cherished

You know what would have been nice during this whole hurricane thing? Having someone call me and tell me they were coming to ride out the storm with me and help me with the prep, because the yard stuff is a bit overwhelming.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't for even one second entertain the notion that it would ever happen; I knew it wouldn't. But it sure would have been nice to feel that anybody on this earth actually cared enough to think about it.

I used to be cherished. You know what Taz did once? We were living in California and I was going to be singing a solo in an upcoming concert with my chorus. He was going to be away on the East Coast for 2 weeks for important business so he was going to have to stay there for the weekend and would miss my solo. It would have been too hard to fly 6 hours home and then turn around the next day and do another 6 back to the east.

I was ok with it, I really was and even if I hadn't been, I NEVER would have told him so. I didn't want him to be the least bit distracted for his meetings so it was no big deal. 

However, he surprised me (totally) by arranging to fly back home on Saturday afternoon, attend my concert and then fly back Sunday morning. He had considered just showing up at the concert unannounced but decided that might throw me off and mess up my solo so he came to our house a few hours before so that I could get over my shock. I was SO surprised and shocked and thrilled. All of my fellow chorus members were pretty surprised to see him there too because they'd known he was away and felt bad that I wouldn't have anybody in the audience for my big moment.

That made me feel cherished beyond belief and I never forgot it. I was forever grateful that he had put himself out that way and thought about it on his own, knowing that I would much rather have him out in the audience than 3000 miles away. He actually said that he never, not for one minute, considered not being there. That meant more to me than just about anything he did for me over the years.

Taz wasn't a big romantic and these types of events were few and far between but for over 3 decades I always knew I was important to someone on this earth and now I'm not and probably never will be again and that makes my heart hurt in ways I never knew it could.

day 2

I did a little hurricane prep today, I went shopping for snacks!

But first, I went to Epcot again so Day 2 of Quest for the Coasters is in the bag. Only 2 more days to go!

I was just going to go in and out, I was trying to beat the rain but then I got there and the clouds didn't look nearly as menacing as they had on the drive over so I decided to risk it and try a few more things at the festival.

This year they have a cheese challenge - try 5 different cheese offerings and then get a free cheesecake. I'm a sucker for cheesecake so I tried 2 of the options tonight.

Cottage pie

and black pepper boursin souffle with a really yummy fig topping.

I loved both of these and would order them again even if I wasn't getting free cheesecake.

I also tried another first

This is me trying the infamous Beverly soda from Italy that so many people think is disgusting. Maybe I'm weird (ha, no maybe about it) but I kind of liked it. I mean, I probably wouldn't want to drink a whole bottle of it but I would drink it again. I finished my whole little cup. I don't see why people hate it so much. 

I stayed at the park for about an hour. That's about all I can stand of being by myself. After that I start to look at all the other couples with envy and that's when I know it's time to go home.

Except I didn't go home. I decided it was finally time to do a little hurricane shopping so that I wouldn't be stuck in the house for days with no snacks. I can't even imagine how awful that would be.

The Walmart shelves were seriously stripped bare - no bread or water and barely any chips (oh no!) but I managed to find enough snacks to keep me happy next week. I bought way too much sugar but hell,  food is all I've got in my life so, at least for a few days, I'm going to eat my feelings and indulge myself. I'll go back to being a good girl after this is over and hey, I still have veggies left over from last week so I can make healthy smoothies from time to time to balance it all out. Plus I got guacamole which is made from avocados which is full of the healthy kind of fat so that will make everything better. Right? Heck, I feel healthier just thinking about it!

The latest forecast is actually looking a little better for us in that it's moving a bit east which means it might be more of a coastal event and not affecting us so much. It's also slowing down so while it was first forecast to hit us on Sunday, now it won't really be here till late Tuesday or during the day on Wednesday. So I have no idea when I'll be back at work. Not the vacation I would have chosen but hey, I'll take it. I am SO glad I didn't cut my cable yet. I was planning on disconnecting the cable tv because I can't afford it (even though the thought pretty much kills me because it's been such a comfort to me all these months) but I decided to wait until the middle of September so I could get the whole Internet thing figured out and I'm so glad I did. I can't imagine going through this storm without being able to keep an eye on the forecast or being able watch mindless stuff during all the long hours I'll be stuck in the house.

This whole hurricane thing is quite the experience. People panic and so even though nothing is going to happen for days, not only are stores running out of food, but it's very difficult to find gasoline. I tried to fill up my tank this morning at the gas station near my office and there was nothing available. I still had almost half a tank so it wasn't an emergency but it did cause me some stress throughout the day. Luckily I was able to find gas on the way home from work although I did have to wait in line to get it. So now I'm going to drive as little as possible for the next few days to keep that tank full just in case we lose power in the days following the storm and gas would be unavailable. 

I cried on the way home from work today, I have a feeling it'll be a daily occurrence during this event so I'm just going to go with it. It's not like anybody is going to be around to see me at my worst, just Charlie and she's used to it by now.

I promise, tomorrow I'm actually going to do some yard work to get the outside ready for the storm. Really, I will. I'm almost sure I will. Probably.

hurricane prep - day 1

The hurricane is all anyone can talk about these days. Someone posted that waiting for a hurricane is like being stalked by a turtle. You know it's coming for you but it's so slow.

There are so many things I should be doing, so many things I could do but I find myself not wanting to do any of them. Maybe I'm in denial.

Yesterday I got home from work and decided to swim instead of going to the store. I know the store will be so crowded and they are already running out of everything so it's just too stressful. Swimming is much nicer and it's so warm and humid lately that swimming is a real pleasure. After dipping in the pool I always sit outside to dry off and read.

Then, it was still fairly early so I said "screw it" and took myself off to Epcot for the opening of the Food and Wine Festival. Here I am enjoying a croissant aux escargots in France.

It's always the first thing I get each year at Food and Wine. I LOVE escargot so much and it's not something easily found on a menu around here. I have Taz to thank for introducing them to me, it's not like I grew up eating snails. I'm pretty adventurous food-wise (although not nearly as adventurous as he was) which is amazing considering I grew up in a real meat and potatoes household where Chinese takeout was considered exotic.

Last year, at Food and Wine, Disney was giving away a cutting board to each annual passholder on their 4th visit to the festival. Taz really wanted these cutting boards (we would each get one) and he was afraid they would run out so he made us get up early each day of the Labor Day holiday weekend and get over to Epcot so that we could get the cutting board by Monday. We were leaving the next Saturday for our California vacation and he didn't want to take the chance of waiting until we got back. I started calling the whole weekend the Quest for the Cutting Board and posted pictures on Facebook about our progress.

It turned out to be such a special time (and now a beloved memory) because we took the time to ride some rides we hadn't gone on in years, ate breakfast each day at a new place and we took a bunch of selfies that are so precious to me now. Taz was thrilled with his cutting board, he definitely thought it was worth every early morning. I may have been a little less enthusiastic about getting up early on the weekend and holiday but I sucked it up and did it anyway because it meant so much to him.

This year Disney is giving away sets of coasters that look very similar to the cutting board so I have determined to take up the challenge and have invented a sequel to Quest for the Cutting Board called Quest for the Coasters. I plan on doing all 4 visits within this holiday weekend in tribute to Taz. Of course the dratted hurricane is threatening to derail my plans but hopefully it won't.

So last night was my first visit and I obtained the very much sought after magnet. My second visit (tonight) and third will be short ones, I basically just need to scan my band to enter the park and it records that I've been there. I will probably hang around long enough to get something to eat or drink and then head back out till the next day. Then on my Sunday morning visit, I will obtain the prized coasters!

Last night, after eating my escargot, I followed my usual pattern of getting ice cream in France and then walking over to Morocco to eat it. Taz LOVED Morocco and I love how you can lose yourself in the scenery and be transported back in time.

Isn't it such a special place? I love the whole atmosphere.

After a happy time in Morocco, I decided to head back home. I'm lucky that I live only 20 minutes from there so I can get back home quickly and still have some time to relax on the couch before it's time for bed.

So, I didn't end up doing any hurricane prep yesterday. Today I tried to find gas and the station near my office was completely out. That's a bit worrying. I'll run out later this morning and try again but there comes a point where you have to stop because you're using up all your gas looking for gas. I'm supposed to go visit my mother tomorrow but I won't be able to if I can't fill up. At least she's in assisted living now so she's taken care of during this storm.

I'm trying to be all brave about this but I cried again on the way in to work. I guess all of this brings up vulnerabilities that I would rather keep buried. And now the storm isn't supposed to hit till Tuesday so I have days of this to go through still. Can't wait.

hurricane?

On any given day, I think I'm doing pretty well. My sister asked me how I was doing over the weekend and when I answered "good" she cocked her head and gave me a "tell me the truth" look but it was the truth. I'm feeling strong (or numb, not sure which) and rarely cry these days. I'm more focused on the future than I am on the past.

