When Dad woke up, he had acquired a southern accent. He was in a pretty good mood. I think everyone was thinking, “We’re over halfway there! And through with the altitude! Hooray!”
I know that’s what I was thinking. There were more pretty trees and hills. One of my favorite trees is the Redwood. The Redwood tree is also kind of an analogy to my family. Redwoods roots intertwine and they help support each other. Without this interwoven root system, the trees would collapse. When one tree dies, the rest are weakened. So it is in my family, we are interdependent financially, physically, emotionally.
I forgot to mention a story. I think it was as we were crossing the mountains in New Mexico. Grandma was crocheting an afghan. Enjoying herself...until she dropped her needle. So she starts searching and bending over in the moving car for her needle.
"June, what are you doing!" Dad says.
"I dropped my needle somewhere."
"Mom, you really need to sit down, it is too dangerous." Mom says.
"Chris, I have to find this needle or I can't crochet!
Dad does his frustrated sigh and proceeds to search the floor for the needle. He lifts up the table and moves the oxygen concentrator in a very frustrated fashion. Still no needle
. There is a tiny slit in the floor that leads to the generator and we guessed that the needle fell in its abyss.
Poor Grandma wouldn't get another needle for awhile.
When I was younger and we went on previous drives to Florida from Oklahoma, Dad drove. As I said previously, he earned the nickname:
Captain Pee-No-More.
My brother Robert and I made up lyrics to a song we learned at school, 'Sit Down, Servant.'
"Slow down Daddy, I can't slow down. Slow down Daddy, I can't slow down. Slow down Daddy, I can't slow down. We're on our way to Disney World and we can't slow down.
My Dad you know. That you promised me. Promised me that I could pee, at the last rest stop.
"Slow down Daddy, I can't slow down. Slow down Daddy, I can't slow down. Slow down Daddy, I can't slow down. We're on our way to Disney World and we can't slow down.
My Dad you know. That you promised me. Promised me that I could eat, at the last restaurant.
Slow doooown. Slow doooown. Slow dooown.
We're on our way to Disney World and we can't slow down!!
Anyway, back to this trip. With the bathroom. And the food.
We went through Alabama.
And later crossed into Tennessee. The state line was on the river, which I thought was a little strange. We weren’t in Tennessee long. But what time we did spend in Tennessee was very stressful.
We had to make two interchanges in big cities. Let me remind everyone that Mom had not driven in four years. She can’t drive the red van because of the seat’s position. So after four years of not driving, Mom was driving a RV across the country.
Here we were in Tennessee trying to make an interchange. Mom really, really has to pee
but there is nowhere to pull over. As she is making a critical connection via right turn...
She is attacked
By the foam pads we put on the hotel beds that fall on her head.
At the time Mom was upset…but now we laugh.
As soon as the connections are made, Mom pulls over and empties her poor bladder.
She is really jittery and cannot fathom making the interchange in Atlanta. So we begin the great search for a hotel. How desperate was Mom?
She pulled into a Joe’s Hotel but nobody was home.
Dad pulled out our handy-dandy free hotel book and compared it to cities on the map.
Look-a Comfort Inn in twenty miles.
Mom: Call them…yay, vacancy.
Another night, another hotel…but tomorrow we should be in Orlando!
Next installment, Wednesday, May 9: We are here, we are here, we are here!
We are here, we are here, we are here!!- Page 7, Post #101
I am looking forward to the next installment. The pictures are great and definately makes me feel like we're traveling with you.
I'm such a clutz at times.
I am enjoying your TR 
) miles across country for a vacation..I solemnly swear, I will never complain about lugging my kids back packs around again! 
I guess I'll go find another read until this one gets an update 
