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Published: January 1st 2011
It's New Year's Eve. I'm sitting in Linda's living room in Dalton, Georgia. I arrived here a week ago - Christmas Eve - as promised. Ok - not exactly as promised. I originally intended to get back here to Linda and Skeffy by Linda's birthday (Dec 14th), but after my mom's surgery, getting 'stuck' in Kanab, and taking the long way around to the Grand Canyon, the 14th just started coming up too quickly. I'm grateful Linda has been so flexible and that Skeffy has had such a good home while I've been journeying about.
It's been a good, sort of quiet week. Odd to be so still after being on the move for so long now. Odd to sleep in the same place for so many nights in a row. Wonderful to have Skeffy sleep beside me - even if he does wake me with his shredding ways. I missed that little gray boy!
Here are a few highlights from the days just prior to my arrival in Dalton:
I arrived in Houston Monday December 20th - midday. The engine light had come on the day before and CJ (Christine Jorge, my Jeep) wasn't sounding quite right
moving along
Tuesday, 12/21/2010on start-up. Seemed prudent to get to the service station before it closed for the day - especically if I was going to stick with my plan of heading out again the next morning. Left my car at the shop, rode my bike back to my mom's house, and mom and I headed out for margaritas (what better thing to do while waiting to find out how much the repair was going to cost?!) Later that evening my mom began her usual inspection of me - staring at my face. Worried about some little spot on my nose, she began insisting I go to her dermatologist in the morning.
I must have been in a weakened condition, because there I was, the very next morning, in the doctor's office being frozen, stabbed, cut, and sewn. Geez - less than 24 hours in Houston and I had over $900 in unanticipated expenses (the two doctors - car and person - split it), and a fair amount of pain - not to mention a piece thread hanging off my face that would have to be removed a week later. OH - before I forget and anyone worries...biopsy came back normal, I
successfully removed the stitch yesterday, and CJ is running just fine.
It was hard to say good-bye to my mom (always is), so little surprise that I didn't get back on the road until almost 4pm on Tuesday. I drove just a few hours and stopped for the night in Lake Charles. A brief casino visit, then sleep. Next stop - New Orleans.
I realized I was driving sort of purposefully and not really seeing things as I had been so commited to doing through most of the trip, and pulled off the interstate and into a visitor center. Good move. The 'scenic drive' was certainly longer, but well worth it. Along the way I came upon some great old plantations, the hugest oak trees I've ever seen, and some odd looking log teepee-sort of things (see photos). I had no idea what these wood structures (hmm. wood piles? wood teepees?) were - who built them? What were they for? Some religious thing? Christmas thing? Permanent structures or temporary?
I stopped the first person I came across to find out. What I learned was that the log structures I was seeing were all along the river and
went on for miles. It's a long standing tradition to have people from the town create these wood piles - piles that would ultimately become bonfires. On Christmas Eve, all along the river, the wood piles are lit - creating a runway of sorts for Santa. What I saw was pretty cool - can only imagine what it must be like when they are all set ablaze. (For some idea of what it looks like, you can find images on YouTube).
When I finally got to town, I found a great parking spot next to outdoor market in the French Quarter - felt immediately overwhelmed by stuff and by people, and began wandering the streets in search of potential places to spend the night. I couldn't quite imagine where I could stay where I could safely park my loaded and very tall car (seems I don't fit in most garages - can't clear the overhangs) - nor where I might stay that was affordable and still would give me the New Orleans experience. But alas...there's always some place! Found a great Inn on the edge of the French Quarter - 3 blocks from Bourbon St, newly renovated. Lovely rooms,
Runway
Along the banks of the Mississippee great courtyard with fountains spewing water into the swimming pool, brightly covered lounge chairs around the pool, wrought iron tables and chairs lining the perimeter, and gated parking. Perfect!
Checked in, rested a few minutes, then off I went for my evening on the town in New Orleans.