And then a teeny, tiny little thing like a hurricane comes along and BOOM! I'm right back feeling tiny, overwhelmed, vulnerable and alone.

See that black dot that says 2PM Mon? That is literally right over my house. Now it's still early days and as of this morning the path was going slightly south in some of the models but other models are still predicting it will come right over me.

I've been through this before - 2 years ago Irma wasn't expected to come right over us but it did. That was the scariest thing I've ever been through, even Taz was concerned. It happened around midnight so it was dark and it was loud and it lasted forever. Even after the hurricane moved off, the wind kept going for hours and with each gust I could hear things ripping off my house. We ended up getting a whole new roof and having our enclosure completely re-screened because so many things had been destroyed during the storm.

So, since that's my most recent hurricane memory, it can't help but affect the way I'm reacting right now.

Except this time I'll have to do all the outside prep and ride out the storm by myself. And, I'm sorry, I know I should stop feeling sorry for myself, but it just makes me want to have a little toddler tantrum. I wish I was stronger, I really do.

I've learned my lesson, of course. I post funny hurricane memes on Facebook but I won't share my feelings because nobody gives a damn and this is just something I have to deal with by myself.

The hardest part about a hurricane is waiting for it. We all get several days of advanced notice and then we wait and panic and search fruitlessly for water. I have some prep things that need to be taken care of before the storm gets here:

1. buy snacks - this is THE most important aspect of a hurricane. You're stuck for hours in the house and you're going to get hungry and vegetables just aren't going to cut it

2. stack outdoor furniture by the sliding glass door - Taz taught me well and although I've never done it by myself (and probably won't organize it as efficiently as he always did) I'm sure I can at least get everything in a clump under the porch roof so that it won't be lying around waiting to become a projectile

3. bring any loose items inside - fill up the big tub in the master bathroom with all the pool toys

4. gather up loose branches and at least put them into garbage bags so they can't blow through a window

5. trim tree branches - I won't be able to do this because I don't have the right equipment but I wish I could because I fear they'll break off and break a window or hurt my car

6. fill up bathtubs with water so that it can be used to flush toilets if necessary - I've done this with every hurricane and never needed it but, rest assured, if I skip it this time it will become a problem

7. buy more snacks - you can never have too many bags of chips

This was my snack table for Irma 2 years ago. I held off eating anything until the rain and wind started - hours before it actually came over us - and there was still plenty left over when it was all said and done but it was very reassuring to know there were plenty of yummy things to eat while we awaited our fate.

8. obsess about whether it would be safer to park the car in the driveway or on the street

9. make sure all the flashlights have fresh batteries - gotta love Taz, he believed in being prepared so I have oodles of batteries

At least I have a better plan for a safe space this time around. They tell you to shelter in place in a room with no windows and as far from exterior walls as possible. Last time we identified 2 places - the laundry room (which isn't a room but more like a small closet and not comfortable for 2 people and a dog) and the walk in closet in the master bedroom. We ended up in the closet when the hurricane went over our heads but it's on an exterior wall so I was never completely comfortable with that idea. Last night on TV they did a report and the reporter talked about using an interior hallway and just closing all the bedroom/bathroom doors. Perfect! I have a small interior hallway that opens onto 2 bedrooms and a bathroom but if I close those doors then there are no windows nearby so we'll be safe from blowing glass. It's roomier than the closet (especially now with all Taz's clothes piled on the floor of the closet) so I can put pillow and blankets down and we could even sleep there if need be. That's safer than sleeping in my bed right next to 2 big windows. I feel a lot better finally having my safe space identified.

I had a little breakdown yesterday and cried, I'm sure it won't be the last time. I wish Taz was here, not that I'd want him to have to go through another hurricane but just because it's more comforting and even more fun to have him around. I wish I didn't have to do it by myself. I wish a lot of things but the bottom line is, it doesn't matter what I wish.

It is what it is.

Sweet Home Alabama

Now back to the story of my trip, sorry I got distracted by shopping.

I'm not going to lie, it was hard to walk into my older sister's house and know that she wasn't going to be there. I was dragging my feet but Charlie couldn't wait to get inside. She may not love the dogs but she adores and worships the cat. Stubby doesn't quite return the feeling although I do think Stubby enjoys the attention from Charlie. 

Once I got inside and started talking to my brother in law, it all felt normal and I was able to enjoy my visit very much. I enjoyed being surrounded by my sister's things, there are glimpses of her everywhere.

