OVERSTUFFED

Sunday. September 19

We woke under cloudy cool skies. It was fifty two.

The writer went to his laptop while the navigator began looking at maps to chart our way south, to Tennessee.

Later there was biscuits and marmalade for the driver and biscuits and fresh cooked tomatoes for the navigator.

While we ate Ted and Priscilla got company. They visited for a while and then went out to leave. Priscilla accompanied them, pushing Mr. Muggs in a doggie stroller.

This is a dog's life, riding in a DOG STROLLER, a gift from Priscilla's sister Barbara!

The navigator turned her attention to the kitchen and began cleaning and storing in preparation for the road tomorrow and the evening meal today. She got her rice cooker loaded and started, fixed some chocolate covered strawberries, thawed and began cooking some feral hog stew meat and sliced and stored a cantaloupe.

Tom loaded his pill boxes for the next six weeks and pecked on his laptop.

Outside he began checking on a water leak, again. Onie had suggested it might be the drain for the refrigerator. The driver and Ted had located what might be a drain, yesterday. Today the driver investigated further. What looked like a small rubber plug was covering the end of a piece of reinforced flex hose that was hanging down from the inside of the right rear wheel well, just in front of the wheels. Upon removal of the plug and closer examination it proved not to be a plug but a small filter. After washing it half a dozen small holes were apparent. Perhaps the refrigerator drained through them but being plugged up the water accumulated and wet the floor. With the aid of Onie the driver determined that it was indeed the refrigerator drain but it seemed it was somewhat obstructed. A mixture of hot water and bleach seemed to free the flow a bit but it was still not completely clear.

The driver stopped that work and went to take a shower that had been delayed long enough. It was two o'clock. The navigator followed him, shortly, while he made these notes.

Jim and Phyllis came by to say safe travel and adios. We hope to see them again soon, perhaps in Texas or at Castaway. They are a delightful couple and one we enjoy. A new acquaintance, Bill, came by to say so long as well. He was driving his restored bright blue Ford vintage pickup. The duals on it sounded very nice.

Back at the coach the driver continued working on the refrigerator drain. Using Ted's compressor, air hose and air nozzle he blew out the drain line, repeatedly, until water emptied into the line drained freely. Satisfied with the flow he put the tools up.

A neighbor of Ted's had planted a big garden in part of Ted's pasture. He had finished picking tomatoes some time back. Now the plants were still loaded with ripe and green fruit. With three Wal-Mart bags plus a small bucket the driver set out to harvest some as Ted had assured him they were just going to waste. At the garden and up close to the plants the driver could see hundreds of tomatoes that had ripened and fallen to the ground, only to rot. He got his bags and bucket and began picking. Several pounds later he had all he thought Onie could handle/process before they spoiled. He took them to the coach.

Ted was still working on his sidewalk project so the writer helped a bit before joining the ladies and Ted on the deck for happy hour.

Onie announced supper was ready at seven. Gathered round the table Barbara, Priscilla, Ted, the writer and Onie fell to on a grand meal of feral hog on a bed of wild, brown and white rice, sauteed zucchini, cucumber salad and hot Focaccia bread. Dessert was more chocolate covered strawberries. When the group pushed back from the table they were all like some furniture, overstuffed.

Talk was of plans to get together this winter in Florida, perhaps with Jay and Kay, and then go to Texas and Lake Road for some pig hunting.

At eight thirty the coach duo went to the Marlin where Onie began work on week sixteen, preparing it for posting. The driver wrote on today and week seventeen.

Outside it was clear and sixty two

By ten thirty the editor announced that she was ready for the writer to have a final look at week sixteen. He stopped working on seventeen and reread sixteen one more time, making a few small changes as he went. While he was reading the editor went to bed. He finished at eleven thirty and returned to week seventeen on his laptop. He hoped to have it finished in the next day or two.

