Shifting Gears   Baby Boomer…Member Life 2.0…Wife, Mother, Grammie…Bicyclist…GoldWinger…Mensan…Girl Scout…Reader…Knitter…Rotarian

Today is my granddaughter Julia’s 7th birthday.  Her Aunt Tammy has already written a beautiful message about Julia on her blog but I’ll add my $.02 anyway!

I remember so well 6/24/03 – Ralph was going to be induced the next day so I planned to get to the office about 6:30, work for 6 hours, then drive to Des Moines and be there for the big event.  Apparently Julia had other ideas!  Ralph called as I was walking out the door to tell me they were on their way to the hospital – we immediately packed up and headed north to meet our new grand baby.

As we were driving through Kansas City, Ralph called and asked if I’d like to hear my grand baby – she was holding her in her arms and at that time we didn’t know if we had a little boy or a girl but Tammy and I had already ordered a girl and expected Ralph to deliver!  And she did!  I cried when I heard her little cry and then I bawled when I heard her name since she is named for my mother – and for Blair’s maternal grandmother.

When we got to Ralph’s room I immediately took Julia in my arms and it was at least an hour later before I put her down and hugged my own daughter.  Somehow Ralph had already ascertained that with motherhood, she would be taking a back seat to this 7# bundle of joy!

And oh what joy she provides!  Julia is very much a first-born – very cautious and also wanting to be in charge.  She has a vivid imagination thanks to growing up with a very limited amount of TV time – in fact she is convinced that “TV fries your brain” which is what her parents taught her years ago!  She likes to plan and has great attention to detail.  She’s not too adventurous with new experiences but quickly warms to things once she’s over her initial shyness.

Julia is a human dynamo on the soccer field and usually cares more about the after-game snack than the outcome of the game….unless she scores a goal!  She’s now taking piano lessons along with golf and tennis for the summer and I have no doubt she will excel at them all – or quit!

Her sense of humor is developing and I have no doubt she will enjoy puns and high-brow humor like her Aunt Tammy.  She’s learning to be a gourmet cook from her mom but more important are the lessons in love and life that she has already taught us.

Happy Birthday, Julia – and here’s to lots of fun times ahead for you and Grammie.

Well it doesn’t have quite the ring of “Debbie Does Dallas” but alas, this is more my speed!  My dear friend Robin always asks me to call her “Fatty Patty” when she thinks she needs to lose weight so I’ve borrowed that name from her for the time being.  Feel free to call me by that moniker until I make some bodily improvements.

Anyone who follows my ramblings knows that my weight is/has been a challenge for me forever and a day!  I’ve never been obese but always seem to be fighting 5-10+ pounds that leave and then return when my back is turned.  Sneaky little pounds!!!  And they go straight to my gut too!

A few years ago I became a Lifetime member of Weight Watchers and stayed at my goal for 3-4 years – then my last year at the pesky day job, the gym time decreased, the eating increased and I basically said “to hell with it – I’ll worry about that tomorrow.”  Spoken in my best Scarlett O’Hara imitation!  I quit work, went back to WW, took off the pounds, life was good – then I turned my back and they attached themselves to me again.  Always in my mid-section.  Always!

I’m now about 6# over my goal which isn’t a tragedy by any means – but if I gain any more, I may need a larger size of clothing and I’m too cheap to let that happen.  Time for action………any action……..what to do?  I know I need to kick-start my work outs which consist of weightlifting classes twice a week, doing free weights on my own when the mood hits, swimming when the pool at the gym isn’t crowded, and my all-time favorite – stepclimber or elliptical machine where I can read and do cardio at the same time.  Nothing like multi-tasking!

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been trying GTS Pilates classes and have now signed up for an 8-week session in July and August.  The GTS machine looks fairly benign but so far is kicking my butt big time which is what I need – but I’m only getting one short session a week until the class begins.  I figure it’s a start and is something new – a much-needed challenge for the mind and body.

