Pompano Beach, Florida

On the way to Florida we made a stop at Moreland, Georgia.  It was an unscheduled stop.  It was a good stop.

Here is what happened.  Took a look at the map and saw the letters arranged together

A-T-L-A-N-T-A

I read T-R-A-F-F-I-C J-A-M.

We went around Atlanta to the west and along the way we found Newnan and Moreland again.  Many years ago I was on the local television station in Newnan singing a song i wrote called The Lewis Grizzard Highway.  Lewis Grizzard died in 1994.  I never met him.  I have read every word he published in book form.  He was a human interest columnist for the Atlanta paper for a number of years.  His column was syndicated to some 600 papers at the heighth of its popularity.  It did not run in the Courier-Journal.  The Bingham’s, I would say, had something to do with that.  Lewis spoke his mind.  He was a bit on the conservative side when conservatives had more sense than they do today.  Many of us whom were considered conservative back then have been left behind by a progressive movement we don’t recognize as being conservative.  Conservatives think for themselves I believe.  That is in short supply since State Television a.k.a Fox News has seemingly high-jacked so many minds with fear speech and division.  When this Republican deems Fox News worse than CNN, the country is in trouble.

I think Lewis Grizzard would still be hanging with me and others like me in the minority as we sit, watch, and wait (there are not enough of us to make a difference), and hope to live long enough to see America rally in the name of  Republic goodness instead of hearing about rallies where a president is making fun of people.  What good does that do?  Who does that help?  Hard to take for a guy who spent a dozen years telling elementary kids to “Be Nice!” And why are gas prices so high?

I digress.

Lewis Grizzard was 47 years old when he passed away.  He had heart trouble for a long time that caused multiple surgeries.  He did not survive the last one.

Moreland, Georgia was Lewis’ hometown.  In Moreland there is the Lewis Grizzard Bar-B-Cue Pavilion.

It is a nice little place.

I think Lewis would be proud.

In Newnan you will find Sprayberry’s, a fine bar-b-cue joint.  I ordered what I always ordered:

The Lewis Grizzard Special.  That and a glass of unsweetened tea and you got it made.

Lewis is remembered on the side of the Sprayberrymobile.

On the wall in Sprayberry’s.

Before we left for our trip, I grabbed a book not knowing we would be heading to the land of Grizzard.  It was a gift from Paula Lincoln when I graduated from college.

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnson