I was just re-reading my last post, and I saw that I told y'all that I'd leave Lacombe on March 12 and drive straight to Johnson City. Sometime in the couple of weeks between that posting and leaving I realized that I have 3 wonderful friends in Florida whom I haven't seen for some years, and if I didn't go while I was in the south it would probably be a very long time before I would get the chance to see them again. One (Kasie Shoaf Carlson) lives in St Petersburg; one (Jen Marks) lives on an island near Pass a Grille; and one (Katy Peck Wibert) lives in Lakeland. Easy peasy.
As I left Lacombe around 12:30 p.m. on the 12th, I anticipated arriving in St Petersburg late in the evening, probably around 10:30 or so. Kasie had made arrangements for me to stay in her friend's Airbnb room at no charge. (Thank you Kasie, and Fran!) Unfortunately for my plans, warning lights came on in the van, including a battery light and something that looked as though all the doors were open and I had a brake light out.
I probably drove further than I should have with these lights on, perhaps because my experience with warning lights is that they can be unnecessarily alarmist. By the time I got to Biloxi, I'd decided maybe I should get it checked out. It was Sunday, of course, so AutoZone seemed the best option. I like AutoZone. The people there have always been polite and pleasant, and usually very knowledgeable and helpful. The Biloxi AutoZone just off from Pass Road was no exception. The problem I did have arose when the device was unable to get a read on whether my alternator was working because the power in my battery was so low. The man who was helping me recommended a new battery.
(Now, if I were a better record-keeper, I would have been able to refer to something that would have told me that I purchased that battery back in the fall of 2016, and there was no reason for it to be completely unusable. But even as I write that, I'm not positive that I purchased a new battery last fall.)
Anyway, he sold me a new battery for about $110 and put it in for me. Once it was in, I started the car and immediately the brand new battery was reading at about 45%. Another customer, who had been standing around chatting with us, noticed that the belt between the alternator and the battery was deficient. I believe it was at that point that I said, "Maybe there wasn't anything wrong with that other battery." I think it's possible that the AutoZone man didn't hear me say it, but a feeling of wrongness pursued me.
I was sent down the road to a Firestone shop and advised not to drive any further than that. There, I was told that they would probably get a chance to look at it that day, but they might not finish it. I contacted Fran and Kasie and let them know that I would not be arriving Sunday evening. At first, I was really bummed. I was stuck in a place where I could only walk, where it was much colder than usual and very windy, and where the restaurants nearby were all about Waffle House quality. I hadn't really budgeted for an overnight stay in Biloxi, so I was thinking about sleeping in my van in the Firestone parking lot. I went out and sat in my car and tried to visualize it. If I did that, I wouldn't have power, so I couldn't charge my phone or use my CPAP. I wouldn't have access to a bathroom, so I'd have to walk a few tenths of a mile to the nearest Waffle House anytime I had to pee. It sounded pretty grim. So I booked a room at a nearby Motel 6 and started looking into getting a cab or Uber to the motel.
Just then, one of the guys who had been waiting on me at Firestone came out of the building and got in his truck. I flagged him down. He gave me a ride to the motel. And it was maybe the best Motel 6 I've ever been in. There was no carpet, which is sensible since it is right across the street from the beach. The decor was simply and spare, almost IKEA-ish. There was a sweet little table attached to the wall, with one bench seat and one chair. I was exhausted and ordered a couple of all beef hotdogs without buns and French fries for my dinner. The meal came from a place that would deliver to the motel. I watched a little TV and got a good night's sleep. In the morning, I contacted Firestone and was told my car would be ready around 9 or 10. I aimed for 9:30. This time, I did take a cab.
The car was finally ready about 11 a.m., and I was on my way to Florida. It was a very cold, rainy, windy day. Some of it was beautiful, and some was tension-producing. We northerners think of white-knuckle driving existing in snow and ice. Trust me, the rainy conditions in the Coastal South can cause white-knuckles, too. Driving into the Tampa/St Pete area along a very long stretch of highway under construction was demanding. Fran, my host, was at a concert, so he suggested that I visit a bar/restaurant called The Three Birds Tavern, because it is near his house. I did. The food was exceptional. I didn't have any alcohol -- more on that later.