Then I saw a flyer for Boot Camp – “if you are bored with your current routine or just aren’t making progress anymore, this program is for you.”  Those words just jumped off the page at me – I’ve read them a gazillion times at the gym but the light finally went on in my feeble brain.  And guess when they meet?  6:00 A.M. – a time when my eyeballs are generally viewing the backs of my eyelids.  But I figure no pain, no gain – time to haul the butt out of bed and summertime is the best time to get me up early!

To further motivate me, I took the plunge – literally – and had a full-body immersion body fat test done earlier this week.  The immersion method is the most accurate way to measure body fat – far superior to the caliper method because fat floats and lean sinks!  Now I know why I’ll never have to worry if I’m on the Titanic when it goes down – I’ll float!

Within half an hour I took the test, got the results and met with a registered dietician who helped assess my nutrition needs and calorie requirements.  I really don’t need to lose too much weight and if I can lose 5# and convert another 5# to lean, I’ll be pretty darned close to where I want to be.  She and I both agreed that the body fat goal on the charts is truly unrealistic for my frame.  I tend to have small bones and with lean arms and legs, I carry all my weight and fat in my mid-section – one of the few things I’d rather not have inherited from my parents but I did!

I knew going into the test that I wouldn’t “like” the results but as a number person, I needed to see them and accept them and that’s the incentive I need to make some changes.  Laura, the dietician, quickly determined that my diet was lacking in protein and boy, was she right!  I made sure I hit my goal of 80 grams today starting with a healthy protein shake for breakfast (thanks Tammy and Pavel) and with good snacks during the day, I was never hungry.  Couldn’t even finish my sandwich at lunch which never happens to me.

But the real test came this morning when the alarm went off at 5:10 A.M.  I hit the snooze once, got up at 5:20 and was walking into the gym before 6:00 feeling quite virtuous!  The class was small – our instructor, Gina, and 3 other hardy souls – but the hour we spent was brutal!  We did a few warm-ups and then headed outside for a 1-mile run followed by plenty of calisthenics – including planks and push-ups – in the parking lot.

It didn’t take long for me to really get into the class – I felt so challenged and energized and while I know I will feel the effects of it tomorrow, I’m so glad I did it.  Next week is the last Tuesday morning class and then I’ll be shooting for Thursdays only.

Stay tuned as I try to drop the Fatty Patty label and buff up the bod!

When our grandson, Alex, was here last Christmas, Burl and I came up with the idea of him making a visit to see both sets of grandparents this summer in Springfield – by himself!  His dad was less than thrilled, his mom pondered the idea and Alex was gung-ho to fly by himself from San Diego (actually from LA) to Springfield via Allegiant.  Alas, Allegiant requires children to be 14 to travel alone and Alex turned 12 last January.  Scratch that idea!

As a compromise, Alex and his dad, Len, flew in Sunday evening and were here until this morning when they flew to Orlando to meet his mom/our daughter Stacey who is there for a conference.  They will all return next week – Stacey gets to stay 5-6 days and the boys will be here almost 2 weeks so we’re getting in some great family time.  Len and Stacey did agree that when Alex was with a set of grandparents, they would stay with the others so he’s getting alone time with us Old Farts!

We scored the first couple of days he was in town and planned several activities for him. 

Farmer Alex drives the John Deere

Burl let the lawn grow a few extra days so Alex could help with the mowing since their miniscule yard in San Diego could easily be cut with a weed eater.  He mowed most of the front yard before turning the job over to Grandpa!

Of course Alex and Mulligan were practically inseparable while he was here and had many games of “I’ll drop my Kong in the pool, then bark and hope that you’ll throw it to me” – we’re glad Alex was so agreeable to Mulligan’s wishes!

On Monday evening we invited some neighbors with boys his age to join us for a cookout – it was beastly hot so the boys swam and the adults stayed inside with some chilled white wine until dinner time.  They quickly invented several games to play and we enjoyed watching their interaction – especially since the 3 visitors know each other well and Alex could have been the odd man out – but he wasn’t!

