(I have neglected for a year to keep up with my blog, but now am back to writing.)
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Day 1
Herb and I dearly love going to the Pacific Northwest every summer to spend time on our 31 foot boat, Willie's Tug, and to visit with special friends, but as I wrote previously, we tearfully sold her. We could charter a boat or rent a B&B in the Pacific Northwest, but this year in 2019 we feel a need to see the smiling faces of daughter Patrice and our son-in-law, Neel, who live in Boston. The distance from Houston prevents us from visiting often.
I call Patrice and ask if she would be available sometime in August for a short visit, and she replies, "Absolutely! I will definitely make time." She takes a week of vacation from work to show us the sights.
My Pittman family reunion was set for July 27, at Vera's Place in Splendora TX. Being curious, I ask my cousins Dorothy and Charlie, "Who is Vera and why is the gathering to be held at her house instead of a family member's home?" They reply that Vera's Place is a venue for holding meetings, wedding receptions and what have you.
When our GPS leads us to the address, I think surely this is not where we should be, as the building looks like an old beer joint that I clearly would not be caught near. So Herb drives past it on a dead end road, and we have no choice but to turn around and go back toward that building. Suddenly I see Charlie running out, waving us to stop. We have arrived.
The building is pretty cool inside, with a kitchen, dining area, and plenty of seating for visiting. Oh, yeah! Beer signs and other decor just like in a real bar!
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| Vera's Place |
We have a great time catching up on the news with our cousins, and as soon as we pose for everyone to take photos, we head east on US Hwy 10, making it to Alabama by noon the next day. We like to stop at the Welcome Centers in each state to pick up brochures and learn about points of interest that we might visit. The volunteers love to talk about their state and always offer coffee or lemonade.
I find this particular sign to have an interesting background, which is their building featuring a stone wall.
Continuing to drive through Alabama, when we come to Collinsville, we see evidence of our getting into the hills. No longer the flat land of Houston. Already I am enjoying the change of scenery.
I'm also enjoying the car trip, rather than flying there, so we get to go through many cities, towns, and villages and a few states in which I have never been.
Like plotting a route for Willie's Tug, where Herb placed waypoints on the chart plotter for the auto pilot to follow, he plots our car trip so we could make hotel reservations. The first night on the road finds us in Chattanooga TN, with a nice view from our hotel window.
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| Chattanooga - High on a Hill |
Willie of Sweet Caroline,
and of Walldog, Willie and Hank
Saturday, July 27, 2019
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