Greetings from sunny Florida where it is COLD and WINDY! but then I am in the frigid north of the state. However, I'm getting ahead of myself (I lost my camera cable, then found it, then the camera quit working, then it worked again. I finally got it to give up the goods last night in North Carolina. PIA  Plus I was without wifi for a few days.)
ok . . . cue swirly going back in time music . . .

The first couple of shots are from Maine. I left there on Friday . . .

Sophie in her "don't shoot me, I'm not a deer" bandana

pretty chickens by the side of the road

. . . and stopped to see my sister and her husband outside of Boston the first night. My niece and nephew were not there - Anna at college and Will at a party - and it was just downright weird. I got a taste of the "emtpy nest syndrome" I hear about! It was wonderful to see Leslie and Tom though, as always.

Saturday, I stopped in Suffield, Connecticut where my niece, Ryder, is in her first year at Suffield Academy. The campus is really beautiful, as is she - so beautiful and talented. A volleyball player, dontcha know. She is doing great but her roommate SUCKS! Right, Ryder?

Suffield Academy

Ryder posing behind LaToya
and I see that the thule has shifted
to the driver's side. Zoiks!

I made it to Wilkes-Barre, PA after I left Ryder and stayed at something called The Host Inn. A surprisingly clean room in what appeared to be the headquarters for beer soaked crackheads whose gamut I had to run every time I took the girls out to pee on the postage stamp sized dirt patch on a cliff behind the motel. I was unable to take a picture as I had the leashes in one hand and the pepper spray in the other - ha!

seen on the road in PA - what the . . . ?

So, I met my friend, Stacy, in Frederick, MD for Sunday brunch and then we checked into a little cabin I rented online, our usual log cabin being unavailable. It was in Middletown, MD, about 500 square feet, built on the original footprint of a spring house, and you have permission to stick knitting needles in my eyes if I am ever stupid enough to rent it again. No central heat, it had a fireplace and a woodstove. (and it was freaking cold) I am an old hand at using both and I don't know what was blocking the chimney or if it just hadn't been cleaned in about a thousand years, but we lived and breathed smoke for two days. AWFUL. Everything I wore in that house stinks. Whenever we walked into a shop, I just know people were saying, what's burning??

cute - but looks can be deceiving!

The other issue was the stairs to the sleeping areas in the loft. More like a ladder actually. And for two women of a certain age, it was a challenge to go down to the bathroom in the middle of the night. And back up. Seriously! Also, Miss Lucy decided that she could not sleep downstairs without her mummy and although she could make it up the stairs, going down was not pretty and she had a couple of ugly skids and falls. oy

stairs blocked off (we thought) from the girls

It wasn't all bad, of course, because I always have a great time with my BFF, Stacy, and we had some laughs and some great dinners in the cabin. The kitchen worked. Well, except for the water. But don't get me started again!
Sophie naturally was, well, all about Sophie.

I got to Statesville, NC last night in more wind and snow showers (!) and we had a long slog to Florida today. I always feel so excited to see my first palm tree - it is great to be back in the sunshine state! We've landed at the Days Inn at Palm Coast - shout out! Great cheap motel. Although, when we got in the room, I turned on the news and they were talking about a murder that occurred across the street . . . never a dull moment in this girl's life!
The wind has been an issue for the whole trip, gusting to 50mph in some areas. Especially bad with LaToya and attached thule being so tall. When I crossed the bridge from Maine to NH, I was blown across two lanes of traffic! And, the last few days have been trying although LaToya has been handling it like a pro. It is always a crap shoot where the thule is going to be when I stop for the day. Don't know if that's normal or not . . . hmmmm
Ok, so now you are caught up. The girls and I are ready to be back in the warm weather and out of the car. If all goes well, we'll arrive in the Fabulous Florida Keys tomorrow and I'll pack away the jeans and jacket 'til next year.

mama's girl

That's all I got tonight.
Oh! Except to say I've heard my phone ringing several times today. It is in my car, I think I'm hearing it in the front passenger seat area, but I can't find the freaking thing in the mess that is the front seats. Sorry if that was you trying to call me. oy vey