Frank took me on my first trip to Bunnell and I was a new guy in the company. I think it was my first test. I know it was a little test, sort of a mission from Mr. Wayne Rawl, Chairman of WPRawl, to see if I was a decent guy and if I could work! He liked Frank and trusted his judgment on just about everything it seemed. So, I knew I had to be on my best behavior at all times with him.
I did my best to not drink too much (i.e. self regulating) when we were traveling together, but show I was a good time socially. There was a fine line and I was a pro and walking it delicately. Frank made me stay in the Budget Hotel, which was the crappiest hotel in Bunnell, FL, possibly all of Florida,… in fact, it was the only hotel actually in rural Bunnell Florida.
The place had a smell like few dozen prostitutes had been using it for regular stops. It only cost $40 bucks for two double beds to stay there. During the middle of the night, we both felt roaches crawling around. The beds were crawling, it was miserable. I never stayed there again. Frank made it sound like the company I was working for had an expectation for me stay in the cheapest, shittest hotels when I traveled, but I cut that shit out quick. He was breaking me in. I learned my lesson quick.
My wife was at home, I was leaving my warm bed to do the work of the company, I’m just not going to stay in a place where I don’t feel comfortable walking around in the hotel room barefooted. If the place had rooms that opened to the outside, I’m not staying. If it was a smoker’s room and needed a facelift bad, I’m not staying. The thing about it was that there was a nice Hilton Garden Inn (with a bar in the lobby) that was 15 mins from the farm in Palm Coast. That became my landing zone going forward. The truth, I later realized was that Frank was just cheap and really wanted to see how far he could go to break me. He didn’t realize that I was an Eagle Scout who had camped and bunked in worst places than that. LOL
One night in Bunnell, Florida when we arrived at the Hilton Garden Inn hotel, there was quite a ruckus. Jenny Powers Assistant / Tour Manager of Debbie Reynolds “Ain’t Down Productions” was in the lobby. She was from North Hollywood, CA and happened to be in Bunnell with Debbie Reynolds herself.
Well, Charles and I had no idea at first who she was…so I googled “Debbie Reynolds” on my phone and sure enough we got it real quick. We met her in the Hilton in Bunnell in January of 2012 and told Jenny Powers, her assistant, that we would send her and Debbie Reynolds a box of collards and kale.
That night, my boss Charles and I had cocktails with Debbie Reynolds and her assistant. Debbie ended up signing a cocktail napkins from the Hilton Garden Inn for both me and Charles. It was a late, but fun night. She had her martinis and folks around her to carry everything. All she had to carry was a small purse. Her makeup and face were so well taken care of, she looked 50 instead of 80 years old. It was fun and memorable. How we were able to squeeze on in there and invite her for a few late night drinks in the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn was awesome. You will never see that at the Budget Motel!
