The Florida Mom & Son Adventure - Day 6

We woke up early (for us), showered and got ready.  We were in the lobby by 8:00 a.m. ready to queue up for the bus that would take us to Universal Studios a full hour before the park opened.  We had purchased our tickets online.  Universal is only allowing a limited number of people into the parks on any given day.  The buses were divided into 6 sections and we were seated by family groups.  Isaac and I were typically seated into a grouping of about 4 chairs.  It was all very organized.  People – for the most part – were paying attention to mask and line spacing guidelines.

There were lots of families with small children.  I had to smile remembering the year the Hicks’ visited Disney World with our two boys and all their stuff packed into backpacks and bags.  On this trip, Isaac and I loaded the essentials into our pockets and headed out bag and hands free.  It was a nice change.

We got to the park and had our first party fail.  Universal has a handy app now that you download on your phone and use as your ticket, map, meal ticket, wallet, the whole deal.  As the hotel concierge told me - "The future is now!"  Our initial ticket was for one park and one day.  We had planned on visiting Universal Studios Florida, had had picked out the rides we wanted to ride, and had made peace with the fact that we would take full advantage of all that park had to offer and no more.

To all of you who are not introverts – theme parks are places of high distraction, multiple inputs and anxiety producing sounds and moving parts.  In short – they are tiring and overwhelming.  Intending to go to Universal Studios – we missed a very important directional sign and ended up entering Universal Islands of Adventure instead.  This was something we did not figure out until AFTER we had arrived in Hogsmeade and ridden our very first ride – Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.  (It was fantastic.)  I don't think we are the first to do this.  In fact, as we were walking around the park later that day we overheard a group of kids who had figured out they had done the very same thing.  

When we disembarked from the ride, we quickly realized our error.  So – we headed back to the front of the park to see if we could fix it.  Along the way, we ran into Josh – a friendly park employee who was unlucky enough to be wearing a nametag and in our path.  I spotted him as we were walking alongside him and (I’m sure to Isaac’s embarrassment) moved closer and struck up a conversation.  I explained our problem and he immediately agreed to help us.  He offered to escort us to Guest Services or give us direction.  We listened to the directions - became overwhelmed again - and took him up on his offer to escort us.  Along the way we learned that Josh was from Ohio and missed being up north but loved working in the parks.  He gave us some excellent tips about which rides were the best.  He also taught us how to figure out if we should ride the Hogwarts Express or walk to Universal Studios and which way was quicker.  He deposited us in the line at Guest Services, we thanked him and said our goodbyes.

After a fairly short wait – “The lines aren’t long, they are safe.” – we reached the counter, added a second park to our ticket and because we had lost about an hour of our day went ahead, caved and bought the Express Pass.  This ended up being a very wise decision for multiple reasons.  Armed with our newly acquired access, we headed back to the Hogwarts Express and enjoyed the clever show as we traveled to Universal Studios Florida and Kings Cross Station.

We found Diagon Alley - something that takes a little doing - grabbed some frozen Butter Beer (tip from Josh) and Beef Pasties at one of the outside venders and then headed out for more rides.  Throughout the rest of the day we rode 9 rides and sat through The Bourne Stuntacular.  People in line did a good job staying by the floor markings. Just prior to riding, the park employees were at the ready with a squirt of hand sanitizer.  I have never used it so much.  Isaac and I were always grouped together and given plenty of space.  And because of the Express Pass – we were never jammed together in a long line of humanity for an extended period of time.  We wore our masks the entire time except when we were eating. 

Dinner was an interesting experience.  We ate at The Three Broomsticks back in Hogsmeade and Islands of Adventure. (We opted to walk instead of take the train this time.)  We did what we always do at these parks, we ate at a weird time in order to avoid the crowds.  So the line we queued up in was very short.  We were led to our seat by a friendly employee who tutored us on how to use our phone to order and went away.  Using the Universal app, we ordered our food, paid, scanned the QR code on the table and – magically – our food and a waitress appeared about 10 minutes later.  We were instructed to just leave our stuff at our table and they would clean and sanitize the area when we left.

We ended our last hour in the park in the gift shop picking out the requisite Christmas ornament we traditionally acquire on all important stops of our family trips – we also grabbed one at Bellingrath Gardens.  And then it was back to enjoy the room at our hotel. 

