Spring Vacation

(Note: The following entry was written at Birmingham Airport, while I waited for Russ to pick me up, then posted many days later. I meant to post right away, but as soon as I got back, I began to deal with my toothache, went to the dentist, went to the oral surgeon, had the tooth pulled. All this occupied my mind and took up my energy for quite a while, and it’s only now that I’m beginning to feel that I am really going to begin to get back to “real life.” But in the meantime, I still want to record all this about my vacation and what a good time I had. So here goes:)

I’m sitting in the Birmingham Airport at 1:49 in the afternoon, Tuesday, March 25, 2008. I have just procured the best table in the joint, in a corner, with walls all around me, nobody looking over my shoulder, and no glare from the large windows, through which I can see planes taking off. I will sit here for as long as I can, until somebody chases me out. I have half of my iced tea left, and more than enough York Peppermint Patties to make it through the afternoon.

This is the last leg of my journey. Well, technically, when Russ comes by about 6 p.m. to pick me up and drive me home, that will be the last leg. But for the moment, I am back in Alabama, my vacation is over, and now, I feel, is the time to reflect.

I want to reflect, because sometimes when I don’t reflect, I tend to forget. My memory is not what it once was. Not only that, but life is so busy all the time, that before I have a chance to think about what just happened, I’m on to the next thing. I’m not going to let that happen. So now, I reflect.

TAMPA

My vacation began on Wednesday, March 12, when I went to work all day, then left a bit early to drive over to Russ’ office, so he could drive me to the airport. There had been some concern on my part that we might run into traffic, and I could be late, but none of that happened. It was a swell trip, without incident.

The flight was good, too. Not bumpy. I realized that the odd sensation that makes you dizzy and makes your ears pop really only lasts for about two minutes, so I made it through without taking any pills. I was quite proud of myself on that account.

When I got into Tampa Airport, I phoned John, who was waiting for me in the “cell phone lot.” What a great idea! He directed me to some kind of tram that took me to the turnstile to pick up my bag. What a big airport in Tampa! And very nice.

I stood on the curb and waited for John, who arrived shortly. We had a nice ride to Trimble’s house, in which he told me all the latest on “the bubs” (the twins, as he calls them) and that Samantha will be going to Mexico over the summer for six weeks. Good for her! She will certainly learn to speak Spanish that way!

Got to Trimble’s house, and everything is just the same there. Well, there are a few things different. They’ve painted some walls, and gotten a wide-screen TV, and there is a grandfather clock in the living room that doesn’t work. I thought that was bad feng shui, but I didn’t say anything to Barbara, as I don’t think she believes in feng shui. The guest room was just as comfortable as I always remember it. I always get a warm feeling of hospitality in their house.

The next morning, I went with Barbara up to the clubhouse for her weekly Bible Study. It was all older ladies, and they are reading a book…getting out of your rut? Out of the Pit? Something like that. The speaker was very good. She said some things that really got me thinking. Mostly what I was thinking is that it is high time I get myself back to church, and re-ignite my relationship with Jesus. I know He has never left me, never abandoned me, even though I have forgotten Him, in all the excitement of my life recently. Going to this Bible Study made me realize that it’s time to stop talking about going back to church, and time to start doing it. Actually, this Bible Study made me realize a lot of things, which were very intense at the moment, but I didn’t take any notes, so right now, I couldn’t really put any of it in words. But all in all, I came to the realization that it’s time to reset my priorities and put God back on the top of the list.

Afterwards, Barbara and I went to Wal Mart, and then we had a nice dinner. In fact, I had several nice dinners while I stayed with the Trimbles. One night was chicken with pineapple (Russ would hate it, but I have to remember to ask Barbara for the recipe, so I can cook it for myself!) and another night we had tilapia. Oh yes! There was some rum cake, which Karin had gotten from a bake sale (I think). I definitely need to find out how to make this rum cake. Also, Barbara and John are in the habit of having a little glass of wine now and then, which is actually quite nice. I’d like to do that, but at the same time, I’d like to lose weight, and I’m not sure if I can do both at the same time.

