side of our past life. My older sister, class of 70 at LHS, was Barbara Theodore. She also hung at McD's. We shared a powder-blue Datsun 510 with surf racks on the roof. Barb hung-out with Greg Malcom's and Terry Crovo's old squeeze Donna Moore. And she was friends with Beth Batts and Nancy Mayo, the one that died in the car wreck when she, Batts, Terry - don't remember his last name - and a other guy were driving back from a concert in Orlando in Beth's VW bug.

The second attempt to get those brain synapses firing will be though my old girl friend, Jan Battle. She and I were an item, off and on, from 68 through 72.

And, I was one of the L's-ville surfers that palled around with Steve Wolfson, Mack McDowell, Archie White, Bob Strickland, Mark Ericson and Les Fisch on the surfing side of clan Lakeland.

Finally, school; I attended Carlton Elementary for the 5th - the first year it opened - and 6th grades, SW Jr High for the 7th and 8th and then went to boarding school for the 9th and 10th grades. For the 11th and 12th LHS was my alma mater. We graduated the same year from LHS.

Yo Steve,

Ain't life a trip? Many phases and many mini-life-times all rolled into one for some. Is Blake still kicking? His sis, Robin, was such a sweet woman, is she still around?

I'm currently deep into a contract with a high-tech company that manufactures computer hard drives just west of Bangkok, Thailand so can't make the pilgrimage to the Leon Russell concert. I'm pretty much jamming for bucks, the next 6 months, a good thing given the current economic down-turn.

I've been toying with moving to Arizona, also, for the past 12 years; was offered several jobs by Motorola back in the mid-90's, but never took the bait. They have a large presence in the greater Phoenix area. A move in that direction looks to be getting more interesting now though, might just be living north of Phoenix soon, Cave Creek area.

And, you ask, "Why Cave Creek?" Well, I'm very, very hard into an avocation: designing, developing and shooting Black Powder Cartridge Rifles in competition. And, right near Cave Creek is one of the finest rifle ranges in the country; the Ben Avery Range where I've got a bunch of buddies that shoot there and run matches. Ha, ha, ha, ha....it's still about hanging out with the buds and buddets.

Dan: After I left Lakeland at 18 or 19, I married #1 and moved to Phoenix...that was about 1973 or so. #3 went on vacation a year ago through there and Phoenix has changed big time. I worked in a steel fab shop there for 2 years. I heard Blake had died several years ago, but never have caught up with Robin to find out why? I was at Oak Hill Cemetary one day visiting my little brother and saw his plaque. The black powder thing is great. I built a couple of 52 caliber rifles once for hunting and shooting. I eventually sold them for fear they would make me deafer than I already am from steel work. I owned (with family) a steel fabrication shop in Mulberry, Fl for 20 yrs and sold it last June to the people who kept me on to manage part of it. It's a security thing with me right now, having 5 more years to collect SS! I had a pen pal in Thailand who turned pro boxer there. Keep in touch man.
peace bro

Dan,

Wow--you definitely got some memory juices flowing. I think I do remember the car you shared with your sister. Beth Batts, Nancy Mayo good friends. I had just gotten through a bad car wreck that put me in a coma, and after I recovered, everybody hoped the same thing would happen to Nancy. Not to be.
And Jan Battle. MAJOR blast from the past.
Yes, I too went to Carlton Palmore the first year it opened ...I was in the 5th grade. and then went to Southwest Junior.
Oh,and you were one of the surfer dudes we girls all secretly lusted after! Of course, I was a skinny kid that didn't come into my "prime" into way after high school.
At any rate, it's great remembering all this stuff--at least the parts I can remember!

Dan,
Thanks for trolling in our way, hey I would like to get your email for notices and such of things that will be going on in the future. Please send me your sisters too, as I think she may like to reconnect here also.

Thanks,

Carey B.

ccblanto2@verizon.net

danny, good to hear back from you, sounds like your doing well. when i read your post, i did some reflecting back of the "living hard" days, for some reason God chose to keep me around. i have been totally blessed with a great wife who has put up with me for 33 long years now, a beautiful daughter and a grandson thats the light of my days. the music is fun, playing with old friends, still being able to pull it off puts a huge grin on my ugly mug. im thinking your sister with a full head of carl jung could be dangerous :) sounds like shes living a good life, good for her. please send her a big hello from me. if you like, email me sometime (dmacev@aol.com) and i'll try to catch you up on some of the old friends that are still kicking and some of the ones that unfortunately arent. memories are a good thing................stay well.......f.e

Danny T....I just now saw your post! Geez, man how the health you been? It is good just knowing we are still alive and kickin', ya know what I mean..I know for sure you do!! So much to catch up on...but at least this might be a start. I have thought of you often over the years...a master of many things you were. My daughter, Heather, is now 37 and has given me 3 beautiful grandkids. Cheryl died in June of 2007 after 14 years in a vegetative coma....long story and rather keep it lite for the readers here.
Email if ya want to catch up more, pmccart1@tampabay.rr.com You seem well and I wish the best to ya....A Blast from the past Pat McCarthy

Dan: Write me.........(fourhawks@tampabay.rr.com)....got information for you. Leon was super man, sorry you missed it!
Steve