Firsts

Greetings from Nashville. What an emotional week it’s been!

We arrived yesterday evening, setting up in the dark – a first. Of course, it was our first set-up at a campground, so I suppose first nighttime arrival and setup doesn’t sound nearly as special that way.

What other firsts did we accomplish? Our first time getting hit with a chunk of ice at 30+ miles per hour, and our first time getting hit with a piece of 4×4 from a flatbed semi at 30+. Exciting times, those. The ice came from a car passing us on I-71 near Jeffersonville Ohio, and hit the truck windshield on the passenger side. No damage though.

At a rest stop in Kentucky.

The piece of wood came from a semi in Kentucky on I-65. The speed limit there is 70, but we were holding at about 65 or so, and some of the semis were barreling past us at well over 75. This particular guy had a bunch of 4×4 wood bracing at the forward end of his trailer, and a piece of that flew off and hit the truck somewhere on the left front. I only heard one impact at the front, and never saw splinters or felt any other pieces, so maybe “Built Ford Tough” isn’t just a slogan.

Our Open House on Sunday was gut-wrenching on a number of levels. We knew we were saying good-bye to folks we weren’t going to see for quite a while, and that’s always difficult. But we also said goodbye to our pets. Chaz went to a family from our Cub Scout pack, with two boys who will love on him in a big way. They may be losing their other dog soon to old age, so this works out well for everyone. The cats went to a friend of a cousin, and it wasn’t as planned as Chaz. They came over to meet the cats, and as soon as the five-year-old girl saw Zeta, she said “Fat little kittie,” and Zeta came over to meet them. That pretty much sealed the deal for everyone. But the combination put me over the edge, and I found myself practically bawling my eyes out in the garage at one point. Walking back in to the house after Bible Study that night without hearing Chaz yap at us or seeing the cats running around was harder than I thought it would be. We’re without a pet for the first time in almost 18 years. Diana and I had a cat as soon as we set up my first apartment in early 1993, and haven’t been without one until this week. It’s a strange feeling, but it’s less painful knowing the animals are in good homes. The lady who took the cats even texted me Monday morning to let me know they had done well the night before, and were out and about in the their new home. Good people there.

At any rate, we’re currently settled in at the Nashville KOA, enduring 52° and rain. The kids are learning how to deal with throttled WiFi, and Diana and I are pretty much just relaxing from a busy couple of weeks. We’ll get into a regular routine soon. For now, we’re going to try and meet up with another Family On The Road, and meet a couple of my cousins.