The next day, Friday, Barbara and I went up to the gym at the clubhouse and I did the exercise bike for thirty minutes. Then we went to lunch at Panera’s, and then we went shopping at Ross or someplace like that, where Barbara got a nice centerpiece for her dining room table, and we ended up in Target, where I bought a couple of skirts on sale, $4 each! Can’t beat that! I had also picked up a long sleeved white shirt at Wal Mart the day before, so all in all, some good purchases.

During this time, there was the fiasco of Obama’s pastor preaching anti-American sentiments. Barbara and John are big fans of Bill O’Reilley, and he had it all over his show. I was appalled to hear the pastor saying the things he was saying, and wondered how Obama was going to get out of it. At this point, over a week later, I think the whole issue has pretty much calmed down, but at the time it was a big deal. Just for the record, I’m still appalled, and definitely won’t be voting for someone who sat under that kind of preaching for so long. This was also the night that a tornado hit Atlanta while the Alabama basketball team was having a game there. Russ was watching the game at the time and said they had to stop it with just a couple of minutes left. I don’t know if they ever got to conclude the game.

HERITAGE PARK

Anyway, the highlight of the Tampa leg of my journey took place on Saturday, which was John’s birthday. Mary and Joey drove in, as well as Mom and Dad, and I got to see everyone at John and Karin’s house, and then we all immediately piled into cars and drove to some park, I think it was called Heritage Park, which was a little distance away, but worth the drive, as it was such a nice park. There were all these old houses spread out throughout the park, and you could go in and see how people used to live, in the late 1800’s, and you could sit on the front porch in rocking chairs.

Mary, Joey and I went into this “General Store” where some old guy told us all kinds of information about how people used to live. We also walked through this old house that had no furniture, but you could get a sense of how very small the rooms were. Little John-John especially liked going up and down the stairs in that house. The doorways were so small, Joey could not pass through without bending his head!

We had a nice lunch of sandwiches and salads, and Sammi and I played “Name That Tune” with John’s Ipod, but the highlight for me was that I got to take a walk with Joey, visiting a few of the old houses, and some gardens. It was good to talk with him, and I really got the sense that he’s doing fine. He really hasn’t changed much in the year since I’ve seen him. In fact, I was kind of surprised to hear that what he still wants to do with a business degree is to open a skateboard park! Well, if that’s what he wants to do and he does it, more power to him. It would actually be kind of cool.

After the park, we went back to John and Karin’s house, where we had pizza and played games. When it was time to head back to Trimbles’, John lent us his GPS so that we wouldn’t get lost. Mary, Joey and I were all amazed and said it would be the greatest gift to get anyone. I wish they weren’t quite so expensive.

One more night at Trimble’s house (Mary slept on the sofa in the TV room, Joey on the pullout couch in the living room) and in the morning, they hula-hooped and skateboarded a bit as we waited for Samantha to be dropped off. Some time around 1 p.m. we set out on the next leg of the journey, Joey driving me and Mary and Samantha to Gainesville.

GAINESVILLE

But first we stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. Yum! Then the drive to Gainesville. Apparently I was a bit of a backseat driver, but really, I do think Joey’s driving is just fine. I’m just always a little nervous on the highway. But I got to listen again to the kind of music my kids like, and some of it is really not that bad. I made a note to investigate Oasis, Incubus, Sublime, Radiohead (Joey says they’re “mellow”) and Alkaline Trio. Mary and Sammi also reminded me about The Gypsy Kings.

We dropped Sammi at her dorm, then Mary, Joey and I went to a coffeeshop downtown called “Maude’s” which is apparently a reference to the movie Harold and Maude.

In fact, old movies seemed to be the theme of the coffeehouse, and also old music, as they played Cat Stevens music while I was there. Did they do that all the time, or did they know I was coming and wanted to remind me of my college days?? We played Scrabble; Mary won, and I lost, with Joey in the middle.

Then Joey had to leave, and that was one of the sadder moments in this whole trip. I really miss him. But like I said before, it was good to see that he’s doing well. I’m hoping to have him come up for a visit sometime soon. We’ll see when that can be arranged.

