A "Plan B" Vacation Paradise by Leah St. James

You might recall that a few weeks back I wrote how my plans to vacation with my oldest/best friend in the Wrightsville Beach area of North Carolina went terribly awry when Hurricane Florence zeroed in on the area. My friend and I quickly switched to Plan B – North Carolina’s Outer Banks and Virginia Beach for the last few days. 

I knew then it was not exactly a shabby Plan B! But now, back home, I can officially report that it was  fabulous.

From food to friends to fun, our week away went without a hitch until an ornery ATM machine on our last night gave my friend a case of agita and me a near coronary. (I’m a BIT more neurotic than she is.) Luckily all ended up fine. (I still can’t find my house keys, but presumably they’ll turn up ... somewhere. I think the cat hid them.)
 
Here are a few highlights:

While my beach-deprived friend’s major goal was some serious beach-combing and swimming in the ocean, she’s always game for adventure, and we found it (well...our version of adventure).  Despite some rainy weather, we got two full days at beachside and spent a good chunk of time searching for shells and laughing at the tiny sand crabs scurrying across the beach as we walked.

This little guy was about three-quarters of an inch long, side to side.

 

The shell in the foreground is called a "lion's paw."
Hopefully you can make it out.

We spent a day on Roanoke Island on the Outer Banks and learned about the Lost Colony of Roanoke. (Since I'm an HEA person, my version of the mystery is that they went to live --happily, of course--with the natives.)

We caught the first day of Virginia Beach’s Neptune Festival and strolled the vendor fair where we discovered woodworking expert Larry Ringgold and his remarkable driftwood sculptures.

"Cat's Meow" by Larry Ringgold. The image doesn't do it justice.

We blabbed until after midnight, slept in and ate when we felt like it (a major departure for my normally regimented work-time schedule). We had a blast.

Here are my favorites from the week.

Wild Horses of Corolla 
Since reading about these horses, brought to the Americas by Spanish explorers, I've wanted to see them. We booked the last two seats from one of the tour companies, climbed aboard the 12-person beach-going Jeep and held on as we bounced our way down the beach. 

Luckily, it wasn't long before we spotted a "harem" (a stallion with three of his lady friends) hanging out by the water. At first they just stood there like a bunch of storefront mannequins. Then the stallion lifted his head and his ears went on alert. We followed his gaze down the beach and spotted another group of mustangs ambling in our direction. The tour guide warned of possible friction between two stallions, but luckily all were friendly. After sniffing around each other a bit, they went their separate ways. 

 

I call this the "parlay" shot. :-)

Another interesting part of the tour:  two areas of development right in the dunes. I mean modern houses built among dunes themselves, with no paved roadways, no street names, just houses plopped in the middle of dunes. Underground wiring provides all the comforts of home, but four-wheel drive or ATV is a necessity for living there...not to mention an exceptional sense of direction. (All I could think was how would Amazon even deliver!)

Dolphins!
My eagle-eyed friend spotted dolphins frolicking not far off the Virginia Beach shoreline on our last day for a perfect ending. We watched about six or seven swim up and down, with some flips and leaps, for about 30 minutes. Later that day, two dolphin-watching boats cruised by and I had to wonder if they  were able to spot any!

Sunset cruise along the Albermarle Sound
We got a surprise treat on our second day, courtesy of a friend from my job who has a home with her husband near where we were staying. We were going to meet up at her office, but she said, "Leah, come on by for some dinner and a cruise." (How lucky were we??) It was lovely and special.  Many thanks to our gracious, generous hosts!

They gave us a list of recommendations of things to do and see, including some good restaurants. (My ears perked up, of course.)

A big part of vacation for me is getting to try different foods. At home, normally TPM/hubby and I are pretty routine—due to both time and budget constraints. But you have to live it up a little on vacation, don’t you? Here are my top three picks for best food of the week:

Breakfast
Pocahontas Pancake and Waffle House, Virginia Beach
I had a garden veggie omelet with asparagus, tomatoes and roasted mushrooms and a  croissant, and my friend got a sampler platter. Naturally we shared. We agreed--the Belgian waffle was the best either of us has ever had. Huge portions, every bite delicious.