Yesterday it was time for archery lesson!  Burl got out his bows and arrows and patiently taught Alex the basics – then he set up a target in the backyard and let him practice. 

Is it Robin Hood or is it Alex?

He actually did very well which I attribute to some natural athletic ability and of course, the excellent skill of his tutor.  Burl also had fun showing him his collection of knives, including some he had made, and of course his gun collection.  Being the avid sportsman he is, Burl made sure to emphasize the safety requirements for the weapons and Alex was a rapt student.

More swimming with the neighbors yesterday afternoon and then we went to see friends, Ron and Barb, near Marshfield who had their 13 y/o granddaughter, Alli, visiting.  We were joined by another couple with their 14 y/o granddaughter, Tiffany, and it was quickly apparent that a 12 y/o boy is light years behind these teen-age girls.  We figured it was a good experience for Alex as he enters junior high in the fall!

Our friend Ron set up target practice for the kids and Burl had brought along a couple of his firearms for Alex to use.  I have no idea what to call them – rifles, shotguns, pistols, whatever – I just know that they use bullets, they can be lethal and as long as they are under lock and key and out of sight from me, I’m a happy camper! 

Davey Crockett - kilt him a bar when he was only 3!

Alex and Alli shot at clay pigeons – Tiffany wisely stayed in the house away from the shooting!   Despite his best efforts, Alex wasn’t able to hit any of the clay targets but did hit the ground targets that were set up.  He was really looking forward to this experience since he’d never held a gun of any kind but we think his lack of prowess diminished his enjoyment!

After dinner it was time for the last adventure of this camp experience – fishing!  Ron and Barb have a decent-sized pond that they keep stocked with bluegill and encourage their grandkids to catch and release.  Last night Tiffany was the only one who even got a bite and her 3 fish all lived to see another worm!  None of the teens were too keen on baiting the hooks but the girls were the only ones who got grandparent assistance!  Sorry Alex!

Alex and Len are now looking forward to several days at Disney World, including the new Harry Potter park.  In the meantime, we’re thinking of more fun activities when they all return – golf with Len and Stacey while Alex is with  the other GPs, getting Len’s assistance on the new pool deck we’re building, margarita time for Stacey and me, and of course, plenty of swimming, food and family.

And one of these days, Alex will get to come to camp without his parents in town!

People who knew my dad always called him by one name – Keck.  It was a nickname for his last name and that’s what his grandkids called him too.  To me, he was – and always will be, “Daddy.”

Growing up in a small town in the 50s I have so many wonderful childhood memories and naturally a lot of them revolve around my dad.  Until I was 9 we lived on a college campus where he was the vice president and business manager and I remember going to his office where I was always treated like royalty.  The college girls spoiled me rotten and I now know that for many of them, it was an attempt to gain brownie points with my dad! 

As I grew older, we often had differing opinions but from him I learned some of life’s most valuable lessons:

