Got back very early Saturday mornin', around 5:15AM. Spent most of Saturday and part of Sunday detoxin', and now I'm back in San Saba.
I taught a class at noon and then went to the Dairy Mart for my usual Monday ritual... the jalapeno sourdough bacon cheeseburger, fries and a diet Dr. Pepper. Now I'm back at the local library, killin' time before my 5:30 class starts. I've got three classes up here startin' this week, with about 70 "students" (jailbirds). In a few weeks I'll have two more evening classes startin' on Ft. Hood, and then I'll have about three more morning classes startin' the week after that in Florence. So, I get to ease back into my old busy schedule, and the fat paychecks that come with it. believe me, I'll be glad when those bastards start rollin' in again.
I must have taken about 600 pictures over the two week road trip, so it's gonna take me a while before I can start showin' them to you. There's shots from the concert, then more from the Air Force Museum, and then all the shots form the week hangin' out with Mushy and his gang and visitin' Bruno. I started culling them the first week, in Kentucky, but the fixing only started Sunday. I got the merges done this morning, so progress is being made. Maybe I'll have something to post by about this time Wednesday.
Anyway, the trip was great. If you want to read a great run down of the second half of it, check out Mushy's two posts. We spent the first week in Kentucky with Denise's kids and grand kids. During that stay we took a trip up to Dayton to visit the Air Force Museum and see Pat and his lovely wife. Then, a week ago, I drove Denise down to the airport in Nashville and she flew home. Then I drove on East to Harriman and spent a few days with Mushy and Judy and their bunch. We had a blast, as always, and then the three of us drove West to Memphis to spend a few nights on Beale Street.
By the way, Mushy's made mention of a certain event that took place along the road to Memphis, when a local cop decided to check out what kind of smoke that really was driftin' up out of my sunroof as we sped West down I-40.
I looked up at one point and saw the SUV in my rear view, about one car length behind me, and assumed he wanted by. I was in the left hand lane behind Mushy and Judy as we passed a slow moving truck that had blocked the right hand lane (Ok, that's how I remember it, but it all happened very fast). It had been raining, so the road conditions weren't prime, but nether of us were speeding, having passed unscathed by several police SUVs that were parked along the highway. So when I saw this dude on my ass, I wasn't really concerned.
Mushy moved over into the right hand lane when he passed the truck, and then I gassed it to get over ahead of Mushy and let this dude by me. Then I was amazed to see him slip in behind me flashing his purdy blue lights. I was like "What the fuck? Shit!" I brought the Silver Bullet to a stop, tossed my nub into the ash tray, got out the appropriate paperwork and rolled down the passenger window.
He walked up and rested his arms on the door, wanting to know if those folks were with me (Mushy and Judy had stopped about 30 yards up the road to wait for me), and how did I meet them. I told him "Blogging," and he was amused, saying "Well, I know that's very popular." It was all very cordial, with my attitude calmed by the knowledge that there was an assault rifle in the trunk and a loaded revolver in the back pocket of the passenger seat. Who was I, who were they (Mushy and Judy), how did I know them, where had I been and where were we going.
In the end he asked me what kind of cigar I was smokin' and told me not to pass people so closely in this kind of wet weather. I wanted to say something like "Well shit, you dumb bastard, I wouldn't have done it if you hadn't been right on my fuckin' ass with that police truck. Shit!" By my AR-15 was whispering sweet nothings in my ear, saying stuff like "Shut your fuckin' cake hole you dumbass!" I get no respect from the AR. Too many AKs in the closet. You know... penis envy.
So, we parted ways and I lit up another stogie. I called Mushy and we all had a big laugh over it. Within and hour we were all slapped up in the lap of luxury at the Westin Hotel off Beale Street and life was GOOD. But, that's another story.
Stay tuned. More fun and pictures to accompany the words will appear here in future.
And guess what. That wasn't the only sweaty, funny drama related to a gun on the trip. I'll tell you about it in the next post. See ya Wednesday. Cheers.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Getting home.
We woke up early at the super cheapo hotel off I-30 and set off on our last day of driving. Getting out of the room and packing the car I noticed this monstrosity parked across the way. Had to show it to ya.
She (?) may be a "Diva", but she's got shitty taste in car detailing. Lord above!
We stopped to eat at Brown's Country Store, which used to be a big attraction on the return trips from canoeing the Buffalo National River, back in the 1980s and early '90s. But it's just not as fun when you're not showing up with 15 or 20 other grungy canoers, hittin' the place on a Sunday afternoon and walkin' through the buffet with folks that are all decked out in their church clothes. We were almost alone there, getting there just after it opened for lunch (they don't do breakfast) so we just ate our fill and moved on out. The next time we stopped was in northeast Texas, when we chose to stop and examine a little outlet mall in Mount Pleasant.
It's basically an old mall from the '60s or 70's, with the stores taken over by retail outlets. Not much there, but bargains if you look hard enough. I ended up pickin' up a new pair of really nice cargo shorts for like $5! Can't beat that. Well, you can, but I'm probably not gonna have access any time soon (like I did when I was "boating" with the Navy) to those markets in Thailand where all the knock off shorts are sold for a buck or two, so $5 will do.
Denise took over the drivin' after we left the outlet store. Pretty soon she started to get hungry for a snack (I can ALWAYS eat) and before I knew it she'd slid up to the drive-through window at a Dairy Queen, somewhere like Sulphur Springs, and we were orderin' a couple of medium sized Blizzards to hold us till we got home.