We spent a lot of the visit eating - grilling at my little sister's house, lunch on Saturday at an Asian buffet, steak at a local roadhouse. Since I don't go out to eat very often anymore, I enjoyed that almost as much as the company. We laugh a lot, share memories, cry a little. 

In between eating and talking, I spent time trying to sleep. I'm a restless sleeper whenever I'm in a new bed anyway but all I could do was toss and turn on Friday night. You'd have thought I'd be exhausted after the drive. Finally around 2am I gave up and ripped off the pajamas I was wearing because I couldn't stand them a moment longer. After that I promptly fell sound asleep and didn't wake up until after 6:30 which is pretty good for me. Saturday night I didn't even bother with them, I had learned my lesson.

One thing the South does better than anywhere else is biscuits! On my way out of town Sunday morning I stopped at the gas station we always filled up at and picked up this homemade egg and bacon biscuit and OMG, it was so good. I have never been good at making biscuits so I am in awe of anyone that doesn't end up with hockey pucks. 

I've spent most of my adult life researching the author of Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder. I was a founding board member of an academic association dedicated to her and put together a couple of conventions a few years ago. As it turns out, Laura and her husband Almanzo lived in the panhandle of Florida in the 1890s for a little less than a year. They were trying to find a place that wasn't as bitterly cold as South Dakota after Almanzo got sick. Unfortunately, Florida was much too hot and humid for Laura (oh how I relate) so they left 10 months after they arrived, never returned and Laura didn't have much nice to say about the area. However, it's a thrill for me to have a Laura site so close since all the other ones are in the midwest. So, as usual, I veered off the road a couple of miles on the way home to pay homage. It's a peaceful corner of Florida. Taz and I have picnicked there in the past.

It was an easy drive back home and I made really good time. I have discovered that I enjoy long drives as long as I am in control of the driving and there is nobody around to disturb my calm. I enjoy blasting the radio and singing along all the way down the highway. Now that I know I can do it, I will try to make my way to Alabama more often; I think my family needs me as much as I need them.

Next up - I have to figure out a time to get to the aviation museum in Georgia! I would have tried for this coming weekend since it's a holiday weekend but there's a tropical storm/hurricane headed our way so even if it turns out to be mostly nothing, it probably won't be good driving weather. After having lived through Irma 2 years ago, I don't take those things lightly and I'm really not looking forward to going through it alone.

shopping!

I used to have a bit of a reputation for shopping. It's totally undeserved, I swear. Ok, maybe a bit deserved.

In my 20s, when we lived in Virginia, there were a lot of malls and I liked to go to them. I was just figuring out the whole 'buying clothes for myself' thing and learning what I liked and what I didn't. What I didn't like were all the clothes my mother had picked out for me all my life so I may have gone a little crazy for a few years.

Then we moved to California and there weren't any good malls near where we lived and I fell out of the habit. We would drive up to San Jose a couple of times a year for me to go to the mall but it seemed like a foreign land, not nearly as fun as I remembered.

I have a weird style, there are so many things out there that I don't like that's it's often hard to find clothes and shopping can be a chore. I hate being trendy, don't like designer clothes but I will admit that when the trends catch up to me, which they always seem to do, it does make it a lot easier for me to find things I love so I stock up.

So, when I walked into a store in Alabama last Friday and found a whole store of things I loved, on clearance no less, I may have fallen into a dream-like state and bought a few things.

Ok, maybe more than a few.

Seriously though, it was incredible! It's a chain store but I've never shopped there before. Why have I not? They had so many things I loved and all of them were under $15 so I could get this and that and that and this! Jeans for $13! Ok, so maybe the $11 pair of jeans was a mistake because it was way too big but it made for a very comfy pair of driving pants on Sunday. Of course, I was a little afraid they'd fall down around my ankles when I got out of the car...at least the $13 pair fit really nicely.

And the bras, so comfy and inexpensive but when I got home I realized they were push up bras. Don't know how much y'all know about brassieres but the push up kind are designed for the less well endowed woman to give her cleavage that she really doesn't have. I, on the other hand, have cleavage for days so a push up bra is not only unnecessary but it looks funny under regular clothes. So that purchase was a bit of a fail although if I'm ever on a date and I want to make an impression I can just wear that bra with a very low cut shirt and I'll be unforgettable. ;-)

I found this t-shirt and sent my sis a picture because I thought it represented her quite well. She snuck back to the store and bought one for each of us. I think she's trying to make a point, not sure what it is.

