See You Down the Road

Our "Southern Adventure" caravan trip came to an end. It always seems to be a bit of a jolt when the folks you have been traveling with scatter to the winds. But, after  a few years of doing this, we know that we often bump into folks we have met along the road. It is never "good-bye" it is simply "see you later!"

Here is a poem I shared with the group:

Pretty soon forty days will have gone by,

"It's hard to believe," she says with a sigh.  

In just a few days we will all be alone.

We'll have to make reservations 

and plan routes on our own. 

No one to thump tires. No one who cares

When we leave and when we get there. 

Ah, but Bill and Carol will get to stay in bed,

They don't have to leave early to get there ahead,

They don't have to count and map every camp site

And determine who will fit and for whom it's too tight. 

Charleston was the last stop for Gayle and Wes.

They are on their way back to Lubbock, Texas.

Sandy already left us and she's on her own,

Taking care of the things in her yard that have grown. 

We've been all through Florida and we've seen a lot

Of alligators, azaleas, large homes and big yachts.

John and Joyce were almost always first on the bus

And they often got out of camp before all of us. 

If you wanted to walk you could go with Marie or Fran,

You could also take a hike with Mike and Jan. 

Karen and Speed went out on boats to fish,

And treated us at the potluck with a yummy fish dish.

And as you know, the exit of most every stop

Involved going through some sort of gift shop.

You could count on Ceil to be shopping there;

She bought candy and cigars and at least 

one stuffed bear. 

At happy hours Sylvia had the most interesting drinks,

And Mike always had a wisecrack, quick as a wink. 

I have to admire Dell for sticking with his plan;

He's kept losing weight, 

does that make him less of a man?!

And Judy is there, to help him decide

What he can eat and what's best put aside. 

Our weather was near perfect. We had lots of sun,

For the most part the rain came after our fun. 

We saw planes and forts and artillery

And lovely homes and gardens and a distillery.

Our travels went well with only a few bumps in the road,

Ron and Mary lost a wheel and a new camper was sold!

Drew had low oil as he forgot to replace the cap,

And John and Joyce experienced a flat. 

Jim and Cherril lost their AC, and a mirror as well,

If it were me, I'd tell that mower he could go to....well,

This poem is getting far too long,

It's really time to get moving on.

I won't say, "Good bye", because one thing I know,

I'll see you again on a trip, at a rally or show.

Travel in health and may God be on your side

As you travel down the road, 

I hope you have a smooth ride. 

I made note cards for everyone on the trip, copying my attempts at art onto paper I brought along for the purpose. After creating the cards last year, cutting and pasting bits of paper, I investigated options for printing directly onto cards. I purchased a sample kit from Red River Paper, then ordered their 60 lb paper canvas notecard paper. I was very pleased with the finished look.



Each notecard depicted something we saw on the trip: alligators, this pencil sketch from The Everglades, an orchid in colored pencil from RF Orchids in Homestead, a sunrise in pastels from The Forgotten Coast (but in Florida could be a sunrise or sunset on either side of the state), a sunset during a cruise in Key West in water color, a heron at Magnolia Plantation in SC in water color, and my favorite, Doc and Duke, Percherons in Ocala, FL who took us on a carriage ride, created in gouache and white charcoal.  I had a lot of fun making the drawings/paintings and our new friends from the trip were very appreciative.