Lunch
Hungry Pelican Deli, Manteo, OBX
I had something called a “wheatberry veggie.”  I just remember my taste buds registering fresh, fresh, fresh with a delicious, savory dressing. I’m certain I ate every morsel and even lugged home a peanut butter-topped brownie for dessert later that evening.

Dinner
Slice Pizza, Kill Devil Hills, OBX
I had a slice of veggie. I can’t recall the toppings exactly (I was too busy inhaling the darn thing), but I do remember a perfect crust and fabulous flavor. Yum... one of the best slices I’ve ever had, including even in Brooklyn!  I told the guy working there they should expand...like to my neighborhood! :-)

(Sorry, seafood lovers. I don't like seafood so can't give you any ratings or recommendations. My friend, however, indulged in shrimp and she crab soup and I forget what else, and there was plenty to be found.)

It was a lot of fun trying different foods and seeing new places, but the best part of the week by far was spending time with my vacation buddy.

She and I have been BFFs for a loooong time. We met in sixth grade, quickly became inseparable through middle school and the first year of high school. Then her father was transferred and the family moved about seven hours away. That's nothing today, but back then, it might as well have been across country. There was no such thing as email or texting. Even long-distance phone calls cost money...more than we had. So we lost touch for a few years during our late teens/college years, but when we reconnected (thanks to her diligent investigative work when she returned to our hometown area!), it was as if a day hadn’t passed.

Since then, we’ve been there for each other for both joys and sorrows and everything in between. We’ve watched our families grow and form families of their own. And now, as we head into our senior-ish years, what a joy it was to spend a whole week together to catch up, share in such neat experiences and laugh at ourselves, together.

I miss her already. Luckily, we've started planning next year’s beach destination vacation. 

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Leah writes stories of mystery and romance, good and evil and the power of love. One of these days she’s going to tackle a “buddy” story to memorialize this lifetime of friendship. Learn more about her work at leahstjames.com, or visit her on Facebook where she occasionally posts about the writing life.

Amazing Life by Brenda Whiteside #weddingAnniversary #vacation

Newly weds

Today's topic is the word Amazing...because I've had some Amazing things happen lately. Amazing good and Amazing bad. It was one of those kind of vacations.

You might have heard in one place or another that FDW and I made it to our 50th wedding anniversary. Now, that is Amazing.

50 years of bliss

Only 6% of us make it that far in marital bliss. (hmmm...bliss...yeah, some of that) We chose to take a two week driving vacation which amounted to well over 4,000 miles round trip. Here's a list of some of the Amazing things that happened on our adventure.

*Day one, I tripped and did a face plant on a cement sidewalk three hours into our vacation. I DID NOT break the bottle of wine I carried, but I did turn my upper lip into hamburger and broke a front tooth which had to be pulled. I have a temporary tooth (a flipper) until I get a permanent implant.  It threw us three days late on the start of our trip.
*We left a trail of personal possessions as we went. At one place FDW left a shirt and a hat. At another I left shampoo, conditioner, and face cleanser. At another we left the toothbrush charger.

On the road trip

Colorado

*Even after fifty years, FDW finds me wildly attractive when we're in a hotel (don't ask why, I'm not questioning it)
*Our big, anniversary dinner was paid for by a man at the next table who had the waitress keep it quiet until after he'd left. We never saw his face or have any idea why he did it.

The Eagles

*Friends gifted us an Eagle's concert that takes its place in our concerts seen history as the best.
*We chose to go through the Rockies on the trip home. The Rockies are Amazing.

We had an Amazing time visiting with friends we made and loved during the nearly twenties years we lived in Minnesota. Life is good. Life is Amazing.

