Our only Vacation for the year is on its last days as I write this. If you’ve been reading along on this blog, you know about my mother in-law needing my wife’s full time care throughout the year. Bev and I had a wedding to attend for one of our boys this past week, so we arranged for siblings to provide constant care in our absence. Lining up replacement care can be a challenge on many levels, so we we made it easier on everyone by combining a very small vacation on the end of the wedding for ourselves. We’d be gone for 10 days to allow my wife a brief respite, and we wouldn’t ask for this kind of coverage again.
N833DF is ready, but I decided not to fly on this one. I’ve had the autopilot overhauled and new avionics added, and the airplane is performing well. I only have 35 hours on this most recent oil change, and my stated goal at the outset was not to put a passenger in there until 50 hours (when I’d do another oil change, oil analysis, compression check, bore scope, and filter check). I’m sticking to my word (to myself) and driving on this one. Besides, Bev and I needed to spend time together and we have actually enjoyed the road trips we’ve taken in the past. We left for Lumberton, NC on Thursday morning, May 16th.
The rehearsal was set for Friday and the wedding itself Saturday. Both events went smoothly. We had a great time and I was honored to be the best man for Frank III and Ashley. Several former Marines were there, including one Medal of Honor winner. All of them were heroes, but I would have liked to have talked with Jeremiah Workman. I didn’t realize he was there until he had gone home.
Savannah, Georgia was the next stop on our tour. We would enjoy a day to explore by ourselves, and then meet a few Harley riding friends of ours there on Monday. Good food, great friends, and miles and miles of walking about town. We didn’t take the bikes on this one either, with the focus on taking it easy on these girls. Brian and I are definitely planning a bike run with all four of us soon though, but not of this distance.
We did a hokey ghost tour that was better than sitting in your room and allowed us to see a few sights we might have missed. Everyone in the entire city was kind and pleasant, so I have nothing but good to say about the city. That includes the skinny young bearded man down by the river with a pony tail, high top sneakers, and a snazzy brown sun dress with white polka dots.
From there we drove to Charleston, SC for lunch on Sullivan’s Island’s Poe’s Tavern. Three of us had been there before, and specifically wanted to go back. The food and service did not disappoint, and I enjoyed another local IPA here as well. Light and non-fruity for the afternoon heat.
One more walking ghost tour and a few more sights we might not have seen on the second night. The food was once again stellar, and the Francis Marion hotel treated us very well. Lots of money floating around this area, for sure.
We’ll be home Monday morning ready to get back to normal. That means I’ll be finishing up the lighting project on the deck; cleaning my car; exercising on my bicycle; flying my airplane; and taking a motorcycle ride or two.
Fly safe!
Frank