My Trip to the South Carolina Writer's Workshop

Thursday, October 21, 2010, Sally, Susie and I headed off to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I wanted to go to the South Carolina Writer's Workshop, I have a dream of becoming a published writer and they had the means to help me get there.  Sally arranged for a suite and Susie drove her car. They also wanted to go to the Beach one last time before winter.

Sally and I parked our cars at Sara's, Susie's daughter's home.  Susie was already there waiting for us.  We quickly packed all our bags into Susie's trunk and headed South.

Our first stop of course was the Cracker Barrel in Virginia.  As far as I was concerned we couldn't get there fast enough.  We ate a hardy country lunch and back on the road again.  Susie used her GPS system so I didn't need to look at a map.  As a truck driver, I have read maps all my life.  The voice came over the speaker, turn right here in about 200 feet, that was neat.

We stopped a few times for snacks and coffee, that's a nice way to say rest stops for our necessities.  Sisters easily agree on those types of stops.

Sally booked a suite at The Landmark Resort in Myrtle Beach. It was on the first floor and had a large bedroom, a sleep sofa in the living room, a huge bathroom, a kitchenette with microwave and coffee maker, and French doors that opened out onto the balcony overlooking the beach, WOW!

Sally, Susie and me in front of the resort.

We ate dinner at the restaurant in the resort and had a great meal.  Then we went for a long walk on the sandy beach.  When we returned Sally made a large pot of decaf.  We sat out on the balcony watching the relentless waves washing up on the shore in the light of the full moon.  What an exhilerating sight.

I didn't do any workshop on Friday, even though that was an extra day of training.  I had just gotten the weekend package.

We had the breakfast buffet at the resort restaurant.  We really like to eat, especially when the food is really great.

Sally has visited Myrtle Beach several times and has made many food friends there.  She decided to show us around.  She had Susie drive us to Murrels Inlet.  She had called one of her friends and she was going to meet us for lunch.  We parked at the Lazy Gator Gift Shop.  We shopped there while we waited for her to arrive.

We left Susie's car parked there and walked a few blocks to a restaurant called The Creek Ratt. I objected to eating at a restaurant named Ratt.  There we chose a table outside under the trees and watched boats sail up the inlet.  There was a very friendly cat that approached each table and of course begged only the way a cat can, just sitting there staring up at you, until you have to just give in and give him something.  Then he caused a commotion by chasing a squrrel up a tree.  The food here was again very good.

We meandered down the dock and watched more boats coming in and going out, they were passing each other very slowly.

We walked back to the gift shop.  There, lying in the tall grass was an eleven foot alligator lurking there to attack anything or anyone passing him.  Susie jumped on its back, Sally grabbed Susie to keep her from falling off and I grabbed his jaws to keep him from biting Susie.

Of course he was a life size cement yard ornament for the Lazy Gator Gift Shop.  After our battle, Sally said good by to her friend.  Susie drove us to the Hilton, and dropped me off.

I had to register for my classes and attend the dinner banquet, meeting the faculty and all the 200 plus aspiring writers.  Then they had an awards ceremony for The Petigue Review Contributors, The Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Award.

I called them when the awards were over.  They picked me up and we hurried back to our suite since Saturday would begin very early.

We got up at 5:30 a.m.  With hurried showers we rushed out.  I took all my potential stuff I wanted to discuss if given the chance, my tote bag was full of my stories.  They dropped me off and went somewhere for their breakfast.  I went inside and started my day with an enormous buffet breakfast prepared for the writers group.

My second class of the day, I chose Secrets to Non Fiction Proposals.  I was having trouble with my eye.  Two weeks earlier I had had cataract surgery, and I was having a terrible reaction to the eye drops and closed my eye.  My instructor said, "You, you going to sleep in my class, (indicating me) and of course everyone turned around to see who "YOU" was.  "You can't do that," he said.  I ALMOST CROAKED!

After class I explained to him about the eye surgery.  I don't think he believed me.  But, that's o.k., I got a lot out of his class.

Next was lunch.  I had two afternoon classes and then the buffet dinner.  I got to sit with an agent who seemed interested in my memoirs.  He advised me to finish it and email them to him.  I'll probably do this when I get it completed.  My memoirs about my life as a lady truck driver starting early 1970's is going to be a rather long story since I drove for over 25 years.

