25 January 2019
The drive from Fort Lauderdale to Lakeland, Florida took around 4 hours, mainly due to a stop at Fort Pierce Turnpike rest stop and a line at Dunkin’ Donuts inside. Let’s just say the people behind the counter really didn’t want to be there. That threw me off by around 30 minutes. That and a notification from SunPass that my credit card renewal was denied. I spent some time accessing SunPass on my iPad and getting the credit card information updated so they wouldn’t send the HP after me on the Turnpike.
I pulled into The Terrace Hotel around 1:30 pm, took my luggage to the room (8th floor) and went back down to the lobby to wait for Bill Wood. He showed up about 10 minutes later.
Bill was a young ensign on board the. Coast Guard Cutter Reliance in Corpus Christi, Texas when I reported there in 1971 (can you believe 48 years ago). Unlike most of the officers on board, Bill was not an academy graduate (called ring knockers because they constantly drew your attention to their graduation ring by knocking it against any table at which they were sitting) but a graduate of Officer Candidate School in Yorktown. Va. after completing bootcamp at Cape May, N.J.. He had a more laid back attitude about things than the academy types. Even though he had nothing to do with my rating (Radioman 2nd class) we crossed paths often enough to become friends. We constantly ragged each other by Georgia/Ole Miss football.
Before my retirement, we re-established contact via a CGC Reliance website and have kept in touch since. During my last posting about my last trip, he read I was in Lakeland and from there, we decided to get together in Lakeland. He’s in town from Atlanta (by way of Celebration, Florida) as a judge for the Lakeland Pig Fest Barbecue contest. Since 2015 he’s been judging contests throughout the south and now has 27 contests under his belt.
Before he needed to head to the contest, we had lunch at Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grill (the best place to eat in Lakeland). He had the Jambalaya and I had red beans and rice -Harry’s is the real deal as far as Cajun food goes.
Bill had printed me out a judge’s parking pass and I followed him out to the site at the SUN ’N FUN/Florida Air Museum grounds on Medulla Road about 6 miles outside Lakeland. He said they anticipated 80 professional barbecuers and some 30 amateurs.
He’s judging tonight and tomorrow. The barbecue is approved by the Kansas City Barbecue Society and judging is quite strict in the guidelines and how the food must be prepared by the barbecuers.
Bill walked me around the site pointing out various outfits, types of smokers and grills, etc.
As we walked we talked barbecue and Coast Guard days. We both lied and told each other we hadn’t changed a bit. Right! I seem to remember us both with more hair and less weight.
To be a judge, you do have to go through some significant training and once certified, you can work your way up into the system, judging more and more events and more events open by invitation only. Bill is about to hit the 30 contest mark where he will then qualify for master judge (after passing a written test).
He headed to a judges orientation and I headed back to The Terrace. After the late lunch, I suspect I will find something simple to eat. I need to get an early start tomorrow morning for an eight plus hour drive to Hoover, Alabama where I’ll stay with old Broward College friends Robert and Lynn Buford.
And no, I didn’t eat any barbecue. They were just setting up and beginning the prep for the next day.