Not everything in the store spoke to me - I did not get the camouflage vest. That's a little too Alabama for me.

I did, however, get the camo shoes. Everybody needs a little Alabama, I guess. I like to wear things nobody would expect me to wear, to shock people a little bit.

Mostly, it was just fun to indulge myself a little and get a few new things. It was a mindless moment where I didn't have any problems or worries and I was just a girl in a store enjoying herself. Clothes are one way I express my personality and this store was just full of personality. It was so much fun. So I won't be able to get groceries for a week or two, it was worth it!

home

I made it back from the wilds of Alabama!

I know that I should have started packing the night before I left, I really should have, but I didn't. LOL I waited until Friday morning to throw a few things in my suitcase.

I'm a pretty light packer, I can pack for a whole week trip in just a carry on suitcase. Taz never wanted to check luggage so I had to learn to keep to the basics and only take one suitcase and the lessons have just taken hold over the years so I don't think I could overpack even if I wanted to. The hardest part of packing to stay in someone else's house is figuring out what to do about pajamas. I don't wear anything when I sleep at home but that seems a little dangerous under someone else's roof and I can never figure out what to wear that'll keep me decent while not feeling restrictive. It's a never ending battle and, as you'll see, I didn't get it figured out this trip either.

That's Charlie looking all sad next to my bag. She didn't know she'd be coming along.

Ok, I may not have had a lot of luggage but I do seem to have an excessive amount of car cups. The one on the right contains the smoothie I made for breakfast (complete with all sorts of vegetables and I really liked it - go me!) while the one on the left is actually Charlie's travel cup full of water, middle is something for me to drink when the smoothie ran out. Yes, I like pink - why do you ask?

I had a little trouble getting out the door. It was my only "blonde" moment of the whole trip but boy, it was a triple blonde moment.

So, I walked to the door, keys in hand with Charlie already on her leash, and then decided I wanted to take a hair tie to put in my pocket in case having it down was going to be too hot. Walked back into the bathroom to get the tie and noticed my deodorant still sitting on the counter which meant that I hadn't packed it and probably hadn't even used it yet. Traveling in the deep south in August without deodorant is a baaaad idea. 

So I had to take off my whole shirt to put it on, put the shirt back on, threw the deodorant in an open bag and headed back to the door.

Well shit, where are my car keys? Trudged back to the bathroom (dragging Charlie along on her leash) and yes, there were the car keys.

Ok, time to blow this popsicle stand. Out to the car and...crap! I had forgotten my smoothie. Back to the kitchen and no smoothie in sight...oh yeah, there is the handle dangling from my fingers. I had it with me all along.

Fouth time out the door was indeed the charm but by this time I was hot and sweaty and frazzled. At least there was no one around to witness the past 10 minutes. That's why I just told you all about it!  I would hate to keep all that fun to myself. :-)

After all that I got on the road and everything was delightful. There was no traffic to speak of. In fact, I had a hard time keeping my speed under 90 the whole way.

2 1/2 hours into the trip we made our first stop at a Rest Area so that both Charlie and I could take care of business. At that point I decided to take a picture of my feet, as one does, so that I could post something to Instagram about the open road. I have committed to posting a picture a day for the whole year and I sometimes run out of creative ideas and have to improvise. Don't judge.

I'm thrilled to report that I survived all that driving without crying. Usually long drives start me thinking and the tears start rolling. This time, about an hour and a half into the drive, I was following a line of thoughts that made me teary but I firmly stopped thinking those things and focused on something else. This was a hard enough trip, I didn't need to spend it sobbing.

My next stop, 2 hours later, was a cute Vietnamese restaurant that Taz and I loved. It's right off the Interstate in nowheresville Florida but their food is amazing. My little sis (she's really my niece but we're practically the same age so I've promoted her to sister) drove an hour to meet me there. She'd never had Vietnamese food before and was nervous about trying it, fully prepared to just sit there and watch me eat if she couldn't find anything that sounded good. Never fear, she decided grilled steak and shrimp over rice couldn't be too weird and ended up loving it. I had grilled pork and shrimp over noodles (pictured above) and it was delicious. I wish this place wasn't so far away, I would go there every week.

She and I followed each other the rest of the way (90 minutes) to her home town where I ended up going clothes shopping before even making it to my brother in law's house.