• Like and Love are two different things!  I gave him numerous occasions to say “I may not like what you did, Annie, but I’ll always love you.”  Took me a long time to understand that message but eventually it got through.
• Take time to be spontaneous.  Daddy didn’t to that too often because he was definitely Type A but I vividly remember a winter afternoon when I was about 7 and was sledding on a small hill at William Woods College.  He came strolling across the campus in his suit and winter coat, hat on his head – going home for dinner.  Then he saw me and the next thing I knew, he’d borrowed my sled and was going down the hill where he fell off at the bottom, laughed and then brought the sled up the hill for me.  One of my favorite memories!
• Shower the people you love with love.  He was openly affectionate around my sister, Susie, and me and especially with my mom.  My last great memory of my dad was a few days before he died.  He was in the ICU at Callaway Hospital but since he was the only patient in the unit, and the nurses loved him, they allowed my mom, my daughters, my nephew and me to all come in to visit.  My mom sat on his bed next to him and all of a sudden he pulled her close, said “Damn, I love you, Julie” and then put his tongue in her ear!  The younger generation, me included, almost lost it then and there.  Little did we know how short was his time left on earth.
• Follow the Rotary 4-Way test.  My friends who are Rotarians will understand this one and if you want to read it, go to www.rotary.org to see it.  He joined Rotary before I was born and remained a faithful member until his last breath.  He embodied the ideals of the organization and lived his life around them.
• Be kind to everyone.  As a child we lived in college-owned housing and maintenance work was performed by college employees, most of who were Negroes (PC term in the 50s).  If they were there at lunch, they were invited to eat with us and join in our conversation.   He taught me that prejudice against anyone no matter what their race or creed was NOT acceptable.  Stupidity was another matter though unless someone had an actual mental handicap.
• The three most important things in life are not things – they are Faith, Family and Friends and in that order.  He was outstanding at putting God and others before himself – I’m still striving to be so unselfish.
• To those whom much is given, much is expected.  Those words guided his generosity with his time, talents and money.  He and my mom both taught me the importance of volunteering in my community and while they were never wealthy, he was generous in death to organizations that could do good with what money he had.  For years he shared his admiration for the Salvation Army not only for their spiritual direction but also because they ran a very efficient organization and used very little of their funds for overhead.  I never pass a Salvation Army bell-ringer during the holidays without putting in money in honor of my dad.
• Keep a sense of humor.  Even though he’s been gone from this world for 13 years, I can still recall the sound of his laughter in my mind.  He had a wicked, dry sense of humor but never wanted to make a joke at the expense of another person.
• Never deny your children the luxury of hard times.  It hurt him to see me or my sister, Susie, struggle or experience difficult times but he knew they were necessary for our survival.  I used to roll my eyes at this quote until I had kids of my own and finally “got it” – Daddy was right as usual.

So here’s to my dad who will live forever in my fondest memories.  I miss him so much but we still have conversations occasionally where we talk about the state of the economy, politics and life in general.  I know he’d be so proud of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren – they embody the best he had to offer.

And he’d love the fact that I have his license plate that proudly says “Keck”.

When I met Burl I was hoping to find someone to take me to dinner and a movie – standing at the altar and saying “I do” less than a year later was the farthest thing from my mind!  But fortunately I’m not always in charge of my life and I’m thankful God had better plans for me.

That dinner and movie thing – usually it’s me cooking dinner and then watching something on TV.  Wasn’t exactly what I was thinking but it does fit the general criteria!  We don’t go to a lot of movies because most of the stuff Hollywood turns out is pure crap.  Add to that our different tastes in movies and the field gets even narrower.  Plus these things aren’t cheap – even when it’s rush hour and we’re seniors!

Since we were still supposed to be on a trip, our calendar was clear of obligations so Thursday I asked Burl out on a “date” for tonight.   We ended up going to Branson because the movie we wanted to see was no longer playing here.  Not a problem – I figured I could knit in the car while he drove but turns out he wanted to watch the US Open on the portable TV and I had to drive.  Serves him right that he couldn’t get reception on that handheld gizmo!

We saw “Sex and the City 2″ in a tiny theatre – Burl was 100% of the male audience population and the total attendance was about 20.  Don’t think they made too much $ off that show today.  We had read the reviews so weren’t expecting an Oscar-worthy flick which is good – we didn’t see one.  But it was fun – had some really funny lines – and some outrageous clothes and hair styles – and I rather enjoyed that Carrie and her friends are starting to age!

During the movie we heard what sounded like thunder and then rain but just thought we were hearing something else.  Nope!  That’s what it was – LOTS of thunder and rain.  We came out of the theatre to a true gully washer at which time I remembered that I had cracked the sunroof on the car to keep it from getting so hot.  Really smooth move.

When the rain let up, Burl got the car and we had dinner at the Bleu Olive in downtown Branson.  We’d heard so much about the place so our expectations were high – but even though the food was good, it wasn’t great and we doubt we’ll drive to Branson just to eat there again. 

