A good friend, yesterday, commented to me that my trip to Winter Gardens Florida to have lunch with a cousin of Gloria’s, was like traveling to the Soo for lunch.

Could be seen as winter’s garden on Drummond

Just last week she had lunch with her relatives in the Soo.

Could be seen in Winter Garden Florida

 

 

The Winter Gardens trip and the Soo trip are each a 120 mile round-trip. (For a UP’er the Soo is Sault St Marie). If you not know it Sault is pronounced “Soo” – If you are not sure about UP’er – that is a person who lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan – And if you do not know where that is, it is on the north side of the Mackinac Bridge – Pronounced “Mackinaw Bridge” – That has almost nothing to do with travel and I do want travel to be the topic of my story because:

Travel has been my life – I seldom spent a day without going somewhere – from growing up and walking behind  a team of horses while harrowing from one end of the wheat field to the other end; to taking the commuter train to work in New York City; to chasing after cattle on horse back on a small 150 acre ranch in the Texas Hill Country; to bi-weekly overseas flights to work in  Copenhagen, Denmark.  

Rush hour in our Country Couch RV

Then when I retired I travelled a lot – became an RV’er plus lived on two different Islands requiring ferry travel for most shopping trips.

Drummond Island Ferry – Rush hour to the Soo

 Yes, say I to you – travel has been my life when I was young that is. I have never feared it,  and I have enjoyed almost all of it.

But now that I am old, something has changed – I bet part of the change is me, but not all of it – “No Tess”, traveling Route i4 through Orlando to Winter Garden is not like taking the ferry off Drummond Island and driving 60 miles to the Soo. 

The rush hour heading for Winter Gardens, Florida

The rush hour – heading for Soo, Michigan

 

 

 

 

 

Did you know 54 Million Americans traveled during Thanksgiving this year?  And, this Christmas season, the morning news is full of travel fear – do’s and don’ts about travel – every thing from about how to lock up your house when you leave;  to how to not touch germy things; to how to sit where someone else’s coughed germs will not land on you (they travel 12 feet);

Germs lurking everywhere and even  flying 12 feet to get you – Yipes

to where to sit so that the air conditioned air will not carry germs to you:  to how much water to drink so that you skin stays tight and wont let germs in; to being careful about peeing – avoiding germs in the public bathroom – (No, men, you can not just go behind that bush in the center garden in the airport lobby) ….. the list of travel do’s and don’ts is long.  So, I think travel has changed and I know I have changed – put those two together, I been a thinkin’ :                                              

Rather than travel with millions of Americans this Christmas –

NATURE TRAIL IN FLORIDA

I’ll take a walk on the nature trail, won’t worry about any germs when I hug a tree and am confident that the birds and gators do not have germs that jump on me.  Then I will go home, and just to be safe I will douse my hands in Purell, and toss down a stiff drink, to protect my mouth from germs of course – then enjoy Christmas Dinner at home. I will get on the phone (my cell phone that only I touch) and have a long visit with my family – one-on-one, and we may even  turn on the videophone so that we can actually see each other.   My family is not prone to fights but I just heard today that some families actually have fights. With the magic of cell phones I bet there are fewer family fights – the worst that can happen is a “hang up.”

Now the conclusion –  If my message convinced you and 54,999,999 other people to stay home and enjoy the use of the cell phone,  I will hop on a plane and travel once again to give my family a Big Hug – so far that hugging thing can not be done on the cell phone.

 

Oh my – as you swing thru life find a way to enjoy your family – letters, phones, or travel – & tell them you are hugging them even if travel has changed too much for you.