The sun was out next morning, Kasie came to Fran's, and the three of us went out for a lovely breakfast. Afterward, Kasie and I took a stroll along the water and dropped in to the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Dali Museum. We enjoyed far-ranging conversation on topics of interest to both of us. When we returned to Fran's building, where my car was parked, we said good-bye and failed to get a selfie. I am extremely good at forgetting to visually document my adventures, especially my meetings with other people.
I zoomed off to Pass a Grille to meet Jen Marks next. Fran said it would only take about 10 minutes to get there. Originally, I had planned to leave downtown St Pete about noon for a 12:30 meeting, but Kasie and I got to talking, and I thought, "Well, it's only 10 minutes away." It was about 30 minutes, all told, especially with the major road construction going on on the surface roads. But Jen was patient, and it was absolutely lovely to see her and chat with her.
By the time we had finished our lunch, it was time for me to zoom off to Lakeland to see Katy, and so I did. Except for the nasty construction in the Pass a Grille area, traffic and driving were not too bad. I met Katy at her office, where she does accounting for a school system. She closed up the office, and we walked along a sweet lake, through the park and gardens on the other side, into a shopping area where we stopped for coffee, and back to the office.
As I left Lacombe around 12:30 p.m. on the 12th, I anticipated arriving in St Petersburg late in the evening, probably around 10:30 or so. Kasie had made arrangements for me to stay in her friend's Airbnb room at no charge. (Thank you Kasie, and Fran!) Unfortunately for my plans, warning lights came on in the van, including a battery light and something that looked as though all the doors were open and I had a brake light out.
I probably drove further than I should have with these lights on, perhaps because my experience with warning lights is that they can be unnecessarily alarmist. By the time I got to Biloxi, I'd decided maybe I should get it checked out. It was Sunday, of course, so AutoZone seemed the best option. I like AutoZone. The people there have always been polite and pleasant, and usually very knowledgeable and helpful. The Biloxi AutoZone just off from Pass Road was no exception. The problem I did have arose when the device was unable to get a read on whether my alternator was working because the power in my battery was so low. The man who was helping me recommended a new battery.
(Now, if I were a better record-keeper, I would have been able to refer to something that would have told me that I purchased that battery back in the fall of 2016, and there was no reason for it to be completely unusable. But even as I write that, I'm not positive that I purchased a new battery last fall.)
Anyway, he sold me a new battery for about $110 and put it in for me. Once it was in, I started the car and immediately the brand new battery was reading at about 45%. Another customer, who had been standing around chatting with us, noticed that the belt between the alternator and the battery was deficient. I believe it was at that point that I said, "Maybe there wasn't anything wrong with that other battery." I think it's possible that the AutoZone man didn't hear me say it, but a feeling of wrongness pursued me.
I was sent down the road to a Firestone shop and advised not to drive any further than that. There, I was told that they would probably get a chance to look at it that day, but they might not finish it. I contacted Fran and Kasie and let them know that I would not be arriving Sunday evening. At first, I was really bummed. I was stuck in a place where I could only walk, where it was much colder than usual and very windy, and where the restaurants nearby were all about Waffle House quality. I hadn't really budgeted for an overnight stay in Biloxi, so I was thinking about sleeping in my van in the Firestone parking lot. I went out and sat in my car and tried to visualize it. If I did that, I wouldn't have power, so I couldn't charge my phone or use my CPAP. I wouldn't have access to a bathroom, so I'd have to walk a few tenths of a mile to the nearest Waffle House anytime I had to pee. It sounded pretty grim. So I booked a room at a nearby Motel 6 and started looking into getting a cab or Uber to the motel.
Just then, one of the guys who had been waiting on me at Firestone came out of the building and got in his truck. I flagged him down. He gave me a ride to the motel. And it was maybe the best Motel 6 I've ever been in. There was no carpet, which is sensible since it is right across the street from the beach. The decor was simply and spare, almost IKEA-ish. There was a sweet little table attached to the wall, with one bench seat and one chair. I was exhausted and ordered a couple of all beef hotdogs without buns and French fries for my dinner. The meal came from a place that would deliver to the motel. I watched a little TV and got a good night's sleep. In the morning, I contacted Firestone and was told my car would be ready around 9 or 10. I aimed for 9:30. This time, I did take a cab.
