Just returned from another road trip. Went to Florida this time to visit family - Ed's brother Mike, his wife Lot, and kids Tony, Gina and Vinnie. They live on Merritt Island, just minutes from the beach. I often forget how much I like Florida till I arrive; there's nothing prettier than a row of stately palm trees silhouetted against a sunny blue sky. The landscape just shouts out, "Beach!"
We started out Monday and drove to Savannah, where we had a reservation in the Historic district. Spent some time walking along the river, bought some pralines (a favorite of mine), then headed to Uncle Bubba's for dinner. Uncle Bubba's Oyster House is situated outside town on a marsh; there was a wait for an inside table so we took one out on the deck. I was happily surprised to learn there are some resident cats in the vicinity of the deck and they will approach customers in the hopes of being fed. They were the highlight of my evening! Ed was more interestered in the grilled oysters, which came from Apalachicola and were very good! After the oysters and a seafood dip we split a "Full Bubba" - shrimp, scallops, oysters and catch of the day - and couldn't come close to finishing it. A nice evening in a favorite city!
Drove the rest of the way to Merritt Island the next day. We always have a good visit with Mike and Lot and this time was no exception. Lot's a great cook and they are both congenial hosts. I feel very at home there. Three year old Vinnie is a charmer and immediately jumped in the pool to show off his rather impressive swimming skills to Uncle Bud and Aunt Gail.
The plan was to just relax and visit. Henry, their other brother, was coming over from the Gulf side for a visit on Thursday. We would relax around the pool and feast on shrimp. Unfortunately, Henry had a stroke on Wednesday! After a flurry of phone calls to gather information and let other family members know, we made a plan to drive across state to see Henry. The trip was an arduous one; Mike got lost at least three times, making the three hour drive in only four and a half hours! On the upside, Vinnie traveled like a trooper, never once getting whiney or cranky. Most importanly, we saw Henry - he is recovering, the few symptoms he has are expected to resolve and he returned home on Saturday.
We returned home to NC on Friday and have been spending the weekend with Ed's boys. Tim and Alex came down from Michigan and NY to celebrate Tim's birthday, which means lots of good meals at both Mark's house and ours!
We're already planning our next trip to Merritt Island...for Thanksgiving.