While I was doing all this learning, Sally and Susie were out on the town.  They went shopping, swimming in the ocean (the water was still warm) and went on the water slide, the Indoor/Outdoor Lazy Rivers at the resort.  They even took a NAP!  They had dinner somewhere near the Hilton because when I called and said I was ready to be picked up, they were there in less than 20 minutes.

We went back to our suite and enjoyed a few quiet moments on the balcony, then went to bed.  It seemed like 5:30 comes very fast when you're very tired. 

Sunday we arose again and hurried about getting ready, but this time I opened the French doors and stepped out on the balcony and took a picture of the magnificent sun rise.

My Sunday schedule was light.  There was a continental breakfast for the group, then critiques by appointment and my final class, The Non-Fiction No Hitter: Perfecting Your Pitch.  I listened and took notes from the instructor, great training.

There was a long break with refreshment, a silent auction, which consisted of many books, several beautiful paintings and all sorts of writing helps, and then it was over.

I was overwhelmed with all this new knowledge.

They picked me up and we went directly back to our suite, packed up and checked out, our new destination, Wilmington, North Carolina.

Susie booked us a suite at the Hilton on the Cape Fear River.  We were there in a few hours.  We checked in and went up to our room on the 4th floor.  This suite was very nice, 2 queen size beds and a large bath.  We stashed our luggage on the beds and rushed out to see the beauty of the sunset.

Across the channel was moored the USS North Carolina, a battleship which saw action in the Pacific during WW II.  It looked so peaceful there.

We walked down the dock to George's on the River Walk, for dinner.  This time we chose an inside table. For their appetizer they chose "The George" Calamari.  I'd had never heard of it before and when they told me what it was, OH NO, you two can share, I'll be satisfied with dinner.  I'm not eating squid.  Although it looked good and of course Sally and Susie swore it was delicious, I suddenly thought about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the giant squid. No, I just can't!  We enjoyed our dinner and our long walk on the dock back to the Hilton.

We rested well, especially since we didn't have to be anywhere early, we slept in.

We got ourselves together, packed up this last time and loaded up Susie's car.  Then we had the buffet breakfast at the Hilton.  We took one last walk down the dock.  I took a picture of a shrimp boat.

We were anxious to get home after such a great and busy weekend.  We only stopped to eat once in Virginia at the Cracker Barrel.  It seems like no time we were pulling into Sara's driveway. 

Our Amazing Adventure at Smith Island, Md.

The amazing adventures of the Attaway girls, except we ain't girls anymore, we are all little old ladies, Sally, Susie and me, Frances.  Of course we are young old, Susie being only 61.

 September 9, 2010 we went on a cruise on the Chesapeake Bay, to Smith Island, Maryland.  We sailed aboard the great ship (boat) TWISTER.

The Captain charters groups of tourists and free wheelers like us (we all have to make reservations because they can only take so many passengers on the boat, they don't want to OVERLOAD)  to Smith Island, one of the first settlements in Maryland.

This is a picture of the young Captain, while the older Captain welcomed everyone aboard.

We caught the boat at Point Lookout State Park.  This was once a Union run Civil War camp housing Confederate prisoners.

When we boarded I asked the Captain if we could ride up front on the bow.  He said that it wouldn't be wise because we would get soaked.  So we went up to the top deck.  There was 20 plastic yard chairs, very light weight, lined up along the rail. We sat near the front.

There was a large group of senior citizens from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Gosh, they sure got up early to get here in time to catch the boat. They all came on a charter bus.  I asked one of the gentlemen from that group to take a picture of Sally, Susie and me.  He did a good job, although I was almost sorry.  I didn't realize just how bad I looked, the wind had made a mess of my hair.

We held onto the rail once we got out into the bay.  The wind was brisk and the bay was full of rolling waves and white caps.  I stood up to take a picture and my chair took wings. It flew across the top deck.  One of the other passengers helped me get it back.  Everyone up top with us was laughing about this.  Needless to say, I didn't get up again until we got to Smith Island.

I took lots of pictures.  I got a fair shot of a supertanker going to Baltimore.  But the best picture I took was of the TARGET SHIP.  That's an old ship that our Armed forces use to practice shooting.

