Second Day of Trip

Here's a picture of a cow stature at a place we stopped to eat. An adult can stand under its belly without crouching...odd, huh?

Neither one of us went to sleep very well -- I didn't fall asleep until about 4 in the morning, and Richard about the same. Nerves? Trip fatigue? No clue. I am exhausted and ready to go to bed right now.

We traveled to Sarasota in 7 hours but did not go to the Titanic museum as I had wanted. We hope to be able to hit it tomorrow. The Tom-Tom was both a help and a hindrance as it would sometimes give instructions that were more complicated or not clear as it ought to be. We missed a couple of turns that should have been announced just a little sooner. But it clearly helped us find what we needed. More experience is needed.

We went to a buffet that was very homey and cheap but with lots of chow. :) We ate lots of chow. Lots of old people. They were the majority of people in the restaurant. I talked to two women that were sitting next to us and asked them questions about how expensive it was to live here. It is is about twice as expensive in regards to taxes and in property. Nice town, though, white streets that made everything very clean and fresh. I saw hints of being so close to the coast--palm trees, sea birds fighting over scraps in the parking lot, and houseboats in a cluttered channel in various states of repair. I was also amazed at the number of trailers set up as permanent homes with porch and flowers, etc in parks that were like our gated communities. I saw lots of signs for discounts for seniors.

Sorry, I am a bit jumbled in this entry--I am one tired hussy and am going to go to bed when I finish my bath.

First Day on the Road

Nine hours on the road and it went by pretty quickly. We are in a hotel outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Both Richard and I are in the hotel working (playing) on our computer. Our routine is usually when traveling is to unpack the car, then immediately plug in all the electronics, and next after that the computers come on. Somewhere along the way, the clothes come off but only after the computers are on. Mmmm, perhaps that was more information than was needed on this particular blog entry. A few cars/trucks tried to share space with us, and once Richard tried to share space with another car. Thankfully, none of the cars kissed and told, and we got here without a scratch. There is a Titanic museum trip in Orlando planned for tomorrow and then we will check in a Motel 8 in Sarasota. Friday, the official research part of this trip begins. :) (That's me grinning really wide.)

I realized that my husband is traveling with me for no other reason than to make his wife happy. The Astor topic bores him dreadfully after 3 years of hearing it. We don't have time to do the things that he might have found interesting. Awwww, the man deserves a medal for knowingly going on a travel trip that will not interest him, will not do things that he will like, and will consist of his wife telling him what to do for almost 4 weeks straight. Sometimes you just gotta go, "Awwwww."

12 days, or 10 days...or are we there yet?

I am trying to get Richard to talk to his teachers to be let out 2 days early. That is so I can get to the Ringling Museum not on a Sunday. The museum is open, but not the library. If I get there during the week, I can see some Astor stuff not out on display. I want...I want...I want...

I made arrangements to see Elise, Richard's sister when I thought I was leaving on Monday, now with the change, his sister isn't happy with the change. I can't help it. I thought it would be a cool ideal, but it's back to having to consider others in the planning, and it ropes me down, and, and, and,... *breathe, breathe...*

I will do my best to let her know when we will get there, just as soon as I know. I swear.

I have gotten all the exclusively trip stuff done. I packed my audio books, got the gifts ready, all the planning is done, etc. I only have to do the packing and the electronic stuff --the stuff I have to do before every trip.

Is it time to leave yet?

Fourteen days and counting...

Um, you might think that my math is off a bit. But things, like always, have changed. First, my husband is coming. That changes the date we are leaving, and how long I will be gone. Before, the plan was that I would travel until I got to all the spots I wanted to get to and then come home. Well, that sorta fell apart when we could not get a vehicle for Richard in time for me to go without dipping into the very money I had set aside for the trip. This dipping in hurt my feelings, and my husband, who cannot stand for my feelings to be hurt, made an executive decision and decided to go with me. There are pluses and minuses with this--on the plus side, I now have a driver and someone to run interference for me where I won't have to do it all when I am going. That will be nice. I will get tired, and he'll be able to help me get to the next place while I am resting from the stress. On the negative side, I will have to consider him in everything I decide to do, and having another person along will occasionally slow me down. And I had planned on using the extra time I had (this could be a joke) to work on my novel. Now there will be extra noise from the TV and an extra person to work around. Still, the negative is one I am familiar with, so it is not the big fat negative that it could be. A bigger negative would be no money. And the positive side of having him along -- along with company and someone who loves me -- will make the trip nicer. So with one adjustment comes others, but nothing that we cannot handle. Who better to go with me than my partner in life? Poor thing is going to be bored out of his mind.

19 days and counting

I have set the date for leaving for the 26th. Nineteen days. Wow, not long now. I have settled out my list of to do, (basically by moving everything off the list) and have only kept two things on the list. First - I need to get the photo work done of the photo copies I plan to give away as gifts to those who have helped me and second - to get my scrapbook done for taking with me. I can't pack up yet, not until that weekend of, and shopping for the trip will need to wait until then as well. Funny, I am working on the photos first as I have a feeling that the scrapbook will take a while to get sorted out. Plus I need pages to put into the book, then I have to take out other pages so the darn book won't be so darn heavy.
So basically, I am done with the planning and will let the rest of the trip fall out where it will. I have planned the places I want to go but for the most part, it still will be very flexible as far what and for how long. I will let the events tell me what they want. If short, then short. If long, then long. I got a good gift yesterday: a film that I was going to go by and see at the University of Columbia, has been copied and mailed to me. Can't wait to see it. It it a film about John Jacob Astor VI marrying Miss French. Madeleine Astor Fiermonte will be in it. :) Imagine being able to see her. I wish I could find a film on his father -- JJ Astor IV other than the blurry one of him at Camp Wicoff(sp). It shows him but not clearly at all, and not him walking or interacting with others. Or to have his voice recorded somewhere--ah, to know if it were clipped or harsh or accented or deep or high even. His writing tends to come across more verbose and full of ten-dollar words, makes me wonder if he spoke like that as well. If so, then no wonder, Jack, you had such a hard time making friends.

Planning some more.

After a couple off days just for 'life' in general - (a mammogram- ugh and some other issues that I am too polite to mention) I worked a bit today. I can't decide when to leave. Earlier means I have more time in places before Rhinebeck, *which I *HAVE* to be there on the Sixth. But that means I don't know when I will be there for the stuff I need to reserve. I hate saying 'I will be there the first week or the second week...' Some of this will probably just have to be on the fly...perhaps. How can you plan if you aren't sure how long things are going to take? I don't know if my search will take an hour or all day. If I will get side-tracked or what. I tend to do that...get side-tracked I mean. Like right now. I guess, I will know when I need to leave. I tend to know when I am suppose to do stuff, but the not-knowing makes it hard to plan. Does it sound like I am going around in circles here. I am. I am.