Winter warmth

I left on Sunday, heading for greener pastures.

Actually, greener anything.

Syracuse is all shades of gray in winter.

I made a quick stop near Harrisburg to give Barb her quilts.

And pee...I really had to pee.

She brought me this gem from one of her exploits.

SWOON!  A DWR obbers tile.

& she told me all about Natie's frigid proposal...

Yes, there were tears in Mickey Ds...but not too much.

& promised to visit me in the sunshine.

Mission accomplished.

I traveled along and saw the Oscar Mayer Weiner mobile in PA.

Then I saw a bunch of Amish horse drawn carriages. 

The Irony.

I had great plans to stop in Midlothian, VA, for a brief visit with one of my favorite people.

I managed to veer off course...must've been all the great conversation.

Frannie can be a real chatterbox...it's her fault.

Instead of winding up in Richmond, I wound up in Roanoke...a Christopher Columbus moment.

Mission not accomplished.

I continued along, following the instructions of my Aussie Garmin guide.

(He's a man &men never want to stop or directions)

I was getting tired...signs said Charlotte 110 miles.

Where to stop???

Wait, who do I know in Charlotte?

OMG!  I think it's my Bubbly friend.

Then this happened..

Then this..

And..

Then..

She called...we discussed...and I stayed with her.

And her adorable, awesome kid, Nick.

Are they twins, or what?

And her sweet, petite Lily.

Lily is the anti Frannie (think Ginger Rogers vs Shelley Winters).

I can't believe I didn't get a pic of Lily...must've been the exhaustion.

Lucky for me, my bubbly friend provided me this one after reading my blog.

Cute..huh?

We ate at Fishbones...a glass of vino, bang bang & tilapia imperial, with a key lime pie chaser, baby!

Frannie waited in the car without complaint while we ate....I was afraid she & Lily might fight.

I shouldn't have worried, they were fine.  Rockstar dog.

Lori seems great...I love me some Bubbly.

Nick, a HS senior, is too damn cute.

Friendly, talkative and funny...a rare adolescent, indeed!

He'll be studying music production in Florida next year.

I wonder if he will thank me for the burger when he wins his first Grammy?

Anyone who knows me, knows what a blessing this was.

I've got a serious bedbug phobia.

I don't sleep well in hotels.

I slept LIKE A LOG in her CLEAN, delicious, CLEAN bed.

Did I mention the bed was clean?

CRISIS AVERTED...with a twist of the Bubbly.

Monday we went the rest of the way...thru SC, GA & into FL.

Only stopping for gas...and coffee.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. 

After 23 hours in the backseat of a Honda CRV...

she's still smiling.

BEST

DOG

EVER

PERIOD

ps:  

it's official, we're snowbirds.