I was a pooped padna, by then, ready to get home.
That Blizzard changed my mood! Must'a been the chocolate, or the toffee bits from the Heath bars they crushed up in there. Mmmmm, to die for!
Some time after that I called mom to tell her we were back in Texas and to give her an accurate ETA. We'd told her earlier that we'd probably stop by her place on the way home. Of course, the ulterior motive there was the chance that she might whip somethin' up to feed us. She surprised me by tellin' me that she had the makin's for Chicken Enchiladas, and that she'd have them put together and in the oven by the time we got there!
Some time after that I called mom to tell her we were back in Texas and to give her an accurate ETA. We'd told her earlier that we'd probably stop by her place on the way home. Of course, the ulterior motive there was the chance that she might whip somethin' up to feed us. She surprised me by tellin' me that she had the makin's for Chicken Enchiladas, and that she'd have them put together and in the oven by the time we got there!
This is one of her best dishes, and a favorite of anyone who's ever been privileged to get to experience a sit down dinner at her house. Best restaurant in Temple... Ask anyone. Ask my cousin Bob. Every time she fixes this dish I call him to tease him about it. He responds with stuff like "Ooooh, you mother fucker!", and other such profanity that such times would call for.
She got away from fixin' this dish while my father was alive, having to fix simple things for him that he'd eat, that wouldn't upset his diet. Now that he's passed she's gotten back into the kitchen and has started to think like the old master chef she used to be. It's one of the things that I love to see her doing now, showing us that she's moving on after dad's passing and thinking of her own pleasure.
She sits around the house and it hits her that she hasn't made something like this in a while. She gets herself hungry for it and the next thing you know we're gettin' the call to come over and share a treat. Of course, the food's damn good, so I can't say I'm NOT just happy to see her in the kitchen for the sake of her own well being. I'm lovin' every minute of it. Who looses?
Aaaaah, did I say something about the spoils of war? Four-and-a-half cases of Yuengling Traditional Lager, piled up in the laundry room, just waitin' to be enjoyed. My stocks are replenished for the year. Mission accomplished!
Well, that's it folks. Come over for a beer if you're ever in the area. I'll treat ya to the good stuff. Cheers!
She got away from fixin' this dish while my father was alive, having to fix simple things for him that he'd eat, that wouldn't upset his diet. Now that he's passed she's gotten back into the kitchen and has started to think like the old master chef she used to be. It's one of the things that I love to see her doing now, showing us that she's moving on after dad's passing and thinking of her own pleasure.
She sits around the house and it hits her that she hasn't made something like this in a while. She gets herself hungry for it and the next thing you know we're gettin' the call to come over and share a treat. Of course, the food's damn good, so I can't say I'm NOT just happy to see her in the kitchen for the sake of her own well being. I'm lovin' every minute of it. Who looses?
After the dinner she whipped a store-bought blueberry pie and ice cream out of the fridge. At her age the store-bought brands are MUCH more fun to serve. I can understand that, but I do miss the old lemon marange pies and chocolate cakes she used to make me for my birthday. Yea, how the hell do you think I got this way? What? Yea, I know. Type Two. Never mind. One of these days she'll be planted next to dad and I'll go on a diet. Until then, fuck it!
So how was the food, and the after dinner tipple? One word... BLISS!
After dinner with Mom, with the spoils of war nestled securely at my feet, Denise drove us home to my place in Killeen, and the trip was finally over.
4163 miles, driven through at least a dozen states, with about 600 or 700 pictures to cull and photoshop, and with the wonderful memories of many old friends visited and new friends met. Both of us said, after getting home, that if we could pack the car again and get another two weeks off we'd do it all again in a heart beat! As it is, we have to wait a year, but the older I get, the faster time seems to fly. Before we all know it we'll be on the road again and you'll have more of this shit to read about.
We unloaded the car and started to do laundry, beginning the detox from the road and the preparations for the next week at work. It was a good thing that we had Sunday to lay around and relax. Otherwise it would have been a harder transition back to the real world.
Pretty soon the cats started to wander into the house and Denise got mobbed. Her they mob... Me they still avoid. They know who's more likely to talk sweet to them and pet them, and who's more likely to try to grab them or throw something at them if they make too damn much noise. Me they know. They've been dodgin' pillows for years!
4163 miles, driven through at least a dozen states, with about 600 or 700 pictures to cull and photoshop, and with the wonderful memories of many old friends visited and new friends met. Both of us said, after getting home, that if we could pack the car again and get another two weeks off we'd do it all again in a heart beat! As it is, we have to wait a year, but the older I get, the faster time seems to fly. Before we all know it we'll be on the road again and you'll have more of this shit to read about.
We unloaded the car and started to do laundry, beginning the detox from the road and the preparations for the next week at work. It was a good thing that we had Sunday to lay around and relax. Otherwise it would have been a harder transition back to the real world.
Pretty soon the cats started to wander into the house and Denise got mobbed. Her they mob... Me they still avoid. They know who's more likely to talk sweet to them and pet them, and who's more likely to try to grab them or throw something at them if they make too damn much noise. Me they know. They've been dodgin' pillows for years!
Aaaaah, did I say something about the spoils of war? Four-and-a-half cases of Yuengling Traditional Lager, piled up in the laundry room, just waitin' to be enjoyed. My stocks are replenished for the year. Mission accomplished!
Well, that's it folks. Come over for a beer if you're ever in the area. I'll treat ya to the good stuff. Cheers!
