Chasing Latitudes
A cockamamie caribbean tale
by
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Using the rudder Captain made the left towards the ramp. Tex sat looking out the window, trying to see past the nose of the plane. Finally he felt what he had been anticipating, a small nudge. He knew the wheels were now on the ramp. “Watch this!” Captain said. He pushed the throttles forward. The engines roared. The noise reverberated through the interior as the props spun, pulling the old seaplane up the ramp. “Wow!” Tex yelled. “We’re on dry ground.” He could feel the landing gear supporting the weight as they rolled up the ramp. Out the window he could see water dripping from the wings and floats. “We are now a plane again.” Captain said. Once on level ground he hit the brakes, and retracted the throttles, coming to a stop at a street. “Do me a favor, Tex. Watch for cars.” “Cars!” Captain pointed at the street they had to cross. Traffic coming and going in both directions. “Are you kidding me?” “No.” Captain said adjusting the props. “They’ll let us through.” No sooner said then done, as antiquated cars came to a grinding halt. Drivers happily waving them through. “See.” Captain said,” What I tell-ya.” “Wow.” Tex sat enchanted by the spectacle as Captain waved out his window emphasizing a thank you. “Give a little throttle, Tex” Captain said, as he disengaged the brakes. “Sure!” Gently he gave some juice. The engines roared and the Jumper moved forward crossing the street. A handful of kids had come down the sidewalks, and stood waving. “That’s good.” Captain said. “Nice and easy”. He steered across the street into Chalk’s terminal where he spotted Millicent waving from a safe distance pointing at an vacant area on the tarmac. He gave her a thumbs up, and glanced at Tex who sat sporting a wide-eyed, ear to ear grin. Captain was pleased the airport was relatively empty. Except for one albatross and one float plane there was plenty of room. He spun the old plane around so the nose faced the exit. He shut the engines down, removed his headset, and announced,
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About the Book
CHASING LATITUDES A crazed cockamamie Caribbean tale: The Caribbean. The name alone conjures up images of sun, surf and fun. Fun being the ideal word for the sometimes mysterious Caribbean. A place where anything can happen and usually does. Years ago Captain Yellow-Top inherited his grandfather's 1942 seaplane, a Grumman Goose called the 'Latitude Jumper'. A free spirited freelance computer programer, and an ex-Navy man; the Captain has a love affair for the old reliable seaplane. Every summer he flies to the Caribbean, catching up with his wild and crazy friends, including, his 'on again and off again' girlfriend named "sexy-D." This one particular summer, half way to the Bahamas, he discovers a stowaway aboard his plane. Afraid that someone is trying to shanghai his plane he retaliates, only to find a sixteen year old runaway aboard. Frustrated, with no desire of turning back, Captain decides to take the kid under his wing and teach him the ropes. The kid inherits the name Tex and the two develop a friendship. Willingly, Tex is thrust into the wild side of the crazy Caribbean, zany over the top characters and has a crash course living a pirate's life where he discovers an irresistible gumbo of fast boats, fast planes, bandits, pirates, Rock-n-Roll and hot girls. Suddenly the two find themselves involved in a daring adventure and rescue at sea. For the renegade seaplane pilot Captain Yellow- Top and his side kick Tex, the adventure is turning their summer upside down.
About the Author
The author of, Savage Tango, Joshua Macleod is a native of sunny Florida, who considers himself devilishly lucky. At the tender age of fourteen, his crazy uncle took pity on him, a lost soul trying desperately to find his way through life, and dragged him to the salty waters of the Caribbean (thank God!). Once there, he discovered the music and inspiration of one of the patron saints of Florida, Jimmy Buffett. Finally, he discovered what life was really meant to be. From there he gravitated to reading books by authors such as Carl Hiassen, Hemingway, John D. MacDonald, and Robert B. Parker (RIP). For three consecutive summers, until the age of sixteen, he had experienced more than the average person would in a lifetime of travels. Finally, covered in a crusty layer of salt, a thick tan and wisdom beyond his years, he emerged and returned to civilian life, a grounded individual with a permanent smile engraved on his face. Joshua has his crazy uncle to thank for helping facilitate his awakening. Fast forward twenty-five years. He’s a father to a wonderful sixteen year old daughter with a soul just as creative, adventurous and grounded as his. Joshua is a self-educated historian and researcher. Also a permanent volunteer at the Sanford Naval Museum, Joshua works with a group of grinning old timers restoring vintage WWII aircraft. He sits with them, absorbing war stories and experiences. Joshua enjoys drawing up stories with interesting characters, zany plots and adventures in the Caribbean where anything can happen and just about everything actually does. Any avid parrothead, Jimmy Buffett, Carl Hiaasen and John D. MacDonald fan will enjoy his genre of writing.