When the writing juices ran low he stopped to look for the leak that had been plaguing us. Looking in the basement, with a flashlight, and removing panels and drawers he looked inside. He discovered where water had leaked, was leaking and where water had stood and was standing but never could he find the source.

At two thirty he gave up and joined the navigator in bed.

HEADED SOUTH

Monday, September 20

The driver rose at nine, half an hour after Onie. She was already on her second cup of coffee.

She warmed up biscuits and sausage to go with more coffee, for her, and tea for the driver.

With breakfast over the duo started getting ready for the road. The driver looked one more time for the leak, with no luck. He put a drawer back in and a panel back on before heading outside where he backed the Subaru in close to the garage and loaded it. Ted and Bob helped. Then additional things were loaded in the basement. When the packing was completed it was obvious Onie could have had one more day at Marden’s and Wal-Mart as there was still a little empty space in the basement.

Barbara and Priscilla came out to say goodbye and brought the dogs.

Mr. Muggs, Priscilla holding Miss Poppy, Priscilla's sister Barbara, and Rosie.

What a family!

Ted and Bob said goodbye.

Ted and cousin Bob with Tom.

Twelve thirty came and we were going down the lane

to the road where we turned right on Seventeen and headed toward Mexico. Overhead a bright sun shone through clear skies.

We both wondered where we would wind up tonight.

At Mexico we took the bypass, One Oh Eight, crossing the Androscoggins River next to the mill. We missed downtown and a short distance up the road picked up Two West. This was the way we came in several days ago. Now the leaves on trees were very pronounced in their coloring as fall approached. One could only imagine how brilliant and pretty the leaves would be in a couple weeks.

As we motored west with our next visit being to Gary, Kristin, Kyle, Rusty and Chance, perhaps we will get to see Tina, we knew we would be leaving these beautiful colorful leaves behind us.

Androscoggins River pretty much paralleled the road all the way up to Bethel , about an hour's drive.

Back among the White Mountains of New Hampshire at a quarter of two we were experiencing a very pretty ride. We had a couple of little interruptions with road work, flaggers, but there was no real delays. On long road trips construction is to be expected. We had just a little bit of a slow go because of the nature of the road, winding and hilly with nothing too steep or sharp, just very scenic.

We were still on Two West in New Hampshire. It was kind of like driving on a country lane except it was paved with a very good surface. It was just very narrow and tree lined with a canopy of leaves over the road.

One never knows what is around next bend in the road and we had lots of bends here to go with lots of wind. Our slow speed meant there was not a lot of trouble with it. We, passed a pretty little lake with a guy standing twenty feet from road, fishing.

Androscoggins River is still flowing here in New Hampshire, still next to the road. It is flowing east. Once again we crossed it as we drove in to Gorham, New Hampshire where we passed the Androscoggins Country Club that lies between the highway and the river.

Every time we see a golf course it makes us think of Gary.

Ted and Priscilla told us we should stay another week or ten days to see the changing of the leaves and apparently a lot of other people feel like the changing is near at hand. From the looks of the motor homes, fifth wheels and trailers headed east we are going the wrong direction. Onie noted that leaves in New Hampshire seemed more brilliant than those in Maine. It may just be different kinds of trees or perhaps a difference in the degree of light and/or temperature.

Turning onto Fifty Nine at two thirty in Lancaster, New Hampshire we crossed the Connecticut River that separates New Hampshire and Vermont.

It seemed to the driver this was almost like driving through Texas counties rather than states as the time and distances seemed about the same.

In New Hampshire, Colby is running for sheriff. We had no idea he was interested in law enforcement and found that be an interesting turn of events. Last we heard he was living at home in Manvel, Texas with his Mom, Dawn, working and thinking about going back to school. One just never knows what the grandsons will do. It would be interesting to know if this fellow Colby, who wants to be sheriff, is ready to uphold state motto, “Live Free or Die”.

We were in Vermont and the leaves were flying and the colors were more vivid than we had seen in Maine or New Hampshire.

