The Vacation, Part II
Our vacation, in the truest sense of the term, began in earnest after we left Texas and found ourselves driving in a generally south-easterly direction towards the Gulf Coast of Alabama. With each passing mile, we found the temperature rising, the humidity increasing, and the local languages spoken less and less discernable. There is an interesting correlation there, between rising temperatures and the thickness of the Southern accent, which leads me to conclude that the atmosphere in Hades will likely be quite similar to that found in Biloxi, MS. Or vice versa.
Speaking of Hades, the most pleasant aspect of our vacation was the astronomical dew points recently discovered in the area of Gulf Shores, Alabama. And when I say, "pleasant," I mean that in the sense that it was like a fate worse than death itself. The dew point is a meteorological term which refers to the temperature at which the water found in the air will condensate and form dew. It is also a handy measure of how humid it feels. Generally speaking, one does not notice the humidity until the dew point rises above 60. In my native land of New England, the dew point rarely ever rises above 70, but when it does, it is defined as, meteorologically speaking, uncomfortable and oppressive. Dew points above 80 are fairly uncommon, even in the south. But in Gulf Shores, our domestic location of vacationing choice, the dew points the whole week were in the low 80's.
So it was very hot and very humid. So unaccustomed were we to such humidity that during a day trip one afternoon, Jeff climbed out of the van (which doesn't have operable air conditioning), ran his hand through his hair, and queried, "Why is my hair all wet?" Well, son, that's called perspiration, a liquid found commonly in the south, but which is not usually safe to drink.
Our first full day at the condo was the anniversary of my birth, so, in celebration, we went to the grocery store because we had run out of food several days previous, and the kids were beginning to complain. The rest of my birthday was quite enjoyable as we played in the "pool" and the ocean, ate some good food, and watched animals eat each other on the Discovery Channel.
The next day, we took a day trip to visit the USS Alabama, a large Navy Destroyer with a lengthy self-guided tour, which must have come in very helpful to naval recruits back in the day. We also went through a submarine, which appeared capable of supporting all of about approximately three people in comfort. And by three people, I mean three dwarfs.
The rest of our vacation in Alabama was relatively uneventful, as vacations should be. The ocean temperature was perfect, the crowds were sparse, the quality time together was valuable, and the cell phone was out of range.
Saturday, the 10th of October, we traveled to the land of our foremothers. The land of cotton, the land of Dixie, the land of Sherman's March to the Sea. Our primary purpose in visiting this particular domestic location was so that Mary could assist with preparing a wedding reception for the Turner newlyweds. And prepare she did.
If you were to look up the word overambitious in the dictionary, a picture of my wife would be found in the margin by way of explanation of the definition. I pointed this out to Mary one day, but she disagreed with Webster, so she copied the entire dictionary over by hand, omitting her image from its pages. So when it came time to prepare for this reception, Mary (personal motto: Texas is too small for me) noted that there were 6 names on the RSVP list and determined that there should be servings prepared for, at a minimum, at least 700 persons. Because you never know what might happen.
So, Mary thought about food all week. I took care of the children. Mary bought food. I took the children to the playground. Mary daydreamed about food. I took the children fishing. Mary practiced eating food. I sold the children into slavery. Mary invented new kinds of food. I took care of the children some more. But not that I am bitter; there were definitely some highlights.
Highlight #1: I had Wednesday off as a breather. I was able to leave the house, sit for a long time in a restaurant, talk to some friends on the phone, and get into my vehicle without buckling four or five seatbelts. That was a nice day.
Highlight #2. Tuesday, I took the kids over to the Fishing Grandpa's house for some fishing. We managed to "catch" the fish at their feeding time, so we managed to catch quite a few in a relatively short amount of time. Everyone caught a fish except Diane. She just wandered around the dock with a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun and occasionally took shots into the water. The fish she "caught" weren't fit for eating, to say the least. And eat the fish is what we did during...
Highlight #3. Thursday evening, we ate most of the fish caught during Tuesday's expedition. All of them except the biggest one, which Ruth caught, and the little ones, which we had thrown back into the lake in a carefree manner. With the fish, we enjoyed some good hush puppies and some sweet iced tea. Ain't nothin' like it.
At the end of that week was the aforementioned reception, and the food was every bit worthy of its time consuming preparation. There were lots of people there too, but not so many that I couldn't enjoy plenty of spinach dip.
Sunday, after church and potluck, which was more like pot of soup, we headed in a generally north-easterly direction to my brother Derek's house in South Carolina. He lives there, in his house, with his wife, and their recently acquired twin daughters. We enjoyed a meal together, consisting of garden salad, chicken lasagna, and brownie mix that Derek insisted he had baked. After the meal, we enjoyed "interacting" with them and their children and hoping that our children wouldn't tear the house down.
Now, after a long 17-hour drive on Monday, we are home in the frigid north. Mount Monadnock has snow on its peak already, and the fall leaves are falling quite rapidly. Tomorrow, I will get back to work. I've downloaded my e-mail, gone through the mail, and perused my inbox, and have figured that if I work all day, six days a week, I should be caught up by November. Of next year. Even later if I have to take bathroom breaks. But our vacation has been every bit worth it. 0 children (and parents) were sick, which is a miracle rivaling the creation in magnitude. We drove through 23 states, logged over 4,000 miles, and slept in 6 different domestic locations. We encountered 1 turtle in the road, 1 jellyfish in the sea, and nearly ran into 3 deer. But most importantly, we found rest and refreshment and satisfaction in the journey. Thank God for vacations.
