Well, I made it back to Michigan none the worse for wear. I’M COLD!!!!! It was an interesting trip (to me anyway) so here are the highlights or lowlights depending on your perspective.

No one had looked at the Condo for four or five days but, for some reason, they all wanted to look Tuesday. It was my packing day so the place was a mess. People stopped in to look at it five times. Two were announced by phone call. Three were drop ins. I was trying to pack and clean my way out of there and was also interrupted by a 2:30 massage. I planned to leave by 4:30 to go up to Hudson, have grouper fingers with brother Bob and leave from there. At 5:30 I was pulling out of the driveway and the place hadn’t been cleaned (sorry Mom – I expect a bill from Lorna’s cleaning service). I’M COLD!!!!!

I was able to leave Hudson by 5:30 the following morning. As I went down highway 50 (Clermont is on 50 for you Great Floridians) the road takes a detour around Brooksville and hooks back up to 50. I don’t know where my mind was but when we were coming back to meet 50 I noticed all the cars and trucks getting the right turn lane. I stayed straight and realized at the last minute where I was and I wanted to turn too. I pulled Florida move number one and stopped in the middle of the road (there were no cars behind me) and sat there until traffic cleared and then turned right. I’M COLD!!!!!!

I made it to I-75 and was on my way. I pulled the same trick again when I came up to a construction zone. Traffic was merged to one lane and, again, my mind was somewhere else and it was my lane that disappeared. I pulled Florida move number two and merged in when there was a car length plus a foot opening. All was fine and I didn’t get any “You’re number one” waves. I’M COLD!!!!

I drove to Murfreesboro Tennessee to stay the night. I had reserved a room (many motels had no vacancies) as I thought there would be a lot of spring breakers and snow birds (that’s me) on the road. Not so. Bad timing. It was the Tennessee State girl’s basketball playoffs and the motels were filling up with high school kids. Some were girls but a lot were boys there to watch their girlfriends play and have a night or two away from their parents so things were a tad noisy all night. I’M COLD!!!!

After I checked in I went to fill the car with gas so I could leave early the next morning and noticed my credit card was missing. The only place I had been was the motel so I was convinced they still had it. Luckily I have a couple of other cards and was able to fill the car. As I left the gas station I could see there was no way to turn left across a busy street so I went down the attached street to go around the block to the next light. The street ended up in some guy’s driveway so I had to back all the way to the gas station to turn around. As I was backing up I was able to read the DEAD END sign clearly. I’M COLD!!!!

I went back to the motel and waited while four boys checked in, paid cash, and wanted their bill divided by four so each could pay their share separately. Finally the clerk was free and I asked her if she had my card. She said no and said she had given it back to me with my driver’s license. I looked and it was in my wallet where my license is kept. I asked her why she didn’t tell me to put it back into the credit card slot where it belongs. I’M COLD!!!!!

I fell asleep by 7 central time so I woke up at 3 central and decided I would check out and leave. The traffic was not bad and I called Jean to let her know I would be home early (gave her a chance to get Guido the cabana boy’s clothes packed and out of the house). I also told her to be on the lookout for something I had ordered. An e-mail told me it had been sent and I couldn’t remember what it was I had ordered. I must love surprises. I’M COLD!!!!

The only negative event was the last gas station I pulled into in Indiana. I like the pay at the pump places because you don’t have to stand in line to pay while everyone in front of you is trying to decide which lottery tickets to buy. I’M COLD!!!!

After the pump cleared the credit card I started to fill the tank and couldn’t get the nozzle into the filler hole. It only took me about five minutes to realize I had pulled into the only pump that had a diesel hose. Luckily they don’t fit or I would still be there having the gas tank pumped. I put that one back in and pulled out the regular gas hose and filled the tank. Luckily I decided to go in and buy a bottle of grapefruit juice because the pump cleared the first sale out at zero and the second was not on the card. I would have lost my license for driving away from a pump without paying. I’M COLD!!!!

Don’t tell Jean any of this because she won’t ever let me go anywhere alone again.

I’m happy to be back with family and friends but I do miss the warm weather. Every evening, since I had no social life at all, I would step out on the lanai and watch the sunset. No, Barbara, I didn’t see the “green flash” but I’m still trying. I would look down and see couples carry lawn chairs out, sit and hold hands, watch the sunset and then fold up their chairs and leave. Some couples were in their teens and some couples were in their 80s and everywhere in between but all appeared romantic. Some would use the sunset to throw another log on the fire. Some of the older couples had no logs left but threw a handful of wood chips on to keep the spark smoldering.

So I wondered why in the world would I be selling the place!!!

Just (I’M COLD!!!! but call me lucky) Jack