Can we leave yet?

At long last, the time to go is almost here!  It cannot come quick enough.  The last few days have been extremely crazy!  We had some real bright spots and some that just made me want to cry. 

We arose early on Saturday morning.  Janet headed off to the pool to participate in a 2.5 mile swim; I suited up to ride the John Deere. 

I walked out to the barn to find the lawn tractor and my cart both had flat tires.  The next discovery was that my electric pump could no longer blow air.  Begrudgingly, I headed to the basement to find the trusty old bicycle pump.  Up, down, up, down, up, down I pumped and soon the tractor tire came back to life!  The cart tire could not be saved.   I roared off on the green monster with my iPod cranked up.  The tunes allowed me to drift off as I began the never-ending cycle of cutting grass.  Note to self:  Never move into a house where cows, pigs, sheep, and assorted other animals have deposited their richness for half century preceding your arrival. To say the land is “fertile” is truly an understatement.

Janet returned home with a smile on her face.  My sweetie had a wonderful morning in the water!   She cut 10 minutes off her time from the previous year swim at this same event.   To celebrate this event we decided to run into Fredericksburg to pick up a few last minute items.  Swim Goggles were priority one!  Since our friends on island have left us a note on the blog that they have towels on hand, my need for race day items was nil. 

 

After fighting with tires and grass all morning, I needed something good to happen to me... and Voilà it did!  Slipping into the Total Wine we not only got to taste a couple of wonderful wines (one a Gran Reserva Rioja that now resides in my basement) in the back room, but we discovered that the awesome bottle we had on Friday night (2008 Stevens 424) was still available.  A few of those bad boys also found their way to my basement.

Sunday the drone of the lawn tractor started at 10:30 again.  With only brief interludes to fix a weed eater and then do the trimming.   Back on the mower, my circles continued to almost 5 PM.  I had started seeing mirages across the windswept fields of blue water

and green islands calling me, but as soon as I drifted away, a rock or small branch would exit my blades at the speed of sound and I would return to reality.  

 

I was just about done (not the yard - I was worn out) when the magic of "Face Time" gave me a burst of energy to finish my chores.  In front of our eyes on Janet's iPad we got to see our grandson walk for the first time.  Just a few days short of his 10 month birthday, he has conquered the feat of walking.  And yes, the grandson has already begun his training to become a safe operator of a lawn tractor.  I will give him until he is three.  Face Time ended and then it was back outside for towel boy.  I am not sure if the mower or I was happier when I turned the engine off for the night. 

After a wonderful meal all that was left for us to do was pack.  Both of us are going carry-on only, so it does limit the choices.  Making it extremely nice was that Janet had mailed all the goops and glob those TSA inspectors so love via the USPS to our friends earlier.  I am just bringing a little camera on this trip, so endless questions of which lens, do I really need this filter, etc… all vanished as I closed my eyes.

Monday’s can stink!  Moreover, this one sure started that way.  I woke up this morning and checking my email I discovered that:

 

Ok, granted  that is truly a first world problem.   Sitting in the first row of coach is not all that bad... even though you have to pay for a Bloody Mary.  However, when I went outside, I found that I left the keys in the ignition when I rolled up the windows the night before.  Did you know that marathon grass cutting can cause illusions, forgetfulness, and a strong desire to scream cuss words at loud volumes very early in the morning.  Simply translated - the battery was dead – TC my island car would not turn over.  My brother-in-law came to my rescue within minutes.  We jumped the Baja, and it fired up immediately.   I was on my way to work with a smile on my face and love in my heart.  It is easy to be stress free, even after the events of the morning, when you know that the workweek only will last one day.

Let me tell you, the single best thing that can happen to someone when their computer boots up and they hear audible alarm go ding with this announcement:

 

Believe me there was no reason to hit that snooze button.  We are ready to go!  We have an o'dark-thirty departure, but by dinner we should be in paradise with friends telling stories of past trips and planning future adventures. 

 

 

Next Stop - St John and Jost Van Dyke!