Monday, August 11, 2008

A trip to L.A.

A few of you 'got' the title line, but for those who did not, it is a reference to Lower Alabama...Los Angeles is a bit too far away for a weekend with my kids!

A visit to see my friend Jake and his family in Choctaw County is nothing like a cross country trip, but it is quite the ride. The path there crosses a good bit of the state's breadth, from my home in the North Central part, through Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, then south into the Black Belt toward Mobile.


Once there, Jake's place is a whole different state of mind than what I am used to. There's the obvious aspects, such as the isolation and quiet and rural atmosphere, but to me a trip down there is a whole other way of thinking and living, and that's what I have taken home with me since the first time I visited in 1989.


Of course the kids love going places, and this weekend was no different. Griffin ran and played with John Jacob until he was spent, while Carlie carried on with Gaddie in little girl land. Jake and I caught up on how our mutual friends were doing, and on the finer points of gun collecting the military and football. Pia fed us snacks the whole time, and I carried on the tradition I started a couple years ago of making them Domino's Pizza on the lodge kitchen. Just call it a very involved pizza delivery, for people who live a long way from the nearest Domino's!