Our rain gauge shows we got plenty of rain here while we were gone – which means we won’t need to water the garden or the flowers tomorrow.  Also means the weeds are growing wildly as I type – and after I spent over an hour weeding the garden this morning!

Shame on you weeds!  But at least I got my wish of dinner and movie today…………..

My last post left off in Asheville, NC while we were homeward bound on Sunday.  Knowing that we were going west and would get to see our grandson who was in Springfield really propelled us on Monday.  We made a stop at the Smoky Mtn. Knife Shop for Burl to tour the knife museum (seriously?  definitely not my schtick!) so I wandered into the kitchen collection and scored a couple of ceramic blade kitchen knives which made Ralph ecstatic – apparently she finds my kitchen much too un-gourmet for her tastes when she cooks here!

We had a picnic at a roadside park and pretty much used up our provisions except for some beer and water and except for pit stops we were constantly on the bike.  Burl had mentioned stopping in Paducah, KY but we breezed right past it and across the river and were back in Missouri.  Finally as we hit Sikeston I called a halt – 550 miles was plenty for the day and besides, I had just finished a good book (“North River” by Pete Hamill) and all my reading materials were in the trailer.

The good news was that after an incredibly long day on Monday, Tuesday was a breeze and we pulled into our driveway before noon only to be met by the world’s smartest and most beautiful dog (Mulligan asked that I write that) who was so excited to see us.

Much as I loved seeing his smiling face and wagging tail, the real reason we were excited to be back was to see our darling grandson, Devin, and his mom, Annie. 

They had arrived in town last Wednesday after we were on the road so seeing them was the best bonus to coming home early. 

Annie always says the real reason she returns is to eat – and as a native Springfieldian, she has her favorite places.  There’s Shanghai Inn 0n North Glenstone (which her parents owned years ago), Peking House on East Sunshine (now owned by her relatives), Mexican Villa, Steak and Shake and Andy’s Frozen Custard.

Since she hadn’t yet been to Mexican Villa, we made the ultimate sacrifice and met them there along with Tammy and Steve on Tuesday evening.  Even though the chips and sanchos enchilada style filled us to the brim, we had to end the evening with a visit to Andy’s. 

Devin displays his chocolate goatee

We had introduced Devin to that tasty treat last summer and he quickly got into a chocolate trance while he sat on the sidewalk at Andy’s and entertained everyone within sight.

Yesterday we were thrilled when Annie called and said he had requested time in our pool and to play with “Muggin”.  He’s like a little fish now and we had such fun just hanging out and enjoying him swimming around the steps and helping Mulligan retrieve his Kong which was constantly going into the water.  Annie reported that all the activity was sufficient to wear him out so he slept the entire flight to Phoenix.

My friends who blog may understand the dilemma I’ve had this week – I’ve wanted to blog but I couldn’t find a catchy title for a post.  When I walk, I usually compose in my head but I sometimes hit a block when I can’t find a title – such has been my problem for the last few days.  Finally decided to just ‘fess up and put something boring but honest in the “title” slot.

So for my few loyal readers who have asked for an update today, here you go.  Now I’m off to grab a paperback beach read and lounge in the pool.

If there’s one thing Burl and I have learned in life, it’s to always have a Plan B.  This trip has been a shining example of why and we are now on Plan HH – Heading Home!

We started our day with a visit to Myrtle Beach and before 9:00 we were walking on the beach and dipping our toes in the Atlantic Ocean.   Since our stop was brief we didn’t change into swimsuits but did take off our shoes and wade out a bit and feel the ocean and sand on our feet.

We headed south on the coastal highway and the temperature quickly climbed.  By time we rolled into Charleston before noon and stopped for lunch I felt close to heat exhaustion.  The temp was 100 degrees and I was melting fast.

Burl took one look at me, got me into a restaurant and made sure I had some cold water and said those three little words I longed to hear – “we’re heading home.”  Actually he just happened to say them first but I had already decided we needed to abort the trip.  We both were quite uncomfortable and knew it wasn’t going to get cooler as we went south and across the gulf.

