Just returned from another trip.  This time it was to attend a wedding.  Our niece, Kaitlyn Marie L____ married Gerry S_____ in Atmore, Alabama on 2 Oct 2010.  They then departed for a honeymoon in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  Funny thing is that we then left the next day for a layover in Sevierville.  No, we didn't drop in on the newlyweds.  We had a great time visiting with our son, my in-laws (who are wonderful people) and even managed to squeeze in some genealogy research and bargain shopping at the Vanity Fair Outlet in Monroeville, Alabama.  Unfortunately, that isn't all that happened on the trip.

#1 we had to stop and pick up Nana's blood pressure meds, I could have gotten earlier had I known.  #2 was that Nana wanted to exchange some shoes she'd previously purchased in Pigeon Forge but we left late and even my rather rushed trip down the road got us to the store 1 minute, yes ONE MINUTE, too late and they were closed and wouldn't do the exchange.  That was the bad start to the trip but not all our "luck".  #3 we stopped for gas in Clanton, Alabama and after pulling across the lot into the McDonalds the battery died and we had to get a jump and then go get a battery.  Supposedly a "free" installation it was so because I did the installation myself.  The saleslady was too short to lift the battery into place and didn't know how to lock it down and her supervisor was too bent over to do it.  That added about 2 hours to our trip.  I'm glad it wasn't 98°!  #4 got us on the way back when the window regulator (the mechanism that raises and closes the door window) on the passenger side broke and we couldn't get anyone to fix it on a Sunday.  Since Nana had to be back to school tomorrow, Tuesday, we drove on and got into Sevierville at about 11PM.  After about 2 hours sleep I got up and took it in to the fine folks at McNelly-Whaley Motor Company who got us in and out by 9:45 with a repair and down the road we went finally getting home at 4PM today.

The battery was really my fault, although it had showed no hint of a problem, it was the original 6-year old battery!  I can't say about the window regulator.  In all, that was $400 of additional cost on that trip.

Not to say that it wasn't worth it.  We don't know Gerry but we've known Kaitlyn all her life and of course we wished them the very best.

On the way home we stopped at a rest stop on I-81N in Tennessee. I saw the VMI license on the pickup as I pulled in but figured it was likely somebody I didn't know. It was LTC Jimmy K________! Great seeing him if only for a few minutes. We worked together for several years and he has a great family. Our personal circumstances have prevented keeping up with one another even though we live only about 2.5 miles from one another.

We generally use the same route from Staunton to the Pensacola, Lower Alabama area. I-81S to I-40W to I-75S to I-24W to I-59S to I-65S to either US 29 into Pensacola or AL-21 south into Atmore.