How Trump supporters made me feel like a stranger in Florida

[3Hotdogs]

3. My uncle moved to Palatka in '49. I was 14 when my parent drove to Palatka to visit.

I was introduced to a couple of local neighbors so I would have some kids my age to hang with during the week we were there. Teens could drive at 14 in Florida at that time. The nearest neighbor had a 56 Ford and we drove all over.

First to the drive-in restaurant. Then to the local drag strip which was a long dirt road in the middle of nowhere. I was in the car with the kid -- I have long forgotten his name but Duane seems to stick in my mind --- when we were going around 95 mph, racing the car next to us. I don't recall which car won.

Next, this was now around 11:30 p.m. We stopped on a dark road next to some field and the cars pulled up. The trunks were opened and out came a couple of 22 rifles. There was nothing to be seen except two or three lights a couple of miles away. The kids took the rifles and fired a few rounds in the direction of the lights.

They asked if i wanted to shoot the lights. 22's can only go about one mile so it was unlikely any of the lights would go out but, what the hell. I get a rifle and shoot in the direction of the lights. The same number of lights were still there after shells ran out and the shooting was over.

Me: "What's the lights about?"

Kid: "Them's n-----r houses."

That was 1958. I still think about that from time to time.