Driving on Interstate Ninety Three at two fifty we were on a long incline looking out on beautiful tree covered mountains. It was just three or four miles later that we got on Ninety One south.

Unlike where we have been the last few weeks we are pretty much in a steering only mode. We just put it in cruise and pay attention to the road since it is a beautiful freeway. All one has to do is be sure they don't run over anything or anybody. There is no foot feed to work, no exhaust brake to engage and no manual downshifting. We get to ride along and enjoy the view. Our first three hours out from Ted and Priscilla’s we drove one hundred twenty miles for a forty mile per hour average. Now on the freeway we will do a whole lot better than that.

The construction on Ninety One in Vermont doesn't slow us down as the speed limit in the construction zones is fifty five with one lane traffic and they keep one on a good surface. Long live Vermont construction zones,

We were headed south with the Connecticut River separating us from New Hampshire. Along the way we can look across the river into New Hampshire and the mountains with their leaves of various colors.

The sun was pretty far down on the horizon, on our right, so when we went through where the highway is cut thru rock, or we have tall trees to our right, we are riding along in total shade. Looking to our left across the Connecticut River we could still see the trees on the mountain slopes in New Hampshire bathed in bright sunlight with the colorful autumn leaves showing.

Riding in the shadow of the trees it was cooling off perceptibly.

The wind that had been buffeting the tree tops, pretty good, for most of the day hadn't bothered us as those same trees had protected us or the deep cuts thru rock had.

If we have to have traffic, and there has been a lot on Ninety One, we will take it on the freeway where it is a whole lot less bothersome than on two lane roads.

We grimaced as we entered liberal Massachusetts at five forty five. Then we noticed the trees were just as beautiful as they had been in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. It was just the politicians that were ugly.

Fifty five minutes later we entered Connecticut and traveled next to the Connecticut River.

With the odometer ending on one hundred sixteen thousand six hundred twenty one miles we were in Wal-Mart at seven fifty, west of Hartford.

The driver read until eleven then took a quick fifteen minute walk around the parking lot before going to bed.

FIVE STATES
 

Tuesday, September 21

Fifty two at seven kept us snuggled in until eight when Onie got up and had her first cup of coffee.

She handed me a cup of Chai tea at eight thirty.

Priscilla’s zucchini bread and sausage and a hard boiled egg for each of us was eaten for breakfast.

We were on the road at ten when the driver talked to Bill Hager.

Onie took pictures of color in Connecticut on highway Eighty Four.

Fifty minutes after getting on the road we were in New York State. We crossed the Hudson River at eleven fifteen.

This is a huge river by any man's definition.

The sun was shining brightly as we headed west thru New York. We saw a couple of weeping willows, the first we have seen in months. They were still in full leaf and the leaves not turning yet. The hardwoods here like those further north are turning color but the colors are different and we think the trees are different kinds. We do still see trees with radiant red which we think are maples.

Although the writer hasn't often thought of New York State as a place to hunt, there continued to be signs warning us to watch for deer.

Passing the exit to Goshen, New York, made me think of my Mom. I don't think I have ever seen the land around here before but it must be what my mother used to talk about when I was little. I can remember her saying “Land a Goshen” so I guess perhaps she had been here as a girl and this was what she was talking about, “Land a Goshen”.

There are lots of hills and valleys in western New York resulting in long pulls and long declines. We just passed what we think is the highest point on Eighty Four, One thousand eighty four feet.

We headed into the land of William Penn and Benjamin Franklin at twelve ten. In Pennsylvania there seemed to be more color on the trees than there was in New York as well as something we hadn't seen since leaving Maine, beaver activity. We just passed a marshy area on the side of the road where we noticed a beaver lodge. At one time Pennsylvania was considered the west and there was considerable trapping here for beaver to supply the men in the east with the much sought after beaver top hats. It looks like the beavers are making a comeback even if the hats aren't. The beaver themselves were probably in their cool lodge to escape the temperature that was already nearing seventy at a quarter to one.