It wasn't very long after we passed the target ship that we came into the harbor at Smith Island.

Sally rented 2 golf carts and we proceeded to drive around the island.  Except the golf cart Sally and I were using had a flat, that's right a "flat tire"  We had only driven about a half block, and of course I told her it was flat.  She didn't believe me.  She stopped, got out and walked around to my side and looked for herself. Yep, it was FLAT! Susie stopped and waited for us to return it and get another.  That only took a few minutes.

Well, there wasn't any reverse shifter either, so we had to make wide turns in order to turn around.  Since I had been a truck driver for so many years I knew there had to be a reverse somewhere on that contraption.  We got down to the end of one road and there wasn't enough room to make a big wide turn.  So that's right, we got out and pushed it backward and turned it around.  She kept looking for a shifter stick.  Well, two times we pushed it backwards and straightened out, and of course we had to push Susie's cart too.  Then, I found it!  Right behind Sally's knee was a switch that looked like a light switch..  I flipped it.  That was reverse.  It started that beep, beep sound.  We showed Susie where the switch was.  We drove all over the island.

We saw historical homes, although I have my beliefs about how many times they have been  rebuilt due to catostrophic events like hurricanes, fire, blizzards, the regular stuff nature puts out.  There was a lot of beautiful pomegranate trees growing there.

We then ate lunch at their famous restaurant, The Bay Side Inn. Sally and Susie had crab cake sandwiches.  They were the largest crab cakes I have ever seen, over one inch thick.  I had my favorite, cream of crab soup, the best I ever ate.  It was without a doubt the very best.

After our lunch we went to the gift shop.  There I bought a cookbook, The Early American Cookbook.  It is full of historical receipts from the kitchens of George Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, Grant, even a receipt from Billy the Kid's mother.


Then it was time to return to the Mainland. So I took another picture of Sally and Susie standing on the dock.

We went back to the boat, got our seats up top and settled in for the rocking and rolling trip back across the Bay.  The waves splashed up to the top of the boat and we got an unexpected shower.  Everyone up top laughed and wiped the water off, because you can expect to get wet like this on boats. 

Sally got scared when she realized I had fallen ASLEEP!  I was so relaxed.  I wrapped my leg around the bottom rail and out I went like a light. She and Susie still held onto the rail. 

When we got back to Point Look Out, we decided to stop at the Civil War Memorial.  It has the names of some of the Confederate Soldiers who had died there.  There was an Attaway from South Carolina, several Carpenters and a Traywick from North Carolina (our cousins are Carpenters and Traywicks).  Sally took pictures of them and sent them to our family in North Carolina.

Sally's husband Jerry didn't go with us this time, seems he gets sea sick just looking at the water.  We did ask him to go, especially since he took us to the Old Time Train last year.

The Old Time Train

     Jerry arranged a day trip for Sally, Susie, and me go go to Romney, West Virginia to ride on an old time train, The American Eagle. He reserved our tickets.  This train chugs through the mountains and runs alongside the South Branch of the Potomac River, a great Eagle habitat.

     Susie and I arrived early at Sally's. We hurried and loaded up Jerry's car with our carry on picnic lunch.     I hunkered down in the back seat of Jerry's car, tightened my seat belt and got ready for the ride of my life.  Jerry's a real good driver, only he's a real FAST DRIVER.    We arrived in Romney a little after nine.

     We picked up our tickets at the ticket counter and waited on the platform.  The sound of the idling train engine had a calming and an exciting effect on us.   Finally the conductor came out and shouted, "ALL ABOARD!"

     All of the passengers hurried through the door, some going to the left and others going to the right.  We turned right and went through the concession car and the souvenir car and 2 more cars until we decided on a window seat.  Sally and Jerry turned their seat around so they were facing Susie and me.

     If we had turned left, we would have gone into the dining car and been served a full course meal.  Not today, we chose to picnic.

     We heard the friendly sound of the train whistle blow,  woo, woo.  The train slowly moved out of the station into the West Virginia countryside. 

     We passed by a historical barn, over 200 years old.  It looked like a big puff of wind could blow it over.  I'm sure there has been many big puffs of wind and the old barn is still standing.

     We meandered through the mountains, then came to the South Branch of the Potomac.  There the train followed the river.

