(Note: this is the 3rd time I’m writing this post- for some reason, my other attempts wouldn’t upload. grrrr.)

On The Road Again…

So you may or may not know that I had hip replacement surgery and then fell and broke the other leg. My WHOLE summer has been either on crutches, in physical therapy, or spent in lying in bed with a full leg brace. “What a great time to get some writing done!” everyone said. But I was too frustrated, annoyed, and uncomfortable to write, and I was bored with reading, watching television, and chatting on social media.

But now I’m healed (mostly, still a little stiff with loss of muscle tone, soon to be rectified). My physical therapist has given me the green light to carefully resume all activities. Since I missed out on a planned summer vacation, the hubs and I hoped into the car. First stop, North Carolina. Met with the parents, brother, sister, and brother-in-law. Nice dinner, and a hike, and we drove on.

Blue Skies…

Next stop: Jacksonville, Florida, to see our son who’s a mechanical engineer and works at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station on fighter jets. We went to the air show to see the demo Blue Angels team. Amazing! A special shoutout to Lt. Commander Amanda Lee, the FIRST woman on the flying demo team! This was something my dad said would never happen- a woman flying not only a fighter jet, but with the Blue Angels! I saw it happen!

This is a Soviet era Mig, which gave our fighter jets a challenge for decades in conflicts until a new series of jets were designed (think Top Gun). Aren’t you wondering how a Mig ends up in an air show in the US? It was purchased, but not from the Russians…

This is an AWAC- an Airborne Warning and Control plane. It’s used to find drug smugglers. The pilot told us about a large cache of drugs that were seized in the previous weeks. He had some amusing stories to tell…

I had to include this pic because this is a Blackhawk helicopter (but the Navy version is called a Seahawk) and its pilot is the woman standing at the table. Little girls were dressed as Blue Angel and other pilots, it’s so exciting the futures they have!

Driving…Driving In My Car

The son went back to work and we went to St. Augustine, Florida. It’s a quaint town, the oldest city in the United States. The land was seized from the Indigenous peoples and claimed by Ponce de Leon for Kind Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. The Spanish influence on the architecture is very prevalent throughout the city.

The fort, the Castillo de San Marcos, (which has a moat, but sadly, no alligators), defends the shore. I figured against the British, but no, the French. There’s a lot of history, but we only spent part of one day. Take the trolley that circles the city, it can drop you off at any number of sights to explore.

We stopped at the “Fountain” of Youth. Yes, we all know it doesn’t make anyone young again (that was a rumor apparently started by de Leon’s jealous enemies because finding such a thing would be considered blasphemous). But it wasn’t even a fountain; just plastic tubing bringing up water from an underground aquifer. And it has an under taste of sulphur. Ick. The only good features at this site were this guy and his friends, and the restaurant which had delicious fresh food.

Last Stop!

Back in the car once more, we made a final stop at Luray Caverns in Virginia. Such magnificence! It took Nature thousands of years to create this wonder. It must be the writer in me because I wondered what the discoverers thought when they first saw the caverns by torchlight, and tied ropes around themselves so they could find their way out as they explored deeper and deeper… And yes, every bit has been explored now.

It was a little nerve-wracking walking under the giant stalagmites. What if one broke off? One, as big as a giant redwood tree, did, about 7,000 years ago during an earthquake. Must have been some echo.

There’s even a ‘cathedral’ where people get married, and ‘singing rocks’ (a rubber hammer hitting against a stalactite creates a musical note). It’s just breathtaking.

Homeward Bound

After eight days, I was ready to go home to my soft bed. And my houseplants which need to be watered. And my writing/revising/querying. But first I had to spend time with my cat, Mink. He greeted me with purrs and rubs. Then he sulked because I’d been gone so long. Could you resist that fuzzy face?