last night

June 25, 2007 10:32:43 PM EDT
Subject: last night

We made it. We weren't sure that we would - after all, we had only two days to blast through a bit more that 1,000 miles, but we had a plan, and we stuck with it. I think that 2nd part - the sticking with it, was the toughest part, mainly because it required getting up at an ungodly early morning hour, two days in a row - which given that we'd spent the whole trip getting up and getting going whenever we pleased, was a bit torturous. The Plan also meant we couldn't stop at any more viewing spots, potty breaks had to be quick and we had to give up the other things that we had wanted to see along the way - like the Carlsbad Caverns and the ancient cliff dwellings in New Mexico.

But really, that was all okay, because we had an amazing trip!

So we spent two days in the car, barreling through the southwest, eyes peeled for state troopers, discussing how long we could put off stopping to pee. We had stopped at the grocery and made our meals right in the car, eating at 80 miles an hour. Nia ate at 90 miles an hour, because I drive faster than she does. The first day we drove about 9 hours - but lost 2 hours due to time changes, and an hour in Tuscon because there was freeway construction - we were routed along the freeway for about 5 miles or so - nearly an hour sitting in 100+ degree weather (at one point the temp read 118), crawling along. Waiting to get back on the freeway irritated us to no end, and we spent a good part of the rest of that day griping about it, and projecting how far behind we were in our schedule, and how much closer we could have been if not for that ...

The second day we got up at 3:45 (a.m!), by 4:23 the car was packed, we were checked out of the hotel, and back on highway 10, eastbound. The second day went much as the first day, with Nia and I taking turns driving. Around 5:30 or so we finally ... finally, finally, finally ... crossed the Texas border. Nia took the last shift driving, but we worried about speeding through Louisiana and into the Florida panhandle. She then displayed a self-control that I never would have managed had I been her - here she is, so close to her new home, her brother and sister-in-law and their kids waiting, the key to her new house heating up the glove box, dancing anxiously on it's good-luck Kokopelli key ring; jingling, "hurry, hurry, hurry ..." But Nia maintained - she stayed within the speed limit, Lawrence and Jeanne calling, "where are you?," I heard one-sided conversations about the freeway we're on, where we are, how much longer?

We were maybe 15 miles from our final destination, coming up on a bridge - when 3 patrol cars went whipping by us - lights flashing, sirens going - huh - wonder what's up? And so there we are, doing the speed limit - which was 45 mph at this point, hellishly slow - and dying because we just wanted to be there already, and then we found out what was up - they had closed the bridge right in front of us ...

I thought Nia would explode. Nia held it together; I was impressed. There was an accident - luckily we were close enough to see the action, so that kept us from completely losing it (human nature, lookie-loos and all that) - and they got the bridge opened up pretty quickly. From there Nia drove directly to her new home - we stepped out of the car, vibrating from the long day on the road, staggering a little as we tested our legs on the solid ground. We dumped our bags and Nia took me on the grand tour - such a cute place! Two bedrooms, open floor plan, great back deck, on a lagoon - it's perfect for her!

Nia opened the wine that Lawrence and Jeanne had been kind enough to leave for us, and poured us each a glass. Shortly after that Lawrence and Jeanne showed up, and we cracked open the Veuve that Nia's mom had left in the fridge (thank you, JoAnn!!!) - ahhh - nothing like a glass or three after 16 1/2 hours in a car. We were up until 3:00, yakking, laughing, enjoying the good company. We're all moving a little slow today.

Today we went around the area - Nia's home came with a Candy Apple Red golf cart and we took that to Lawrence and Jeanne's, then to lunch, which included hush puppies - I was in heaven! Then Aunt Nia treated her niece, Grace, and Grace's friend Abbey (and me and Jeanne!) to an ice cream at Kilwin's. We cruised around the resort a bit, I got to see the stunning white sand beach, and Nia got to learn the ins and outs of driving a golf cart, rolling over more than one front yard in the process. At one point Nia was complaining that the cart was going too slowly - Grace (who knows more about the golf cart than her Aunt Nia), explained that we were going uphill. Nia, coming from San Francisco, now needs to revise her understanding of a "hill," here in flat Florida.

Tonight is my last night - my plane leaves Ft. Walton Beach airport at 6:35 a.m. - tonight we're grilling kabobs and sipping wine. Grace and Abbey are at staying the night at Abbey's, Josie, the baby, is sleeping. Jeanne's niece, Elise, is here with her 2 year old, Ethan. Ethan is playing with Brownie - the dog - Brown Man, out here on the patio where I'm sitting, loving the humid night air, listening to everyone chat, Brownie's tags clinking wildly as he chases a laughing Ethan around the table ...

really, I'm not sure it gets any better than this.

Mileage: 1,090 (two days) Time: 25 1/2 hours (two days) Destination: Home