I have never been afraid to fly but seeing that charter from Gitmo that slid off the NASJAX runway into the St. Johns made he think for a minute or two…until the police headed our way and we skedaddled. (Can you even skedaddle in a motor boat???)
I met some children from a local elementary school who traveled to Camp Chowenwah to experience Nature up close and personal. First graders are intriguing and kind of exhausting, All were polite, all were attentive and most were engaged in our sensory excursion though the woods. Many were flummoxed by the reindeer hide they got to touch, I don't think they'd ever actually contemplated the reality of a reindeer before. A favorite part was the smell activity - the adult chaperones participated as eagerly as the kids when asked to put their noses in small bags and try to identify the plant scents. One child just could not believe celery seed actually produced celery; another was amazed that the spearmint leaves were responsible the flavor of her favorite gum. I love opening eyes and minds!
On the not so plus side, I received my first fine for the toll road that used to be Branan Field Road. A toll-by-plate document arrived yesterday. I guess the toll road is open though I still don't see any formal announcement or signage. I am delaying payment as per my interpretation of our governor's directive. I might have to re-consider my self-imposed ban on paying to drive expressway-to-nowhere if the governor actually gets the Sun-Pass horror cleaned up and correctly regulated.
I sent the master of the tugboat we saw in the Gatun locks an email extolling how wonderful it was to see a boat from Palatka in the lock. Made home seem closer. In his thank you reply, Captain Smith sent me a drone video of the barge the Elsbeth II was towing that included a few images of the Zuiderdam. I've included a couple of screen shots from that video, which I could not get to download because my security preferences won't allow it..not that I'm complaining about my security preferences! What great camera angles! Plus, we're getting a copy of the calendar for 2020!!!Final thought regarding travel - always investigate what's going on locally before you arrive somewhere. It never occurred to me that Barbara and me visiting the Boston area in mid-to-late May might encounter hotel issues. Turn out it's graduation time for colleges and universities! Makes sense now that I think about it, but still…. We're booked but only after I discovered three major hotel chains were completely sold out for that weekend!!! Bonus - when I called one hotel and the woman answered with a distinct Boston accent, I gushed about how good it was to hear a "home" voice as I was from Danvers - turned out so was she AND she voted for Dad in several elections!!!
Got to pack, we're leaving next week!! Fried clams at Legal's and lobsters at Woodman's - I'll be in foodie heaven!!
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