     An announcement came over the train p/a system, "The trail will be coming to a stop, everyone that want to go to the open gondola car may do so now.  That was an open car with seats along the walls, with seats in the middle of the car so the passengers could take good pictures of the eagles.

     Sally,  Susie, and I jumped up, cameras in hand and left Jerry sitting there.  He said he would keep our seats.

     What a sight, it was October, the trees all orange and reds and the sky blue and clear.  We took seats along the outside wall and got our cameras ready and waiting for that perfect shot.  The train started moving slowly again.

     We saw some eagles but they were just too high.  The ones we saw close enough to take a picture were partially hidden by the tree leaves and branches.  We just couldn't get a good picture.

    The train came to a stop again. It was time for all the passengers to return to  their original seats.  This was a safety precaution. Along this section of train tracks there was a hazard of falling rocks or branches from the tall trees onto the open gondola car.  We returned to our seats and finished off our picnic.

     When the train returned to the station we had a nice surprise.  Patrick had ridden his motor cycle down from Keyser, his home, to see us and visit a while.

     Susie decided she wanted to become a biker, and hopped on the back of his bike and was raring to go.

     Patrick said his goodbyes to us and rode off into the sunset.  We got into Jerry's car for our trip home. 

     It was a very good day.

AND THEN PHYSICAL THERAPY!

I started physical therapy 3 weeks after I fell under the fig tree. Sally and Susie took turns driving me there.  After each time we would go to lunch. There was a co-pay of $30.00 for each session.

I was warned the secessions could get quite intense. That was an understatement. I've always been sort of a tough person but those physical therapists beat me half to death.  They made me raise my arm over my head and do all sorts of strange exercises. I thought my shoulder hurt when I fell, was I wrong. Worst of all, I mean worst of all the doctor prescribed some pain medication called perkaset(I know I didn't spell it right). They worked except nobody,  nobody, told me to take a laxative or stool softeners when taking them. After 2 times of therapy and 4 pills I was constipated. The constipation was unbearable, that hurt worse than my shoulder. After I got that under control, I didn't take any more pain pills.

I managed therapy 4 more times. I have never endured so much pain. The saying no pain, no gain, that's a lot of bunk! My wrist was still in the short heavy cast. Finally the doctor removed it. I had trouble holding onto things. I was getting worse. The last time I went to therapy I drove myself, and I cried all the way home. I decided that was enough. I wasn't going to therapy any more.

I went back to the doctor for my checkup.  I told him I had to quit the therapy. He told me I wouldn't ever be right if I didn't go back.

I asked him about water therapy, like swimming, perhaps!

He said I could try it and see what would happen.  He was very skeptical about my decision.

Well, I went to "therapizin'" myself. Yep, I went to the indoor pool at our local high school. It was open to seniors, public pool parties, lap swimmers, and just fun stuff. It cost all of $4.00 a time. I wasn't sure I could do it, but after my first time, I knew that was my only hope of getting back my range of motion. I walked down into the five feet deep section so only my head was sticking out of the water.  Then I walked across the pool back and forth, moving my arms like I was swimming but I didn't swim, just the movement of swimming. The water being buoyant there was little stress on my old joints. My range of motion improved and I didn't use any pain pills.

I bought a 12 visit ticket for seniors (old people), cost $30.00. That sure beat a co-pay of $30.00 a day. I was into "therapizin'".

I went back to the doctor after going to the pool 3 times a week for 3 weeks. I had regained almost all my full range of motion. He was surprised and impressed. He said most people don't try, they just sit around and grow stiff. He told me to keep going to the pool.

I bet he was hot about losing my therapy co-pays. What a savings for me, plus I got well.

I stopped going by Christmas since the weather had turned very cold. My wet hair would freeze when I left the indoor pool and walked to my pickup truck, and that could create another problem, taking a chance of catching pneumonia. Winter set in and I was WELL!

The Opossum

     The first few days in the cast and shoulder harness I  found the simple ordinary things a person does were very difficult. I didn't have much trouble braking an egg into the frying pan, but when I went to flip it over, I flipped it onto the floor.  Solomon wouldn't lick it up, he's not partial to eggs like some cats are.  I cleaned it up and tried again.  I couldn't use a can opener, that takes two hands one to hold the can the other to turn the handle so I made sure all my cans had a pull type lid.  I got pretty good at using my left hand, even down to writing my name was almost as good as my right hand.