Isaac and I agreed that being in the park among all the movie rides made us want to watch some of the movies again.  Lo-and-behold we discovered that Hobbs and Shaw by Fast and Furious was playing on HBO when we returned to our room.  I had never seen any of the Fast and Furious movies and Isaac hadn’t seen that particular one.  So we hunkered down and gave it a watch.  We may have also napped through some parts.

After the movie we decided to check out what was happening by the pool and went down for a snack. It was a beautiful evening.  We found a quiet, unoccupied spot by the closed jacuzzi and had hummus and vegies, a fruit salad and some water while we recapped our day.

Universal Studios Resort Florida is first and foremost a theme park.  That’s something people should remember.  Neither Isaac nor I are roller coaster fans so many of the rides and attractions did not hold much sway.  We were glad we went and enjoyed the advantages of staying on property.  Isaac loved Cabana Bay’s retro, 1950’s theme calling it The Jetson Hotel.  I appreciate intense dedication to theme. Our room was cleverly decorated right down to the retro shampoo and soap in the bathroom and analog clock on the bedside table.  I will also say the Harry Potter stuff is super cool – especially Diagon Alley which is cleverly hidden just like in the movies.  I was glad the crowd was light and shudder to think what it looks like when the park isn’t taking COVID precautions and limiting attendance.

We came.  We saw.  We rode.

The Florida Mom & Son Adventure - Day 5

 We were still on central time - so getting up was a struggle this morning.  We did, however, manage to get up in time to check out, but missed breakfast.  So instead, we headed to SoDOUGH Baking Co. and bought a bunch of donuts to take to NASFAA Board Member Bill Spiers and his financial aid team at Tallahassee Community College.

We chased Bill down on his way to a meeting and hauled the huge box of 12 donuts to the financial aid office where they were enjoyed by several.  We bought two for our own enjoyment and - we both agree - best donuts we've ever had.  Hands down.

After licking our fingers, we headed to the Antique Car Museum for a looksee at some pretty fancy cars and collections.  The museum is a labor of love for the founder DeVoe Moore.  DeVoe started his first knife collection at the age of 9 and I don't believe he has stopped collecting since.  A resident of Tallahassee, his museum contains several collections including over 160 vintage and rare automobiles, boats, motorcycles, pianos, cash registers, telephones, computers, adding machines, typewriters, outboard motors, Star Wars items and - of course - the original Batmobiles used in the Batman Returns and Batman Forever movies as well as the Batmobile from the 1960s television series.  Did I mention golf and sports memorabilia?  Yeah, this place is stuffed full - but well displayed and with plenty of room to maneuver.

As we wandered in and among the cars, we saw a 1913 Car-Nation Tourer - apparently a very rare car as there are only three still known to exist.  There was a 1929 Graham Paige Locomobile built for Paramount Pictures and outfitted to look like a train with a touring balcony.  There was an Amphicar (1961-1968) - essentially a boat with wheels that looked like a car and could be driven on land or in the water.  There was a story there about how President Lyndon Johnson enjoyed the one he owned.  Apparently he would drive them into the lake on his property screaming the whole time about brake failure.  

I enjoyed the collection of wooden boats including a beautifully crafted, stylized replica of the African Queen.  The boat had been built by Richard Speas who was the owner, creator and manager of a small maritime museum in Jacksonville.  He was also a talented woodworker who built beautiful wooden boats.  DeVoe included a quote from Richard that had hung in the maritime museum:  "If God wanted me to build a fiberglass boat, he would have made fiberglass trees."

Included among the computer collection was the original MacIntosh desktop computer.  Isaac was thrilled to see one up close and in person and I got some street cred for having used the Mac in my high school journalism class.  I showed him where the floppy disk was inserted and explained how the Mac used the cool and colorful hard cover 3.5 inch floppy that you could collect in a handy dandy file box.

This was a fun stop.

Afterwards, we hopped in the Rav and gassed her up for the last leg to Jacksonville and Sam!  We rolled into his place and woke him up from an afternoon nap.  We had a nice long visit, borrowed his apartment laundry machines (we had packed light to accommodate the flight back), went to Walmart to purchase an air fryer for his apartment, hugged him and headed back out on the road south to Orlando and Universal Studios.  Now - just in case any of you are feeling bad for Sam right now - we did offer him the chance to come along.  He indicated he had already been to the parks and, as we discovered later, once a decade is more than enough.  Besides, there was a video game tournament going on he felt he had a pretty good chance at winning.

