Isle of Palms is still our base but we've made a road trip or two just because we could!

Funny the things I took for granted when I lived on land!  Jumping in the car to run errands was just a given and I took that, along with other things, to be just the way life was lived.   We have a rental car for a bit (although we still have our tiny 1976 TR 6) and I’m thrilled to have an outlet in which to charge my phone.  The Triumph has 2 seats, an engine, and no amenities.  Who’d even think a outlet would be considered an “amenity”?  I’m certain that it isn’t but to be, it’s a tremendous luxury.

Siblings
Bob and his older sister

Laura, Nancy, and Brother Bob

Upon our return from the trawler rendezvous in Fernandina Beach, we repacked, loaded our bikes and trappings into our rental car, and headed for Atlanta to visit my brother Bob and our friend, Nancy.  We had a great evening catching up on the past 6 months over tapas at Barcelona in Inman Park.  Bill and I are really intrigued by this area of Atlanta---as a possible place to live when/if we ever have to give up this life-style.  We walked to dinner that night, Publix is just a mile bike ride away, and the green way is easily and quickly accessible and well-used by cyclists, skaters, walkers, and runners.

Nancy and Bill

My deceased mother’s only living sibling, Ruth, lives in Snelling, GA, a bit east of Atlanta, so we drove over to take her to lunch.  She’s absolutely amazing--always laughing and telling tales from her memory which is like a steel trap.  I want to be like her if I ever grow up.  She’s on the calendar each week in the assisted living facility in which she lives, as Annie Ruth at the Piano.  She has a keyboard in her apartment and she played for us.  Those 88 year old fingers just fly over the keyboard although she gracefully declined my request for her to play Flight of the Bumblebee.  I have memories of  her playing when I was just a little twerp.

My 88 year old Aunt Ruth.  Isn't she cute!!!

While in the Snelling area, we took our bikes with intentions of riding Stone Mountain but those thoughts fell by the wayside when we saw a movie set for “The Watson’s Went to Birmingham” where old cars from the 1960’s were used.  We talked to several of the crew which was time-consuming but very interesting and educational.

Stone Mountain, GA

Brother Bob, who graduated in architecture from Auburn, built a model of his face-lift design for his 3 story Rock Springs home.  The actual construction has recently been completed so it was magic to see his creativity come to life.  There's no photo for want of a wide angle lens.

Daphne, AL, was our next waypoint where we had a special opportunity to visit my first-born, Chad, his darling and petite wife, Ginger, and our grandchildren, Sydney, Zack, Sammy, and Josie.  We were warmly welcomed into their wonderful, open, and spacious home.  This singlet of time was a sweet memory maker.  

Chad and me

Chad took us to his shop to demo a unique centifrugal machine that he uses to shorten the drying time by three days of rugs of all sizes.  Pretty amazing technology.  If you need any type of floor/carpet/rug cleaning services, contact Floor Medic in Daphne or in Longview, TX,  which is owned by sons Chad and Andy. 

Chad and his rug drying centrifuge

Jimmy Buffet’s sister, LuLu’s at Homeport, was our lunch stop.  One of these days, surely we’ll see Jimmy there!  We did see the majestic vessels, replicas of 15th century caravel, the Nina and Pinta, as they cruised past LuLu’s on their way from Pensacola to Demopolis, AL.  

 The 65 foot long Nina, was constructed by the captain’s father and is a replica of the vessel on which Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic.  Its sister ship, the 85 foot long Pinta, was built in 2006 by the builder of the Nina and his son, who also captains the Nina.

Pensive

I grew up in Pensacola and the beach was one of my favorite places.  The sand is the whitest and finest that I’ve ever dug my toes into including the Bahamas.  We returned here for my 55th Pensacola High School reunion and what a blast!!!

Only a couple of us were recognizable from ever so long ago and I definitely wasn’t one of them.  Some looked quite different from just 5 years ago.  How did the years pass so quickly and how’d we get so old so fast??!!  Again, another event to make me ever so thankful for our excellent health.

Better Nate Than Lever
PHS Tour

We were a bit late for a tour of our old school which is still in use but the presence of my Latin teacher, Miss Monroe, was very pervasive the second I walked in the front door.

The site of an historic bar in downtown that was a museum of Navy memorabilia and through whose portals many of the USN passed.

One of our favorite places there is Bagel Heads---a pretty eclectic  tiny spot for little Pensacola that could pass for Mayberry.  We went there by bicycle for breakfast and met a guy who left San Francisco on his bicycle in March, cycled to San Diego then across the country with St. Augustine as his destination leaving him only 500 more miles left of his adventure.  Chatting with him was very interesting and enlightening.  One of these days we want to do something similar and he really caused our enthusiasm to mount.

Our host and hostess, Jean and Elise, recommended Polonza Bistro on Palafox and Wright in a restaurant location I remember as a child.  Ambiance was charming and the food as glorious.  One evening the 4 of us dined outdoors, marking another remarkable repast at Dharma Blue in the Seville Square area.  In my growing up years, this was a scary and poverty-stricken area with very poor families living in tiny shacks.  Today it is an extremely chic part of Pensacola.  The years aged the class of 1958 but rejuvenated and resurrected a seriously derelict area of town.

Last year as we were cruising south through Morehead City, NC, we met Roger and Kim who were taking their new boat from NJ to FL.  As we were leaving Pensacola, we visited with them aboard Sea Ya! docked downtown at the site of the razed Pensacola Auditorium where our class had our graduation ceremony ever so long ago.

Joann and I were suite-mates in college and roommates when we began our teaching career in Crestview/Ft. Walton Beach, FL.  She and her husband, Ron, live in Ft. Walton Beach.  We spent the afternoon and evening visiting with them in their home.

My cousin, Debby, has been in pursuit of her degree since 2007 and stuck with it through many unthinkable obstacles so I was determined to attend her graduation.  Fortunately, still being on Isle of Palms, made the trip to New Bern, NC, very doable.  Her 88 year old mother, 3 daughters, 1 granddaughter, sister, brother-in-law, Bill and I were her cheering squad.  We're all very proud of her and had a wonderful reunion with relatives I haven't seen in 30-40 years!

Honor Graduate/Phi Theta Kappa, Debby

Happy Mother's Day to all our friends who are moms and soon our blogs will be about cruising...on the water!

Bill and Laura
currently New Bern, NC