The week in Review

Well, since “Anonymous” outed me, I must confess: Yes, I did go back with Jake and Carla to their home after Joe’s wedding.

We pulled out of here about 7:00 AM on Sunday morning and, 12 hours and 15 minutes later, pulled into their driveway. It was mostly smooth sailing, except for one stretch of expressway (I forget the number) that was stop and go about every 10 minutes (and it wasn’t even under construction!)

Carla had taken Monday and Tuesday off, so I could have somebody to hang with while Jake was working upstairs.

I didn’t keep a diary, so I’ll have to just hit the highlights:

Weather-wise, it was a perfect week in South Carolina: Highs in the 80’s, low humidity, no rain, the occasional puffy cloud and hundreds of stars at night (you can’t see that many stars here in Redford, too many city lights, I guess).

Food-wise (and you know I have to go to the food next), on the way down, they introduced me to Krystal’s, which are the size and look of our White Castle’s but taste ten times better.

Carla made a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast one morning (one does get pretty tired of oatmeal every damn day) and Jake grilled hamburgers, brats and hot links (the southern equivalent to our red hots, I suppose, but a rope of sausage more like hot brats) one night while Carla and I made potato salad.

Carla took me to an excellent sushi restaurant for lunch one day (I forget the names of these restaurants – sorry) on a shopping trip and we brought home some for Jake. Another day Jake took me to lunch someplace, where I had the cowboy steak which was a perfectly done filet with cheesy mashed potatoes. We also ate lunch another day somewhere near post where I had fish and chips.

One night we were discussing dinner and Carla mentioned Popeye’s chicken. I told them I had tried it once and was unimpressed. I said I was told it was very spicy, so I ordered “mild” with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy and thought the whole thing tasted like KFC, more or less. They said I had screwed it all up and wait until I tasted it ordered “right.” So, Jake picked some up that was spicy with a side of red beans and rice. And, it was fantastic! Now I know what to get at Popeye’s! (I have one near my house)

Jake took me to his office on post to show me around (I’ve been on post before, but only in the car). His cubicle looks like no one ever sat there; I suppose because he so rarely does.

Thursday night, Carla’s brother had a cookout, where he made HUGE burgers (I am not kidding), brats and hot links, along with baked beans and potato salad. I “tasted” the beans and potato salad but just barely finished my burger. He put some sort of steakhouse spices on it, BTW, and it was great.

When we left her brother’s, he and his wife hugged me goodbye (like they always do) and then called the kids down from upstairs to say goodbye to me. Carla’s nephew came first and I shook hands with him. He had a very confused look on his face (that cracked both Jake and Carla up) and her brother said, “No, we hug in this family!” So, I hugged them all goodbye, too.

Friday, on the way to the airport, Jake took me for a taste of low country cuisine: Shrimp and grits, which had a fantastic taste to it (I didn’t know shrimp and grits had Andouille sausage in it).

But, finally, it was time to go home. When I got to the airport, I found that my flight had been delayed and I wouldn’t be able to make the connecting flight in Charlotte in time. So they rescheduled me on a later flight that took off about the time I should have been arriving in Detroit!

She gave me a new boarding pass and called to have my luggage re-routed (gulp). I called Jake and he conferenced me in to Metro Car in Detroit, so I could change my pickup time for my ride home. I left Columbia just as the sun set, which was absolutely beautiful to see (and, since I was so high in the air, I saw it for a long, long time).


While in Charlotte, I had an hour to waste, so I decided I might as well eat dinner, since I wouldn’t be home until late. So, I went to one of the many restaurants there (I wanted to go to the Chinese one they showed on the map, but it was closed) and had a totally forgettable, but outrageously priced buffalo chicken sandwich and fries.

There, when we took off, the moon was out and it was shining on the wing (I had a window seat). So, it wasn’t as dramatic as leaving Columbia, but it was still beautiful in its own way.

My two women seatmates on the flight back were both bumped as well, so we discussed that, as well as how much room we had on this plane. They were a little older than me, so I explained it was because we were sitting (luckily) in the emergency exit row.

I didn’t want to disturb them, so I waited to go to the bathroom until we landed. I left the bathroom in a hurry and headed for the luggage pickup area. When I got there, I realized I had left my new book (that I had only two chapters to finish) that also had my baggage claim ticket in it (I was using it as a book mark) in the bathroom. But, I couldn’t go back by then!

Luckily, my suitcase did arrive, and I did get my ride home. The driver was from Iraq, via Jordan and we discussed which of us had had the longest flights (him to home or me to Korea). I got home about 9:00 PM.

The cats greeted me at the door, begging for the treats they’d missed for five days. I checked everything out and the house was secure. I thought about having a cup of coffee and watching TV after I unpacked, but went straight to sleep instead.