Life on the road, life in the South

Date:
Monday, March 30, 2015

 

Location:

Emerald Isle, North Carolina

Outside:

62 degrees, sunny and windy

Walked:

1.2 miles to/on the beach

Hubby is: reading a new book we just ordered

Musings:

• Another month is nearly over.
• One week from today we'll be heading north. It will be my first time of coming home to Michigan, but not to Kingston. First time EVER. Might have to write about that!

Recent happenings:

Stacy was here for a week. She rented a condo next door and we had great times together.

Expected:

Typical greeting... Where ya'll from? Show the hand to point out spots on Michigan's mitten. Lots of people know somebody from somewhere in Michigan.

Unexpected:

That time when we were asked where we were from, but our Michigan answer quickly brought another server out of the kitchen. She was super-excited to talk to us because she had just moved here from Michigan. Turns out she knows our son-in-law! Too bizarre!

Discoveries:

• Houses (and hotels and condos) often do not use the first floor areas for living space - in case of hurricanes or storm surges. These first floor spaces are used for various things - from parking space and storage units to beautifully landscaped gardens and fountains and walkways under and between condo units.
• Living near a military base can be noisy. We first discovered that when we camped near Savannah. But here we have learned that living between TWO military bases can be louder yet - what with bombs booming just a few miles away and fighter jets screaming overhead.
• Shrimp and grits - first at Page's Okra Grill near Charleston and then again at the Emerald Grill here on the island. YUM!!! A Southern treat that I couldn't have imagined, but that pleasantly surprised me!

Makes me chuckle:

Golf carts in every color imaginable. Yes, many campgrounds have an abundance of golf carts, but here there are not only the usual beige or dark green ones, but also fire-engine red, bright blue, orange, bright yellow, bright purple, and bright teal. Oh, and red-and-black striped ones. And white ones and camouflage ones. I guess maybe it makes it easier to tell them apart.

Makes me wonder:

Brown sod. We have noticed it here and there in the campground and have wondered whether it will turn green again. But now I'm observing the maintenance staff laying sod on some of the nearby sites - and it is brown. Their little trailer is carrying a huge roll of brown sod. Well, you know what they say: In the end it won't really matter whose grass was the greenest.

Things I have learned:

Not only have I learned that indeed we would be addressed as "sir" and "ma'am" but also got to listen in to a young momma teaching her toddler at Chic-Fil-A to answer "Yes, ma'am" when she asked if he wanted ketchup on his fries - like we northerners teach our kids to say "please" and "thank you." Makes sense.

Made me happy:

Got a totally unexpected message today from a former student expressing appreciation for me being nice to her when I was her third grade teacher and she desperately needed some affirmation - 40 years ago!

Reading:

• Small Victories - by Anne Lamott (just finished it)
• What we talk about when we talk about God - by Rob Bell (mid-way through)
• Divine Nobodies: Shedding religion to find God - by Jim Palmer (just got it)

...and on my Kindle:

• Vanishing Grace - by Philip Yancey

Watching tonight:

The Voice. If it's Monday, that's what hubby wants to see.

Considering:

• What else we want to do in our last week on Emerald Isle
• Which things we might want to see and do in Washington D.C. next week

Accomplishments:

• 40 things in 40 days: I accepted a challenge to pitch or finish 40 items in 40 days. And I did it!
• 500 Mile Club: I have walked 200 miles so far in 2015 toward my goal of 500 for the year.

Looking forward to:
Hugging my sweet grandbabies. Just a couple weeks!