The car was finally ready about 11 a.m., and I was on my way to Florida. It was a very cold, rainy, windy day. Some of it was beautiful, and some was tension-producing. We northerners think of white-knuckle driving existing in snow and ice. Trust me, the rainy conditions in the Coastal South can cause white-knuckles, too. Driving into the Tampa/St Pete area along a very long stretch of highway under construction was demanding. Fran, my host, was at a concert, so he suggested that I visit a bar/restaurant called The Three Birds Tavern, because it is near his house. I did. The food was exceptional. I didn't have any alcohol -- more on that later.
It's a watery sort of the place, the coastal south.
There are roadways that extend for miles over water -- bridges? There must be another name for them.
This is near Mobile.
More water.
And in this shot, the water is coming down profusely.
When I stepped out of the van at the restaurant in St Petersburg, the water was up to the bottom of my pants. Fortunately, the shoes are designed to get wet.
The sun was out next morning, Kasie came to Fran's, and the three of us went out for a lovely breakfast. Afterward, Kasie and I took a stroll along the water and dropped in to the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Dali Museum. We enjoyed far-ranging conversation on topics of interest to both of us. When we returned to Fran's building, where my car was parked, we said good-bye and failed to get a selfie. I am extremely good at forgetting to visually document my adventures, especially my meetings with other people.
I zoomed off to Pass a Grille to meet Jen Marks next. Fran said it would only take about 10 minutes to get there. Originally, I had planned to leave downtown St Pete about noon for a 12:30 meeting, but Kasie and I got to talking, and I thought, "Well, it's only 10 minutes away." It was about 30 minutes, all told, especially with the major road construction going on on the surface roads. But Jen was patient, and it was absolutely lovely to see her and chat with her.
A side view of the restaurant where we had lunch.
Here I am with Jen in the wind!
By the time we had finished our lunch, it was time for me to zoom off to Lakeland to see Katy, and so I did. Except for the nasty construction in the Pass a Grille area, traffic and driving were not too bad. I met Katy at her office, where she does accounting for a school system. She closed up the office, and we walked along a sweet lake, through the park and gardens on the other side, into a shopping area where we stopped for coffee, and back to the office.
One of the many beautiful lakes in and around Lakeland.
A particularly pretty duck. Do you know what kind it is?
Here I am with Katy before leaving Lakeland.
I said I'd tell you why I wasn't drinking alcohol that first night in St Pete. A few weeks ago, I decided to have a Salty Dog margarita at lunch with my friends in Bay St Louis. By that evening, I had a pain in my left hip/glute/lower back that was fairly excruciating. I hadn't lifted anything heavy or done anything physically crazy, so I had to think that something internal was out of balance. I looked up the body's meridians and decided it must be a kidney meridian. Fortunately, I posted this on Facebook, and Kasie corrected me that it was a bladder meridian. Either way, I knew I hadn't been drinking enough water (because I didn't like the taste of the water in Bay St Louis) and needed to increase it. Because I didn't have Jock Smith there to advise me, I decided to try some combination of urinary herbs from HerbPharm to try to help matters along. It took a few days, but eventually things got back to normal.
Lesson learned? Apparently not. In my travels, I had a glass of red wine with Fran on Tuesday night and another at Dave and Marty's on Wednesday night. By Thursday, I was having lower back trouble. It persists, but it's definitely getting better. It may be time to give up even occasional alcohol altogether.
I spent Wednesday evening in St Pete, sleeping on one of the most comfortable beds ever, at Fran's place. I got on the road early the next morning, heading for Columbia, SC, and the home of my aunt and uncle, Dave and Marty Sennema.
(Oh, I forgot to mention that disconnecting the battery to my car caused the radio to stop working. It's a safety feature, apparently, and some codes were needed to get it restarted.)
As I was passing through Jacksonville, FL, on the way to Columbia, I decided to try to find a Honda dealership where someone knowledgeable could quickly get my radio working again. I pulled into the service area, only to be told that they were completely swamped and I should try the Toyota dealership across the street. Those guys tried, but they couldn't figure it out. I finally realized that the 8-digit number the radio kept giving me when I manipulated certain buttons was the device serial number, not the code to restart it. Once I knew that, I was able to go on line and get the restart code. It was nice to be able to listen to the radio or a CD again.
I arrived in Columbia around 4:30 in the afternoon, had a glass of wine, and accompanied Marty and Dave to dinner in Still Hopes' lovely dining room. After dinner, the two of them went to choir practice at church. I had planned to attend, but as we left dinner I realized that I was pretty low on energy and opted to stay in the apartment and watch TV. I flipped back and forth between CSI and a TCM broadcast of Annie Get Your Gun. I did eat some ice cream that was in their freezer, so I went out to the grocery store and got some more, and then ate some more. Needless to say, between the wine and the ice cream, I was fairly hungover the next morning. But I did remember to get a selfie with Uncle Dave.
