Actually, this whole Labor Day Weekend has been filled with opportunities to sample that great American invention, A Holiday for Sales and Buying. We chose to laze around for the last day spent in our car coming down from Georgia took a lot out of us.  Yet, thinking about it, it was a good move to do this instead of another night spent on the road in a hotel and our own beds and other amenities were calling out strongly, ”Come home, come home.”

I have a whole list of topics to write about because of our contacts on the road up north to N.J. and back down again.  There are only a few of them that I will actually choose to write about so you are saved from the inevitable “snapshots” (in verbal terms) that we can whip out to show you where we were and what we did. We were lucky to be able to see the 2008 Olympics in China on the TV and get back in time for the political conventions. These are exciting things.

Our first stop proved to be exciting for we not only were reunited with Gordon, Dina and Hudson but were introduced to a very mobile and determined Amelia who is the newest Lane.  This was the stop where we bedded down along with Doodles.  And, it was once again the opportunity to connect with the family that Dina brought along with the marriage.  We had enjoyed meeting them in Barbados for the wedding and this time in the back of Dina’s sister’s house in the next town over.  She has a pool and a big yard where the family gathered.  I got them assembled for a picture and it turned out well, showing the vitality of this extended family.

We showed our age by declining to wait until the barbecue was fired up later in the evening and opted to drive back to the Lane’s house.  We followed directions and got there safely.  This trip also pointed up our lack of know-how in using our new GPS device that actually proved helpful later in the trip.

We had AAA plan the trip and print it out for us and had directions from all the people we planned to visit but when we found that the original input on the GPS device actually worked we enjoyed hearing this lady’s voice encourage us to do this or that and when we made this last turn “Go on the motorway”.

This Labor Day Weekend is filled with catching up on little jobs and details.  Mostly it is just hanging around and I am pleased that Carol is giving her foot a much needed rest.  There were so many steps in our stops that, instead of resting, she gave that foot in the black book unhelpful workouts.  We will see doctors later on in the week and hope for the best.  I thank those of you who responded that you missed us too, but THINKING ALLOWED is for all of you.