The Desert Inn Has Been Torn Down - Saying Goodbye To Winn Dixie & Kmart / My Former Jobs Are Closed
Florida Backroads
Transcript
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welcome everyone Adam the woo here as
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the recording of this it is Wednesday
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October 23rd
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2024 I took the turnpike down from
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celebration to yeaw Junction just off
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the Turnpike exit so I'm going to do a
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couple things here in Yeehaw the
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junction of
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yeaw and then make my way through
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keenansville through St Cloud back up
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Highway 192 but I wanted to stop off
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here because some there's an update on
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something I have covered many times
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over the years and I have not been here
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since they completely tore it down
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called the desert in it's right over my
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shoulder over there behind this new gas
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station there are an assortment of new
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gas
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station truck stops
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Etc let's have a yeaw junction and CMI
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St Cloud day shall you that used to be a
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Stucky in fact they probably they might
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still have some Stucky stuff inside of
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it
1:00
you can definitely see the formation of
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the building there was a Stucky Turnpike
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exits right over there new
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building right there
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and another new gas station right over
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there this road is very busy with trucks
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oh dang look at that they still have
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this sign up here desert in Historic
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Site the next intersection wow they
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bulldozed everything
1:35
everything well there's some lights and
1:35
things that are left
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but it's kind of
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symbolic or ironic I don't know what the
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correct word would be in a way that
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there's so many trucks that are still
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continuing through here
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and trucks are plenty cuz it's a
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truck that created the demise of the
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desert in bulldozed well it didn't
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bulldoze it it plowed into it a truck
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similar to this one an
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18wheeler went off the road smashed into
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the front of it destroyed a building
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that was on the national register of
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historic
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places the main section of the building
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was right here and there was
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a kind of a baates motel ask segment to
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it right here in fact I stayed here many
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years ago stayed overnight
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here before the rack and the damage and
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then I would do updates after the wreck
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for years I never thought they would
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tear it down you know what it's gone now
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it's gone that is wild seeing it from
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this
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angle plenty of videos I've done want to
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look back and see what it looked like
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through the progression of the years
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looks like a truck got stuck right here
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in this Sugar
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Sand and the room I stayed in it's right
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over here
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and I was also again before it was
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damaged so it was open I got to eat in
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the restaurant got to eat in the
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diner got to go up to what the there was
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a
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bordello as the story told there was a
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famous Bordello on the upstairs I got to
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go up and check that out supposedly was
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haunted been fascinated by just how many
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trucks are at this intersection I mean
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it is a Haven of trucks
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really is one of the most well I call it
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iconic spots was right here where you'd
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walk in you'd go up the stairs to the
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supposedly haunted section right here
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and then just to the right was the door
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that would lead into the diner and all
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that erased from existence now right
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here you can see remnants of where the
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national register of historic places
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sign used to be
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now that was ripped out of here a couple
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years
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ago as you see the hay bales coming by
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trucks coming by the truck that damaged
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it plowed right through the front right
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here kind of about in that area and
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after that it
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was there was no turning back from this
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place being salvageable truck would have
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came right across intersection there
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went straight across veered off
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cam right into the
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front the rest is history Corner
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441 and 60 is that what that side says
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yeah East and West 60 and north and
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south
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441 soon they'll be a newer gas station
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facility like the ones over my shoulders
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over there at some point just noticing
