madsamba1971

I remember going to school and I was in elementary school, back in the 70s. I recall being the only white haired blue eyed lil kid in my class. The children were friendly. My parents moved around so much I couldn’t recall where in Oklahoma it was. lol But I remember I liked being there.

I was young, my aunt lived in Texas so she was used to just going anytime she wanted. Her in laws lived there, she owns a home there. It was the first time I had coconut. We had fish tacos and we didn’t drink the water lol. It was neat, with people selling things openly in the streets. I haven’t been back since, I do recall the people were friendly and I loved the colors. It seemed like every color stood out. I buy coconut as often as I can, and I introduced my kids to fish tacos with lime. They seem to like it.

Lets see, My friends took me to a part of Mission Beach that was NOT SAFE at all!!! It was known for violence, I wasn’t aware, but yeah! A riot broke out. There were only 2 caucasion people on the side of the beach and I was one of them. The other was getting her butt kicked by alot of women and men. The parking lot became something I’d only seen in movies. Men beating up men, men pulling guys out of their cars and just beating them up. A little girl crying out for her mother, people ignoring small children, it was terrifying to say the least. My g/f put me in the vehicle covered me up and got me out of there. It was nothing I’d ever been exposed to before, so I was definetly in shock. The wierdest part was that the people on the beach and not near the parking lot were going about their business as usual, sunbathing, just walking about like nothing was happening. I remember a man actually holding up a video camera FILMING all this in the parking lot.

It was beuutiful needless to say. We went on a boat to look for Dolphins and we wouldn’t have found them if the capt. was looking. lol I spotted them first and they are friendly. We stayed on the beach. People for the most part were friendly. The driving was nice, but the Restaurant: The Black Pearl was not kid friendly at all! Even though they have a “kids” menu. That was 140.00 lunch down the drain. I want to go back.

It’s breathtaking at 5:30am when you’re on the beltway and the sun is just coming up….it’s more than that. I worked across the river from it and it never got boring. That was the thing I looked forward to every morning I went to work. As a kid or even teen living in Ohio, I never thought I’d live or get to work in DC, funny how things work out.

The first time I went to DC a seagul pooped in my hair! My brand new perm was bombed. luckily the Lincoln Memorial has a restroom beneath it and my locks were good to go. We went and bought bagels and cream cheese and sat in the mall and fed squirells by hand..they just walked up to where we were seated and climbed up on the bench and sat there..waiting, so I had to give up my bagel..I’d never been that close to a squirrel before. The city is beautiful. I ended up working on the Anacostia Naval Base at my aunts boat marina. When your 17 and cute a naval base is the only place to be! lol I had the best time there.

My dad entered a singing contest and I got to watch him perform on the grand ole opry stage..that was something! 10 yrs later and now married, my husband wants to move us there. We’re going to “visit” within a months time. It’s nice to visit, I guess, but I never thought much about living there.

It was crowded! The people were beautiful of course, the women with the matching hats, handbags and shoes. The gentleman in polos or suits. Of course there were locals who people watched and made fun of those dressed like they were cinderella and her prince…I have to say that is kinda fun. Frilly dresses and big hats were competing with the noble steeds for my attention. I was in awe for awhile. It was like I stepped back in time. I had a terrific time and so did my children..my youngest is a shoe hog already and couldn’t keep up with who had the best heels. You sooo have to experience this.

If your visiting a small town or even a big one: Make sure your vehicle is in TOP CONDITION if driving anywhere in Montana! If you break down on a highway Do Not Expect a Native “Montanian” to help YOU! Now maybe a Michigan or Nebraskan might. Make sure you have a working cell phone! Make sure to have PLENTY of water if traveling in the summer months. Make sure you gas up plenty anytime you get a chance. There are no houses just sitting there alongside the roads, there are no gas stations out in nomans land. You will be driving for miles and miles with nothing but the sky and the brown “grass” to look at. “I spy” isn’t a hard car game to play driving around the ole BIG SKY COUNTRY. Enjoy your driving experience. From GLendive Mt To Miles City is about 2 hrs..with almost nothing in between that nice drive! Billings is without a doubt 4 hours from Glendive..with next to NO gas stations in between. Gas stations would make a killing inbetween those 2 places!!! It is a beautiful place to JUST VISIT…if your from the east you’ll soon miss the much taken for granted gorgeous GREEN color you so normally see. The little streams that are so full of water..none of those out there. Enjoy you driving experiences. BONUS: the “newer”speed limit of 75. on highways. I wouldn’t do 75 in summer, you might hit a cow..those fences do tend to break. Or a deer, or a bobcat.u get the idea.