The lunch break, water and food revived me and we decided to turn around right there and ditch any idea of touring Charleston and Savannah – we’ll save those for another time when it’s cooler.

We left Charleston about 1:30 knowing we had 270 miles to get to Asheville and figured that was doable with frequent water breaks – ETA in Asheville was about 6:00.  How wrong we were!  We encountered two major traffic stalls on I-29 both of which resulted in 30+ minute delays.  One was from a wreck and the other – who knows? 

Then just when we thought we were going to get some cloud cover to lower the temps, the rain came.  We quickly pulled under an overpass and got out our rain gear – just about the time the rain became a deluge and the hail started pounding the pavement.  Talk about a couple of drowned rats – that was us!  But the temps dropped by 20 degrees and for that we were thankful.

We’d already confirmed a hotel reservation in Asheville so as soon as the rain passed – about 20 minutes – we pressed onward, finally arriving about 8:00.  But we were safe and thanking God for the many blessings of the day.

We’re now 770 miles from home which means we should be petting Mulligan by sometime Tuesday afternoon.  And best of all, we get to see our grandson Devin while he’s still in Springfield.

Here’s hoping Plan HH works as predicted!

When we planned a trip to North Carolina, we knew one of our stops had to be Biltmore House in Asheville, NC.  We had reservations for the first tour of the day yesterday and were there as soon as the doors opened. 

Biltmore House - 246 rooms, 43 bathrooms

The sheer size of the place was overwhelming and we loved following the audio tour that gave us insight into the lives of George and Edith Vanderbilt and their daughter, Cornelia.

We were under the impression that George made his money from the railroads but a gregarious tour guide in one of the rooms filled us in on the “real” story.  As the youngest of 8 kids, George didn’t get a major inheritance from his dad – only about $10 million.  But he was his mother’s favorite and she left him a larger share when she passed away.  Even though George was a “trust fund kid” he had a knack for managing his funds.  When he bought 125,000 acres in the hills of NC, his land was half the size of Rhode Island – the hilly acres went for $.25 each and the flatlands were $2.00 per acre.

George started the home in 1889 – and by Christmas Eve, 1895 he hosted his first dinner party.  He met Edith in 1897 while sailing to Europe and they were married in Paris.  I tried to imagine the whole scenario – especially the first time she came to her new home in the mountains!  It’s still the largest home in the USA but I can’t fathom the extravagance of it at that time – any more than I could envision the women changing their wardrobe several times a day and traveling with 25-30 trunks.  Of course that was before the days of airline charges for each extra bag and airport security.

Vanderbilt’s heirs still own the home and even live on the grounds – only 8,000 acres remain on the estate – but their homes are carefully hidden back in the wooded areas.  The family is instrumental in restoring the mansion to much of its glory with quality reproductions of the wallpaper, window treatments and upholstery and the results to date are amazing.

As beautiful as the home is, the gardens were even more spectacular. 

A small, but beautiful, portion of the Biltmore Gardens

I loved that they had cell phone audio guides I could utilize as I walked through several of them.  The gardens and grounds were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (think Central Park in NYC) and according to the Biltmore staff, these are his favorite creations. 

I probably could have spent the rest of the day just strolling through the gardens but we also wanted to visit – and sample – the Biltmore Winery which was about 4 miles away from the “big house”.  The drive through the estate was fabulous and when we return, I want to rent a bike and follow some of the bicycle paths that wind around the house, winery and Biltmore Inn.  After a little wine, we had a light lunch at an outdoor cafe on the winery grounds – then sadly, it was time to continue our journey.

We briefly discussed putting in a bid on Biltmore House but decided we wouldn’t have enough funds left to clean the place or stock it with Charmin!  We’ll stick with our lifestyle of the poor and infamous.

A few miles out of Asheville, we got on the Blue Ridge Parkway with the intent of riding it all the way to Virginia.  The BR Parkway runs about 400 miles through the Blue Ridge Mountains and features spectacular views for a passenger – but not for Burl who had to concentrate on keeping the bike on the road. 

