just venting
 

During the downpour this afternoon I was about to go through the Caroline gate and I saw the considerate guard had left the gate up so we wouldnt get wet. Nonetheless I slowed down to go through the gate as there was anothercar going through the visitor's side.
The car behind me started honking his horn and tailgated me to my turn. When I turned right he followed and continued to follow me all the way to my driveway. I thought he might be a neighbor or a friend so I got my umbrella and went his car window . I asked him why he followed me and he said, "Why did you slow down going through the gate? Couldnt you see it was open? Incredulous, I asked him if he really followed me for that reason...then I said,"You don't have enough to do with your time." He then told me I didn't have any brains at which point I left....greatly resisting the urge to give him the middle digit salute. He was a large fairly ugly man in a greyish minivan.

That is sick behavior.

I would stay away from him at his car window or anywhere, for fear he'd pull a gun.

(Just being realistic, NOT starting something for opponents of citizen gun possession).

And it was the right thing to do, slowing down to go thru the gate with arm already up, because of the car in visitor lane with which you'd have to merge in the single lane.

Good grief. Weren't you frightened? I would feel pretty unsafe if an angry stranger followed me to my house!

Road rage is everywhere but I honestly cannot understand what is wrong with people. I suppose he went home and felt good about himself afterwards. "Well, I told her!" Or him. Your photo has both. :)

what an idiot he was!

Glad it turned out Okay, but dont' do that again!!!!! He was nuts enough, could have been worse. I think we should puts signs up around "Fl's friendliest hometown" to be patient and considerate and not take life so seriously! Gee....an extra 3 seconds in the go lane????

You were correct in your approach to the gate. However, I am concerned about the lack of safety on your part in approaching someone who followed you home. Were you one of my family members I would hope you would have noted the car model and color, and especially the license plate number; then dialed 911. There are too many strange people about these days. Your safety and health are more important to family and friends than the consequences of dealing with some wacko (not the PC term).

I went to the drive in teller drive thru at citizens first at Mulberry today in my cart. A car was stopped between lanes, I pulled into an open lane and was told I was rude because she was waiting for the best lane. As it worked out, I had to to wait longer to get my business done, but I was told I was rude. I made sure to offer her a great day for getting done a few minutes earlier than me, the rude one!

You're right...my husband said much the same thing. I thought he might have been someone I knew...didn't dream someone would get that upset over such a trivial thing. I also wish that if I wasnt cautious I would at least have been more observant.

Some people make up the rules as they go along. You were right. They were wrong. Pick a lane and get in it. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you don't.

Sorry for you too..did she really think you were the rude one? Where in the UP did you live? We're originally from there too..Manistique, and hubby from Escanaba and Marquette. Lived Iin Ironwood also.

My apologies to you for the ignorant person. I could use stronger letters. Hope he is on the website and could offer his apologies.

I guess one thing you could do if it happens again is just sit in your locked car dialing 911. Or just open the garage door from the car and drive inside, closing it after you. Don't give him the satisfaction of telling you off. Let him sit there looking stupid. I can't believe he followed you home. That is scary.

I feel your frustration. Last week coming home after dark, I had a golf cart in front of mine move from the GC lane into the street to turn left. As I was passing in the GC lane a "lady" in the passenger seat leaned out of the cart and yelled out turn of your ****** bright lights. I was shocked at the loud outburst. Did she really mean that? Does she really think golf carts have high and low beams? I brushed it off as some mean old drunk who had a few too many at the Square or Country Club trying to find a sense of purpose in life. :-) Now if someone followed me to my door in a car, I'd be dialing 911 and have my hand on my friend S&W.

Knowing I was being followed the last thing I would do is drive to my driveway. I would have just kept driving around in circles until the follower got tired of tailing me. I also would have called 911 to report a stalker.

Great recommendation.

She explained she thought it was a neighbor or a friend.
In that situation, I think many of us would have approached the car.
Good lesson learned!

I'm glad you are ok. I like to confuse rude people by being really nice, sickingly nice. They don't know where to go from there.

