Mar. 31

We left N.J. on Thur. March 31^st, hoping to avoid a snowfall that was scheduled for tonight into Friday.  Got as far as Maryland, near Annapolis tonight and we seem to have stayed ahead of it.  The news said it should be 60 degrees here this time of year, but it only got up to 50 today, with a cold rain.  Apparently, there is no one I can sue.  (I looked into it.)

We are headed for Florida, specifically the Gulf Coast panhandle.  The original plan for this winter’s trip had been to go to the Southwest, and ultimately California, but unforeseen circumstances kept us in New Jersey much longer than we had anticipated.  We could, of course, still go west anyway; but that would likely bring us back much later than the end of May, which is when we would like to get back to Long Island.  If we go out there much later than that, Lorraine cannot get the garden started on time.  (I know, I know; boo-hoo for David.  He can’t be in California and the Hamptons at the same time.)

When we left Jersey, we started out on the Garden State Parkway.  After a few miles, it occurred to us that trucks and busses weren’t allowed on the Parkway, and maybe RV’s weren’t either.  Lorraine counseled that I should feign ignorance if stopped by a trooper.  I replied that I have honed that skill to the point where I don’t have to feign it anymore.  Sadly, she didn’t disagree. 

Apr. 2

We’ve made it as far as North Carolina and settled down for the night.  A fellow shopper in Wal-Mart helpfully suggested a meal of teriyaki noodles with shrimp over the top.  We bought the ingredients and cooked it up in the van and then enjoyed “Blue Bloods” (a favorite TV show) since we happened to be in a location where we could get good over-the-air reception.  Our old friend Barry Pavesi installed a new, larger flat screen monitor in the RV last spring when we went to Michigan to visit him, and we are really enjoying it.

Lorraine asked me the other day why I get such a kick out of writing these things.  I think Bob Newhart has the best answer. For those too young to know who he is, Newhart was a comedian whose greatest popularity was in the late 70’s and early 80’s.  (Yeah, like anyone young is still reading this.)  I saw an interview with him the other day, and he was asked why, at age 80, he still goes on the road after all these years.  His answer was: “What am I supposed to do when I think of something funny?  Tell the dog???”  He then went on to say that the only part he doesn’t enjoy is all the traveling.  I guess that’s because he doesn’t travel in a 21-foot RV and stay overnight in the Wal-Mart lot.  There’s so much I could teach him.