It will be warmer the further south we get, and the further south and west of Vermont we went .the worse the roads had become. One would think it would be just the opposite. Without the severe weather the roads should be better. Of course New York and Pennsylvania, the big states, get more money from Washington than they send but where ever they spend it it must not be on the roads. If it is on the roads they have the sorriest road contractors around or the most corrupt, the most corrupt politicians or perhaps all three.

The navigator started driving about two twenty on a good highway and quickly got into construction, from three lanes to two to one. Here was several miles of it with a long stretch of concrete barriers on either side. Traffic stretched out in front and back as far as the eye could see. It was more white knuckle time for her.

Ten minutes later traffic stopped completely and we swapped back.

It looked like this would be pretty narrow with driving on the shoulder for quite sometime. We were creeping along south on Eighty One in Pennsylvania on the side of a hill. It gave us a good view of small towns, lakes, creeks and golf courses that lie in the valleys below us. Trees occupy the undeveloped areas.

We had driven out of the construction by five minutes to three. Connecticut and New York are okay with letting their drivers drive on rough interstates. Perhaps that is a way to make them want to take mass transit. At least Pennsylvania is taking some corrective action to maintain and improve their roads and there were several miles of Eighty One South that was reduced to one lane. The other lane has had the asphalt overlay stripped off and taken down to the concrete base. Where there had been cracked concrete it had taken out and was being replaced with new re-bar and concrete before the asphalt overlay was put back down. They will then have the nice seamless interstate that we all know and love.

As the afternoon sun began heating things up we opened the dash vents and turned on the blower about one o'clock. As of three they were still running with the overhead fans, as the afternoon sun gets warmer and warmer.

We were passing through Harrisburg at four fifteen, home of one of the best insurance companies I ever represented, Pennsylvania National. There we crossed the Susquehanna River. It is a big river and very pretty. It appears that Pennsylvania had a long, hot, dry summer. Numerous fields of corn were still standing, dry and burned.

Now we were driving almost directly into sun as it was getting low on the horizon. The rays coming thru the windshield made things very warm and we started the dash air at fifteen minutes after four.

Passing through these small New England states went quickly and we were in Maryland at five twenty five. We were there just long enough to see a big mall and a huge apartment complex.

We crossed the Potomac ten minutes later. The water looked like the people who live down river and run our government, dirty and slimy.

A couple of minutes after six we entered West Virginia. The sun was getting real low in the west but it was still putting out heat; seventy eight at six thirty. That was just a little warm for us. In West Virginia the sun was setting and long shadows draped themselves across the Blue Ridge Mountains which were just to our left. Soon we crossed the north fork of the Shenandoah River and passed New Market, a town that played a very large role in the recent unpleasantness between the states.

We pulled off the highway in Harrisonburg and went to Wal-Mart at seven thirty. It was still seventy seven and change.

The driver donned his shopping cap and went for fresh produce at Wal-Mart while Onie fixed supper. It was an international supper, avocado from Mexico, fried green tomatoes from Maine, corn from Georgia, brisket from Texas, wine from Australia and rum from Bermuda.

After supper the dominoes were placed on the table, shuffled and we drew our nine. With the day/night shade raised we played by the light furnished by the bright security light just out our window.

Later, it was cooler, we went to bed.

AT REST

Wednesday, September 22

We were up at six thirty. Outside the parking lot was quiet. A few folks were going to work, dressed in light sweaters to protect against the balmy sixty nine degrees.

Inside coffee and Chai tea were brewed and drank before the driver ventured out for his pre-travel check. It was warm.

The four other rigs in the parking lot with us last night showed no signs of life as we left the parking lot at seven twenty. We had the dash air running from the git go.

We were traveling through the Old Dominion this morning, the place Thomas Jefferson called home. Robert E. Lee and Cyrus McCormick also called Virginia home and Stonewall Jackson loved it as well. We were headed south and the sun was coming up over the Blue Ridge Mountains, peeking down into the be-dewed Shenandoah Valley which lay below the mountains and to our right. The farms and fields were just awakening.

