Vacation, Day 1, Driving Edition

Simple observations...no deep thoughts

It's a leisurly 11.5-hour drive (in other words, you could make it in 10 if you pushed it) including stops for lunch from our doorstep to Gulf Shores, AL.

The beaches here are worth every minute of the drive--and, yes, I'm including the 3 hours through northern Louisiana. The sand is white, the water's greenish-blue and if a Dallasite was going to make a drive to Texas' South Padre, the only reason I could think of would be simply to keep their cash in Texans pockets.

Church signs are just as awful along the way: "Prayer Is God's Best Wireless Communication Plan." "Tithers Don't Have To Worry About This World's Economy." Ugh.

"Dad, I think this guy is kinda biased."--Quote from the backseat as Kid1 was forced to listen to Rush Limbaugh (she'd never heard of him or his show previous). I had to do something to get my blood boiling to avoid the 1-2PM nod off. That time frame is my body's kryptonite each and every day.

It's funny how my family's Alabama accents come back relatively quickly. It wasn't long into Alabama I'd uttered a little colloquialism. You can't erase roughly 30 years of it, man. It just stays on the hard-drive.

There is something missing without Kid2 on the drive.

Stopping at roadside fruit & veggie stands & getting boiled peanuts brought back a gazillion childhood memories.

I'm not necessarily given to business plans and all. I mean, I've never worked in that sector, but I think I know genius when I see it. There's a new toll-road that can get you to the beaches quicker than the main thoroughfare and lots of empty land on either side of it. I saw what I think might be the highest possible profit-margin idea: The luxury RV lot. All you do is put in a pool area and maybe a clubhouse of sorts, and then sell all this valuable land divided up by the size of a boat slip. You get prime land divided up by the smallest possible section, and PRESTO--a gazillion dollars.

There's something really cool about seeing your in-laws (who you've been blessed with having ones you enjoy) for the first time since Thanksgiving and they're in the parking lot excited to see you.

Southern women, of which my mother-in-law is quintessential, can fill up a refrigerator and Tetris more stuff in there than you can imagine. This is how they start their vacation, and then they spend every hour of it trying to get you to eat it all. Her first words after us getting in the room: "The sweet tea is on the bottom shelf. Do you wan't a sandwhich or anything?"

I think those luggage carts are awesome. In addition to their regular function, you can ride them toward the car and have your wife tell you not to kill yourself and your daughter roll her eyes and playfully tell you that you're not funny.

Re-ordered cable channels don't bother me much (I just have to find ESPN), but I really miss having my handy-dandy on-screen channel guide to tell me what's on it.

I'd like to thank, apparently, the Shouse family next door for not locking their internet service.