Anyway, with Sammi and Joey well on their way, now officially begins the Gainesville leg of my journey! And “leg” is certainly the word, since my legs got quite a workout. Mary walks everywhere! Unless she takes the bus. But then, she still has to walk back and forth to the bus stop. And don’t let her little legs fool you…this girl can WALK FAST!!!! I did so much walking in Gainesville, it was quite exhausting. The first night, we walked up to Wal Mart. Mary wanted to get an S-Video plug so she could play stuff off her computer on the TV in the living room. Wal Mart did not have it, so we walked further on, to Target. We got in just as the store was closing, and she got her plug.

Then we walked back to her apartment and watched “Loose Change” (from her computer, but on the TV). This is a little documentary by some people who are suggesting that the events of 9/11 were caused by the US government in an effort to…I don’t know…what? To give us a reason to go to war with Iraq? To inspire fear in the American people? To get George Bush re-elected? I’m not very sure what the motivation was supposed to be, but some of the arguments they made were quite compelling. If you want to check it out for yourself, you can see Loose Change on YouTube.

Now, I’m not saying I absolutely believe that the US government CAUSED 9/11. I’m just saying, at this point, with as much information as I currently have, I’m willing to entertain the possibility. This is an issue I would like to investigate in a lot more detail. When I have the time. (HA! Like…when will I have the time? But I do hope somehow I can find out more about this.)

Anyway, let’s get on with the trip. While I was with Mary, we saw two movies—Juno, at the local theatre, within walking distance, which was excellently funny, and Sweeny Todd at the Reitz Union for free, which was also excellent, mostly because, as I well remember from my college days, a college audience gets so involved in the movie, and is so vocal in its appreciation. Some things never change, I guess. Love the Reitz Union.

We also ate at two different Japanese restaurants, both within walking distance of Mary’s apartment, and I learned how to eat with chopsticks. I tried sushi for the first time, and while it wasn’t horrible, it also wasn’t something I would order on purpose. But at least I tried it. My favorite Japanese food, I’ve decided, is miso soup, and I would love to make it at home.

The best food by far, tho, on this leg of my journey, was the Krishna lunch in the Plaza at campus. For $4 (or $3, if you buy a $30 card for ten meals) you get “all you can eat” servings of rice, beans, veggies, and something called halvah (at least I think I’m spelling that correctly!). I thought it was good stuff, and as Mary eats there often and her card was almost used up, I bought her a new one.

We studied in the library a little, then, when Mary had to go to her class, I walked around campus, and out on University, finally ending up at the McDonald’s on 13th Street, where I used to go for a 25-cent ice cream cone. Ice cream is $1 now, of course, and I had one, while I perused a local real estate magazine. Far as I can figure, the house Russ and I are hoping to buy would probably cost us about $200,000 if we were to buy it in Gainesville.

Mary and I also visited the Oaks Mall, tho we didn’t buy anything there. We also ate at Bennigan’s, on St. Patrick’s Day, with her friend Savannah, and I took a picture of the girls with a leprechaun.

We also ate at The Ale House, where her roommate works. Her roommate apparently locked herself out of her room and had someone else drive her to work, but she needed her car later, so her boyfriend, Jason, who also lives with them, asked Mary to follow in his car, and then he treated us to a snack at The Ale House. I had the BEST “side salad” I’ve ever had. It had so much stuff on it, everything from cheese to bacon bits. I don’t know if Mary’s roommate made me a special “friends only” version of a salad, or if it’s always this way. If always this way, I’ve got to locate the nearest Ale House!!

The night before I left, we met Sammi at The Swamp, a restaurant on University, pretty much right across from her dorm room. We had dinner outside and upstairs, then went for ice cream at Ben and Jerry’s right next door.

I slept well in Mary’s room, tho in my opinion they keep the house a bit too warm, in the interest of conserving the electric bill. I should also mention, Mary had some interesting decorations in her room. She has three Oggz, these egg shaped things that glow in a series of different colors. She also had a serenity fountain that had water falling down a series of lighted “steps.” I’m putting both these on my gift list!