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those clouds are looking it might get a
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little rain today that's it that's the
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update not a whole lot here really not a
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whole heck of a lot here there's a truck
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right next to me now wanted to check it
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out since I got back in town was gone
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for a long time and while I was gone
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they tore it down so I wasn't able to
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show up here the next day or see it
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while they were tearing it
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down look at
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that that's a truck tow
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truck it's a truck for towing trucks
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rip desert end for good you're gone now
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only a couple power poles left some of
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the foliage and trees
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here I think over there there might
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be TV antenna power wiring in ground
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right there there used to be a pole here
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that said motel and
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vacancy and then again you had that
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baates
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moteles spot right here
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over the last 3 four five years it was
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really in bad
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shape really in bad
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shape there's a relic one of the few
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relics that are left I do love
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documenting things sometimes over
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documenting and over filming things over
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the course of a few years I've done with
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that with a lot of stuff in the central
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Florida area my my home area my stomping
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grounds if you will this place is no
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exception sometimes I'll go by a place
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that I fake is going to be torn down
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it's just kind of sitting there rotting
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away and I'll go and I'll film an
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episode just so I can look back one day
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and see the progression that's another
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thing I could do with this
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place little piece of Central Florida
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roadside
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history this probably is not even
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salvageable I don't even know what You'
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do with this other than scrap
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metal all right I'm going to head
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through King
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Ville and up through St Cloud swing by
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say hi to my parents catch up with
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BB and then back up Highway 192 a little
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bit later do a little 192 action back up
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to Celebration and give me a chance to
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drive through some real
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Florida plenty of Elbow Room out here on
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441 those clouds love some good cumula
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nimbus clouds I pulled over here there's
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little building here there's a few of
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these along 441 the way I've always
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heard it through local stories is that
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there railroad used to run right through
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here down 441 so basically where that
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fence is over there on the this Rancher
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property so picture the railroad running
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in the same
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proximity as where that fence line is
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they tore the railroad out many years
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ago but they left a lot of these little
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buildings that were used for either
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maintenance or for some purpose for the
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railroad so they're still out
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here out here in the middle of nowhere
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near yeaw
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Junction got the windows down big the
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foot's waving in the breeze just flowing
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around in the breeze all right I veered
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off of that road that I was on and now
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I'm turning on to South Canoe Creek
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Road where the Heartbreak Hotel is and
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that was
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rumored for a while
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and then it was debunked if this was
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where supposedly Elvis stayed here Road
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Heartbreak Hotel
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here but not true at
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all but it still has the name on the
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side right there it says Heartbreak
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Hotel up on the
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top and it was a hotel for a while now
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it's used as offices and it's right here
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on the corner of North Bow Street on can
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Creek Road where the First State Bank
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building still stands I always love this
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little bank right here just so cool
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looking I mean it's just just out here
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here in real
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Florida First State Bank of keenansville
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as stated on the window
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here and I guess every once in a while
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they open this building up since they
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renovated it you can see where it says
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Kenansville there on the side a little
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glare of the clouds and the window
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there's some things
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inside the bank was Bank building was
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opened back in
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1914 as shown in the tile work there