The driver talked to Kay yesterday and she and Jay are meeting us in Shreveport on the twenty eighth to pick up their fish. He also talked to Mike and Marguerite and they will be there as well to pick up theirs. Talking to Kurt it looks like the pheasant season in Iowa this year is a blow out. His area will have more birds than most but still it will be a poor hunting season. We talked about perhaps going to South Dakota to hunt. He and his lovely bride, Becky, are tentatively planning a trip for November to hunt pigs and visit us. They will talk further and let us know for certain.

The navigator remarked that the fall colors here in Virginia are various shades of brown with not much yellow or any reds. It seemed to be a correct observation and it is due to the kind of trees.

At a rest area we stopped for breakfast at nine. We had come eighty eight miles since leaving Wal-Mart. Twenty five minutes later the wheels were turning once again.

For all the readers who are Christmas types and who might work the malls, “Yes, Santa Claus, there is a Virginia”.

Nearing ten there was still a haze hanging over the Blue Ridge Mountains.

A couple of passing observations may be in order. The law prohibiting new billboards within five hundred feet of interstates, like most laws, has had unintended consequences. In this case it didn't eliminate the billboards it only moved them back and made them bigger and more garish. Once again the feds didn't think things through and the law backfired. The other observation is that in the states we have traveled through this summer as well as the provinces of Canada it would appear that Kia is the fastest growing car maker in North America or it certainly has to be right up there near the top. Many many vehicles, new or almost new, we see on the road are Kias. They seem to come in all shapes and sizes.

We were on a long grade on what was obviously a pass. The grade was over four miles in length and had a truck lane, one of the first we have seen in quite a while. It was beautiful going thru the pass this morning with the sun shining down on our left. Some of the steeper mountains to our left, which would be the western exposure, still have shadows on them, since they are so steep.

In Pulaski County we were near the town of the same name where Onie's corner hutch was made. Here we noticed some yellows and reds in the leaves that are turning. The reds are maple.

When we bought diesel at the Flying J at five minutes to eleven we figured our fuel consumption on this tank to be nine point six one miles per gallon. We have been very pleased with our fuel mileage as we know folks with diesel powered coaches that get five and six miles to the gallon.

The driver got us back on the road at ten after eleven but only drove for a few minutes before relinquishing the controls to the navigator half an hour later. We were twenty six miles from our fuel stop and still in the hills of Virginia. They are not too steep but still qualify as hilly. Gusty winds rocked the coach as the writer enjoyed his time in the right hand seat. The kudzu we saw in southern Alabama a few years ago has managed to migrate farther north. It is a real pest. Someone should receive a big reward if they can figure out how to kill the stuff off without killing what it is covering.

The city of Bristol straddles the state line of Virginia and Tennessee where we arrived at twelve thirty. The navigator was still driving but gave up the controls ten after one. She had driven ninety two miles and the writer had enjoyed his respite from the wheel.

It was cool inside the Marlin but outside the temp had climbed to eighty seven, a blistering heat wave by Alaska standards.

A sign passed our view announcing the birth place of the famous TV star, Davy Crockett.

Ten minutes to two Highway Eighty One gave up and became Forty. We were now on Forty West headed to Knoxville. We passed Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the home of the atom bomb. It was here that Edward Teller and other scientist fathered “THE BOMB”.

We crossed the Tennessee River between Chattanooga and Knoxville where it was running bank full.

Chattanooga had a lot of traffic. It was four o'clock local time, five o'clock leave time, and hot, eighty nine.

We were out of Chattanooga at four twenty and into Georgia five minutes later then back in Tennessee in three more minutes.

We had driven along side the Tennessee River a little bit in Chattanooga but now out of town we were crossing it and it made the Hudson look small. Nickajack Lake is part of the river system and it is a very big lake.

