The South - Part 1

It always happens...vacations end...and I am left with pictures and memories...

We had a fabulous time with our friends!

We love them so much and it was fantastic to spend some quality unhurried time together...but I will save that for another post.

Today its about what I learned or was reminded of in my trip back South...

 This is Waffle House...it is a truly Southern experience! The waitresses are lovely and have the most pronounced Southern drawls and every other word is "Baby" as in "want some syrup with that baby?" or in my case when I committed a major fopa (how do you spell that?) by ordering pancakes..."how 'bout a waffle baby?" Who knew you could only order waffles at the waffle house...

Yes, I made everyone go out of their way and drive to "the Pig" so I could take this picture it still makes me laugh that they have a grocery store with this name!
History lesson - Safeway and Piggly Wiggly were the first grocery store chains in American!

 Our Golden is not the only needy Golden! This is AddieMae and there was some thunder and she needed some comforting...

 My first classroom! It was fun to go back I haven't been in that room since 1995 when we left Calhoun...it seemed smaller but I had good memories there!

It rains in Georgia (and Tenn) in the summer!  Several of my friends made comments about the rain out where I live...I'm telling you I will take our rain over that HORRENDOUS HEAT any day of the week! More on that later...

 One advantage to the heat...you can grow these babies! We had a pool party and were served fresh from the garden watermelon! Fantastic!

 You can't see this well but the South has the longest escalators ever...this picture reminds me of two things...1. Don't let you son ride backwards up an escalator unless you don't value the toenail of your big toe...2. I collected several small but painful injuries on this vacation...

My first injury was on a hike our first morning.  I fell...don't know why... I was going down hill it was sudden, I was on the ground before I knew I was in any danger (perhaps I was too focused on looking for snakes)...I received a significant bruise on my knee but more concerning was the small cut on my knee...my first thought "I'm gonna get that flesh eating disease they get in Georgia..." 

I believe that if I had a pool while living in the South I would have been much happier! We had several pool parties while there (everyone has one!) The boys spent countless hours chasing the torpedo under water, jumping off diving boards and just having fun.  Water is the only way to survive outside....

 


Final lesson - dont get too close to monkeys...So besides the fall and the toenail incident I also had a much too close encounter with "Sydney" I was asked to photography Sydney and wanting to establish myself as a fearless photographer I said yes...
But to be clear monkeys scare the baggesies out of me! ~ even more so now....

This is what happens when you get too close...you can't see the full extent... on the other side of my arm is more bruising...she reached out and got a hold of my arm...it hurt so bad I was sure it was her teeth and I was trying not to freak out, which would make things worse... I turned my face away (the always go for the face) and just pulled my arm...fortunately she was on a leash and between the two of us we were able to get her away from me without too much damage but it was terrifying! 

So between my injuries and sweating to death...we managed to have a great time! Stay tuned for part 2!

Frychik