This sounds like the same nut case my wife encountered a week ago. I had pulled into the Publix parking lot at Colony and went thru one space into another to where our cart was facing in the wrong direction, but was still well within the space. I went in to grab a couple items while she stayed behind sitting in the cart. When I came out she told me to hurry and leave. As we headed home I could tell she was visibly shaken and she started to tell me that while she was sitting in the cart, a man in his 60s pulled up and parked next to our golf cart and started shouting the worst obscenities! He was screaming and cursing about the way the golf cart was parked and throwing up his arms. My wife was shocked and only replied to him as he walked toward the store "life is too short" and in return he yelled back as he was crossing the street "that's not my F-ing problem!!"

Now had I crossed paths with this man while I was coming out of the store and found him cursing at my wife...there would have been hell to pay!!! She knew there would be also and that's why she wouldn't tell me what had happened until we were far away from that parking lot.

People need to be aware that their bad attitudes, gestures and bad behavior can lead to altercations which they may not be able to get themselves out of. The vast majority of people in TV are extremely nice and I consider myself one of them, but anyone can be pushed to their limits and made to react. Being a complete psychopath and cursing out a lady, and especially one's wife, is one of those reasons!

This is exactly what I was thinking she should have done. I would like to see the look on his ugly face and try to explain what he was doing when the police car pulled him over, hopefully with their guns out?

One of the main purposes of these gates is to slow down auto and truck traffic so that golf carts can safely negotiate busy intersections. The fact that a gate is open (because it is broken or for any other reason) does not mean you can just go flying thru. You must still slow down and stop briefly.
Just my opinion.l

I was in Walgreen's at Parr Drive this week and while I was searching the shelves for something I needed I heard a commotion at the front of the store, it got louder and louder. Turns out it was a woman at the photo counter, I have no idea what had actually happened, but she was accusing them of losing her pictures and she then proceeded to tell them she was half blind and could not keep driving back and forth from her home to their store because they could not find her pictures.

Hmmm half blind and she is driving some sort of motorized vehicle, be it a car or a golf cart. I was waiting for them to call the police, but I guess they got it sorted because everything went quiet at the front of the store.

There's no doubt in my mind that she also saves chairs at the town squares.
Once an a/h....well, you can guess the rest.
:spoken:

Last year a person who had just moved to Hadley broke out a car window and punched a senior woman while her adult son tried to protect her because he drove too slowly through the circle near Havana Country Club..

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...illages-92588/

Absolutely, you offered the right response. Chances are that the person was not dangerous and just real teed off for having to slow down - but to follow someone home is on the looney side.

Of course, if the poster had gotten out of her car and turned to get the license plate number, model, and car color, the loon may have gotten even more angry and done something physical on her. You never know.

Impatient crazy people
 

If I can be totally honest, I am afraid to use the light on 466A and Morse. When coming back from colony plaza I get in the left turn lane to turn on Morse. Many times, when the light is green, cars pull into that intersection to turn left. It is most difficult to see that "the coast is clear" if there are cars in the turn lane in the opposite direction so I rarely try to turn without the green arrow telling me it's my turn. I just cannot see around the traffic in the opposite direction to safely make a left hand turn. If the car(s) behind me are impatient they honk their horn. It is an uneasy feeling knowing that there are such impatient people behind me and that I am unable to make that decision on my own to turn, based on the possibility of oncoming traffic at 45-50mph. It's easy to miss a car coming and get t-boned. I figure it's my life and nobody else should be deciding for me when should make a turn Into oncoming traffic. When the snowbirds come, I will either take the cart or not frequent that intersection. I fear the driver behind me may get out of their vehicle and assault me or follow me to my house like the other guy did recently to the other poster. It's a shame we should be made to feel this way on the roads.

