Good Morning to all you lucky b******s who aren't us -

 

Guess what? Stuck again staying with family (and no garage for me to sit and lick my wounds). QUIT LAUGHING! Remember, pretty much everybody said we could stay with them when we come to town. If we end up stuck everywhere we visit, BEWARE!!! We're stuck in Hinesville, Georgia (7 people and 1 shower) with a piece of s*** Harley from Henderson Harley (never buy a bike that's been a rental).   The bike is having extensive engine repairs to the tune of $3500 (now I know why she was such a screaming deal) and better yet, on our dime since they voided the extended warranty due to the conversion.   Now mind you, Henderson Harley had already worked on it under the warranty after it was converted. I'm seeing a pattern here: the fates are going to kick our ass at each and every turn but no matter how bad it gets - WE'RE NOT GIVING UP! The laughter and love through this adventure is well worth our last nerve (I've needed a couple of strong ones recently) and our last dollar (not the last one yet since we still have beer).  

 

I ended the last update on our trek towards Georgia riding through the remnants of some tropical storm. Needless to say, RAIN, RAIN and then MORE RAIN. This rain was slightly different than what I'd ridden in before - it came torrential wave after torrential wave (gave us time for a whole lot of laughter in between) and was a frikken flood. Several times we couldn't see the damn road and there was no where to pull off - it's the country and there's only 2 lanes, no shoulders and the mile long driveways to the farm houses were muddy quagmires (remember we're not taking freeways so no overpasses or convenient exits to the truck stops).   I firmly believe we should ban any form of a semi on a country road. Didn't matter how hard it was raining, they were still going to go 70 passed us or ride our ass til I turned and flipped them off (then they just got closer - remind me not to flip off a semi driver again, no sense of humor). During the first day of the flood we managed to find a laundromat to dry our clothes just a little - WHY? It's still raining and drying your socks to put them back into wet shoes is a really uncomfortable experience but I must admit, the warm & dry (even for a moment) jacket felt pretty damn good. Lessons learned: 1. Two lane country roads are only meant for sunny days or farmer's really need to pave their driveways. 2.   Some of the best ribs (and dehydrated earwigs from the beef jerky bag - just ask me) can be found on the back roads during flood season (see pics for the rib joint, not the earwigs). 3.   Some laundromat signs just have to be ignored during a weather crisis (or when I show up & need a beer).

 

Damp and growing mold, we arrived in Hinesville to visit Scott, Krissy and the grand-kids.   Everyone's had a ball playing cards, beer bong and trying to drink the local store dry of Bud Light.   There's always a surprise when grand-kids are involved but the best one yet is the look on Michael's face when he realized (or more like had his face shoved in it) that he was plagued with his dad and granddad's receding hairline. The look of despair was something you usually see on the face of flood/hurricane/earthquake victims (or a 5th grader's face when grandpa shows up with a half naked girl on his shirt to have lunch with her).   They may never be the same.  It's pretty much rained most days since our arrival which hasn't helped with an attitude adjustment either. After smelling each others armpits for two weeks, being devoured by mosquitoes and the news from Harley that it's going to be at least another week, we saved everyone's sanity (OK maybe just mine) and got a hotel room for the duration.   Company, especially family, shouldn't say "Damn I'm glad there gone" after a visit and I know we were getting close.   Lessons learned: 1. Grown men are just mean sometimes (especially when their related to each other). 2. Don't feed Grommet, the cat, before 6 am. She'll remember the time the following morning and not shut up til you get your hungover ass out of bed. 3. Don't turn on your alarm if you know I'm sleeping in your yard.   Beer has to go somewhere and the bathroom's in the house.   4. Just because mom says "She'll be thrilled to have lunch with you at school"  - DON'T BELIEVE IT! 5. School lunches prices can give you a heart attack. 1974 - .35 cents / 2009 - $3.00. No wonder there's so many hungry kids in America.

 

Our visit north to Myrtle Beach was full of way too much excitement (the wrong kind of course).   After enjoying football and wings with my son, Jared, and his new wife Lovae, we received a visit from a young man in a knit cap crawling across our hotel room floor toward my purse at midnight (of course the blond had all the money in there - Dave will never learn).   I'm sure being confronted by a naked Dave scared him a hell of a lot more than it scared Dave (my rock) but it unnerved the hell out of me. After the night supervisor apologized but said he could nothing for us, Jared came running to rescue his mom (I'm a lucky mom) and had a few choice words for the poor lady working behind the desk (he must get the temper from his dad).   The hotel was less than responsive to say the least but we did receive an email from the manager offering his apologies, future lodging and the admission that his staff fell far short during our stay after I posted the experience to the internet.    It so unnerved me, I didn't get to truly enjoy Jared's awesome lasagna the next night (he gets his cooking skills from his mom) which sucked. I kept thinking for the rest of our visit, "If Dave hadn't been awake, we would have lost $3000" (which ultimately we did to Harley 5 days later). The pattern continues and we're still smiling (or maybe that was a grimace I saw on Dave's face). Lessons learned: 1. Mom's can be sent home by their kid at half time when they've had too much to drink (the torch of responsibility has passed to the next generation). 2. Power of the pen or keyboard - you gotta love it. 3. A naked marriage proposal story can get an entire bar excited (not just the comic on stage) and embarrass your son & daughter in law (sorry guys but it's just too good not to share). 4. When the shoe string becomes the nubbin, keep smiling. We're more blessed than most. 

 

Link to the pics:

 

http://oscarswildadventure.smugmug.com/Travel/Update-9-Stuck-in-Georgia/9896527_87PcG/1/674382804_cCc95

 

Keep loving and laughing until next time. We miss everyone and can't wait to make the rounds again (where there's no rain please).

 

Debbie & Dave