Bourbon St. was less than packed, but still ample buzz of people milling about sipping day-glo drinks out of variously shaped vessels (typically large requiring extra-long straws and in some cases a harness!). Eventually, I joined in - when in Rome, eh?! After sampling and rejecting a couple of Hurricanes, and just not being able to bring myself to order a Bud or Bud Light, I purchased a 'hand grenade' - bright green, frozen, and served in 15" long plastic cup shaped like - yes - you guessed it - a hand grenade on the bottom, replete with a smiley face. Ick...until it's yum. Funny how that happens!
There's something quite nice about just strolling down a street taking it all in with no particular agenda - not needing anything, no one and nothing needing anything of me. Fun to see such different types gathered in a same
place, professional couples doing much the same as the heavily pierced youngsters.
After some time on Bourbon St - chatting with strangers, including a hand-grenade salesman who seemed ready to offer me a job, and a bouncer who gave me good directions (streets as well as safety tips), I headed to the other end of the Quarter - Frenchman's. Great jazz poured out of doors and filled the streets. Ahhhh! Stopped a few places - standing in doorways mostly, but did get pulled into one place by the sound of a sax and the most fun, amazing tamborine playing I've seen or heard.
It was hard to walk away from the scene, but I was tired and eventually did. My walk back to the hotel included the most amazing 10-minute deep tissue chair massage from a Chinese man with magic hands (incredibly relaxing), and about 10 minutes of walking in circles being lost and confused on dark streets in an area I was pretty sure someone told me to stay away from (not so relaxing).
A wonderful night's sleep, and late morning followed.
By the time I was really ready to head into town for coffee
The Inn
Outside my hotel window - New Orleans, 2010 and beignets (is there any other breakfast in New Orleans?), it was already 1pm. Oh well...
Checked out of my room, left my car, and hopped on my bike and peddaled into town. What fun to pedal to Cafe du Monde, hop off my bike, throw the lock on, and take a seat at a little table in a packed place where powdered sugar covers the floor and jazz musicians serenade you. Riding up on a bike, I could almost imagine myself other-than-tourist (not sure what about that appeals so much to me, but it's come up often these last months...perhaps more about that some other time).
I finished my coffee sitting on a little brick wall watching all the passerbys and all the activity, then took a lovely bike ride along the riverwalk, then through the streets - vendors, artists, musicians, mules and their drivers, and people, people, people. Christmas season in New Orleans...really quite lovely.
Once again I found it hard to leave where I was (another recurring theme). It would have been nice to have stayed longer, but onward ho. I would make it to Linda's the next day (Friday), as planned.
And
so I did.
Stayed overnight in Gadsden, Alabama - 2 hours south of Dalton. No need to visit Gadsden even if you're in the area...and certainly no need to spend the night unless you're tired and desperate. hmm. Am I unfairly maligning this town? I suppose I could have missed something the nice/interesting part!
I drove the last two hours Friday morning, and arrived at Linda's door 6 hours earlier than she expected me, and in time to ride with her to the airport to pick up her brother Jim. The three of us had a lovely pizza and salad dinner, a very nice Christmas morning - oh - and White Christmas is was! It was beautiful. Not just little flurries, but the real deal! In Georgia! Very fun! The next couple of days were very nice, low key, and relaxed.
Today, New Year's Eve day, Linda and I went up to Chatanooga - had a nice lunch, walked across the bridge to the Northshore (that would be the north shore of the Tennessee River), poked in a shop or two, stopped for good coffee, and eventually headed back to Dalton. A nice outing - oh - and
When in Rome...
Witchy ehjoys a hand grenade one that included a photo-op with a Muffler Man (have I told you about Muffler Men yet?).
It's now officially 2011 - 12:57am.
Happy New Year everyone!
Linda, like many others, are eager to know what's next for me. How long will I stay here? Am I going to look for work or continue traveling? If the latter, how will I manage now that money will stop coming in? And what about Skeffy? My answer, today, January 1st...
I don't know. I'll keep you posted.
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Nancy
non-member comment
Yahoo!!
SO great to hear from you here!! We celebrated with Wendy & Michael, Beth & Mark ~ a relaxing wonderful beginning to 2011 ~ and we were thinking of you!! Big hugs ~ and we can't wait to hear how 2011 unfolds for you! Love, Nancy & David