One of our stays

Rocky Mountain High

Minnesota

At the Lake With Two MIT Dudes by Vonnie Davis #vacation #inovermyhead #greattimes

I'm back home from a week at Lake Marion in Santee, SC. As I mentioned in my last post, Mike, my baby boy (tongue in cheek here), and his wife Tina decided Kelly, his wife Katrin, and I should travel with them for some relaxation after the Celebration of Life for Calvin.

They rented a large SUV that hauled seven--Mike, Tina, Kelly, Katrin, Ryan, me, and Ryan's five-foot telescope to set up on Ron and Debbie's dock.

Ryan positioning his telescope for best night-time viewing.

Oh, and let's not forget packing in everyone's luggage plus Ryan's three laptops, guitar, trumpet, and Kelly's two laptops. The ride down was like MIT on wheels. Kelly did his undergrad degree there. and Ryan is halfway to his undergrad degree in Computer Engineering with a minor in Music technology. As the ride progressed my mind swirled with conversations about bitcoins, string theory, writing computer code, and Kelly's expertise at Mozilla--artificial intelligence. In rapid-fire communication, the two moved onto deep-brain thinking. What the heck is that and where do I learn how to do it?

Calvin would have been right at home. Me? I was in over my head and I'd yet to reach the lake. When I did, some adult beverages would most definitely be in order to clear my mind.

At a local Mexican restaurant--Tina's Dad, Ron, Mike (aka Baby Boy), and Margarita Momma

(note dazed and confused look from ride to Lake Marion). 

The days were filled with zipping up and down three lakes connected by channels in Ron's new boat or walking through historic Charleston just an hour away. Nights brought star and planet gazing. I saw Venus and Mercury. Ryan would play on the trumpet as we sat on the dock. Neighbors in this gated community would cheer and applaud. 

AND I woke up  one morning with a series idea! One that involved a book I've slowly been working on. Getting away and seeing new things really does help the creative bent of the mind. Mine had been in a tight knot of grief. Evidently it's starting to loosen.

I'm hoping my next trip will waken the Muse. Two weeks from now I'll be in Paris. Calvin had told me several times before he got so sick that he wanted some of his ashes sprinkled in a green space in front of 21 rue Galande. He'd lived there for almost a year while on sabbatical in a fourth floor apartment. Kelly thought it was a perfect idea. He's flying in from Berlin so we can do it together. Here's a picture of Calvin in front of the building, reminiscing.

I'm staying in Paris for a week. Since this will probably be my last trip there, I have a few art galleries I want to meander through.  Once I leave there, I'm flying to  Edinburgh, Scotland. After writing six books set there, I figure it's about time I got a look at the country. All my research has been done online or in travel books. Finally, I'll get to see the real thing. I've got day trips booked for the Highlands, a whisky distillery with a wee bit o' tastin', and Loch Ness. If my energy holds up, I want to take a train ride to Glasgow and check it out. Aaaaad a day at the Highland Games where guys in kilts do "manly stuff." Mainly because a woman would have more sense.

Since Edinburgh is home of the deep-fried Mars Bars, I'll be forced--forced, mind you--to eat a couple. All the while, I'll be soaking up sights, customs, and local color for future bear shifter books. Och, aye.

To read more about my writing, go to www.vonniedavis.com or follow me on Facebook. Vonnie Davis is the name...writing is my game.

#Wedding Anniversay #Vacation by Brenda Whiteside

When you read this, I'll be four days into a two week wedding anniversary celebratory vacation. Forgive me if I don't respond quickly to your comments. We're driving to Minnesota to visit friends we haven't seen in years. We'll be staying in three different homes and seven hotels. I assume we'll have Internet everywhere, but will I have time? My laptop and Android go with me, of course, and as a writer, I'm never out of touch.

FDW and I have made a tradition of taking a trip on the decade wedding anniversaries. For our 10th, we drove to Mazatlan and stayed in a tropical setting. We toured

the town and spent many hours on the beach, never missing happy hour at the hotel. The highlight of the trip was my neglect to get my clothes out of the dryer and pack them. I got to go shopping and buy a few things. FDW swore I'd had a memory lapse on purpose. Moi?