Anyway, one more thing I have to mention about my Gainesville trip. Mary convinced me to watch two episodes of Lost with her. I didn’t want to go forward in the show without Russ, but she reminded me that once upon a time, long ago, I had told her I would wait for her before going on with Buffy, but I went forward and watched those eps with Russ. So, this kind of evens the score. And now I’ll get to watch the eps with Russ. Again. So no harm done. Except that having seen the first two eps of season three of Lost, I’m now more confused than ever about this show!

BUS AND TRAIN

Well, anyway, enough about Gainesville. This leg of my journey comes to a close when on Thursday morning, Mary and her roommates drive me to the bus station in downtown Gainesville. They all had to get on to class and did not sit with me, but while I waited for the bus (which was 50 minutes late!) I got to listen to homeless people talking to each other. It was kind of interesting. They talked a lot about what are the good places to sleep, and where the sprinklers go on in the middle of the night, and which security guards are all right, and how they know that morning is coming because they hear the birds start singing. One of them said that going to Burger King and ordering off the dollar menu makes a good date. Or a cheap date. I don’t remember what he said. I wish I could have been writing it down.

So the bus finally came, and the bus ride was fine, with hardly any passengers, lots of room to spread out. I listened to music, and dozed a little, and got a strong feeling of Springtime. I’m really ready for Springtime. We got into Lakeland for a connection with the train, but the train was later than late, so I still had to wait some more. The train was pretty crowded, and there was this screaming baby a row ahead, so the guy next to me got annoyed and almost immediately disappeared to the dining car, and did not return. I knew he went to the dining car, because midway through, I realized I had to have something “real” to eat (Mary gave me some peanut granola bars, which got me through the morning, but we forgot to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich) and so I went to buy a sandwich and I saw him in the lounge, sleeping sitting up. The “real food” I got, btw, was simply awful. I strongly suggest if you travel by train you remember to pack a sandwich.

Well, the train ride might not have been that bad, but just outside West Palm Beach, we came to a complete stop and stayed there for one solid hour. Apparently some business along the railroad tracks had a bomb scare, and they were afraid the rumbling of the train going by could set off the bomb (if, in fact, there was a bomb). I know it’s not Amtrak’s fault, but all in all, this makes several times that I haven’t had the best experience with Amtrak. My next visit may not include a train ride.

The train was supposed to get in around 5 p.m., but it was somewhere between 7:30 and 7:45 when I finally disembarked. Ah! Good to finally be in South Florida! And good to see Mom and Dad. Now begins my third vacation.

SOUTH FLORIDA

Before I go on, an editorial comment: This was a vacation of 13 days, but as you can see, I really took three distinct vacations. It was great. I didn’t stay in any one place too long. I never had a chance to get bored, and hopefully, I didn’t have the chance to “stink”—as they say about fish and houseguests after three days. There was always something new, new people, new surroundings. I highly recommend this style of vacationing.

So now I’m in South Florida. Mom and Dad’s places look the same. Well, there are some changes, actually. Had I seen all the wood flooring before? It really made an impression, it looks so clean. Dad’s place is very spacious, with the wall between the kitchen and the dining room taken out.

Mom’s place is like a trip down memory lane, as she is using my old dining room set. It looks perfect there. And of course, the birds rule the roost! I particularly liked this item I found in my bathroom. It’s a wood sculpture of a bird, but Buster’s old feathers have been added. Geez! He sheds a lot!

I stayed in the big bedroom at Dad’s place, and it was nice to have my own bathroom, and my own TV, even though the TV only gets 21 channels, and five of those are Spanish! One bad thing, tho, is that you can hear the neighbors right through the wall! Russ is always saying that he wants the privacy of a single family home, and after this, I fully agree with him!

One exciting development while I was staying with my folks: they got a computer and are now hooked up to the internet! James was teaching Mom how to get around on-line and how to do e-mail. I’m hoping this will help us to be better able to stay in touch.

I joked to my parents that after all the walking and bussing and running around that I did with Mary, I really needed a vacation from my vacation. And that’s just what I got here. Mom and I did some shopping. On Friday, we went to Wal Mart, and saw Terry, and she came out to lunch with us at Taco Bell. Latest news: Terry has a new puppy, a boxer named Diesel!

