"Hello Ole FRIEND"

Recently I found myself with a little time to kill in Tallahassee after covering a volleyball match and while waiting on my wife to finish up at a friend’s baby shower. I decided to hunt up an ole friend from my days of living in Tallahassee.

After several wrong turns I finally found the right road that led me to the Lake Jackson Indian Mounds Recreation Area. It’s been over 16 years since I last visited this ole friend. Now some folks might say calling a place a friend is rather odd. But I don’t see it that way.

The Lake Jackson Indian Mounds are located a few miles north of Tallahassee and became my "get away" spot while living in the Capital City. Having been born and raised in Marianna, I found the hustle and bustle of city life stressful. I needed a place to get out in the woods and get away from folks. A place to ponder, as I like to say. The Indian Mounds became that place for me.

The area consists of six Indian Mounds that overlook about 20 acres of land that includes a large grassy meadow area, a creek and nature trail. The trail weaves it way through a hard wood forest and meanders along the creek.

So I roamed through the park and walked the trail for the first time in over 16 years. I reminisced about the many Saturday and Sunday mornings that I used to spend "walking and pondering" at the park. I reminisced about how much my life had changed since I last visited the area. And I reminisced about my sidekick that I took with me every time I went to the Indian Mounds.

My sidekick was our dog Emmy Lou, a beagle that my wife gave to me just before we got married. Emmy Lou, named after one of my favorite singers Emmy Lou Harris, enjoyed the park even more than I did. After being cooped up in the back yard all week, she could run and play unhindered. Quite frequently she’d find a rabbit or squirrel to chase and off she’d go, baying and having a large time.

I had to put Emmy Lou down a few years ago and don’t mind saying I shed a few tears. Visiting with my ole friend, The Indian Mounds, brought back fond memories. And even though I don’t live in the big city anymore, I still enjoy and treasure my "walks and pondering" in the woods. I have two new friends for this, Citizen’s Lodge Park (I prefer the outer trail through the meadows, woods and down by the river) and our yellow Lab named Jack.

Simply Put, visiting with my ole friend took me down memory lane. It brought to mind a line from an old Eric Clapton song "Hello Ole Friend, it sure is good to see you once again."

From the front porch: Coach said discipline is not what you do to somebody; it is what you do for somebody.