Smoke Signals and other news
This week, I tried a new adventure. My daughter, Ellen, and her family, who live in Georgia, could not work in a trip to Mississippi this summer, so I decided to drive 600 miles to visit them. I can assure you it is hot in Georgia, too.
This meant I would drive through Birmingham, which I had not done in more than twenty years, and then Atlanta, which I had not done since the 1980s. Knowing both cities have grown a great deal. I chose a route that avoided Atlanta, but still tackled Birmingham. It entailed many miles of four-lane highways with varying speed limits. However, this did give me a chance to see many small towns.
Rather than boarding my little dog, Charlie, I decided he would be my traveling companion. He did very well visiting the dog walk areas at the various stops and the hotel where we stayed. I even let him venture out at Love’s Truck Stop because it was too hot for him to stay in the car. He pranced around like he owned the place and was very well-behaved.
My kids insisted I stop along the way and stay at a hotel. If I had managed to leave earlier in the day, I could have driven straight through. One of my kids even kept up with my location by using the application Life360, which in some ways is comforting. Life360 is a great app for family members to know your location while traveling.
The next day, I made a slight detour to visit Beth Rosales. She has been a friend since fifth grade. Beth settled in Georgia many years ago.
Even though we have not physcially seen each other in years, we picked right up where we left off. We visited for a few hours, went to Beth’s hair appointment, picked up lunch, returned to her house, and ate. “Charlie,” my sweet dog, stayed with her husband, Val, while we were out.
When Charlie and I arrived in Georgia, he knew where he was when we arrived. He jumped out of the car, ran to his favorite spot to relieve himself, and headed to the front door as though to say (if he could talk), “Here I am. Why haven’t you opened the door already?” He was so excited to see them and has been “King of the Castle,” since we arrived. Charlie weighs 16 pounds, and Ellen’s dog is over 100 pounds, but he holds his own with Bentley.
I have enjoyed watching Landon’s football practice, watching the front yard softball practice with neighbors, working puzzles, watching the kids ride their bikes, and having my granddaughter, Olivia, read to me (Landon’s turn is coming). Does this sound boring to you? For me, it is priceless.
I am treated very special here. Most mornings, nine-year-old Olivia makes my breakfast, and Matt or Ellen makes lunch and dinner. Landon will be making a meal soon.
We went out for dinner one night to Treylor Park in Savannah. If you are ever in the area, make a point to stop in this unusual little place. The food is different, such as bacon hamburger tacos and deepfried chicken pot pie. If you order nachos as an appetizer, they will bring you golden waffle fries with several toppings. You won’t be disappointed.
We were off to the movies on Saturday night in a small theater with one screen. I can now say I have seen a Minion movie. Cute.
The family has moved into Copperhead country. Together with the neighbors, they have killed ten copperhead snakes this summer. One was on the neighbor’s doorstep Friday night, blocking the entrance to the house and the ability to get to the garage to get a tool to dispose of it. It became a neighborhood project to dispose of it. My son-in-law, Matt, usually handles such issues, but he was in Texas visiting his grandfather, who is not well. I thought I was going to have to take action for a while, but one of the men finally stepped up and took care of it. The new subdivision backs up to wetlands and has many trees, making it a perfect environment for these creatures.
By the time you read this, I will be back home, but I will report any other adventures from this trip.
Please share your news with me at jchwagg@gmail.com or text or call 901 246-8843. You can message me on Facebook as Clair Wagg.