Can it still be considered Graduation? That seems like back in the days when I had hair. Could call it Vacation at this point, but for the symmetry of it all, I still go with "Graduation". This day was really no different the others; I awake at the usual 9:30am, to find that everybody is nowhere to be found. Apparently in the Johnson family, their days begin with a couple hours of tennis while most folks are content to imbibe in a quart of coffee to achieve the same effect. Thus, I made my way to the coffee maker to start my daily routine. After a cup, I was then ready for my second exercise; the shower. I couldn't remember if this was soap day or not; could be it's my lean against the shower wall until the hot water runs out. I couldn't remember so I split the difference.
There would be no sign of Steve, Connie, Mark or Pam until the Golf bug has run its course. Sandra and Karen headed for the beach. Alexa was still on her way to Hilton Head. I too would not see them until much later in the day. It got a bit quiet in the house. So, I decided to do my little adventure and go for a long walk. I programmed my phone for my crunchy tunes and headed out into the Hilton Head abyss.
About a mile in, I decided to veer off the pavement and see the goings on with the beach dwellers. Peering over a walkway; and it didn't look so bad. I saw bikes making their way across the formidable sand. I thought "maybe this is "walkable" too"! I got out of my shoes and touched down on the hot grains like Neil Armstrong. It was an epic step for me since I do not like beaches. Somewhere between that soft bluffs and the water I found the compacted part of the beach. I walked a couple miles barefoot; which looking back was a mistake as my soft little toes ended up getting a little cut-up. Those delicate "little piggies" have not been let of their pen in a long time; and were not used to the hostile world of barefoot warfare. I ended up putting my shoes back on after a mile or so, then finished the walk.
Back at the house, we were still waiting for Alexa to arrive. Before she left, I had asked her to "ping" me every hour to that we could keep track of her progress. We were a little concerned about the gas shortage on the East Coast and if she had enough gas to complete the 4 hour journey. Knowing Alexa, I was betting she left with a quarter of a tank of gas and a cellphone with 10 minutes of charge left on it.
We stopped hearing much on the gas crises, so I let that fade to the back burner, but now concern was focused on the Post Office in the middle of nowhere--is she stuck in Serling-ville with no way out? To Alexa's credit, she would prompt in with helpful information like "I just stopped at a Starbucks", or "I'm on the Move"; followed with the comforting "I need to go into Airplane mode to save power". ?!?! What kind of information is that?!? Whatever happened to "I left at 9:42am, traveling at 48 Mph", and "my current location is 33.957413° N, -83.3768° E". This Starbucks thing provided me no information whatsoever. But the "Going into airplane mode" confirmed my suspicions that she was almost out of cell phone power. Oh well, she won't need a phone in Serling-ville.
She rolled up around 4:30pm, like it was no more than a trip to the store. Kids! They'll kill ya, I swear.
With everyone here and accounted for...we were able to start "phase II" vacation. It just so happens it was Marks 62nd birthday as well. Karen and Sandra headed out to the Piggly Wigley to get supplies. They came back with Steaks, Cakes and Wine! This is starting to look like the kind of party one would expect at the beach. After we toasted the last vestige of Alexa's graduation (we didn't get to do that back in Athens), we proceeded to bring in Mark's celebration. Pam grilled the steaks like a pro! Usually, when I grill, everybody gets a nice "Well Done" steak; like god intended--I think it's in the bible somewhere actually; between Revelations and Smiting. She was able to deliver to everybody the "temperature" they all requested...hmmm, I suppose there is another way than 550 degrees in the kiln and the polite half-smiles when people are handed a dry perfectly done piece of meat. A little sauce I find clears that up.
We finished the night on the back deck and headed off to our respective rooms...Uh oh, I think I have a sunburn on day one.