     Well, one night I woke up about 3:30 a.m. and had to go to the bathroom. So I took a magazine and sat down. Solomon sat in the doorway waiting for me. Since I live alone, I always leave the bathroom door open. 

     I read the whole magazine. I guess I had been sitting there for 20 or 30 minutes. I threw the magazine onto a stack of magazines on the right side of the commode.  I replaced the toilet paper on the floor on the left side.  I stood up and was pulling my pajamas up when I heard this hissing sound.  I looked down. Good Night Almighty!  There was a full set of gleaming teeth, and eyes glaring up at me,  the monster of the night an opossum.

     I kicked the cat out of the doorway and slammed the door trying to finish pulling up my pajamas with my left hand and running down the hall at the same time.

     Solomon ran back to the bathroom door and was scratching on the door trying to get at the opossum and I thought I could hear the opossum scratching on the bathroom door trying to get out.  I turned on all the lights, sat in my recliner and watched down the hall until dawn.  The I called my landlord.  He said he would be right over.

    I know if I'd seen that thing when I was dropping my pajamas down there would have been a nasty trail all the way to my truck.

     My landlord only lived about a mile away and he was there in about 10 minutes.  He brought a bushel basket with a lid.  He was going to capture it and turn it loose back in the woods.  But, when he opened the bathroom door, it was GONE!

     There was a small hole where the water line comes into the bathroom and the opossum must have gotten in through it and escaped the same way.  The landlord said he would come back later in the day to fix the hole.

     I told him I wouldn't be there, Sally was coming to take me to the doctor for a check up and then we were going grocery shopping.  But I wouldn't mind if he FIXED  the hole while I was gone.

     Sally picked me up and I told her about the opossum.  She couldn't stop   laughing.  We went to the doctors.  He said my shoulder was mending well and set up physical therapy. We got my groceries then had a burger at  McDonald's.  It was late when we got back home.

     I checked the hole.  No, he hadn't fixed it. So, I found another good use for the famous silver duct tape. I taped that hole from here to next week, really closing it up good. It didn't look very good, I didn't really care.  All I wanted was for the hole to be closed.  An ant couldn't even get in now.

     Patrick called to check on me and I told him about the opossum. He suggested I load the shot gun, and since I couldn't aim it, shoot from the hip.  Now I pictured myself with a fractured hip or worse, maybe shooting my foot.

     I assured him all the holes were closed.

     I now leave all the lights on when I go to bed, and Solomon visits the bathroom frequently.

   

The Fig Tree

     I went to my girlfriend's house to pick figs.      

     I didn't curse the fig tree like Jesus did in the Bible. When he saw it and it looked like it was full of figs but when he checked it out it didn't have any according to Matthew 21:18 & 19.  No, I cursed the fig tree because it had too many figs and they were all up on the high branches.  I had to stretch and reach way up there to pick them.

     I was reaching up picking my next one, I already had two in my hand when I should have been looking where I was walking.  I stepped on a big round rock.  It rolled right out from under my foot and I flipped upside down, bashoom! It looked like I did a swan dive into the dirt right onto my right shoulder.  On my way down I hit my right wrist on a ladder that was leaning up against the house next to the tree.  It seemed like all this happened in slow motion. 

     I thought I was dying.  I have never known pain like that and I gave birth to two large babies.  I couldn't move, not a little bit. The figs I had in my hand were smushed.  Everyone in the neighborhood knew I had a loud voice because I was screaming for Jesus to HELP me.

     My girlfriend dialed 911. The firehouse/rescue squad was right across the street. In only a few minutes the ambulance was there.  I'm still on the ground screaming.  I looked up and I know if I hadn't been hurting so bad I might have laughed.  There standing before me were two young men, not weight lifters.  I was sort of a heavy old lady (about 245).  There was no way they could pick me up.  I  tried to be rational.  Between screams, I suggested, "You guys are going to need reinforcements!"  (And I swore I would loose weight if I lived.)

