Head in the Sand

We arrived in Georgia on Tuesday just in time for lunch. Grammy and Aunt Jen had already made a stack of sandwiches. And we were hungry. The kids all took to each other immediately, so lunch was full of giggles--then off to the trampoline! (Oh, to have a stomach that strong again...)

Later in the afternoon, most of the adults watched Manchester United play Porto in the Champions League (soccer). As much of a Football maniac as I am, I chose to surf the web instead. Man U makes my blood boil, ask Kurt. It's ugly:-( I won't name names in this public arena, but if you want to know the whole story, just email & ask. I'll be only too happy to tell you;-)

We're staying in a condo nearby Karl & Jen (it pays to have connections), which is nice because the kids have their own room far removed from ours. So Kurt is actually sleeping this vacation. Very nice. Although both nights, Ian has claimed that his bed is too stiff and gives him "chest pain" and can he sleep on the couch. But seeing as the couch is in the direct path of the rising sun (with no curtains), we've chosen not to be woken at the crack of dawn. Instead we give him "Treasure Island" on my iPod to lull him to sleep in his bed.

Yesterday, Megan's new babysitting experience came in handy. Most of us went to an inlet beach yesterday. Little Sarah didn't want to go & neither did Megan, so the two of them played while the dads watched another Champions League match--this time Liverpool v. Chelsea. And the dads were actually able to watch the match. I would have stayed, but again: loooong story. Why can't teams like Hull or Fulham or Portsmouth be in the Champions League for once?



The beach was neat. It's next to a finger of water that ebbs and flows with the tide. Apparently at high tide there is no beach. The kids competed on digging the biggest hole while I saw my first jellyfish in the wild--or at least my first one that's swimming instead of rotting on shore. Couldn't get a camera lock, though. And birds. I saw three kinds of birds I've never seen before, but I forgot to bring my Peterson Guide. It was neat, though, to watch a giant flock of these birds (the white ones with big black patches on their wings) lift up en masse off the sandbar--shifting and turning, contracting and expanding.

And the hole digging contest? It was a tie, as judged by Grampa, so the prize went to the judge. Hmmmmm.

Cheers,
Jessi

Quotes of the Day:

Kurt (after Jen asked why I wasn't watching the Man U game with everyone):
I didn't even tell her it was on. She doesn't need the stress.

Ian (to Anna who was being silly in the van on the way to the beach):
Stop pulling your hair out--if you keep doing that, you'll be a bald woman!

Megan (during a conversation about "disciple like teacher" at lunch):
I take after my mom--I keep hurting myself. Thanks for the genes, Mom!

 

Still Alive...and In Florida

I'm sitting the dark at 8:00 a.m. Eastern (5:00 a.m. Pacific), typing to let you know that we have landed in Jacksonville, FL safe and sound. And we stayed that way overnight at our crazy lodgings.



Why would I say such a thing? The flight from Sacramento to Houston went fairly smoothly, until approach for landing. They say everything is bigger in Texas. That must include the wind! It was like a 3 year old was holding onto the plane and zooming it up & down, side to side, swooping it in large curves. There must have been a strong wind coming from the side of the plane. To make matters worse, we had to fly past the airport then curve back. As soon as the belly of the plane was exposed to the mystery air-currents, we really starting swooshing around. We landed safely, then navigated the Houston airport for easily 30 minutes trying to get to the next gate (far worse than O'Hare). Kurt and I wanted saltines & soda water. The kids wanted pizza. Ah, the stomachs of youth. Guess it's time for them to ride their first REAL roller coaster. Any volunteers to take them?



We flew one of those tiny planes from Houston to Jacksonville. The new ones are nice: soft leather upholstery, non-snowing air systems, and A LAVATORY. I'd fly in a sardine can as long as it has a bathroom. Plus Ian had the window shade open during takeoff without freaking out. He was very proud of himself as he should be. He talked himself through the whole thing. Which is good because now Megan won't have to get mad anymore.

Once at our hotel, there was a group of 50-something businessmen in upper-class casual clothes clustered around the door--having difficulty making eye contact. We went to the front desk and started checking in. A minute later, the shuttle driver comes striding in and laughingly-though-quietly tells the desk clerk that those men are asking for a recommendation to a strip club & that he doesn't know about these things (truth or liability?). They have a discussion about the safety level of various options, while I continue checking in without looking at Kurt. I can only imagine what he was thinking...

We get to our room--right next door to the icemachine--and get the kids started on showers (it's 11:00 p.m. local by this point). Except there's no shower curtain. It's gone. Not in the cupboard or hanging from a hook. Gone. Like in the murder-mysteries when the body gets rolled up in one and hauled to the dumpster. Aaaahhh!

But I am pleased to report that we are all present and accounted for. And now Ian has joined me at the table in the dark to play DS. Glad Kurt's earplugs are working! Guess the blackbird flying inside our Sacramento terminal was just a blackbird...not Poesque/Shakespearean portent;-)

Cheers,
Jessi

Quotes of the Day:

Kurt (on seeing the blackbird):
"That's fowl!"

Megan (on our neverending trek through Houston airport):
"When I grow up, I'm designing a video game: Search for Houston Gate."

Ian (on our gut-wrenching descent into Houston):
"Oooh, maybe we'll do a barrel roll!"