First to Atlanta. We hadn't seen my Dad all Summer, my brother promised to get Georgia Football tickets and we had a wedding to go to. The added bonus was Lisa joining us for a couple of days and visits with my brothers and sisters-in-law. I always threatened my kids that if I ever drive to their house, then I would bring as much of their "stuff" that we have been storing for years. So, I loaded up the Prius with Brad's Sports memorabilia and other assorted goodies, a five foot teddy bear for Elie and barely had enough room for our luggage. An hour or so out of Boca, the traffic on the Florida turnpike came to a halt...a car on fire stopped all traffic for about an hour - what a way to start a road trip! We arrived at my Dad's in Atlanta and had just enough time to drop our luggage and head to brother Jan and Heidi's for dinner. It was great to see Melissa, Alan and Barbara , too! The Scotch was great, the food delish and the company engaging. After the long drive and fulfilling drink and food, the bed was beckoning. But Lisa's plane from Denver was late and after driving to the airport, bedtime was moved to 1 AM!
Saturday, our morning walk meandered through Buckhead and Brookhaven before culminating in breakfast at the Flying Biscuit. With high hopes, Jan picked me up to go downtown for the Georgia- Boise State Football Game! What a scene....parties all over downtown, tailgating, music at Olympic Park, drinks at the CNN Center and a lousy football game in the Georgia Dome!! It's going to be another long season. On Sunday, Connie, Lisa and I took a walk at Chastain Park and got a charge out of the number of people that recognized us. After 28 years being away from Atlanta, it was fun to be recognized by old classmates and friends on at least 3 occasions during the walk! The wedding of our friend's daughter was Sunday night and although we knew very few people, it was a fun time.
On Monday, after dropping Lisa at the airport, we were off to Asheville, NC. We had always heard about Asheville's charm and decided to spend one night there. The drive was beautiful as we meandered through North Georgia, South Carolina and the Mountains of North Carolina. But that is where the rains from the recent tropical storm caught up with us. After checking into the hotel, we wandered around the Biltmore Village, walked to dinner just ahead of the heavy rains and didn't get to see much of Asheville. The next morning we had a sumptuous breakfast at the Tupelo Honey Cafe, took a short stroll around town and headed out for Baltimore.
After more rain, we finally arrived in Baltimore. Our beautiful grandson, Elie, was waiting with Brad on the front porch and the thrill of him reaching out for us was worth every mile driven so far! I'm not sure of when we did what in Baltimore, because all of my attention was focused on spending as much time as possible with little Elie...and I was not disappointed. There is nothing better than being awakened early in the morning by his smiling face as he gets in bed with me and Grams for early morning playtime. It had been over 3 months since we saw him in person and the change was incredible. Elie has developed his own little personality and except for the fact that he doesn't sleep very much, I think he is damn near perfect! I am convinced, though, that his short naps and lack of sleep throughout the night is because he is afraid he might be missing out on the fun if he sleeps too long. 
Nonetheless, we stayed busy in Baltimore. Just spending time with Brad, Claire and Elie was enough for me, but we did manage to stay busy with a trip to the Children's Museum, The Inner Harbor, walks, and shopping. I found out that Elie loves to ride in the shopping cart and he is definitely a chick magnet as he flirts with everybody. Sunday came too soon, as it was time for Saba and Grams to leave.
A quick trip Sunday morning to DC to see the MLK Memorial and The FDR Memorial - both too new for us to have seen before. We didn't do our homework, though, as the National Triathlon/Duathlon was being held in DC with the Mall being the finish line. It made things a little hectic, but we were able to see the impressive new monuments before attempting to leave town. Being 9/11, the road leading to I-95 was bumper to bumper as all the roads around the Pentagon were shut down. 
On to Savannah as we meandered through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and finally Georgia. Arriving in the Savannah Historic District later on Sunday Evening, we had a quick snack and collapsed in the bed. Monday morning we took a beautiful stroll through the cobblestone streets and heavily treed squares to a country breakfast. On our walk, Connie was excited to stumble upon the First Girl Scout Headquarters....the very place she visited on her last trip to Savannah some 50 years ago. We couldn't help but notice that Southern Hospitality and general friendliness is alive in Savannah. How refreshing to be greeted with hearty "Good Morning's!" as we made our way through the streets. Nothing like the South and the people that live there! (And for those of you that thinks South Florida is the South...wrong! It's more like New York than the South)
So, we headed home. About 80 miles from home, we ran into one of those famous Florida thunderstorms that made driving impossible - so I actually pulled off the interstate and waited it out. That is something I can't ever remember doing before. Arriving home Monday night, we had travelled through 7 states and DC, driven 2542 miles, and according to the computer on the Prius achieved 46.1 miles per gallon at an average speed of 59 mile per hour. (I know I was really averaging about 75 mph on the highway but the computer takes into account all of the driving.) I guess it is time to start planning the next road trip...maybe out west next time and then I can deliver all of Lisa's "stuff" to her. Something tells me, though, that I might be driving alone and Connie will fly to wherever I am.
And The Journey continues.............