For our second decade of marriage, we flew to Hawaii. That was FDW's first time there, and he tried to talk me into moving. No way. I know after more than a couple of weeks, when the fancy drinks were history and the need to work took over, I'd get Island Fever big time.

Our 30th anniversary fulfilled one of my lifelong dreams...to see Michelangelo's David. We spent several fantastic days in Florence, Italy with a local young woman as our guide. She was a friend of our Austrian friend who joined us. We then drove with him to Austria to spend several days with his family. What a trip!

Cancun was our 40th anniversary destination. We'd been there before and didn't need to do any tourist stuff. We spent all of our time relaxing on the beach.

Now, we're at the 50th. Did you know only 6% of American marriages make it to fifty? We're really looking forward to Minnesota and the long drive. We lived in Minnesota for eighteen years, made many good friends, and fell in love with the state.

Meanwhile, the fifth and final book in my Love and Murder Series released on June 18. Planning a trip and a release has been exhausting. But fun!

THE DEEP WELL OF LOVE AND MURDER

After an abusive childhood and a bad marriage, Laura Katz finally finds a home, stability…and possibly love. But her blissful refuge as nanny on the Meadowlark Ranch, miles from Flagstaff, shatters when her ex is released from prison, determined to reclaim her.

Randy Silva, the ranch’s foreman, has dreams of his own ranch, but a nasty land grab is underway. While the battle escalates, Laura steals his heart, but dangerous outsiders and a criminal ex-husband stand in their way. Randy’s in a perilous fight for his land and the woman he wants by his side.

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Truths about Travel by Rolynn Anderson

As usual, in the summer, I’m on the move.  For years Steve and I spent the four summer months cruising on our trawler; now that we sold the boat, we’re working on our international bucket list of places to see. 

How do you decide where you travel next?  Do you have an ever-emptying bucket, or do you keep tossing in new locations?

We tend to add and subtract places based on a number of elements.  This year, we chose Quebec City, Montreal, Niagara Falls, because of family events in the Midwest and East Coast.  (My college reunion in Minnesota played in there, as well.)  So: proximity was factor #1; Hype about Quebec/Niagara factor #2; Shame about not knowing about/exploring our neighborhood in the north was #3; Love of Canadians #4; Favor for the U.S. dollar in Canada #5; Temperate weather #6; Uniqueness (West coasters are rare in Quebec) #6  (The picture below shows a gigantic statue in front of the amazing Frontenac Hotel in Quebec City.  It's a Salvador Dali object d'art.)

You get the drift.  My husband and I have a complicated matrix pushing our decision about where to go next.  How about you?

One solid rule we have about travel? Stay at least three days in one place; make sure the hotel/VRBO allows you to walk the best streets (we prefer not to rent a car...and there's no place to park them in the old towns, anyway!).  As you know we’ve enjoyed expanded stays lately: a month in Seville; another month in Aix en Provence.  Three days is starting to look too short to us lately.  We hunkered down in Quebec City for two weeks; Montreal-five days. 

How long do you tend to stay in a given vacation spot?

Traveling is stressful, but there are also strains involved when you must settle into a new hotel room, a VRBO or B & B.  Where to eat; where to shop for necessities; how to keep up an exercise program; how to manage the language of the country; what to buy (and not to if you’re in carry-on luggage mode)?  The picture below, in front of our VRBO shows you an additional stress: a tiny Hobbit door to our VRBO condo 9 1/2 Rue Ramparts.  My husband, 6'5" in front of it.  The apartment was very comfortable, actually.

What’s your method of carrying ‘home’ with you, so you’re less stressed when you travel?

Coffee.  I need good coffee in the a.m. while I write; coffee-decaf-at night (with a piece of rich chocolate).  We also need a friendly coffee shop nearby, where somewhere around visit #3, they smile at me and without a word from me, they fill my order, ready to chat.  The place has comfortable chairs, too, set up for people-watching.  Wine.  I’ve discovered a local brand or two that I like and patio-ed places where my husband and I can sit and enjoy local food and wine.  Below: This group of thespians, in ghostly garb/make-up, drifted by our restaurant one evening.