By 9:15, I was headed north with plans to meet Carol Janssen for lunch in Asheville. I had no problem finding the cute Cafe 64, but I was seriously underdressed. Even in Florida, I had been chilly, but as I went north I longed to put my hands on my winter jacket and the bag of socks I knew was packed somewhere in the back of the van. Even though Carol's wife, Jennifer, couldn't meet us for lunch, she invited me to stop by where she works at the Visitors Center for the Blue Ridge Parkway. I did so with delight, and purchased a Blue Ride Parkway hooded sweatshirt while I was there, which I believe I've worn every day since.
I arrived in Johnson City, TN, around 3:30 Thursday afternoon and brought the basics in to the great little guest house/apartment that Nancy Peterson and her husband have there. Nancy is in Michigan, unfortunately, so I don't get to enjoy her company; but I do get to enjoy her space and help clean up the yard for spring.
I had spotted a dog on Petfinder that was being fostered in Johnson City. With the help of lots of people at whose houses I would be staying, and my trusty character references, I got approved by the Australian Shepherd Rescue, under whose auspices Loki was fostered. But when I met Loki, charming as he was, I knew that we didn't have the chemistry, and that he was too much dog for me. I checked out rescues and shelters throughout the area, driving from one to another, asking questions about dogs, meeting them, and not finding anyone that felt right.
Friday evening, I looked at Craigslist. Now, it's not likely I would get an adult dog from Craigslist. I am not confident that the sellers are willing to be candid about the animals. But a puppy? Okay. I found someone that I believe is going to light up my life for a long time to come.
This is Archie. His mama is Australian terrier/Pomeranian, and his papa is Chinese crested, so he's a pretty exotic little guy. (The name just came to me and felt right, but if anyone asks, he's not named after Archie from the comics or Archie Bunker. He's named after Archibald Macleish.) So far, the evidence points to his being very loving and playful. He loves his stuffed hedgehog and runs through the apartment carrying it (even though it's almost as big as he is) and shaking it for all it's worth. Archie is only 9 weeks old, but we've already been having a lot of success with house training -- I guess we're mostly house training me to be vigilant and take him out anytime he finishes eating or sleeping. Still, I think he's getting the idea. He also sits before I feed him, and he's getting used to spending time in his kennel. At night, I put the (soft-sided) kennel up on the bed next to me. When I first put him in, he whimpers, and I put my hand inside the kennel till he quiets. I think it's all working pretty well.
I know it's important to socialize him, so I've been taking him out a lot. He's been to the Natural Pet Store and to PetSmart. I took him to a dog park but soon realized that there were a lot of disadvantages to that for someone so small. We didn't stay long. When we got back to the apartment, we went for a walk, which means I walked and carried him.
This is the view from the top of Ridgecrest Rd. Everywhere you go around here, you can see the blue mountains in the distance.
Here we are on our "walk."
This morning the sun dawned rosy right through the kitchen window. What a sight!
Today's adventure was a fairly short drive to Bristol, TN/VA, to see Charlotte Duncan, someone I met in Montana nearly a year ago, who was then on a similar adventure to mine. She had a motor home and was driving around the country. Because of our similar stories, we exchanged contact information. When she saw that I was in Johnson City, she mentioned how close I am to her, and I buzzed over to see her. We had a lovely afternoon, including a walk around her neighborhood,
This sculpted archway is in front of the relatively new public library in Bristol.
a cup of coffee at a little cafe, and a pleasant visit in her apartment. Now, you must know that Charlotte and I met while she was working in a retail store in Montana during her travels. We did not converse extensively at the time, but we knew that we liked each other. This visit only confirmed that!
Archie met Charlotte's cat, Malala. This was his first cat experience. It appeared to be a positive one.
We said good-bye to Charlotte and Malala around 4:30 and encountered the most traffic I've experienced around here on our way home, which was still not terribly offputting. It's a quiet evening. The sky is sharply clear, and the stars are very bright. Johnson City is a beautiful place.
I have more to tell you, but for everyone's sake, I'll post again in a couple of days. This has already been a very long post.