On the Blue Ridge Parkway

However, we hadn’t counted on only averaging 35 MPH and after about 80 miles, we exited to get gas and take a break and regrouped.  Made the executive decision to stick to a blue highway that made better time in getting us to VA. 

Our time in Virginia was short and sweet but we did make a brief stop in Mouth of Wilson, VA which we voted the best-named town so far on this trip.  I’ll have to see if I can find some info on the origin of such a strange name.

We ended the day in a small town in northern NC along I-77 where we found a cheap sleep, ordered a pizza and then were almost too tired to eat it at 9:30.

Today we had planned to go to Charleston but soon learned that thanks to the Spoletto Festival, a vacant room was impossible to find.  On to Plan B – Myrtle Beach!  Again, the “no vacancy” responses were all too common so we settled on Conway which is 15 miles inland.

Good thing we had a reservation because by time we had a picnic and left Florence about 2:00 we encountered bumper-to-bumper traffic heading east.  Seems half of the east coast wanted to go to Myrtle Beach today.  At our picnic spot we met some people who have a condo in Branson – I remarked that Pigeon Forge, TN reminded me of Branson on steroids and they warned me that Myrtle Beach is Pigeon Forge on steroids.  Can’t wait!

It took us 2.5 hours to go the last 70 miles and I appreciated that Burl didn’t tell me that the temp was hovering at 100 degrees most of the afternoon.  Our inn looked pretty inviting and it didn’t take us long to settle in – I hoofed a block to get a 6-pack and soon we were lounging by the pool with a cool brew.

We decided we didn’t want to get back on the bike to go eat which left us with two options – a Chinese buffet next to our lodging or leftover pizza and beer in our room.  Yep, the beer and pizza won!

Tomorrow we’re planning an early start and hoping the traffic in Myrtle Beach will be light on a Sunday morning.  We want to walk along the beach and then ride the inter-coastal highway south to Charleston and possibly on to Savannah.

The open road awaits ………….

Breakfast stop in West Plains with Nancy, Larry and Burl

It’s trip time again for us – left yesterday morning with our friends, Larry and Nancy, on our motorcycles. We headed east on 60 and by noon we were having a picnic at the Kentucky Visitors Center just across the state line.

Around 4:30 we hit Nashville – perfect timing for rush hour traffic along with dark clouds rolling in.  We stopped at a Mickey D’s to put on rain gear and regroup.  Our reservations for the night were another 30 miles down the road in Lebanon – did we cancel them and avoid the rain or take our chances and go on?  Either way we knew we’d face traffic – either yesterday afternoon or this morning.   Finally decided to press on and an hour later were at our hotel and relaxing after 11 hours and 480 miles.

Today’s route started on I-40 but after we passed Knoxville, we headed south through Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg (think Branson on steroids!).  But as civilization was left behind, we entered a canopy of trees covering fabulous winding roads through the Smoky Mountains. 

The view is great from the back of the bike - especially coming out of a mountain tunnel.

We had ridden part of this road several years ago but still the views of the smoke rising from the mountains was breathtaking.  Our route took us into North Carolina, through Maggie Valley until we reached Waynesville where we are spending the night with Larry and Nancy’s son, Justin and his wife, Jessica. 

Their home is up in a wooded area and the view is spectacular.  After being on the bike all day, I decided I needed to take a walk – and I had two choices, up or down!  Chose to climb up at the start of the walk and was glad I did – it was steep and curvy but got my heart rate pumping quickly.

We cooked out tonight and enjoyed a late birthday celebration for Larry – then sat on their deck and took in the cool mountain air.  The homes in this area don’t even have air conditioning and I’m looking forward to sleeping with a window fan.

Tomorrow we head over to tour the Biltmore and then ride north on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Virginia.  Sadly, we will say “good-by” to Larry and Nancy.  Nancy had a bum knee that’s not compatible with long rides on the bike so they have decided to return to Springfield.

