I recently made a trip from Redding, CA back to DeBary, FL. I drove my little red Fiat 500 loaded with all my worldly possessions. Alone. Instead of driving the 3000+ miles back-to-back, which would have taken 4 days, I chose to drive only on Saturdays and/or Sundays and stay with family during the week.
Which turned out great for me. I have family scattered all over the United States and it gave me a chance to catch up with them and see how they do life in their neck of the world.
I stopped just west of Flagstaff in one of the worst hotels I have ever stayed in. Ever. I stayed in better hotels in China and India. But I was road-weary and had enough of the car-sway feeling in my head for the day. My room smelled like something I couldn’t identify at all. The carpets were completely disgusting. The drapes had stains on them and the bathroom had “towels” that were more like rags you use in your garage and they smelled like they had been used to mop up spilled milk and left to dry in the sun. Gross and disgusting.
But my mama didn’t raise a whimp. Besides that, and to be perfectly honest, I wanted to blog about the experience. I am a self-proclaimed snob. And I find that I have to get over myself and just deal with it. I mean really.
Next stop, Albuquerque to stay with my cousin Barbara and her daughter, Tori. Barb’s a hoot, though she thinks everyone else is funny. We went to Chili’s for dinner and had drinks. Both Barb and I ordered the Mudslide. I didn’t think there was any alcohol in there at all, to which Tori said “that’s funny. You just ordered an expensive chocolate shake.” Smart aleck. But a truly smart one.
Drove a day to my next stop of Temple, TX to stay with my brother, Tom and his wife, Barbara. We had a great time eating, laughing and sampling pizzas and Texas BBQ, which was such fun. They know how to have a good time. There was absolutely no pressure to go anywhere or do anything. We just hung out and talked. It was so restful and relaxing. Really a good, good time.
From there, I made the drive North to Irving, TX to stay with my cousin, Jeannette and her daughter, Ericka and her husband, Erin where they introduced me to more reality TV than I even knew existed. My cousin, Barbara, accused them of corrupting me, but we had a great time. We visited Pinot’s Palette in Dallas for a night of painting and finding out that we are all a bit OCD when it comes to details.
Next stop, New Orleans, LA where I stopped at the French Market for crawfish etouffee and then off to Cafe Du Monde for cafe au lait and beignets. My driving couldn’t have been timed more perfectly. As I was pulling up to the cafe, someone was pulling out of their parking spot and I zipped right in. It’s definitely in my favor to have a car that’s only 5 feet long.
I drove the rest of the day hoping to get a hotel in Tallahassee, which was not gonna happen. Due to spring break and the fact that there’s really nothing in this area of Florida, I had a hard time finding a hotel. I got off on 5 different exits only to find no rooms available. It was like being with Mary and Joseph trying to find a room at the inn. Nobody had anything.
I was going to give up and just sleep in my car in the parking lot of Walmart when I found a Super 8 with 1 room. Smoking room, but I didn’t care. It had a bed and a shower. Good enough for me.
As time goes by, I am more and more aware that life is full of memories. Good ones. Bad ones. But the best ones, to me, are the ones that even though they are unexpected and not the best, making the choice to just roll with them makes them the best ones. That and any memory that involves family. Even if it’s just sitting on the couch, watching reality TV and eating pizza. Those are the best.
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