When I was a kid, I loved one part about my hometown: the St. John’s River. My family owned a marina on the river, and my great grandparents lived on the river. I spent many a summer in cut-off jeans and nothing else. My days were spent swimming in the river, swimming in the pool at the marina, making the most awesome box forts from outboard motor boxes (larger than refrigerator boxes) and doing small chores in the marina store in return for candy and Cokes. Also, because the marina was a fish camp with a hotel, I got to meet and play with kids from all over the place. One of the first girls I kissed was from somewhere in Pennsylvania. I still do love it on the river. Imagine, as a kid, having this as a pool (the post is what’s left of the old dock):

I don’t know when this started, but I have grown to really dislike larger parts of my home state. There are still a bunch of great places worth seeing in Florida in general, and DeLand in particular. Maybe I just notice the stuff I don’t like more as I’ve grown older, I don’t know. That’s a good enough excuse, right? Maybe I’m just more attuned to the negative things in my environment. Who knows? Oh well, why the nostalgia and harshing on the hometown? I read something today about Florida that makes me simultaneously proud & embarrassed to hail from there. The quote below is 100% true.

From EDSBS:

But you do know that in a name-calling war based on redneck cred, Georgia loses in a smoking heap to Florida, right? We’ve got so much more than just the Duck Head-wearing nouveau-riche Panic crowd and the oceans of starchy white trash that Georgia has to offer: switchblade wielding gel-freaks from Miami, bland transplanted midwesterners from Orlando, stoner surfer rednecks from Melbourne, Jacksonville tattoo guys still rocking the Durst fat pants, shot-guzzling Fiero drivers from Tampa, displaced Jerseyites who leave fake tanner residue on white couches…we’ve really got it all. The army of trash Florida can assemble is simply unparalleled.

[UPDATE:]: Sometimes, it’s just crazy what I see in the random Flickr feed over there on the right. After publishing this, I noticed this in thumbnail form. The funny thing is, iin Florida, I would expect to see this. Only difference is the people would be adults… of all ages 20’s right on through the 50’s. And they wouldn’t necessarily be drunk or high or anything. This could be celebration of a NASCAR win (rarely sober, I know, but still). Lastly, the guy would be wearing a beaten cap of some sort riding high on a greasy, thin mullet. I can actually picture it in my head. I need a drink.