Keeping you occupied…

We’re setting sail in a few days.

KEEPING YOU OCCUPIED. Something is wrong. Dreadfully wrong. I knew it from the moment I climbed out of bed this morning. I’m an early riser because I need a little quiet time to myself every morning before I start throwing the ball. I need a little time in the bullpen. That’s when I plan the day and collect my thoughts. So at dark o’clock I knew I’d better heed the little voice that was nagging me. At first I couldn’t decide. What is it, I kept asking myself.I couldn’t quite put my hand on it. I couldn’t get it to come into focus. There was some unfinished business.

AS I PACKED MY LAPTOP. I  began loading my laptop into its case when it dawned on me: I need to send you one last pitch…one last missive before I close up shop and leave you dangling on the edge of your seats. Checking out the status of our Great American Adventure has become as routine for you as brewing that first cup of coffee. You were already going to feel the pain, so I’ll postpone that anguish another day and send one last post your way.

GETTING MY SEA LEGS. It’s going to take me a few days to get my sea legs back. It’ll be a couple hundred miles for that to happen. Knowing you guys as I do, I decided I’d better keep you occupied a little longer so you’ll stay out of trouble. I don’t want you losing your attention and as rats leaving a sinking ship, slipping away from my clutches. No, I won’t risk that. So this morning I’ll send you a few pictures and provide a bit of history before once again inviting you inside the motorhome showing you your seats. Fortunately I made a few notes a week ago and I’ll use them to create one final post before D-Day.

A COUNTRY ROAD. A few Sundays back we took a drive in  country, rather than just lounging around the house watching those fishing shows on TV. We loaded Florence’s drone into the Jeep along with my Osmo. I haven’t told you about it yet, have I? In a nutshell it’s a hand-held version of our drone. It has the same gimbal camera on a 360 degree swivel mechanism. Working in tandem, we’ll soon be able to produce quality video. But there’s a significant learning curve for these cameras…they are professional models and we’re not pros. But it still shouldn’t be too long before our skills match their potential.

USS ALABAMA MEMORIAL PARK. We visited the nearby USS Alabama Memorial Park in Mobile. One part of our  Great American Adventure we especially enjoy is learning American history as we travel around the country. We highly recommend a visit to the USS Alabama, a retired battleship which was commissioned and deployed during the second World War. She served in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters.

DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY. This video was taken with a Phantom 4 Camera Drone like ours. Florence got hers just a few weeks ago, as you know. She attended flight school and recently became licensed to fly by the Federal Aviation Administration. Her drone, “Flying Blind,” is also registered and insured, just like our vehicles. No kidding. All drone pilots are required to be licensed. Really! And those who are stupid enough to fly without liability and property-damage insurance are crazy. Look at the photography in this video clip. For full effect, crank up your speakers a bit.

FLOMATON, ALABAMA. Our drive continued from Mobile to little towns deep into rural Alabama. Americana. The state is known as the “Heart of Dixie” and it’s bordered by  Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. It has one of the longest navigable inland waterways in the nation. In the past, urban interests and African-Americans were markedly under-represented. Blacks and poor whites were disenfranchised. Alabama’s rural Black Belt includes some of the poorest counties in the United States. Along with high rates of poverty, the area is typified by declining populations, a primarily agricultural landscape with low-density settlement, high unemployment, and poor access to decent housing, education and medical care. But it’s real. So are the folks who live and work here. I wanted to meet them.

SOUTHERN PANHANDLE CAFE.  What better place than the Southern Panhandle Cafe which presented itself on the side of the road at just about lunchtime. We found the folks inside to be among the most genuine, God-fearing and considerate in all the country. They welcomed us with open-arms and treated us like family. Talking with these folks gave me an appreciation of the South I’d never have expected.

This is the downtown area. The cafe where we dined is in the suburbs. Folks come to town to buy groceries, pick up their Social Security checks and say hello to their neighbors.

Local high school students in the Drama Club present “Jailhouse Rock.” We couldn’t stay for the evening performance, but we watched the kids rehearse. 

They live in a small town, but the high school kids here still sport their school colors.They still have the hopes and aspirations of kids everywhere. But somehow they seemed special to me.

NOW IT REALLY IS TIME TO GO. I’LL CONTINUE MY STORY A COUPLE HUNDRED MILES DOWN THE ROAD. We may be nowhere but to us it’ll be everywhere. It’s an adventure and we love it.

I’ll continue my story next time.