LAST OF THE TRIP POSTS

Ok, just one more trip post then it will be back to stories. Now I have previously stated that my brother does not want his picture on the Internet for perverts to photo shop naked bodies to his face. Thus there will be only pictures of scenery in this post. I tried to tell him they put really fantastic bodies on the stolen faces but he insists that is not his thing. I hear you Jim. So I will periodically interject people less pictures. Just imagine that my brother looks a lot like me, only taller ( isn't everyone) and I have a bunch more hair.

Jim and Shirley were camping on Lake Seminole which is a really beautiful lake in south/west Georgia very close to Florida. There was a really easy way to get to the Army Corp park but it was not as the crow flies and I decided to try a more direct route. As there was not a physical address, I could not use the GPS. What looked like a straight road to the area turned out to be one of those "you can't get to there from here" types of routes. The lake was 20 miles long so I had to do some serious back tracking.

I had driven quite late the previous night before stopping so I would have just a short hop to his site and we would have more time to spend together. Now, as I kept stopping and asking directions from some really clueless residents, I was eating up the morning and all my saved time. After one really bad set of directions from a fellow who admitted he only knew the area immediately around him, I began to see the wisdom of men who will not ask directions. You might have something fellows.

Beautiful Lake Seminole

Eventually, we connected. Jim was thrilled for I brought lovely sunshine with me. They had spent 21 cold, sunless days there till I arrived. What a blessing. The sun stayed out the whole two days I spent with them.

Sadly, there was a constant buzzing of helicopters overhead most of my stay. A duck hunter had been swept over the dam and there was a massive search underway. The last I checked, he has still not been found and is presumed dead as he was seen being sucked under the turbulent waters. He was a relatively young man and I felt so badly for his family.

On the first day, Shirley and Jim asked me if Mighty and I would like to take a walk. "Sure," I said and hooked up the Mighty one to his leash. We started walking around the lake when Shirley said,"By the way, we are walking to Florida."

Now my brother and his wife are a few years older than me but VERY active. When they are in Florida each year, they bicycle ride close to 1000 miles. 'Crap,' I thought, 'they are going to kill me.'

Turned out the state line was only a mile and a half away. Phew.

During the walk, Mighty got a new name. Jim was amazed at how many times Mighty could pee on anything that stood 6 inches high. Mighty marked his territory from Georgia to Florida. Jim would check and sure enough, Mighty could manage a dribble each time. Finally the little guy could no longer squeeze out a drop out but he continued to hike his leg and try.

"I see you have a French dog." Jim said.

Puzzled I asked, " A French dog?"

"Yes," he said, "Pee air."

I loved it and needless to say, Mighty was called "Pierre" the rest of my stay.

I stayed in a motel while I was there as Jim has a large RV but it is still an RV and I thought "Pierre" would be better served if we had some quiet time in a motel. Oddly, the motel was 2 miles away, but in another state and a different time zone. Confusing.

Really close Canadian geese.

Beautiful sky

Ducks on golden pond

I really had a great visit with Jim and Shirley and saw some beautiful sunsets while there. Also, the Canadian Geese were practically tame.

Inmate lights

There were some beautiful lights across the lake and we wondered what they were. As I drove to the motel in the evening, I solved the mystery. It was a correctional facility we were admiring. A big honkin jail and my motel was almost directly across the highway. They sure do light those places up. I don't know how the inmates sleep.

Jim called yesterday and he is now in south Florida. He wanted me to come visit them for he said as soon as I left Georgia, the weather got grey again and now it was really cold in Florida. Gosh, I wish I had those powers he thinks I have. I could hire out.

I really did have wonderful weather the whole trip and glory be, I am getting my snow now that I am home. It is so beautiful and I am ever grateful it waited for me to get back. My luck and timing has been impeccable. This whole trip has been a blessing.

Ok folks, that is the end of my road trip. Thank you for bearing with me as I dragged you along. This has been entirely too reminiscent of "My summer vacation" back to school theme. Stories next post, promise.

It is 4 degrees this AM in the Ozarks with unknown, below zero, wind chill (Not sure I want to know exactly). Every time I go out and return to a nice warm house, I feel truly blessed. Stay warm folks, it looks like we are all in this together.