Avoided an accident

 Hello from Friday, the rain constant day here in Black Mountain.

But I'm also saying hello from the accident that didn't happen.

You know, you are changing lanes, going over to the slow lane because it's empty, but there's also a merging lane coming in. And apparently I was invisible to them, because I suddenly saw their front left wheel and bumper out my passenger side window! Coming at me, and by then the driver must have noticed me too. But I was the one who took action.

It was a foot away, and I turned back into the fast lane, avoiding the  crash. My friend on her way to a doctor's appointment has anxiety attacks. If this didn't give her one I'd be really surprised.

For me, the adrenalin rush was definitely there. I talked about it, giddy with gratitude to still be rolling along, where we exited at the next ramp.

In North Carolina, you must understand, on-ramp people come barreling out, with foot slammed on the accelerator.  If they passed a driver's test that said to merge into oncoming traffic after yielding to it, they have learned the opposite is the way the world works around here.

I sometimes will drive along a shoulder when my efforts to merge into traffic are thwarted by a semi truck. Honestly, I try a mixture of yielding and trying to get up to 70 mph by the time there's a gap.

But the usual traffic on the Interstate is also aware of this situation. Our on-ramps in the mountains are often just 1/3 or even 1/4th  of what is needed to merge into the fast traffic. I-26 is the worst I think. There on-coming cars are yielded to by the traffic on the highway...it's seen by everyone. Of course if you're from out-of-state, you may not notice it at first. 

And the real problem is when there's just too much traffic on the interstate to allow others to join at all.

So here I yam, another day alive, against some odds I'd imagine. My friend had her Dr. appointment, took a heavy duty pain pill, and was "feeling good" -  enough to go pick up chili and a baked potato at Wendy's. 

No mention was made of our brush with eternity.

Today's quote: (I swear this was just the next one in my file)

The ability to wake up to another new day — one with which we will surely need to wrestle and reckon, but one that will also teach and transform us … this is the unpromised gift for which to be grateful.

KRISTI NELSON

Traveling notes

It's no trouble to go visit the family for holidays.
Right.

The highways have something to say about that. Like how a few million cars can squeeze onto two lanes going one direction, and supposedly get up to a speed of 75 miles per hour.  It's been a laugh. Though many of us weren't laughing.

I was on the I-95 parking lot in South Carolina some of Monday afternoon.  In case you hadn't heard, there were rain storms all over this area.  As I went the long way through South Carolina, once I was advised by Serri (really, is it Sirrie?) to get off I-26 and try Hwy 301, and 21, and later 17.

The most fun was going through South Carolina's Dismal Swamp.  I even crossed a pretty small bridge over "Big Swamp." It was not as impressive as the 50 miles of wet lands on each side of the road, with pines squeezed together.  And one of those roads was even called "Low Country Highway."

I actually noticed a different feeling, an intimacy that happened, between being in a chain of cars that couldn't change anything as we snaked (pardon the verb) our way along almost straight roads through wetlands for miles. It was much more personal than the speedy swerves that happen on the interstates. I could read the bumper sticker of the car in front of me, who was from Asheville, NC, and was a "Crone Power" woman. When I finally passed her later on the interstate, I was sad that she wasn't anyone I knew (since I know a lot of women of power in Black Mountain and Asheville (which is 15 miles away.)

Then the TV in the motel room cut out...no cable service.  Drat. What else shall I do? Well, there's still the library books I'm reading on line. As well as movies on Netflix.  So before I'm bored, I shall have some entertainment. And get to sleep early for an early start to beat some of the traffic in the morning.

Second day (Tues.) was the opposite of Monday. Serri took me through north Florida after I zipped through Georgia...and I was in Tampa in plenty of time for a nap before my son got home from work. My grandson (who lives with him) was home earlier, and I chatted with him while he wrapped packages.

That night the 3 of us went to St. Petersburg and indulged in a fabulous feast put together by my son's wife, Barbara.

We opened some presents while waiting for dessert...a good pause for digestion!

what do these pictures mean?

Yep, I was on the road again...and a Happy Meal was a good lunch...after all there are apple slices in it! The chicken nuggets are now actually white meat, not meat with filler.  But it was fried, as were the little container of french fries.  MickeyD's does the best fries in my book.  But I only ate a few, and then once they were cold, oh no, I couldn't take a single bite.

So I'm happily visiting my son and his lovely wife's family with my 3 granddaughters!

Actually I snapped some pics of the Virginia mountains...but they haven't down loaded onto computer yet.  So I may add them here before this is published.  I was surprised to see tunnels!

I do wonder why my i-cloud photos don't get posted to my laptop any faster.  They used to just take a few minutes, now it's been over 12 hours.

I divided up the 8 hour drive into 2 days.  I only had some minimal coughing the first day, and once I was snugged into a motel room I was able to rest and breath just fine, so that was worth the extra cost.  I also made myself stop driving every hour and walk around just a little.  I know that made the day go longer on the road, but I wanted to be sure to keep my muscles happy.  I had to make plans to deal with my physical limitations...and it worked.  Much better than the stress of airports and planes!

The moment that I will remember most fondly was when we whizzed past 3 deer trying to climb a hill out of the ditch beside the highway.  At least they were going away from the traffic!

Second day of travel is forecast with rain/snow but due to get to 40s, so I am off!