Captain's Log:
This past weekend, some of my family and I went up to Charleston, South Carolina for an ersatz reunion. My brother Luke and my sister Rachel were unable to attend, for they are just starting their college semesters at PCC and Crown respectively.
I am going to use this post to write about my weekend vacation, and hopefully give a preview of an upcoming post.
Saturday, August 30
I try to avoid waking up before the rising of the sun; however, this morning I was forced into wakefulness by my rather loud alarm clock at 0530. My family and I had planned the night before to leave for SC at about 0610 in the morning…which is way too early. Fortunately, I had packed my bag the night before. I was scrambling around the house enough this morning without the added trouble of packing my bag.
Well, around 0620, my parents roll up to the house in the Cavalier and the Suburban, ready to drive. It was still dark outside…so dark, in fact, that I am surprised I did not run into the car parked in front of my house…ok, so it was not that dark, but it was that early. Anyway, the reason we took two vehicles was because my brother’s semester at PCC starts on Tuesday, and he took the Suburban to college with him.
So, after practically falling into the Cavalier, I just manage to buckle my seat belt before sleep reclaimed me and I passed into unconsciousness again. I did not sleep very long, so when I came to, I talked to my mother to keep her from falling asleep while she was driving the car. I figured it is best for the both of us if she kept her eyes open for the drive.
We arrived in Jacksonville at around 0900 and we met my aunt and cousins at a small, dingy gas station. My cousin Ben is also going to PCC, so he rode with Luke. After shuffling luggage for 20 minutes we all said goodbye and headed out to our respective destinations. I drove the next leg of the trip, so I could not sleep as much anymore.
After lunch at Cracker Barrel, I drove a couple of hours and then switched places with my father when we stopped for gas. Now that I was not sleeping, driving, or sleeping and driving, I had the opportunity to read my book—the newest edition the Shannara saga.
My father pulled the Cavalier into my grandparent’s driveway at a little after 1400, and we were finally able to get out and stretch our legs. My legs are quite long, so to ride in the backseat of the Cavalier, I have to fold them into thirds…which leaves me practically chewing on my knees…as you can imagine that is not only painful, but also quite unpalatable.
Anyway, a big reason for our visit this weekend was family pictures. The lot of us—minus my mother and Brad—loaded up a couple of hours after we got unpacked and drove down to Waterfront Park. After a couple of hours posing in front of a camera, we all went down to a local Mexican restaurant for dinner. I will not bore you with a description of my meal as space in this post is precious, and to waste it with needless words is almost a crime in and of itself.
It was quite late when we got home, so we all decided we had had enough. Off to bed…
Sunday, August 31
Fortunately, my aunt and uncle’s church service starts later in the morning. The church they attend is huge. Last week they had a total of 2,017 in the services on Sunday morning.
After church, we went home and changed into a comfortable set of clothing and drove over to the Navy base to see if there was still space available in a tour for the H.L. Hunley. As luck would have it, we were able to get in shortly after we arrived and I was able to see the Hunley up close. For more information on the Hunley and its history, visit Hunley.org. Needless to say, it was something to behold.
That night we ate dinner at my aunt and uncle’s house, and afterwards I played two full games of hand and foot with my cousins and my mother.
Monday, September 1
We spent Labor Day driving back and arrived home around 1700.
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Now, about the lunch at Cracker Barrel. I came up with a great new advertising campaign idea for the restaurant. I fixed a biscuit with scrambled egg and bacon, and it looked very similar to a McMuffin; however, since this was surely not McDonald's I could not use that lame name. So, I decided that I would use a shortened version of the restaurant's name and call them CrackMuffins...I am going to send the idea in and see if they jump on this killer idea...
In an upcoming post, I plan to document my Independence Day trip. We will see how long it takes me to get that posted…
Also, please note that my reading list for the year has been updated with the great new books I threw down (as it were...) this year.
Until then,
Lorimer
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