Click here to see a few pictures from our travels. Thanks to Jane for letting us use her camera.
Speaking of Hades, the most pleasant aspect of our vacation was the astronomical dew points recently discovered in the area of Gulf Shores, Alabama. And when I say, "pleasant," I mean that in the sense that it was like a fate worse than death itself. The dew point is a meteorological term which refers to the temperature at which the water found in the air will condensate and form dew. It is also a handy measure of how humid it feels. Generally speaking, one does not notice the humidity until the dew point rises above 60. In my native land of New England, the dew point rarely ever rises above 70, but when it does, it is defined as, meteorologically speaking, uncomfortable and oppressive. Dew points above 80 are fairly uncommon, even in the south. But in Gulf Shores, our domestic location of vacationing choice, the dew points the whole week were in the low 80's.
So it was very hot and very humid. So unaccustomed were we to such humidity that during a day trip one afternoon, Jeff climbed out of the van (which doesn't have operable air conditioning), ran his hand through his hair, and queried, "Why is my hair all wet?" Well, son, that's called perspiration, a liquid found commonly in the south, but which is not usually safe to drink.
Our first full day at the condo was the anniversary of my birth, so, in celebration, we went to the grocery store because we had run out of food several days previous, and the kids were beginning to complain. The rest of my birthday was quite enjoyable as we played in the "pool" and the ocean, ate some good food, and watched animals eat each other on the Discovery Channel.
The next day, we took a day trip to visit the USS Alabama, a large Navy Destroyer with a lengthy self-guided tour, which must have come in very helpful to naval recruits back in the day. We also went through a submarine, which appeared capable of supporting all of about approximately three people in comfort. And by three people, I mean three dwarfs.
The rest of our vacation in Alabama was relatively uneventful, as vacations should be. The ocean temperature was perfect, the crowds were sparse, the quality time together was valuable, and the cell phone was out of range.
Saturday, the 10th of October, we traveled to the land of our foremothers. The land of cotton, the land of Dixie, the land of Sherman's March to the Sea. Our primary purpose in visiting this particular domestic location was so that Mary could assist with preparing a wedding reception for the Turner newlyweds. And prepare she did.
If you were to look up the word overambitious in the dictionary, a picture of my wife would be found in the margin by way of explanation of the definition. I pointed this out to Mary one day, but she disagreed with Webster, so she copied the entire dictionary over by hand, omitting her image from its pages. So when it came time to prepare for this reception, Mary (personal motto: Texas is too small for me) noted that there were 6 names on the RSVP list and determined that there should be servings prepared for, at a minimum, at least 700 persons. Because you never know what might happen.
So, Mary thought about food all week. I took care of the children. Mary bought food. I took the children to the playground. Mary daydreamed about food. I took the children fishing. Mary practiced eating food. I sold the children into slavery. Mary invented new kinds of food. I took care of the children some more. But not that I am bitter; there were definitely some highlights.
Highlight #1: I had Wednesday off as a breather. I was able to leave the house, sit for a long time in a restaurant, talk to some friends on the phone, and get into my vehicle without buckling four or five seatbelts. That was a nice day.
Highlight #2. Tuesday, I took the kids over to the Fishing Grandpa's house for some fishing. We managed to "catch" the fish at their feeding time, so we managed to catch quite a few in a relatively short amount of time. Everyone caught a fish except Diane. She just wandered around the dock with a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun and occasionally took shots into the water. The fish she "caught" weren't fit for eating, to say the least. And eat the fish is what we did during...
Highlight #3. Thursday evening, we ate most of the fish caught during Tuesday's expedition. All of them except the biggest one, which Ruth caught, and the little ones, which we had thrown back into the lake in a carefree manner. With the fish, we enjoyed some good hush puppies and some sweet iced tea. Ain't nothin' like it.
At the end of that week was the aforementioned reception, and the food was every bit worthy of its time consuming preparation. There were lots of people there too, but not so many that I couldn't enjoy plenty of spinach dip.
Sunday, after church and potluck, which was more like pot of soup, we headed in a generally north-easterly direction to my brother Derek's house in South Carolina. He lives there, in his house, with his wife, and their recently acquired twin daughters. We enjoyed a meal together, consisting of garden salad, chicken lasagna, and brownie mix that Derek insisted he had baked. After the meal, we enjoyed "interacting" with them and their children and hoping that our children wouldn't tear the house down.
Now, after a long 17-hour drive on Monday, we are home in the frigid north. Mount Monadnock has snow on its peak already, and the fall leaves are falling quite rapidly. Tomorrow, I will get back to work. I've downloaded my e-mail, gone through the mail, and perused my inbox, and have figured that if I work all day, six days a week, I should be caught up by November. Of next year. Even later if I have to take bathroom breaks. But our vacation has been every bit worth it. 0 children (and parents) were sick, which is a miracle rivaling the creation in magnitude. We drove through 23 states, logged over 4,000 miles, and slept in 6 different domestic locations. We encountered 1 turtle in the road, 1 jellyfish in the sea, and nearly ran into 3 deer. But most importantly, we found rest and refreshment and satisfaction in the journey. Thank God for vacations.
Click here to see a few pictures from our travels. Thanks to Jane for letting us use her camera.
posted by brandywine on Tuesday, October 20, 2009
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