How about you?  What are the signs you’ve gotten comfortable with a vacation destination? 

We might be oddities as travelers, less interested in ‘covering’ all the attractions; more focused on fitting in with the rhythm of each new place. 

But our process must be working, because we still like to travel!

Speaking of travel, you get a glimpse of Italy in my novel, BAD LIES http://a.co/0DuYNPn:

Italy’s haunted caves spell danger for an American golfer and a NATO geologist

****

Sophie Maxwell is a late-blooming, unorthodox golfer, and mother of a precocious thirteen year-old. Determined to put divorce, bankruptcy, and a penchant for gambling in her past, Sophie goes to Italy for a qualifying golf tournament.

Jack Walker turned his back on a pro golfing career to become a geologist. As a favor to his ailing father he’ll caddy for Sophie; off hours, he’ll find caves on the Mediterranean coast, suitable for NATO listening posts for terrorist activity.

Someone is determined to stop Jack’s underground hunt and ruin Sophie’s chances to win her tournament.

On a Rome golf course and in the Amalfi coast’s haunted caves, all the odds are stacked against Sophie and Jack.  In their gamble of a lifetime, who wins?

Seven Suspense Novels Spiked with Romance

Web and Blog:

http://rolynnanderson.com

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I'm on Vacation! by Alison Henderson

PO&O and OG

No, I haven't jetted off to some exotic foreign locale. I'm still here in beautiful, smoky Carmel. But this week is very special for me every year. I take a week off from writing to enjoy the company of my Precious One and Only (henceforth to be known as PO&O). Every August, our daughter comes from Chicago to enjoy the famous Classic Car Week festivities that take place in venues across the Monterey Peninsula. 

Mostly, she enjoys these events with OG. I'm not as much of a car buff, and this gives them lots of great father/daughter bonding time. However, as you read this, PO&O and I are on our annual ladies-only pilgrimage to the Gilroy Outlet Mall. It's one of the most highly-anticipated days of the year, when we load into my little red Fiat 500 and drive an hour northeast to the aromatic hamlet of Gilroy, California - the Garlic Capital of America. We shop 'til we drop (Mom pays) and eat our only lunch of the year at In 'N Out Burger. Most importantly, we get six hours of uninterrupted conversation. It's heaven.

Little Car Show

The rest of the days, PO&O and OG choose one car event per day - either an auction preview, a driving event, or a car show. I usually go with them to a couple of the free events. Two of my favorites are the Little Car Show in Pacific Grove, which features only micro cars, and the Concours on the Avenue in Carmel-by-the-Sea. You'll never see as many exotic, frightfully expensive vehicles lined up together anywhere else.  

Even if I don't attend many events, Car Week has it's own special vibe. Automotive enthusiasts come from all over the world, and many bring (or drive) their own fancy cars. Red Ferraris are so commonplace on the roads that they become almost boring after the first few days. Last year while driving to the grocery store, I passed a string of Lambourghinis in every possible color driving toward me in the opposite direction. Every major foreign luxury brand has some sort of special gathering.

This year, I wonder how much effect the huge fire in Big Sur will have on the crowds. The smoke is still quite thick in the mornings, and most of the auction venues park the cars outside during the previews. I'm not sure I'd want my million dollar car exposed to the corrosive effects of all that smoke. But whatever happens, PO&O, OG, and I will have a blast. We always do!

Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com

Two More Days, by Christine DePetrillo

It’s finally HERE! That magical time of the year for teachers! The final countdown!

In just two short days, I will be officially in full-time writer mode for the rest of June, all of July, and most of August. I will not only pretend to be an author. I will eat, sleep, breathe writing. Every day. All day.

In tank tops and shorts and bare feet.

The Outdoor Writing Office will be in full swing, my favorite Adirondack chair getting used on a regular basis and carrying me from page to page in my latest manuscript. Birds will cheer me on, butterflies will applaud my ideas, and squirrels… well, they might try to steal my ideas, but The Werewolf won’t let them. He's always on the lookout.

