Day 323-329 Bound for the Jersey Shore

Following Emily's graduation, Len met me up at my mother's place for a family visit, and to help move my things out of storage.  We bought a home together in south Florida back in May, but there will be more on that story later.

Len covered 2900 miles in six days in a Penske rental van; over 2000 of those miles I was with him either co-piloting or driving the wretched yellow beast.  We left the Hoosier state on July 22nd, bound for New Jersey and his hometown.  It was time to "Meet the Parents."  And typing that sounds as ridiculously as it seems...to go meet your man's parents when you are a woman of my age.  I can't even bring myself to say the word "boyfriend" as that also seems ridiculous at my age!

At any rate, I can't say I have ever really been to New Jersey, so I was looking forward to it :)

Any time I can put my toes in the water and
my a$$ in the sand, I will jump with happiness :)

After I met and visited with much of the whole fam damily, including his 98 yo Grandma, (less his siblings and their families who live out of state), we headed to the Jersey Shore and Cape May for a mini vacation.  It was seriously a mini vacay; we were there less than 24 hours!  We had to get a moving truck back to Ft. Myers, Florida, first thing Monday morning.

Just two crazy 'kids' :)))

With the early morning beach to ourselves...

...just skipping some stones...

...and waiting for the light house to open...

Waiting patiently....

...so we could walk to the top....

...and have a look about!

 

No walk to the top of ANYTHING is complete without
taking a selfie!  Oh yeah, he still tolerates me :)

We stopped in town for a little bit of silliness,
and some much needed Jersey bagels for breakfast.

And then we were back on the road in our Penske moving truck.
Well, in a manner of speaking, that is.

We boarded a ferry to take us across Delaware Bay, which
meant we avoided all morning traffic through Jersey and DC.

Besides, any time I can get IN the water, and ON the water,
all before twelve noon?  It is already going to be a red letter day :)
And I had the most incredible bagel and cream cheese for breakfast!

Driving through Delaware, and the series of tunnels and
bridges, was awesome.  I love seeing and doing things I
have never seen or done before :)

 

Before long, we were passing through Norfolk, VA, and
the Naval shipyards- also very cool :)

  

And before sundown, we made it to Greenville, NC, home of East
Carolina University where Len is a philosophy instructor (from
Conch Key- isn't technology grand?!)  I finally got to meet Mike,
one of his closest friends, and a fellow philosopher. They were in
the same cohort together while getting their PhD's at the
University of Miami-  a few full moons ago.

Needless to say the boys had a good time playing music
and catching up, and generally just being b-o-y-s.

The following morning, the copilot took the first shift so the other driver could 'rest', and we continued to make our way south.  That evening we stayed in Gainesville, FL, where I met Chris, another one of Len's friends,who is a professor at the University of Florida.  Len was in his wedding this past spring, and I was sorry I did not get to meet Chris' new bride this trip.  Chris is on sabbatical this coming year, and is heavily involved in research and travel, so I am hoping he might make it over to China sometime this next school year.  I am begging people to come to the China!  

Ok, that sounds incredibly desperate, but seriously....

I do have an empty guest bedroom, all ready
for guests :)))

In the meantime, we made it safely back to Florida, unloaded a moving van full of furniture and things, and began renovations on our new home in earnest.  Stay tuned for that blog...

G'nite, y'all!