    They agreed and called for back-up.  The firehouse was right across the street.  All the paramedics had to do was walk across the street, especially since the ambulance was already here.  But Nooooo, they cranked up the fire truck and drove it with all the lights on and the siren blasting.

     Three of the men lifted me on the left side and the other man held my right shoulder in place so I wouldn't damage it any more.   They got me to my feet and helped me walk to the gurney.  They carefully laid me on the gurney and strapped me down, and hoisted me into the back of the ambulance with the one who was holding my right arm.  He was real cool about all this.  They hauled me away to the hospital.  The paramedic called ahead and advised the ER staff they were coming and to be ready.  That was a real rough trip.

     At the hospital they gave me a shot for pain.  The ER doctor wanted to get a good X-ray of my shoulder and he knew he couldn't if I were in so much pain they couldn't hold my arm out long enough to shoot the picture.  That shot didn't work. 30 minutes later they gave me another shot.  That shot didn't work either.  They didn't even notice my wrist was very black, they were more concerned with my shoulder.

     The ER staff had called Sally when I first arrived and she  got there right after the second shot.  She made a frantic call to her daughter Jody, who just so happened to have been an ER nurse at this hospital for about a year before she moved to the hospital where she now works.  She told Jody what had happened.

     Then they gave me a third shot, morphine.  Not even that would quell the pain in my shoulder. But they did manage to get a few good X-rays.

     Jody called the ER staff and told them who she was and of course they remembered her.  They told her what I damaged and  she told Sally in people terms what was going on and what they were going to do. She also told Sally to leave my room even though the doctor had told her she could stay, Jody insisted for her mom to leave while they put my shoulder back in place.

     I guess Sally was glad to leave.  She seamed so aggravated with me for this happening.  She had a few questions she wanted to ask me but couldn't because I was so incoherent. 

     I went to sleep.  I don't know what they used, but out I went.  When I woke up I was bound up in a shoulder harness and sling, and my wrist was splinted. There wasn't any pain any more.

     Sally called Susie and told here about my mishap. Susie was immediately on her way to Sally's. 

     Sally took me to her house.  Susie arrived shortly after we got there.  I gave her my truck keys. She said her daughter Sara and her boy friend Matt would drive my truck home for me, since it didn't look like I would be driving any time soon.  And the next day they would both take me to see the orthopedic specialist.

     I slept in Sally's recliner. I didn't have any pain. I guess all those shots finally started working.

     The orthopedic doctor got some really good pictures of my shoulder and wrist.  The shoulder was dislocated and fractured, but the ER doctor had actually gotten it to go back in the socket perfectly.  (I said a quiet prayer, Thank you Jesus)  He put a better harness and sling on my shoulder and showed me how to take it off only to get dressed.  And he put a real heavy cast on my arm.

     After all that, Sally and Susie took me home to my cat Solomon.

     I don't eat figs anymore!





    

 

Hunter's Chili

     A few weeks after the trail ride Bug asked me to make him a kettle of chili for a deer hunt.  He, Danny and Patrick, his brothers and their sons were all going deer hunting.  Only, he didn't want me to use venison he wanted me to use raccoon!

     I had a small fit.  Finally, I decided I could substitute the venison with the raccoon if he had it ground up like the venison.  He told me he had the raccoon meat ready.  I prepared the chili.  I used all the same ingredients, green peppers, onions, celery, kidney beans, tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Since the weather was much colder now, I added extra red pepper flakes.  I cooked it for about an hour or so and took out two bowls of no meat chili for myself. I browned the ground raccoon, then added it to the chili.  I simmered it for hours. 

     I helped Bug carry the kettle full of chili out to his truck.  They left about 4:00 a.m.  Danny and Patrick were all excited about the hunt.  Then I thought about the extra pepper flakes, I didn't really chuckle hard but I did chuckle a little as I watched them go out the driveway.

     They met the brothers and nephews at their camp site.  The brothers decided where their sons would hunt.  The hunt was important, but the safety of the kids was more important.  Then they decided to meet back at the camp around 10:00 a.m. and Bug would have the chili hot.

    It was very cold, the temperature about 10 degrees above zero.  The hunters came out of the woods one by one really cold and ready for the hot chili and a drink of brandy.

     Bug had come back a little earlier than the rest and had the chili on the camp stove piping hot. The paper bowls, plastic spoons and box of saltines were all sitting on the tailgate READY!

