The Beginning

We hit the road for our family vacation on Friday afternoon.

The pix of Matt and Simon in the car was taken right before take-off.

Earlier on Friday, Simon helped me make pumpkin muffins for the road. These would turn out to be helpful, maybe even life-sustaining!

The next chronological pix is of Simon and Matt in the hotel room. We arrived in Monroe, LA around 10:00 p.m. We had our work cut out for us with getting us, Simon, overnite stuff, and two bikes in the hotel and up the elevator!

Next, in our timeline, comes the landscape pix taken from a moving van. Not bad for being in motion, huh? Somehow, we managed to get a pretty pix of LA. I know it sounds terrible, but we really DO NOT like Louisiana. Never have, really, and somehow this trip reminded us how much we enjoy traveling east on I-30 to Little Rock, then I-40 to Memphis, Nashville, etc. vs. the I-20 route. AGH, it's terrible.

Normally, we love Cracker Barrell, but the one in Shreveport practically changed our minds. I'd share the story, but don't want to dredge up bad memories!

So, we got up early Saturday morning for the rest of the drive to Edisto Island. We listened to an entire 15 hour audio book. We also experience HORRIBLE service at another place of dining. Not complaining, only trying to share a bit of our fun! We bonded in laughter over the whole ordeals. Our bonding was just beginning.

Next bonding junction: unloading at the beach house upon midnight arrival. Too tired to figure out the new elevator, so we hauled up our luggage. An hour later, we realize the air we turned on upon arrival is NOT WORKING! Hard to stay positive in a house whose air has been turned off for maybe 6 weeks (the last time it was inhabited!). Imagine the heat. Imagine again, it takes a great imagination to imagine this intense, humid heat.

Poor Simon. He became dilirious, maybe hallucinating in the heat, running around and such. Okay, maybe he was just acting like a 2 year old. After some prayers for patience and trying several methods of getting the air to turn on, we pulled a queen mattress under the fan in the great room and slept with Simon. Simon is starting to think this is a new, fun, routine. Sleeping with mommy and daddy at the hotel and the next night, too!

So, the next morning, the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, we call our grandparents to let them know the air isn't working. We get the number for the air maintenance service and miraculously get in touch with them on a Sunday. I'm feeling a little harried, worried about Simon getting a heat rash or dehydrating. (When we reached the island the night before, everything (which is basically the Piggly Wiggly) is closed and Simon had to sleep for the first time without his nightly cup of milk. Poor guy, such a long van ride and such a hot house and now, no milk!

On Sunday morning, before the air-helper came, we bought some milk at Piggly Wiggly. Good think we didn't stock up on groceries, as we didn't end up staying! At first, the maintenance man spoke words of hope, he was filling up the system with coolant and that should last a week, since it had a leak. Then, he came back in and told us the leak was so bad that it would have to be fixed and that could take a few days for all the parts to come in!

So, after conversing with Matt's parents and brother who were supposed to meet us there later that day, we decided to change our plans and spend the week together in Asheville, NC instead at their cabin there. Matt's parents changed their driving en route and headed up to the mountains instead. Luckily, Matt's brother hadn't left his place yet which was only a couple of hours from the cabin. We decided to spend the rest of the day on the island, experience what we could of the beach, and then head out the next a.m. for Asheville.