But that deserves its own blog post so stay tuned!

road trippin'

I've got a couple of fun road trips coming up. Sometimes I think I'm the most myself out on the road.

First up is a "fun" trip to southern Alabama. To say that Alabama is not my favorite place is an understatement. It's just a totally different world than the one I live in. The people are nice and all but they are so very southern and that's just not my thing. The only thing that keeps me coming back is my family who have lived there since I was in high school.

The food is mostly all fried so if you're trying to eat healthier you're pretty much out of luck. However, if you're not being good, there are tasty options. There is a bbq place there that's really nice and they sell the most amazing pound cakes. I'm drooling just thinking about it.

Charlie always enjoys her trips up there because my brother in law has several dogs and Charlie has become a member of their pack which means they all basically ignore each other. Every once in a while one particular dog gets bitchy and Charlie gets bitchy right back at her. Taz was always so proud that his little girl could hold her own and didn't back down. I was always a little worried there would be a fight but so far they have learned to tolerate each other. Charlie LOVES my brother in law because he gives treats all day long. She also likes their fenced in yard so that she can run around off leash. I like that too, gives me a break from the daily walks.

It's a long-ish drive - about 6-7 hours. I'm a pretty independent girl but I don't think I've ever driven that far all by myself so it's a little daunting. However, I'm sure it'll be fine and I'm looking forward to a trip without worrying about road rage. Because we did it so often, I have my favorite stops along the way.

I'll be meeting my little sister for lunch at a Vietnamese place that Taz and I discovered. It's in middle of nowhere Florida on the panhandle, not somewhere you'd expect to find Vietnamese food. I don't think the owner is even from Vietnam, I think he was in the US Army there and fell in love with the food. How ever the restaurant got there, it's really good. Taz was quite the food snob especially when it came to his own cuisine and he thoroughly enjoyed this place. I don't think my sis has ever eaten Vietnamese food so I'm going to point her towards things that will ease her into a new food experience. I'm thrilled that she's willing to drive 90 minutes to meet up with me and then we'll follow each other back to Alabama to start the weekend.

It will be my first visit there without Taz and Gari, I imagine there will be tears especially since it's the anniversary of Gari's death and I'm going there to be supportive of my family during this hard time. I don't think I could have made this trip a few months ago but I feel stronger now and this isn't about me, it's about them.

So, as a counterpoint to this kinda sad visit, I'm giving myself another road trip to look forward to later in September. I'm going on a book research trip to Georgia to see an aviation museum. Taz loved planes, especially planes from WWII. Through repeated exposure to aviation museums and television documentaries over 3 decades, he passed that love on to me. Although I prefer planes from the WWI era, I am fascinated by the timeframe of WWII and the 1940s, one of the reasons my book project is set in that era. My story centers on women pilots but the museum for them is in Texas which is not someplace I can visit right now so I was thrilled when I found a similar museum for WWII flight training in Georgia.

Women pilots went through exactly the same training as their male counterparts so this closer museum will really help with my research until I can find a road trip buddy for Texas.

I want to immerse myself in the world of flight training, see where they slept, ate, trained and played. That's my favorite part of research - trying to see life through someone else's eyes.

The museum is a 4 hour drive from my house. Since I can't take Charlie with me and stay overnight, I'm going to turn it into a day trip. I figure I can head out early, be there when the museum opens at 11, tour everything, take tons of pictures, and then get back on the road and get home before dark.

I feel like a broken record but, once again, this is something that would be way more fun with someone else tagging along. Taz would have loved it and I regret that I didn't make the trip with him. I could have, I discovered this place last summer but I put it off because I thought we would always have time later. Lesson learned.

So here's another thing I've always wanted to do but have put off - fly.

The picture above is a Stearman PT-17 which was the first plane most military aviators flew back in WWII. It was the training plane for both the men and the women. There is a company here in Florida that offers rides in the Stearman. This is a hands-on experience that recreates the first 6-8 lessons that a newbie pilot would experience back in the 40s. No doubt this would be invaluable in my research plus it would be wicked fun! Of course, it's not cheap, it's about $250 for a 30 minute hands-on flight so I'm going to have to save up for it but WOW, it's just one of those things I've got to do. I'll be doing it for Taz too, he always wanted to be a pilot but his eyesight kept him from it.

I guess I'll get to fulfill that dream for him.

But first, it's Alabama which is an experience all on its own. I once went into a Walmart there and, no lie, I think I was the only person in there not wearing camouflage. Ok, maybe that's a slight exaggeration but it makes for a great story, right?