So yesterday I had a great flight up to Gainesville, to drop my son off. Again a beautiful day to fly, with lots of photogenic swampland.
Flying into GNV for the first time though was interesting. Flying in from the South, runway 7/25 was closed for repairs, and initially the controller instructed me to enter a right downwind for 11. As I was turning base, there was a jet getting ready to take-off on 11, and the controller said for me to fly to the other side and over 7 (under construction) and land on the helipad on the other end as it was right next to the FBO. I know he was trying to be helpful, but I don't quite have the skills yet, and being unfamiliar, at least at such short notice to accomplish this, so after some S-turns to let the jet take off, I landed long on 11. A bit of a confusing episode for me to say the least.
Then when it was time to depart, I called in ground, and he instructed me to take taxiway A and contact Control. I had already turned downwind on A towards 11, (though winds were calm) when I spoke to Control, who instructed me to take off on A, I kept taxing for a few seconds, then called back in that I was confused. He asked me how much room I needed to take off, and I said I'd prefer 400 feet or so. I still had about 1000 feet of A taxiway, so agreed to take off as requested on A. Fortunately winds were calm so did not have to turn around and take off the other way which I think he had expected me to do in the first place. He was trying to be helpful I know, but probably thought my gyro skills were better than they are.
Interesting little experience to happen to someone like me still a relative neophyte with controllers. I'm starting to learn to be ready for anything, not to expect every control tower experience to be the same.

Awesome Jeff.... love hearing your adventures