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Kenansville bank established 1914 last
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time I came by here I could tell that
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they renovated the inside as well for
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years it was just empty inside but they
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fixed up the
9:50
inside no no posted hours on when they
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are open to show it off or anything
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but definitely pretty cool
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they have the
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old the old relics of the past in
10:06
there for example that tiny metal plane
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right there on
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the table antique
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table oh there's even a pay phone or
10:18
a a phone on the wall
10:21
there trying to cut my hand over the
10:23
glass so you can get a little view of it
10:25
it's not working where well though there
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it is this is looking through the back
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ooh I hear
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there
10:44
yes I always love this too I'm glad
10:46
these still
10:57
them yeah you can definitely see that
10:57
building is being utilized for office
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space see a lot of cars over there
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there's a sign on the window that says
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that they are There's No Vacancy and
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they do
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not they do not
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allow people to rent the rooms it might
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even be used as Apartments honestly the
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top might be used for apartments be kind
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of cool to live in the Heartbreak Hotel
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right oh now since the last time I drove
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by here this is right next to the
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Heartbreak Hotel a block
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away this there was like a little
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building a little house here that kind
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of reminded me of like Uncle Jesse's
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house in Dukes of
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Hazard up in Georgia where they filmed
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the first six episodes which is
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interesting because now that's
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gone and all that's left is the
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fireplace so was down there driving this
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way the old keenansville Museum which is
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never open but it's in the it's in this
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old school
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building in fact the post office which
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used to be up over near where Heartbreak
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Hotel is they moved it and now it's here
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memory serves correct anyway it was over
12:08
a couple blocks
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up they placed it right over here
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like the storm knocked down the flag
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pole old vintage flag pole
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32739 purchased by Alto Bud Adams Jr in
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1979 and moved to Adams Ranch located in
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Fort Pierce 2005 but Adams donated the
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building back to Kenville Community
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Association okay I stand corrected this
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was not down the road a bit this was
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originally in Fort Pierce from kind of
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what I was reading it's got the 1914 on
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it not sure why the door is open but it
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is the old post off Office
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boxes yeah the floor is not real
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stable oh this is so
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cool this is so dang
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cool I don't know if the storm damaged
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the door also but this is great look at
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all this info in here I've never seen
13:53
any of this here is the post mistress
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constant Conant
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in front of the old post
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office and here's an Old Homestead some
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photos of an Old
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Homestead and this evidently is the new
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post office right
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here no mail in keenansville is like a
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day without
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Sunshine so if you needed to purchase a
14:28
money order you could come
14:29
here teller would be right behind there
14:32
this is just so awesome this is
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just really cool
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history here's some info on the Kenville
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Museum the door is locked I tried to do
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this but I think maybe because the storm
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rolled through here with the hurricane
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maybe the wind pushed the door open so I
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I'm just going to shut it
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back well I
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can't okay
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evidently the door is Warped and it will
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not close yeah you see there
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man that is such a
15:31
cool such a cool piece of History both
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of these spots it was constructed in
15:35
1917 the school building was on 5 acres
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of land by money that was $6,000 donated
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by the estate of Mrs Mary Lily Keenan
15:44
Flagler bam that is a lot of
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names see where shingles have fall flown
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off the roof from the
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history just
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fascinating just fascinating to you
16:16
could just go back in time or look back
16:18
in time obviously now everything is well
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documented you know with videos and
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photos and just social media and
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everything but stuff you know back when
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this was built this was being
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utilized for what it was intended for
16:32
it's not a lot of documentation out a
16:34
couple photos here and
16:35
there it's it's always fascinating to me
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how as time
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progresses you know more and more stuff
16:41
is just out there where when you kind of
16:44
look back nostalgically on things you
16:46
had nothing to do
16:48
with close this
16:50
back all right I'm going continue moving
16:53
on the good old days some say I wasn't