In the little town of Cowan, Tennessee we knew we were back in the south as we saw some big, big pecan trees. We saw none up north.

The navigator said we are really home in the south as she saw two or three fields of cotton and one knows you can't pick very much cotton when them cotton bolls get rotten.

The driveway of Gary and Kristin's, near Flintville, Tennessee, came into view at six.

We turned in. Kristin, Rusty and Chance came out to greet us. We stopped, got out, exchanged hugs, unhooked the toad and invited the boys in to ride while we parked.

Rusty enjoying the motor home.

All set up with full hookups! Yippee! Bella's in her guard position.

Onie helped me back in and then we hooked up the land lines, leveled up, put the slides out and got the roof air conditioners running. The Cummins and Allison were at rest.

As we were finishing up Gary got home. He had picked Kyle up after his football practice. Kyle trimmed a few more branches--he had cleared the drive earlier in the week--that were contacting the coach in the back.

Onie went in to visit while the driver stayed in the coach to shower before going in for supper; vegan tacos. They were very good.

The group watched TV and visited 'til ten when the travelers left for the Marlin.

In the coach Onie went to bed while the driver read til eleven.

Outside in a clear sky a full moon lit the landscape. With the temp sitting at seventy three the roof airs would have an easy night of it.

AUTUMN

Thursday, September 23

The first day of autumn dawned bright and sunny with a moderate seventy two degree temperature reading. There were signs it might really be the first day of autumn as leaves were falling and a few were turning yellow and brown but the writer thinks it will still feel more like summer.

We had been home on Lake Road to greet spring and on the Kenai to greet summer, on June twenty first, now we were in Alabama welcoming fall.

By the time we woke to greet the day the Bahm family had gone their separate ways, Gary to work in Huntsville, Alabama, Kyle to school in Alabama and Kristin and the boys to work and school in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

We sat in the coach looking out at the nearby trees, discussing the possibility of a lot of deer being very nearby, the changing leaves and how many driving hours it would take to get to Shreveport, Louisiana, while we had our coffee and Chai tea. We also looked at recipes in a cookbook, discussed what to have for breakfast and made a little plan of action for the day.

Ready to move on with the day Onie got up to make biscuits while the writer sat down to take notes off the recorder.

After breakfast Onie started on vege chili and processing tomatoes. She also made a cake of cornbread.

The writer was busy taking off notes until one thirty.

Gary came home at one to work on installing some new electric plugs at his work bench and putting up some shelves over the bench. He also brought us half a watermelon. It was better than any we had all summer.

The temp had climbed to eighty two by two thirty. Gary continued working in the garage.

The writer and navigator went in the house to make some spaghetti sauce for supper and the navigator made molasses cookies for dessert.

Before, during and after the sauce was cooking four loads of clothes were run through the washer and dryer, folded and put away. When the sauce was done and the wash was finished the writer went to the garage to work on getting things arranged for Gary. Tools were collected and placed on the new shelves. Paint was gathered and stored in one spot. Go-Kart parts and tools were placed on two shelves for easy access and a multitude of loose nuts, bolts, screws and small electrical parts were rounded up, sorted and stored.

Onie was still busy working with tomatoes.

Gary and Kyle got home around six thirty and joined the driver in the garage where the arranging and rearranging continued until eight when Onie called them to supper.

As hands were being washed Kristin, Dusty and Chance got home. The boys had after school football practice as did Kyle.

Soon plates were being filled with pasta covered with spaghetti sauce, green fried tomatoes and hot garlic bread.

After supper Chance and Rusty went off to bed. Gary and Kristin watched TV while Kyle, Onie and Pawpaw played Skip-Bo. Onie got lucky and beat the boys.

Kyle went to his room to do homework.

Onie and Pawpaw went to watch TV with Gary and Kristin. When the news came on only Pawpaw stayed to watch.

When he got to the coach at a quarter to eleven Onie was already in bed.

He settled down with his laptop for a while before joining her.