I. Can’t. Wait.

Like, I’m seriously giddy. No more sitting down to my laptop at 7:00 p.m. after a day of teaching and trying to squeeze in at least four pages before bed time. No more chewing up writing time with schoolwork that has to get done. No more falling asleep while staring at the blinking cursor as it mocks my tired brain. No more having to pass on reading great books because I’ve only got so much time to write my own.

Just two more days…

In three days, I’ll bound out of bed at a time of my choosing, most likely 8:30-9:00 a.m. I’ll slip into comfortable summer attire. I’ll throw my unruly hair into a ponytail and forgo the makeup regimen. Maybe I won’t even put on deodorant or brush my teeth. Who knows how crazy I’ll get?

All I do know is that the number one item on my agenda for the first day of Summer Vacation (yes, both of those words deserve capital letters) is to write. Anything else I accomplish is frosting on the cake, peeps. Frosting on the cake.

I’ll of course have other Summer Vacation plans, such as traveling, hanging out with my pals, landscaping/gardening, bicycling (just bought new bikes and a bike dog leash that The Werewolf LOVES), going to concerts (got tickets to Lindsey Stirling in July which I’m psyched about), household chores, reading book after book from my favorite authors, and a boatload of preparing-for-the-next-school-year work especially because I’ll be teaching reading and science, which I haven’t taught in years.

But writing is top priority—my summer job. One I absolutely love.

What are your Summer plans?

Toodles,

Chris

www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

The Maple Leaf Series, Books One through Six, available now! Book One, More Than Pancakes, is always FREE in ebook! 

A Non-Writing Weekend Bracketed by Two Aletas

by Betsy Ashton

Duane, Aleta, me and Terry

Aleta is a fairly rare name. To have two Aletas in the same family is rarer yet. And both were named after Princess Aleta in the old Prince Valiant comic strip.

The first Aleta in our long weekend away is my cousin who lives in Burlington, VT with her significant other, Duane. Her mother, who was like my second mother and for whom I am named, loved the comic strip. Our selfie is the fearless foursome at the Saratoga Race Track, a place we like to meet once a year if possible. Aleta and Duane are both in health care, she a psychologist, he a psych nurse.

We don't get together more than twice a year, but each time it's like we just ended one sentence and started another, with months in between. 

Terry

Our road trip took us from Southwest Virginia through Maryland, Pennsylvania and finally into New York. We ended in Albany where we spent three nights. Aleta and Duane drove from Burlington to Albany. Their drive was a wee bit shorter, about three hours to our twelve. We backtracked a few miles to Saratoga for two days of racing. None of us did very well, but we didn't care. We had wonderful conversations about mental health, politics, the color of grass, writing, and playing the bagpipes. Duane is in a pipe band up in Burlington. In fact, they left after dinner on Friday because Duane had Scottish games on Saturday.

The other Aleta is my husband's daughter. He too loved Prince Valiant. Who could have guessed I'd find a man with a daughter named Aleta?

Aleta and her husband live in a small town in Orange County, New York, about an hour and a half south and west of Albany, where she is an event planner and her husband puts bad people in jail. Seeing them is terrific, but seeing our only grandsons may be even better. Howie is four with an adult-sized vocabulary, especially about trucks, planes and trains. He loves his PopPop and dominates his time. John Callan is two and is into grandfathers rather than grandmothers. Just the right age for male bonding. I don't mind. I get plenty of time, including bedtime, where I read stories to Howie to calm him down enough to sleep. PopPop/Terry ended up with bathtime. 'nuff said.

Cal, Aleta and Howie

Much as we hated to leave on Monday, we did have to get back to work. I left my novel at home, because I was stuck on how to make the last movement work smoothly. Hours of listening to two suspense novels and plenty of windshield time unlocked the ending. I've always known how it ends but I didn't know how much of the draft had to be rewritten and trimmed. I have my shears out for trimming and the delete key at the ready. 

