Today Grandma gives me the car keys so I can run errands. I eat breakfast in my room, shop for books, then hit the library. The web site is still down, no reply from Rick or Nathan. Grandma serves a nice lunch and Grandpa plays the piano for me. I’ll never forget the image of…

Jacksonville, FL At 8 I go for a walk with Grandma. She confides in me a few things about Grandpa. She’s gotten in a fix. A nurse at Mayo was concerned about Grandpa driving. So Grandma inquired about it privately to his doctor, who did some tests. In addition he contacted the DMV, unbeknownst to…

Okeefenokee Swamp, GA to Jacksonville Beach, FL 8420 mi I wake up early and head for the swamp wilderness drive. I have the park to myself, I see only some employees on their way in. The land shifts slowly from southern pines to dark pools and tangled, viny brush. On Chesser Island, surrounded not by…

Patterson, GA to Okeefenokee Swamp, GA 8322 mi I pass up a breakfast in Patterson – too early. These little towns all look deserted. Cracked wood, rusty siding, collapsed trailers, weedy and sandy sidewalks, cars on blocks, downed trees strewn around, piles of junk and trash. Hortense is just a crossroads, but it has a…

Statesboro, GA to Patterson, GA 8245 mi I get lost when roads weaving through beanfields, cotton fields, ponds, and pastures don’t seem to correspond to my map. But I find a way to 292, then to Collins. From there I take the direct route to Reidsville, driven by hunger. The only breakfast place is a…

Augusta, GA to Statesboro, GA 8156 mi I wake up early, read, and wait for the continental breakfast to open in the lobby. At 7 I call and ask about it. By 7:30 it’s open and there’s coffee. When I ask about food the guy makes me a bowl of Raisin Bran. Ha! But I…

Abbeville, SC to Augusta, GA 8067 mi I like starting the day in national forests, they’re usually pretty and I feel like I belong there. In McCormick I eat a good breakfast at the Huddle House and buy groceries for the day. I’m out of film, so I buy a bunch more. It doesn’t seem…

Greenville, SC to Abbeville, SC 8002 mi I get up early and replace the tube in my rear tire. Don arrives faithfully with a protein shake for me, and I eat my last breakfast with the group that is now familiar. I eat less than I really want. I pack up and give my last…

The mornings are all the same for me in this place. I toss in dreams through the wee hours, rise prior to dawn feeling ready for the day. Today I write until about 7 am, when Don arrives with a protien shake for me. Yum. I finish the shake and my thoughts head for breakfast.…

The day goes as planned. Really we do exactly what I have let on I might like. I go to breakfast ready to see if I can help, but Tess and Anabel won’t allow me. The institute founder, Mr. Carroll, makes an appearance to send a couple off to Indiana to begin their missionary work.…