     He ladled out a bowl for each one as they stood before him. They started eating.

     "Whew, this is toooo spicy hot," one brother grumbled and ate another spoonful.

     They complained about the heat, too much pepper, but still they ate. (Well, maybe I did put tooooo much red pepper flakes in it.)

     Patrick told me, "Mom, you should have seen them eating, complaining and all of a sudden, sweating." It seems that they had sweat coming off their brows by the time they finished.  They ate the whole kettle.

     The RESULTS:  No deer were bagged this day.  By late afternoon the men were all sort of gasious.  Danny said, "Mom, you could hear them, Uncle Tom over here, Uncle Carl over there and Uncle Albert way back there.  They were very noisy.

     They didn't ask me to cook the chili again.  Bug's brother Albert has had his wife Susan prepare the chili since that time.  Her chili is great,but not as ready HOT as mine.

The Tall Ship

I bought two tickets for Bug and I to go to Baltimore Harbor and sail on the tall ship.  He said he didn't want to go because there were so many ladies in my group.  But he finally agreed to go.  The trip was sponsored by Charles County.  Everyone had to meet at the Courthouse in La Plata and catch the chartered bus there.  In our group was my sisters, Sally and Susie and our very good friend Glenna. Carol my co-worker and Vivian another very good friend.

The trip also provided juice and donuts for us on the bus.

There was a lot of excitement about going sailing on this ship. The driver dropped us off near the dock.  He told all of us before he opened the door to be back promptly at 3:00 p.m. or we might have a long hike home. (He acted like he was annoyed with us or maybe he had a lot of stress from listening to all our noise.)  Then he opened the door and we hurried off the bus and down to the dock. 

Bug was still a little apprehensive about all this until he saw the boat (ship).  All of a sudden he became Peter Pan and this was Captain Hook's ship.  I thought of the Mayflower and I heard others comparing it to Columbus' ships the Nina, the Pinta, or the Santa Maria. 

The Captain had everyone wait in the main part of the boat while he explained the safety precautions, life preservers and the working of the ship. He also advised us they had a snack counter with all kinds of goodies and a "CASH" Bar.  He asked for volunteers to help pull the heavy ropes and hoist the sails into place, so we would weigh anchor.  Then he dismissed us to move about the boat as we wished.

Bug and Susie were the first to volunteer.  There was 30 others that helped.  "Heave too!" the Captain yelled. Up went the sails.

What a glorious feeling.  We went to the top deck and waved good by to all the people standing on the pier. 

I believe this sailing ship was larger than the Mayflower.  I imagined sailing across the Atlantic to the America's and landing at what is now Plymouth, Ma. Those people had to be so courageous.  I was having a nerve problem just sailing in the Chesapeake Bay.

Sally took a lot of pictures with her good camera.  She then purchased mai tai which must have been a doosey because she got one of those smile that you could not erase.  And she took more pictures.

We sailed past Ft. McHenry.  I asked her, "Did you get any pictures of the Fort?"

She answered with that smile, "Yes, I got several shots of Fort Sumntner."

"Sally, just what kind of lens did you use?" I asked her, knowing that fort was in South Carolina.

She realized what she had said and answered, "A VERY STRONG one,"  and laughed.

We sailed out into the Chesapeake Bay for over and hour then came about and headed back.  Just watching those huge white sails and the ship going through the water gave me such a feeling of freedom.

Since we were riding back on the bus and Susie was driving home, Sally decided to have another mai tai, the rest of us drank bottled water and soft drinks.

When we returned the Captain asked for the volunteers to man the ropes and lower the sails.  Bug and Susie went back to the ropes as we watched the sails come down and were folded and tucked as if we hadn't ever moved.  The crew on this ship was really good. We all shook the Captain's hand upon leaving the ship.

There was about an hour or so to use before boarding the bus so Bug and I went to an ice cream parlor and had the best ice cream ever.  The rest of the group went shopping.

We all finally got back on the bus.  We almost left Carol and Vivian, they were the last ones to get back (Carol's always late).  Bug sat with Glenna and I took one whole seat to myself and slept all the way back.

Sally and Susie had a great time.  We all decided we wanted to do this again someday.