costaricakid

JOHNNY'S JOURNEYS: OHIO AND KENTUCKY 2011 JUNE 4, 2011 (SATURDAY) Our new adventure starts a little late, about 12:30. In Saraland, we buy a bag of Krystal hamburgers for lunch. Bethany will drive for the next few hours. In Evergreen, McDonald's is calling our name. My daughter was somehow locked in the restroom stall, and has to crawl on the floor, under the door. She is not a happy camper. As we reached Cullman, we could see the tornado damage from about six weeks ago. The sun is beginning to set as we cross the Tennessee River and we take several pictures. Then, there is more tornado damage as we approach Huntsville. We have supper tonight with Janet's sister' brother-in-law and ... read more

JOHNNY'S JOURNEYS: ST. AUGUSTINE, SAVANNAH, CHARLESTON 2010 May 24, 2010 (Monday) Gasoline fill-up, vacuum and a car wash. She's a shiner. Three dogs and two cats are taken to the kennel. Go see my in-laws and say good-bye. I think we are ready to roll. Time for our trip to the Atlantic coast. Motel reservations, itinerary, travel plans, etc. are tucked away in my envelope. I write 3 S on it for SSSt. Augustine, SSSavannah and CharleSSSton. (pretty clever, huh?) It is a little after noon as we cross into the Sunshine state of Florida. Always stop at the Welcome Center for a cup of free, fresh Florida orange juice. Time for lunch and we go to a restaurant we have not visited before: Beef O'Brady's Family Sports Pub in Pensacola. It had a fun ... read more

JOHNNY'S JOURNEYS : FOUR CORNER STATES 2009 July 10, 2009 (Friday) It seems like we just went to bed...at one a.m. Now the 5:20 alarm greets me. So much preparation for the trip, especially coordinating a paint job for the house, while we are away. Bethany's best friend, Hannah, will be traveling with us. Her family arrives about 6:30. We leave our house and arrive at the Mobile airport before 8:00. There is time to take a few pictures of the girls at the “family” sculpture out front. Check-in with Continental Airlines goes smoothly and we breeze through security with no problems. The flight leaves on time at 9:15. That is a good sign. Our plane lands in Houston, Texas at 10:32. I buy an early lunch at Schlotzsky's Deli. We love that sourdough bread. ... read more

JOHNNY’S JOURNEYS : YELLOWSTONE AND GLACIER NATIONAL PARKS AND THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 2002 JULY 29, 2002 (Monday) 4:00 a.m. and still dark. But there are three eager beavers here this morning. We are flying to Montana. Oh the excitement! Bethany will be taking her first airplane ride. The airport shuttle picks us up around 4:30 and we are whisked away to start our Western adventure. Check-in goes smoothly and we fly out on schedule. We land in Memphis, TN, a hub airport with Northwest Airlines. There is a short lay- over and we stretch our legs. Soon are boarding another plane and this time, we will be flying into St. Paul, MN. This is a new state for me, the Land of 10,00 Lakes. I have now been to 36 states! There is time for a ... read more

JOHNNY’S JOURNEYS : NORTH CAROLINA’S OUTER BANKS 2006 APRIL 17, 2006 (Monday) Got a late start today. Real late. Had to wash and shampoo two dogs. Then dry them, one at a time, of course. They sure enjoy their quality time, even if I am using a hair dryer on them. Two cats are tracked down and placed in a pet taxi. Plus, there is the last minute shopping to do. Anyway, we pull out of the driveway at 1 p.m. That would be 2 p.m. in the Eastern time zone. Our first stop is scenic (?) Saraland. It is lunchtime and we stop at Wintzell’s Oyster House. Yummy! I-65 takes us north to Montgomery. Then veer north onto I-85. Pass through my old hometown, like I’ve done hundreds of times. Pass the Auburn exit, ... read more

JOHNNY’S JOURNEYS : SMOKY MOUNTAINS of TENNESSEE 2006 November 20, 2006 (Monday) The preparations have all been made. And it is finally time for our Thanksgiving week vacation. After Bethany broke her leg at school last May, our Grand Canyon / western states trip was cancelled. Seems like I have put in tons of hours of overtime work at my pharmacy. As I said, we are **really** ready for a vacation. With my Mapquest.com directions by my side, the three of us leave home about 10:30 a.m. There are 549 miles between us and our Holiday Terrace Motel in Pigeon Forge, TN. Estimated travel time is 8 and ½ hours. Our first stop is in Evergreen, AL. At 12:15 it’s lunchtime and we plan on eating at Floyd’s country buffet. It has been a few years ... read more

JOHNNY’S JOURNEYS : COSTA RICA 1997 JUNE 26, 1997 (Thursday) We had an early wakeup call at our hotel in Metairie, Louisiana. Helped some people load the vans with lots of supplies, dental equipment, and gifts. We were soon waiting at the New Orleans International Airport. Time to say goodbye to Janet, Bethany and the U.S.A. “Bye-bye Daddy”. Bethany , age 3, looked so sad . After a few years of anticipation, I am finally on my way. It is my first trip to Central America. There are 35 of us on the annual Methodist Dental Missionary trip to Costa Rica. Our minister / leader / ... read more

JOHNNY’S JOURNEYS : HONEYMOON IN EUROPE 1987 JULY 11, 1987 (Saturday) Y’all know how pretty the wedding was, so we’ll start with the afterwards… Looked like about 10 people were going to join us in the LIMO. What a party that would have been. And I think David W. left something very small, lacy, racy and red on the rear-view mirror. Wow! I can’t believe we are finally married!! Sort of in a daze riding to the Riverview Hotel. Janet and I shall stay on the top floor in the Honeymoon Suite. Sweet! A complementary bottle of champagne. A gorgeous view of Mobile’s night-lights. A beautiful evening. And not once did I turn on the television to watch a sports report. JULY 12, 1987 (Sunday) Got up and went to find us a newspaper; while ... read more

JOHNNY’S JOURNEYS : COSTA RICA 2004 JULY 9, 2004 (Friday) Lots of chores to finish today: mow the lawn, purchase stamps at the post office, get some $money$ from the bank, pay the school tuition, finish packing. Driving Bethany to the pet store, we were entertained by the song Butterfly Kisses. I thought of how my daughter had grown since my first dental missionary trip, seven years ago. Janet helps me put the finishing touches on the packing process. As we drive east on I-10, we saw a beautiful rainbow. Maybe a sign for things to come. Arriving in Pensacola, we stop for supper at Smokey’s B-B-Q. Then we’re on our way to the Hampton Inn-Airport Hotel. Take a going away picture with Bethany. Said our good-byes. Check into the hotel and deposit my luggage ... read more

JOHNNY’S JOURNEYS : SOUTH DAKOTA 1977 December 09, 1977 (Friday) I have been anticipating this trip for quite a while now. This is my first trip out west. Final exams are over and I am **ready** for Christmas vacation. Of course, any plane flight out of Montgomery, AL routes you to Atlanta, Georgia. Not much of a layover. Then our Delta flight takes us over the Midwest to the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains. I have four hours in Denver, Colorado and sure won’t stay at the airport. I quickly catch a bus to downtown Denver. The area is a sea of orange. The Denver Broncos NFL football team is having a wonderful season, and there is speculation of a trip to the Super Bowl. Downtown Denver, the mile high city. First stop is ... read more