On Saturday, we had an Easter Dinner at Dad’s house, delicious kielbasa and cabbage and carrots, all cooked together in one pot. (I’ve got to try it some time.) I also enjoyed eating quite a bit of Jello for dessert. I really have to make more Jello at home. One night, Mom made a snack of a “fruit plate”— a pretty conglomeration of banana, strawberries, kiwis and apples. The apples were especially delicious, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. I should make something like this at home for dessert!

We watched several movies. I really enjoyed seeing The Russians Are Coming again.It never gets old. I had James make a copy for me.

We also watched quite a few episodes of the British comedy Coupling. Very…VERY funny (even though it really is only one joke, told over and over again). Mom and I also watched a couple of movies from the library, Christmas with the Kranks, and Down with Love. So this turned out to be a most relaxing leg of my journey. I also added quite a bit of new music to my computer, copying it out of Dad’s collection. Most of it is classical, but classical is just fine with me. In fact, I’m listening to it now. In return, I left him a disc of about 50 TV Theme songs.

On Easter Sunday, we took a ride to West Palm Beach to visit Aunt Claire. We went to Golden Corral for lunch, and I hope this will be the end of the big eating. I hate to think how much weight I may have put on during my vacation! But we had a good time with Aunt Claire. She gave us some Victorian beaded ornament covers, very pretty. I’m even thinking I would like to learn how to make them. I’m afraid, tho, that this could be a time consuming task, so we’ll have to see whether or not anything ever comes of this idea.

One thing I ought to record: my teeth, which had been bothering me off and on through most of February, were not a problem for most of my vacation. It was only during the last three or four days that they started to hurt again. Why? Too much sweets? Or is this just God’s way of reminding me that I need to have this problem looked at by a dentist? Joey paid me back some money he had owed me. I was hoping to use it to pay down my credit card, but I think it would be better spent taking care of my teeth….my health.

Teeth aside, during all this time, during all my journeys, I’ve picked up so many good ideas. I already mentioned that I’ve come to the realization that it’s time to reprioritize my life and put God at the top. So I’m looking forward to going to church. Also, I tried several different and new foods that I’d like to try to incorporate into my diet. I already mentioned miso soup and Jello (not a new food, per se, but you get the point…) and Dad also cooked up some escarole, which I found quite tasty. And of course it’s good for you!

While at Mom and Dad’s, I started reading the next Cat Who book, getting through the first 11 chapters. I’ll have to pick up the story at home, I’m pretty sure I have it on a disc. I also want to read some books by Fannie Flagg and Jan Karon, which my Mom recommended.

FINAL COMMENTS

I guess I’ve kind of stepped out of my narrative, haven’t I? How did I get to where I am now, here at the Birmingham Airport? Well, Mom and Dad drove me to the Fort Lauderdale Airport, where I took Flight 616 to Tampa, connected to Flight 187 to Birmingham, and here I am.

Again, I did not take any pills, but the last flight, I though, was a bit more bumpy than the others. Yet it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it might. Strangely, I think I could get used to flying.

So now…this is the end of a wonderful vacation I hope I will always remember. And I feel I am even more likely to remember, now that I’ve taken the time to recall the high points and record them here.

Also, as you can see, I’ve taken some wonderful photos. Another plus: I got some old family photos from both Barbara and Aunt Claire, and I’m hoping to post some of them on my photo site soon.

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Update: Also, Mom gave me the old toaster, which I have now incorporated into my kitchen, and I’ve been using it quite a bit. Thanks, Mom!

Also, a great big thanks to my sweetie, Russ, who helped me learn quite a bit about html formatting so that I could get the pictures in here at the right size, wrapping around, bold headlines, italics, etc. How exciting to learn all this new stuff! Thank you, my love!

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Well, anyway, to sum up…this vacation has been a nice time of enjoying the people and places in my life, in my past, and also a time of reflection, causing me to feel refreshed and look forward to the future. My plan is to be sure to make at least one trip back to Florida each year, though two trips a year would be even better, if I can manage it. In the meantime, I’ve consumed all my iced tea and may need to relinquish this choice table while I gather up my belongings and search for the nearest bathroom.

Such is life….