 That was my summer vacation, lovely weekend with the two Aletas. Can't wait for December when we all get together again for the "Tween the Holidays" party.

###

Betsy Ashton is the author of Mad Max, Unintended Consequences, and Uncharted Territory, A Mad Max Mystery, now available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Relaxing, No Stress Vacations? NOT!

Jena with Jenevie 2008

by Jena Galifany

The family vacation is not something that I've taken many of. We took one when I was eleven or twelve years old. We drove four hours to Las Vegas and spent a day there. My sister and I spent all day in the pool. By that evening, I was so burned I couldn't wear anything except the bathing suit. OUCH! The next morning, I developed tonsillitis. Oh, joy.

We moved on, taking the next couple of days to roll through Reno and Carson City. Nothing spectacular to report there. We cruised through Lake Tahoe and ended up visiting friends in Sacramento. This was nice. They had a pool. My burn and tonsils had both mellowed. We went to a zoo. Now, I'm like totally terrified of snakes. I don't even like pictures of them. Guess where my dad made me go with my sister? You got it, the reptile house. Joy of joys. I was so thrilled to get home and prayed we'd never take another vacation. Fortunately, we camped instead.

Fast forward, I was now 50 years old and my youngest daughter is the only kid at home. She has never been to Disneyland. I decided it would make a nice Sweet Sixteen/First Family Vacation gift to her before she grew up and left home. I planned it all out in secret. We'd stay at the Disneyland Hotel for two nights and have access to Disneyland and California Adventure. This was going to be awesome.

I didn't want her to know where we were going, other than spending the night at her grandmother's home in Huntington Beach, a two and a half hour drive from home. That way we could see my in-laws and be within thirty minutes of Disneyland instead of driving the couple of hours to get there. I decided to tell her that we were going to Los Angeles to get her braces. The dentist had mentioned that she could use them to straighten one tooth that is a quarter of a turn around so I thought I'd use that idea to cover our true destination.

Jena, Steve, & Jenevie @Disneyland 2008

Mr. Mechanic Husband (no sarcasm here. He's the best mechanic in the valley) checked the car over the day before, and made sure everything was ready for the trip. Tune up, doughnut size spare tire, clean windows and all. The next day, we were ready to roll at 1pm. Moping all the way, Jen climbed into the back of the car and we were on our way. Being a nervous passenger, I drove. We made it ten miles and blew a tire. I pulled over on the side of the freeway and Steve jumped out to take care of the problem. He had the tire changed in no time but when he let the car down, the spare went flat. (really?)

An officer pulled up and called roadside assistance for us. We waited fifteen minutes for the man to come air up the spare. Husband apologized profusely for the flat spare. I knew he had checked it. I'd seen him do it. No problem. We could stop in the next town, about nineteen miles down the road.

A forty-five minute wait gave us two new tires and a one hundred twenty dollar expense I hadn't planned on. I decided to let Steve drive. I'd had my fun already. (not!) So back on the road. Twenty miles later, the car died. It just died. Now, this isn't usually a problem. It does it all the time. I simply have to drop it into neutral, hit the key, it fires up, pull it back into gear, and on we go. It's been doing this for years. It's such an intermittent problem, no one can find out what it is. It's why we got the car cheap. Only, this time, it decided not to start again. Luckily we were traveling down hill and were able to coast the last couple of miles to the off-ramp and into a Denney's parking lot. So far, it took us an hour and a half to travel forty miles.

We sat in the parking lot until the car cooled down. Steve looked it over and couldn't find any problem. After careful consideration, we decided not to go on into the heavy traffic on the 5 freeway. We decided to roll down the windows, turn off the air conditioner, and take the car back home. We'd rent a car and start over. After twenty minutes, Steve tried the key and she started up. Praying, we had no problems all the way back home.

