Howard Johnson Inn - Birmingham

... I leave on my trip. There is still a lot to be done and I've already done so much to get as ready as I am. Christmas is in the air all around town and it's making me a little regretful that I will not be at home on Christmas. Little things like that are making me a bit emotional at the present, but I think that is normal and it will subside once my trip starts. I daydream about this trip. For hours. And I keep bouncing back ...

... over it. Now the fruit bin is what holds my wonder, if it exists that morning. I long for a green apple or appropriately ripe banana. Sadly, they are usually soft red mealy apples or maybe brown bananas... again, if they actually have fruit that morning.

I am over my daily ration of bread line breakfast. I need more. I love breakfast too much.

Oh, how I long for eggs. Real scrambled eggs. And bacon. And homefries...

We had a one night stop over in Moody. We passed Talladega raceway on the way there but as it was a longer drive we didn't stop off along the way. We also got held up in our first traffic jam. A truck had gone off the interstate and crashed. Delayed us by about 40 minutes. The Super 8 wasn't the worst or the best motel but we both slept well after dinner at Cracker Barrell.

... otherwise I’d still be at the train station. Soon after arriving I took a headache tablet and immediately felt like I was going to throw up. I was then unable to get up out of bed. So I slept from about 1pm to 7pm and then again from 11.30pm to 8.30am. I am feeling much better this morning and now just have normal cold like symptoms. I think I will just stay in the hotel and do some washing, basically taking it easy and saving my energy for the trip to Memphis in the morning.

A few days ago we realized that the day we leave, marked in our brains as Memorial Day, comes a week earlier than we'd been thinking. Oops. At least we saw the light soon enough so we won't miss the flight. (Memorial Day this early in May feels very odd.) This trip is no big deal but will serve well as a test travel blog. Something to play with between meetings and meals.

... inside the camper, a pair of camp chairs, our walking sticks, a few guidebooks, and some basic kitchen supplies (electric teakettle, French press and Melitta one-cupper for his coffee, Mountain Research pot and lid). We'll take basics like tea, coffee, peanut butter and other sandwich-makings, and then pick up fresh fruit and vegetables at farmers' markets and ...

... GUESS WHO WON...ME, YEAH!! THE NEXT MORNING WE ATE BREAKFAST. THEN WE CHECKED OUT AND HEADED TO THE BOTANICAL GARDENS. BESIDES SEEING ALL OF THE PLANTS AND SOME WILD LIFE WE, ALSO, TOOK ONE OF THE TRAILS. THE GARDENS WERE VERY PRETTY. WHAT I LIKED THE MOST THERE WAS THIS HUGH ALOE PLANT. THEN
WE HEADED ON HOME. ANOTHER WONDERFUL SHORT TRIP FOR TWO SENIORS! THANKS, FATHER!

Here we are in Alabama, the birthplace of Marty. She found a map at the visitors center that actually shows the town where she was born. Yesterday was good. After the trip down the Natches we had a drive on I-20 with a lot of trucks. Why don't they put all that freight on the train? We are planning a stop on Huntsville to visit Martys cousin and to see the old family home; then on to Chattanooga.

... Birmingham is a damn hilly town. I mean it is in the Southeast, where did all these hills come from? It definitely made for nice views while driving around. We spent the afternoon wine tasting. It isn't surprising that they make wine in Alabama since 48 states do, but I'm not really sure they should. We went to Ozan first and then Vizzini. Now I was spoiled by living in San Francisco and visiting Napa quite a bit, but I'm no wine snob. I'm so not above an $8 bottle or ...

... shows, ballet, opera, fashion shows and beauty pageants. A summer film series features classic films, with a prelude by the Mighty Wurlitzer organ. Opened in 1927 and renovated in 1987, tours are available for the historic theater. Who wrote the jazz standard Tuxedo Junction? Erskine Hawkins, any jazz-lover will answer. Hawkins is a Birmingham native; the "junction" was a streetcar crossing in nearby Ensley. Learn about other jazz greats ...