Home from Paradise…

This is a segue into the continuance of my whirlwind "vacation." I just got off the road after driving 295.6 consecutive miles all afternoon. That was almost exactly the length from the beach to my house according to the odometer on my CR-V. I am tired and glad to be home and must drive an additional 300 miles tomorrow to Savannah. Charlie had to be in to work tomorrow morning in Dadeville and wanted to head for home a little early.

The beach was wonderful. Friday night I lay downstairs on the sofa in the darkened room after everyone had retired to bed and opened the two glass back doors leading to the back deck. The ocean was only a hundred yards from the house. You could hear the waves softly crashing and the light of a full harvest moon poured into the living room adorned by a cloudless sky. It was probably one of the most pleasant and peaceful evenings I have ever experienced in my life. I was soon fast asleep and slept until daybreak when my brother’s daughter came bounding down the stairs from her bedroom to watch Clifford the Big Red Dog on the television.

Saturday we spent all day at the beach swimming and laying about reading books upon beach towels. The water was still bathtub warm and wonderful. There is something so refreshing by swimming in the ocean. Charlie couldn’t sit still and took Randall shopping for Dora the Explorer dolls and then came back to the beach house and gave it a thorough cleaning. He is the type of person who must constantly stay busy. He tires me with his activity.

My brother and father stayed in the beach house all day watching football which kind of perturbed me. Yes, I can see watching the Auburn game, but watching five games all day when you are at the beach? Outlandish!!! My father also spent most of the time constantly talking on his cell phone which drove me and my mother crazy. I would have just quietly thrown the thing away when he wasn’t looking if I had the balls to do so.

Saturday night we grilled enough ribeye steaks to feed a small army. I and Charlie did the cooking. Charlie has this special sauce for steaks he makes out of butter and A-1 sauce and it is scrumptious as a basting. We also roasted some potatoes with garlic, salt, cracked pepper, and olive oil. I then made a pan of steamed broccoli in a lemon, garlic, and butter sauce. My sister-in-law and mother made a Caesar salad that was to die for to accompany our meal. I love an authentic Caesar and salads in general.

This morning was a quiet morning spent on the beach reading and smoking my pipe as I people watched. I was amazed at some of the scantily clad women who walked by in front of me as I sat in my beach chair. “Lingerie is less revealing,” I thought to myself amused. I would be lying if I said it was unappealing and not arousing.

I drove us on home after a lunch of fried oyster po-boys and fries. Charlie and his son slept the whole way leaving for me a very quiet and tranquil car drive home (I *heart* my CR-V!). I still get tired by driving such distances though despite having a wonderful to drive car.

Well, I must go get ready to start another leg of my journey in the morning. I am going to wash a quick load of clothes, catch up with Carolyn about tomorrow and our plans, and then go to bed early. I really need some rest ASAP. I am dead tired already. This is not my idea of a vacation. A vacation to me is pitching my tent in the woods and going camping or hiking for a week; a week of reading, smoking my pipe, drinking coffee, camp cooking, and listening to the radio. Not all this constant driving and running around to different locations. I am sure I will be completely exhausted come Thursday evening when Carolyn and I arrive home.

P.S. - Jimmy James didn't get jack shit accomplished on my laundry/utility room at my new home while we were gone. He did get the 2 X 4 frames ready for the windows, but that is all. I was dissapointed. Charlie is going to raise hell come tomorrow he said. That was the first thing I and Charlie did when getting back into town this evening was to go look at my house.

"That son of a bitch has probably been drinking beer and watching those fucking boring football games all weekend," Charlie told me. "I am going to have to go poke a stick up his ass tomorrow."