This saddens me that you had to go through that and also what others have experienced. What is wrong with people? Well at least some people. We just bought a home in Lake Deaton and are now in the north Chicago area waiting to retire next year. This worries me. I don't see that kind of behavior here or really any other area we have lived in. Sure I see crazy drivers but I guess no one reacts to it, they drive crazy and expect others to do the same I guess. I have never seen someone give another person the finger (at least not in years) and I have never seen someone yelling and cursing and using an F-bomb. So this scares me as we are about to live the dream that we have been planning for and anxiously awaiting. I have to wonder why people who are retired and should be at the most relaxed happy part of their lives act like this? I know people have problems even after retirement but come on, they came to TV to live the dream and now they act like this? While I will still be excited to begin our lives down there, it is a concern.

It scares me when I read the threads about how many people carry concealed weapons. And I'm sure some of them have very short tempers.:eek:

Remember that many of us have lived here for years and not had such an extreme thing happen, but many of us were "taught" driving behaviors along with self restraint and manners in the area of the country we grew up in and are shocked and irritated by horn honking and obscene gestures and ignoring stop signs that are common in other sections of the country.

I remember reading on this forum that it was "no big deal" not to stop at all stop signs seven years ago and I was really, really surprised. I come from Ohio.

In fact, there are signs posted telling cars to slow to 5 MPH. As you correctly point out, this is not optional because a gate is up.

I know what you mean Gracie. I guess my point is that reading that this goes on just takes away a little of the excitement we have to getting there to begin our retirement. Don't worry I'll get over it by the time this thread is done and I'll get back to being excited and ready for the next chapter in life. We come down for a visit on the 24th so we will enjoy our time and let those who want to live an angry frustrated live do their thing.

I fully agree with your advice.

I wouldn't and didn't suggest she get out of her car to obtain that information. The make and color of a car can be determined easily from inside the car, and with a little luck at least a partial tag number. My wife uses a walker, by the time she pulled into our driveway, or someplace close by, she would have the Sumter Cnty sheriff with her to grab the wacko.

You have spoken, and I agree.:bowdown:

There is another intersection, at 466 and Morse where, sitting in the lane to turn right off of Morse to go west on 466 (or whatever the heck direction that is going toward Bonefish), I can never tell what lane people are in barreling down 466 to my left. So I don't turn right on a red light there. Some people (mainly young people) don't like that, but I don't care.

Buggy - This kind of stuff just scares the day lights out of me. My wife does her best to be as independent as possible despite using a walker. On a couple of occasions she has come across some less than personable folks.

We have a community full of people, many of whom are less abled than others. I'd like to think there are more of us that would be helpful than harmful. But when you read the negative events I'm begging to wonder.

This road rage incident happened earlier this week in Michigan:

Derek Flemming’s widow says her husband was only trying to protect her and others when he stepped out of their SUV earlier this week at a traffic light near Howell to confront another motorist — only to be shot dead.

Obvious a very bad idea. I'll pray for his family.

I agree that it is my decision when to make a turn not the person behind me. That makes me nervous when someone is honking yet they're not in the spot I'm in, in order to see what the traffic is doing. I hope when we move down there that I'm not that inpatient. My husband and I had a long discussion about this today and are really going to try to not pay attention to people like this and not let it get in the way of our happiness. Sometimes though it is more than just blissful ignorance, it's a safety issue. Even aggressive ignorant people retire. I hope they are few and far between. Now I will go back to looking at the pictures of my house and look forward to our short visit of only 4 nights come 9/24.

Those people are indeed few and far between. Thankfully.

My father told me years ago, that you can do something about ugly, but you can not fix stupied.

It's upsetting to see your worries in the previous post and this one, and where you noted that you didn't see this kind of stalking or road-rage behavior in the suburbs there.

I think there's probably the same amount of road rage here as with anywhere else, but here, as the o.p. mentioned, some of the older crazies have more time on their hands, to go around "policing" everybody else's driving.

Also, there is probably more of a concentration of divorcees or widowers here who don't have a wife anymore to scream/yell at or threaten anymore, so they go looking for somebody else to spew their rage upon. Also, they might be living alone and don't take their meds or go to their psychiatrist appointments (or even GET a psychiatrist referral).

Coming from a big metro area like Chicago, you already have your antenna up sufficiently to know not to approach somebody like that and don't get into any arguments with him.