When I packed for the trip with my mother I envisioned the daily routine I was accustomed to but with different scenery. I thought there'd be plenty of time for posting to my blog and facebook, for keeping up with LinkedIn and all those other sites, for responding to emails, texts, phone calls, using my hoop and still have time to enjoy my family, friends AND the other scenery.
The daily routine happened not so much. A different routine took its place and it turns out, that's okay!
The Office Manager and Leslie greeted me at the Asheville Regional Airport last night when I returned from the whirlwind trip. The Office Manager spotted me through the airport's sliding glass doors long before Leslie did. I couldn't hear Sienna but Leslie tells me that this little dog started squealing and whimpering and wiggling the second she saw me. I could tell that the other passengers exiting the airport caught a whiff of the joy that only a little dog can exhibit.
This time of year in the mountains of Western North Carolina shows daily changes. Just a week and a half ago it was early spring here. As the plane approached the runway it looked to me like the trees were twice as full of leaves and the ground cover was a gazillion times greener. While it was wonderful to be away it is good to be home.
One reason I wasn't as inspired to post a lot online while I was gone is because I forgot the USB cable for my camera and wasn't able to utilize the photos of the trip. There's a lot to catch up on now. I'll get busy with all of the photos and get them ready to share over the next week.
On the last day in St Pete, my brother Marlon planned a day long boating trip for me, my brother Mitchell, and my groovy sister-in-law, Marsha. It was the most perfect of Florida days...81 degrees, calm water, light breeze and little boat traffic. We traveled all over the bays of St Pete and Tampa. We even ventured a little out into the Gulf. The day reminded me of when we were all younger and my Dad who was an off the scale boating enthusiast would take Mom and us four kids out boating in Miami and the Keys.
On our way back to the Marina, Marlon took us by The Pier, a famous landmark in St Pete. Sadly, The Pier is slated for demolition because of an aging and unsafe foundation. It will be closed for good as of next week to be replaced by another bayfront attraction. In fact, it is the subject of great debate in St. Pete. The city council is its questionable wisdom approved some sort of futuristic design that the locals have dubbed "The Lens" and have been actively campaigning against. It's my understanding that enough signatures have been collected to force the issue onto a ballot. Go Grassroot campaigns and power to the people. We'll see.
In the meantime, enjoy a photo of The Pier as it has looked since 1973. (I can't believe I caught it when all flags were flying in the breeze in the perfect direction!).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comments(13)