Outside the full moon cast shadows on the ground. It was seventy two.

FOOTBALL

Friday, September 24

We were alone on Vanntown School Road near Flintville when we woke. The Bahm family had gone to their respective places of work or school.

After breakfast and some crosswords we cleaned the kitchen, took out the trash, stripped the bed and Onie took the sheets in to wash. The driver stayed in the coach, showered and called his friend, Jim Johnson.

The planting on the deer lease had been moved up, perhaps due to expected weather, and our plots will be planted Saturday morning around nine. Jim will take the seed over and meet the work crew. Next week he and I will clean and service the feeders, fill them and get them going. We are both anxious to start hunting.

Onie was in the house, online, checking email, Coldspring weather and refilling prescriptions for herself and the driver. Back in the coach she reported that a cool front is bringing lower temps to Coldspring, fifties at night and seventies during the day, for at least a couple of days, as well as some rain. Planting at the lease seems to be a case of perfect timing or great luck.

As the sun neared its zenith here it shone brightly and warmed the air to eighty five. Inside the coach it was a comfortable seven two.

The Cummins had trouble with the increased heat as we came south and it was apparent it was either low on coolant or the radiator or charge air was blocked or perhaps all three. The driver checked the coolant and couldn't feel any in the reservoir. He had the navigator crank the Cummins and couldn't feel any air moving through the charge air but it seemed to be moving freely through the radiator. To try to correct the problem he needed some supplies so he headed off to Fayetteville and Wal-Mart for Super Clean and antifreeze. While there he picked up a sink strainer, one of ours had disappeared, porcelain repair, carrots, red potatoes, celery, baking powder, cokes and dog treats for Bella, the Bahm pet.

He got back at five and started work on the charge air. A few minutes later he had to quit to get ready to leave at five thirty.

We went to eat Chinese food before going on to Kyle's football game.

He plays various positions, one being defensive tackle, and he made some tackles from that position. It was a good game.

Last year we watched as his team took a walloping but this year the table was reversed as his school, Westminster, romped to a forty nine to zip victory.

Back home at ten Onie, Kyle and the writer played a game of Skip Bo before going to bed at eleven.

FULL DAY

Saturday, September 25

The writer and navigator were up at six twenty. It was raining and sixty two. They had coffee and Chai tea to go with their cold cereal. They took quick showers, dressed and were ready to leave for Tullahoma at seven with Kristin, Chance and Rusty. The rain was still falling.

Gary and Kyle left to go to Kyle's football practice in Huntsville.

The group going to Tullahoma arrived there at eight fifteen and dropped off Chance at the football field just as the rain stopped.

The ladies looked for yard sales but they were all closed due to the rain. With no yard sales to visit we stopped for coffee, Chai tea and blueberry scones. Kristin and Rusty opted for something else.

Chance's football game started at nine. Chance plays special teams as well as some offense and some defense. In the last quarter he made an outstanding open field tackle. His team won thirty four to six.

After the game it was time to go to Kristin's shop for haircuts for me and Onie. Kyle and Gary arrived while we were at the shop and Kyle got his eyebrows waxed. Ouch!

The group had pizza for lunch then Kristin, Chance and Rusty headed off to a birthday party in Tullahoma.

Gary, Kyle, Onie and I went to Lynchburg and the Jack Daniels distillery for a tour. The tour was an hour and half and quite interesting and informative. We were home by five thirty. Kristin and boys arrived shortly thereafter.

Onie started soup for supper.

Alabama and Arkansas were playing a football game under clear blue skies. Ours were partly cloudy and the temp was seventy three. Everyone sat down to watch the Tide roll. They did roll but at times they were rocked by Arkansas. Nevertheless they won a squeaker.

After the game Onie served soup for supper. It was yummy.

Gary and Kristin are fans of the Colbert Report and we watched with them before staying on for the news at ten.

After the news we went to the coach where Onie went to bed.

The writer stayed up for a while, pecking away on is laptop.