Tennessee

Tennessee is one of those words that you look at weird because you're pretty sure you spelled it right. So just to be sure you rearrange some of the letters, add or remove a few and then the whole thing just becomes so confused you're not sure any of it was ever right in the first place. Then even if you are certain it is right, every time you read it thereafter it seems wrong.

I'm checking in from some place in Tennessee (see?). The hotel in Port Richey had no internet, so I was a week without. Not a huge deal, I was pretty busy anyhow. Hanging out with the Seminoles, loading up the SUV, driving out to retrieve my cat, and then taking all the folks who helped out to dinner so many times I lost count.

Boy was I thrilled to see my cat again. Words can't even describe it, so I won't try. He remembered me as soon as I let him out of the carrier into the hotel room to wander around. Spent the entire evening stalking me like a shadow and laying on me like a big big fat. He's taking the journey well which is fabulous. Not that I expected much differently, he's a chill cat.

The drive down was a breeze. From Ohio to Georgia, where we rested the first day, went by fast. Kentucky has beautiful architecture along 75 South, and Tennessee is just naturally gorgeous. Georgia is, well, Georgia. A whole lot of nothing. Only redeeming quality of Florida is all the armadillos I saw. I had never seen a live armadillo before. Super yay!

The drive back up? Not so fast. We ran into a 2 hour delay after Atlanta. We had no trouble at all driving through the very heart of it on the way down, but it was atrocious this afternoon. We bypassed the city itself on 285 West and managed to, somehow, run into a traffic jam once we got back onto 75 North 20 miles after Atlanta. Go figure. Luckily we had gotten lunch just before, so even going 5 mph wasn't so torturous.

Now I sit here sipping a strawberry-chocolate shake and munching french fries watching reruns of House until I'm tired enough to sleep. Then at the crack of dawn it's back on the road. Only about 5 or 6 more hours ahead of us if we make good time.

I've tons of pictures of tons of things, but those will have to wait. Sometime after I arrive in Ohio tomorrow. See you all then!