16:56
there so I don't know how good they were
16:57
but now looking back on the good old
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days hello
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cows
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hello how you doing out there having a
17:08
good
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day there's some cows just grazing out
17:14
there having a good old time
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grazing good to see you cows you know
17:19
what this might be a new keenansville
17:20
fire station right
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here I don't think I've ever seen that
17:25
before nice if I did I didn't notice it
17:29
still in keenansville
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I don't know if I've ever seen a
17:39
headstone like this so you got the cross
17:43
here you got barb wire around
17:45
it obviously a Rancher and
17:48
a horse rider
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farmer you know going back to what I was
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saying about everything now is do
17:58
documented so everyone's life is really
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thoroughly heavily documented in some
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fashion you know for ages for When We're
18:06
Gone we'll have things that anybody can
18:08
look back on anything that you posted
18:10
and is out there or other people have
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taken photographs of you or at events
18:15
videos that are just kind of floating
18:17
around it's all out there people will be
18:19
able to look
18:20
back you know but someone that passed
18:23
away in 1920 unless you had a newspaper
18:25
article written about you
18:28
other than your immediate family and
18:30
friends and the people you came into
18:33
contact with experience-wise
18:35
there's not a lot out there so that's
18:39
why I'm always fascinated by headstones
18:41
and people's final resting
18:44
places because in a lot of ways for
18:48
some it's the
18:50
last the last thing of their
18:52
legacy to others who were not associated
18:55
with them or the direct family of others
18:58
that were associated this is an old one
19:00
that were associated with
19:03
them there Jim
19:06
Harvey this is also interesting it's
19:09
spelled out born inste of born born with
19:13
an ed born in 1862 Mr Harvey James a
19:18
harvey now you look at these there's no
19:19
inscriptions are writing on
19:27
them there may have been at one point
19:27
and you know over the years weather warn
19:30
there are a lot of crosses all lined up
19:32
right
19:34
here also you don't see these twoo
19:48
style where it protrudes up out of the
19:48
ground like that it's a family plot of
19:50
the stories Nancy
19:52
Jane
19:54
1928 tender mother and a faithful wife
19:59
1928 and there's a hand pointing up to
20:01
the heavens
20:03
there and then this is probably part of
20:05
the
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story this cracked
20:14
headstone and then
20:14
Morty
20:16
1943 the First Missionary Baptist Church
20:19
out here here on the corner of Lake
20:21
Maran that's where I just was over
20:31
there always again I'm always fascinated
20:31
when I see headstones and names and
20:34
think of who those people were what they
20:36
did and when I see buildings like this
20:40
this was someone's
20:41
home my dad and I have discussed this
20:44
whenever we see old buildings and
20:46
especially businesses that are closed
20:49
houses and you think this was someone's
20:51
dream this is this was their life this
20:53
is where at one point they were excited
20:56
for what was happening
20:59
and then Generations pass
21:01
and their business closes or their house
21:03
is
21:04
empty and things
21:17
progress It's always always interesting
21:17
to think about it kind of puts things in
21:19
perspective
21:20
sometime on the things that we dwell on
21:22
and worry
21:24
about you know the grand scheme of
21:26
things years from now really aren't
21:28
going to be important to anyone just
21:29
important to
21:41
us all right moving on that is an
21:41
eagle's
21:42
nest I don't know if after the storm if
21:46
the Eagles have returned but that is
21:48
definitely an eagle nest right up
21:51
there pretty neat
21:54
right looks a little tattered and worn
21:57
down so I don't know if the Eagles
21:58
probably went elsewhere before the
22:00
hurricane if they've returned but that
22:02
is definitely or was an eagle's nest
23:33
hello
23:33
cows hello
23:37
cows how you guys
23:39
doing how you doing over there
23:42
Cal just lounging in the shade I know
23:45
it's a little warm today there was kind
23:47
of a cold front that was rolling
23:50
through but I think that coold the cold
23:52
front is moved on it's stuff moved on
23:55
you see what I did there yeah you turned
23:57
your head I know it's a bad joke it's a
24:00
little warm so stay in the
24:02
shade stay in the shade
24:06
cows good to see all these
24:08
cows I love
24:15
cows like this one right here just
24:15
making eye contact just staring me down
24:18
the other one's
24:23
defecating all right CS I'll see you
24:23
later oh
24:25
wow so this wind Dixie I worked at wind
24:27
Dixie twice in my life separated by
24:31
about 10 15 years I worked a lot of
24:32
retail back in the day and I worked at
24:35
this wind Dixie which is close to the
24:37
manor what they call the area of the
24:38
Manor in St Cloud outskirts of St Cloud
24:41
Florida I'm going to stop in here and
24:42
get a
24:43
2025 Calendar Book cuz I always like to
24:46
have calendar books for my plans and
24:48
already got to start planning my
24:49
International next year this store that
24:51
I used to work at is closing soon look
24:54
at that wow got some serious memories on
24:58
this place I worked here for about a
25:00
year it was before I worked went to get
25:04
a job at the feed store where I worked 5
25:06
years and I quit the feed store on
25:09
August 9th
25:10
2011 so it would have been the year
25:13
before the 5 years so it had been six
25:15
years before 2011 so
25:21
2005ish first time I worked at wind
25:21
Dixie was
25:23
in mid 90s and then I didn't work for
25:26
wind Dixie for a long time and then
25:28
back to wind Dixie
25:31
again and to be honest by walking around
25:34
inside they really brought back a lot of
25:35
memories and and I don't even think I've
25:37
been back in the store since I quit I
25:39
don't think I have been back in there
25:41
but walking the aisles especially going
25:44
towards the back of the store we would
25:45
always unload the pallets the trucks
25:47
would come in we would spot the
25:49
groceries for overnight stock crew
25:52
really brought back a lot of memories
25:54
and on our brakes the whole stock crew
25:55
would walk over to this convenience
25:58
store over there get our hot dogs and
26:02
snacks and things on our lunch break it
26:05
would sit outside sit out front and then
26:08
go back in clock back in and get back to
26:10
work there was also a Blockbuster Video
26:13
down here on the corner that I applied
26:14
out can't remember if it was before I
26:16
think it was May before or
26:19
after working at this wind Dixie and
26:21
before I went to was down there on that
26:24
corner possibly before going to the feed
26:26
store which was last place I punched the
26:29
clock at they wouldn't hire me at a
26:31
Blockbuster Video the guy the guy the
26:35
manager he didn't want to hire me he was
26:38
he did not approve of
26:40
tattoos when I walked in it was it was a
26:42
different time then it was definitely a
26:43
different
26:44
time I feel like people are a little
26:46
more acceptable of tattoos now in the
26:48
workplace
26:49
but yeah memories right here at this
26:51
little shopping center on the St Cloud
26:54
Manor rip to this wind Dixie also they
26:57
did not have the calendar datebook in
26:59
there got a couple other things that
27:00
were in clearance but I did not get the
27:01
calendar datebook so some point today I
27:04
got to get that I got a already starting
27:05
to plan out January and February 2025
27:09
international plans I'm also going to
27:11
Alaska in November but that's that's
27:13
this year I got that in the datebook for
27:15
2024 but I need a 2025 not that Alaska
27:19
is international because it's my last 50
27:21
state I'm going to my final of the 50 US
27:23
states in November when I have call it
27:26
my little snow winter
27:28
couple weeks in Alaska started
27:31
November and then uh Alani in December a
27:34
little family trip Hawaii and then
27:37
starting right off the bat in January
27:39
international travels all right leaving
27:41
St Cloud now I hug out at my parents
27:44
house for a long time caught up talked
27:46
about a lot of things my mom made
27:49
soup discussed some things and I have
27:52
already booked my first trip into next
27:56
year it's not the first place going to
27:58
be going but I've already booked my
27:59
first international trip of
28:02
2025 time got away from me when I was
28:04
over there it's already almost 9900 p.m.
