Family Reunion

We're back. Last Thursday we left at 4:00 A.M. en route to our first cousin reunion in Mississippi. My daughter and son-in-law and their two kiddos caravaned with us for the long journey. The twelve hour trip took us eighteen hours. It was dark when we left and the kids were wide awake. About two miles from the house my daughter got pulled over for forgetting to turn her lights back on. She had turned off her head lights at an intersection to keep from blinding me. When he officer asked to see her license and insurance she realized she had left her purse at home. After we retrieved the purse we were off again. All went well until we reached the east side of Houston. I-10 was necked down to two lanes and we crept along for well over an hour before the traffic began to move again. After a stop at the cracker barrel for lunch, and the gasoline station for fuel, we hit the road again. We made good time arriving in Baton Rogue Louisiana near 3:3o P.M. I-10 was moving at a snail's pace from the west side of the Mississippi River through the city to near 10 miles east. Another hour and a half down the tubes. We rolled along at the posted speed until we reached Hammond, Louisiana and the bottom fell out. Sheets of rain and magnificent lightning displays accompanied by gusting wind slowed traffic to a crawl once again. Finally we hit the end of the thunder storm on Interstate 59 just outside of Picayune, Mississippi. The hotel came into view at 8:30 P.M. After checking in we drug our weary bodies to the Plaid Rhino restaurant for some of the best hamburgers I've ever eaten. Bedtime came early. The grandkids were great. They far exceeded my expectations for behavior after being cooped up in the car for so long. The weather was good, but the temperatures were unseasonably warm. We had a very nice reunion with plenty of food. Everyone ate too much and spent the afternoon hours lolling in the air conditioned house. We left early and tried to get some rest for the trip back. It was Sunday and the traffic was much lighter. Our trip back only took fourteen hours. Once again the kiddos were great. We have been catching up on chores today, but I'm sure we'll be ready to go again before too long.

By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong.
- Charles Wadsworth