We headed to the first car rental place we found. They wanted a credit card. I didn't have one. I'd paid them all off. They wanted a utility bill to prove where I lived. I get all my bills via email (going green has its drawbacks, I've found). They wanted a $300.00 money order. Hmm. Off to the house to dive into the shred bag for an old utility bill. Found one! Off to the bank for the money order. Back to the rental office. They decided since the utility bill was from three months previous, it wasn't good enough. I offered to pull up my account on their computer to show them, but they didn't want me to touch their computer. (sheesh)

Before I totally lost my cool, my husband pulled me gently out of their office and we headed for another rental company.

It was after 5:30pm by now, with all of the running around. I was afraid everything would be closed and we'd not get a car that evening. Our reservations at Disneyland were for the next morning. I didn't want to be driving instead of checking in. Jen still didn't know. She was sitting in the waiting area when we got to the counter at Car Rental Office #2. I made sure she was not in ear shot and prepared for battle. I had to have a car.

"We have reservations for Disneyland and need a car. I don't have a credit card and I don't have a current utility bill. What can we do about this?" I was firm. I wasn't going to take no for an answer. I needed to give Jen a nice vacation and so far it wasn't working out so well.

The tall gentleman behind the counter smiled at me and said, "No problem." It took the wind right out of my sails. He continued, "Let's see what we can do. And if I can't get you a car, I'll drive you down when I get off work at 6." WOW! I like this guy! He tried to run every VISA debit card  I had but none were accepted because they were not "credit" cards. I was losing hope. He was positive. "Do you know anyone that would lend you a card since it's only to get it, not to pay for it? You can pay with the debit but I need a credit card to let you have a car."

"My mother, but she's twenty miles away."

He handed me the phone. "What's the number?"

"She couldn't get here before you close."

"What's the number?"

We got my mother on the phone. I explained the problem to her. She agreed that she wouldn't be able to get there before closing. It was already 5:45. I relayed the information to Mr. Gentleman. He held out his hand for the phone. He spoke to my mother for a moment, pleasantries and such. He shocked me by asking for my mother's permission to use her card. He assured her no charges would go on it. I don't know what Mom said but he started writing. He filled out the information, told my mother what a wonderful person she was, and gave me back to phone. My mother said, "Sign my name," and she hung up.

I stared at the man as he turned the papers to me and handed me a pen. He smiled. I smiled, signed and gave him back his pen. "We didn't do this," he said. "Now, let's get you on the road." He lead us out to a nice economical, clean, wonderful car. Again, WOW! We shook his hand and thanked him over and over. (Sidenote: I've rented all needed cars from this man for the past five years, with my own credit card I might add.)  We dashed back to the house to drop off my car, switch the luggage and were back on the road by 6:30pm. We arrived at my in-law's home a little after 9pm. It took us eight hours to make a two and a half hour trip. Gratefully, my mother-in-law had prepared a nice meal for us.

Jena with Jenevie California Adventure 2008

Jen was still grousing the next day when we got into the car to go to the "dentist". She was sulking in the back seat right up until we stopped in front of the Disneyland Hotel. Her eyes popped and she got a Minnie Mouse voice for a few moments, squealing her excitement. We spent the first day exploring Disneyland. She and her dad rode the rides and I found near-by shade to sit and read. I have MS and can't ride the rides but they love rides and I love reading, so it all works out. Steve developed a migraine halfway through the day but he rode all of the rides with her anyway... except Small World. He didn't think he could handle that one with a migraine.

Day two, we explored California Adventure. Day three, we shopped Downtown Disney and then drove to Huntington Beach for dinner and swimming with my in-laws. After the terrible beginning, our first family
vacation turned out to be a batch of wonderful memories. We went again the next year, but Jen keeps asking when she's getting those "braces" again.

Sidenote: Steve hates to go to the dentist so Jen suggested that I tell him he's going to Disneyland!

I hope all of your vacation adventures are filled with wonderful memories, relaxation and no stress.

For your reading pleasure, please hop on the bus and travel with ShadowsForge, the 80s British rock band as they travel the U.S. and the U.K. finding love and adventure in the series by Jena Galifany available at Whiskey Creek Press.  Three Times a Hero, Trials on Tour, and Retaking America are currently available for $2.99 each.

Cheers!
Jena