We’ll probably stick with most of our planned route but knowing us, that’s subject to change at any given minute given our whims.

It’s an open road and we’re heading for an adventure!

L-R HR Shaw, Linda Cloud, Barbara Elliott, me, Carolyn Dye

At my last high school reunion, several of us mentioned that we needed to start meeting more often than every 5 years.  Many of us have now upgraded to Life 2.0 and you would think that without pesky day jobs, getting together would be a cinch.  NOT!

We all have activities that make a day at work seem like a breeze but now our time is filled with grandkids, volunteer work, traveling and unfortunately, health issues.  But get us together and we’re immediately transported back to the halls of Fulton High School and don’t think we’ve gotten a day older – just wiser!

Today five of us met at the Lake of the Ozarks for lunch and the conversation and fun never lagged.  Barbara and Carolyn live in Columbia so Barbara began the chauffeur duties by picking up Carolyn and then swinging through Fulton to get HG and Linda.  I drove from here and we all met at the Marshall’s Superstore because we can all use an excuse to shop!  I actually won the shopping award because I bought 2 pair of Birki’s and a swimsuit but will return 2 pair of Birki’s in Springfield and the return is more than I spent today.  Even Burl is convinced that I got paid for my efforts!

We timed our day for a late lunch so we were able to sit on the patio at Stockton’s and take our time eating and visiting without making other diners wait.  Of course we were probably pretty obnoxious with our raucous laughter but I doubt any of us cared – we were together and that’s what mattered. 

Carolyn, Barbara and I have known each other since pre-school so our history runs really deep – plus Barbara and I have such wonderful shared memories of all our years in Girl Scouts and especially the National Roundup in Button Bay, VT many moons ago. 

Linda and I have fun remembering our senior year of high school when we regularly cut study hall which was bisected with our lunch time – most days we recruited another rebel, took off in Linda’s car and just “forgot” to return for the rest of study hall time.  Until today I had no idea Linda was at risk of graduating for cutting so many classes!  HG married Dale who was in our class (she was two years behind us) and we all mourned losing him to cancer earlier this year.  Dale was always one our favorites in our class and even more so when he married HG.  Burl and I will be forever indebted to them as they helped find our first GoldWing and we enjoyed lots of good riding with them.

As we left the restaurant – planning to part ways and head home – everyone wanted to see my new Birki’s and as a semi-professional shoe-aholic, I was happy to oblige.  I opened the trunk of my car, showed off my finds, excited the others to make a return stop to Marshall’s and get their own sandals – and promptly closed the trunk lid WITH MY KEYS INSIDE!  The minute the latch shut, I knew I was up a creek!

As dear friends, none of them would think of leaving me stranded.  I called my insurance company to see if I had roadside assistance (nope, not on my car – don’t travel with it much) and then Barbara got a phone book from the restaurant and I called a locksmith to come rescue me.  At this point, ever-the-Girl-Scout Barbara opened the back of the van and started handing out bottles of cold water and then brought out her basket of provisions and tried to feed us all! 

Barbara demonstrates the Girl Scout motto - Be Prepared!

There wasn’t much more to do than hang around Barbara’s van and continue visiting which is what we were doing when the security officer came by.  Our new best friend!

He couldn’t open the car for us but told us the Osage Beach Police Dept. will open them for free.  That’s all I needed to hear!  I cancelled the high-dollar guys and called Officer Friendly who was there in 5 minutes and soon had the car open for me.

While we were waiting, I had called Burl and he reminded me I could get to the trunk from the back seat.  HELLO!  If I could get to the back seat, I wouldn’t have been trying to get the car doors open.  I’m thinking he was having more of a blonde moment than I was today!

With keys in hand, we got in another 5-minute round of hugs and goodbyes and I headed south thinking about our conversations and wishing we could have had several days to visit instead of a few hours.

Here’s to life-long friends and remarkable women – I was in their company today and I was blessed.