September 28 – “The Trip Begins”

Today was the day we began.  After ten years of waiting and three months of wondering, this morning we left Galveston for a vacation.  The first stop was … well, Randall's.  We needed gas.  But then we started out East.  The ferry ride was our first event of the day.  We didn't have to wait at all.  In fact they pulled us around the three 18 wheelers in front of us.    All the way across we studied the map to determine if we would trust the AAA route or if we would make up one of our own.  It was a pretty intense moment – one which inspired me to opine, "Well, I'm not relaxed yet, are you?"  She wasn't.  Of course there's not much changing you can do to the boat ride.  So we actually began to look around.  And sure enough, within minutes we saw some dolphins playing.  They seemed to be making fun of the fishermen who were floating out in the middle of the waterway.  One of them was just standing there with his line up in the air and his cork waiting to be cast.  Guess he was admiring the dolphin show.    As we docked on the Bolivar side, I began to wax philosophic.  That is after I asked Chris if she was relaxed yet.  No.  Not yet.  I decided that some days I want to be a pelican.  Sit on a log and watch the funny people watch me.  And when I get hungry, jump in the water head first and not worry about what that looks like.  Yes.  I can fly in formation, you know, and it looks good.  But deep down what I really want to do is fly straight up for awhile, then shoot straight down into the water.  Splash.  Great fun.   Lunch at Jack in the Box in Winnie.  And then we got adventurous.  We decided to depart from the AAA route.  And strangely enough, we decided to take the fast lane.  Instead of going through a bunch of little towns we jumped on interstate 10 and zipped to Beaumont.    We found those back roads before too long, though, and soon we were rambling through Mauriceville and its famous eating establishment, The Rusty Rooster.  Yum.  Not today.  The Chat and Chew Bar BQ in Buna was tempting, but neither of us was hungry.  In Jasper Chris asked me if I was relaxed yet.  Not yet.  She thought she might be getting there because she had just noticed a quilt shop.  About the time we passed Silver Needle Quilts.  She didn't see that one.  But since I did, does that mean I'm getting close?  Where are the pelicans around here, anyway?   My favorite church name of the day was the Church BY Jesus Christ.  So does that mean he lives next door?  Or was he the general contractor on the job?    It finally began to get a little hilly.  In honor of Mom I said, "Oh, my aching back."  That proved to be somewhat prophetic, though.  When we got to Center, Texas, we had to stop for a walkabout.  By this time Chris was in her driving zone.  I was dozing and trying to follow on the map.  I finally gave up and turned on a dvd.  Like that would help me stay awake.  I actually almost put in a cartoon so I would have an excuse for falling asleep.    Finally had to put it away as we got close to Texarkana.  It was time to stop for the night, so I had to help look for a place.  As it turned out, we couldn't get to a hotel until we made the turn on State Line Avenue – the state border line.  The hotel was easy enough to get to, but we had no idea if we were in Texas or Arkansas.  We finally found an address in the room.  Arkansas it was.  Quick trip to Denny's for supper (where Chris once again asked if I was relaxed yet) and here we are in the room.  NCIS season opener.  Chris is excited.    Psalms 9:9-10 says, "The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."   Father, thanks for this opportunity.  It has a lot of promise.  Amen.