28:07
yeah it was kind of good to catch up and
28:10
hang out my parents most of time you
28:12
know going by that wind Dixie that was
28:13
closing that I used to work out reminded
28:15
me of other places that I used to work
28:17
out that now don't even exist anymore
28:20
like this Zenith
28:22
Zenith Career Center used to be a Kmart
28:25
I worked here for 5 years in this
28:27
building building and I heard so this
28:29
Kmart closed many years ago but a lot of
28:32
places that I used to have jobs out have
28:35
gone out of business and I think I saw
28:36
something online that the last existing
28:39
Kmart wherever that was has just now
28:42
closed like Kmart doesn't even exist
28:44
anymore but I worked at this one right
28:46
here for 5 years back in the day so I've
28:49
been doing YouTube for a long time I
28:52
think it was
28:53
2011 I did a video right here I had my
28:56
van parked here I did a van Welling
28:58
video talking about how I moved out of
29:01
my apartment was going to work at the
29:03
feed store a few more months to pay some
29:05
bills off I worked at the feed store for
29:06
5 years but the last 6 months of that
29:10
lived in the van paid some bills off put
29:12
a little bit of money in savings not
29:14
much just a little bit in savings from
29:17
not having the apartment the last few
29:18
months I worked at the feed store by
29:20
crashing in the van and then I just did
29:23
a video here talking about van dwelling
29:25
in front of where I used to work at the
29:27
Kmart
29:29
little did I
29:30
know that all these years later I would
29:33
still be doing this still be freaking
29:35
doing this doing this YouTube thing up
29:38
here deeper into CMI used to be a Kmart
29:42
also I work mostly at the other Kmart
29:44
but I work occasionally I'd work at this
29:47
one this one's been empty for a long
29:51
time worked a lot of jobs in the CMI St
29:54
Cloud area a lot of retail jobs and
29:57
here's another spot SP I used to work at
29:59
it's now a Planet Fitness but
30:02
this was Office
30:04
Max right here I used to work right
30:07
inside there at Office Max for 5 Years
30:09
be honest I don't even know if Office
30:11
Max is even still a company
30:13
anymore yeah 5 years I worked right
30:16
there inside that building had some
30:17
serious Nostalgia today after seeing
30:19
that wind Dixie
30:25
closing it's kind of weird to look back
30:25
on your life and where you worked and
30:27
stuff and how things change hello there
30:30
192 wizard well there's technically two
30:33
192 Wizards this is a closer one to my
30:36
place there's another one farther down
30:38
192 closer to Highway
30:47
27 the wizard at night all right back
30:47
home now got my
30:49
2025 notepad here you open it up it's
30:53
got
30:53
the the dates on it of a calendar and it
30:56
also has other pages that you you
30:58
could fill it up with different things
31:00
so I can hand write obviously I keep
31:03
stuff in my phone but as far as travel
31:06
plans rental cars flights hotels events
31:11
all that I like to have it kind of right
31:13
in front of me and I always have books
31:15
like this that I take with me on the
31:16
road as well go in my suitcase so I have
31:19
2025 already started I've already booked
31:23
a trip already for next
31:25
year this is this year's of course 20 20
31:28
24 and this was last year's 20
31:31
2023 right here I put the big ad Mo
31:34
sticker on there but yeah I always these
31:36
are always with me if I'm home they're
31:38
here and if not they're they're in my
31:40
luggage I always make sure I have these
31:43
so I I know what the heck's going on
31:45
keeps me organized so next year a lot of
31:48
international this year
31:51
November I'm be going to to Alaska for
31:54
two weeks the shortly into November
31:58
and then Hawaii LA and Hawaii in
32:01
December then I come back for about a
32:03
week and then International
32:06
begins all right I'll see you in the
32:08
next video thanks for watching the Vlog
32:10
is over