MAGNETIC ROOTS .. December 13, 2003
Joyce Joiner Schultz Comes Home
Dear Chumuckla.com,

Hey It's me in Chumuckla Fla. We got here Monday before Thanksgiving Day. We tried to put our 5th wheel at my sisters place in Chumuckla, but couldn't quite get it down there. So guess where my niece suggested we park it at? At the OPRY. So looks like we will be planted there until spring unless the snow gets here. We are planning on heading back towards Idaho in the spring .
Just thought I would say hello. We traveled to Alaska for the summer months, then back home for a  month and headed for Fla. way. We spent from May until First week in September in Alaska. My husband has decided he likes retirement and traveling to visit all our relatives. He said we want have to eat beans and road-kill all the time.
Boy! Things sure look different. As we drove from Brewton Ala through Jay , and on to Chumuckla, I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought I was in a foreign country. Didn't recognize anything or anyone. Just can't believe this part of my life has changed over the years so much. I left here in 1965 and only came home for short visits and never had time to really look around the area. Buildings everywhere you turn. I would have never dreamed in my life time they would have built houses in some of these areas. Imagine Chumuckla having an opera  house, having fire trucks near-by with fire hydrants in all the areas, even down at my sisters house. Having a senior center and to me the  biggest surprise was the school. Not a high school any more. Just can't believe you can't drive in the area of Mineral Springs and to all the river roads we use to be able to take. I heard that some hunting clubs have the land for hunting. Go figure.
Changes, changes I guess are good but sure can confuse an old country girl that thought she knew every place in her home town to show her husband. Then when I heard that they had a thing here called a RED-NECK PARADE (see pictures) .I thought now ,where did my Chumuckla go. So on Saturday morning myself and husband went to check out the REDNECK THING. Rain was coming down so didn't stay long. Tomorrow on Sunday I want to go see the parade if rain don't stop it. Sounds like a good thing.
Goes to show, you leave home and come back and you think, now where have all the years and all the older people I use to know gone . My husband and I were talking ...he looks at me and said, "You are the older people now".
I was down at my sis's house (Frances Castleberry's house) , I took my husband over to see Skeeter. He is one the people I used to know. He took us through his little museum. He has gotten quite a few antiques there. It was very interesting. Of course the whole idea of going over to see him was to see if he would let me pick up some pecans, of course he said "ok". He even helped us pick them up. He caught us up on some happenings in the area. Told us about the supper club over at the opry. Supper club ... Wow! We haven't had time to go visit or eat at the opry yet.
We have been driving around the area of they places I used to go and where we lived. Of course some buildings have fallen down and some ... torn down. What a different place. I feel like a fish out of water here in a community I used to live in.
Well Vic, I guess I have talked your ear off , but I just couldn't get over all the changes.
                                                                                               
By Joyce Joiner Schultz
(See some of Joyce's writings about Chumuckla on this page (click here).
This and other email will also be found in the Chumuckla BLOG!