On the way to Orlando, we managed to finish The Lost City of the Monkey God.  Turns out, Douglas Preston believes the people who lived in the abandoned city suffered the same fate of many of the indigenous populations shortly following the landing of Europeans in the New World.  The first discovery expedition occurred with no unintended consequences.  The second, however, was a different matter.  The second time, several of the sailors on board the European ships were sick.  When they landed, they brought flu and small pox with them which spread through the New World like wildfire.  These diseases ended up causing significant reduction of the native populations - sometimes at a rate of 95%.  That means that only one in every 10 individuals survived.  Entire races and cultures were wiped from existence.  As I said to Isaac in the car - all this horrible stuff happened because one sailor decided to go to work sick!  Stay home when you are sick, people.  Just stay home.

The book took a serious turn when he started discussing the leishmaniasis disease.  The research and treatment of this disease is underfunded, difficult to obtain and on its own difficult to survive.  In the book, Douglas explains that parasitic diseases - like leish - are most commonly found in third world countries and among poorer populations.  Hence, drug companies are hesitant to fund research to fix a disease that won't result in purchased medications.  Douglas then went on to hypothesize that there was a real possibility this disease would spread from third world to first world countries causing another devastating pandemic.  All it will take is the migration of the sandfly - a small insect that prefers tropical climates.  Irony at its best.

Now remember, this book was published in 2017.  Towards the end, Douglas predicts the ease with which a pandemic can overtake the modern world not acclimated to diseases that are common in third world countries and for which there is no cure.  I wonder what he thinks about this last year of our lives?  Someone should give that guy a crystal ball so he can open a store and make it official.

We were a little unnerved by this revelation and it inspired a lot of good discussion.  Up to this point, the majority of our trip had been properly social distanced, masked and mostly outside when (and if) there were ever groups of people.  (There weren't ever groups of people.)  It was a thought-provoking book - especially with the benefit of a little hindsight.  Our discussion carried us all the way to our home for the next two nights - Universal's recently opened Cabana Bay Beach Resort hotel.  The lobby was managed by a masked gentleman who took our temperature when we walked in and gave us a wrist band to wear indicating that we had passed.  We headed to our room following instructions and protocols - i.e. only one family unit per elevator - and unloaded the car.

Hoping to trick our bodies into remembering we were on the east coast - and to take advantage of an extremely quiet hotel (it was about 10:00 p.m. local time) - we explored the resort taking in some Florida night air.  It worked.  We managed to fall asleep shortly after 11:00 p.m. in anticipation of the reason we stayed on the Universal property - early entry into the parks.

The Florida Mom & Son Adventure - Day 4

I awoke to birdsong and fountain noises directly outside our first-floor room at the Malaga.  It was a refreshing change from the highway noise typically experienced in roadside hotels.  The Malaga is a renovated boutique inn created from twin townhouses built by two brothers-in-law during the civil war.  Construction on the town homes began shortly after Alabama passed it's secession ordinance in 1861 and was completed a year later.  The renovations created a square structure with a central courtyard filled with native plants, shade trees and a large, central fountain.  Each of the 39 rooms is individually decorated and styled.  You can choose which room you want when you make a reservation.  The Kansas Hicks' highly recommend this hotel with two enthusiastic thumbs up!  (BTW - it's haunted.)

We had things to do and places to see, so we had to leave this little slice of heaven behind to take a quick drive south to Bellingrath Gardens where we had planned to spend our morning. Bellingrath is the retirement estate of Walter and Bessie Bellingrath.  Walter was a Coca-Cola magnate who purchased a 25-acre fishing camp overlooking the Fowl River.  Bessie was a gardener. In 1927, after a trip overseas, they hired an architect to transform the rough camp into an estate and gardens to rival the ones they had seen in Europe.  In 1932, they opened their completely transformed acreage to the public.  The home was finished in 1936.

I visited this garden in the 80s with my parents, so it was fun to walk through it with Isaac pointing out the spots I remembered.  We meandered through the property with Isaac holding the map and calling the shots.  We also had a cheat sheet of things that were in bloom so we could properly identify what we were seeing.  

The rose garden was particularly beautiful and in full bloom.  We also saw purple and white Delphinium and Hydrangea, dazzling red Fuschia, yellow and white Marguerite daisies, several Petunias of all colors, purple Phlox and white Viburnum.  We listened to the bamboo clinking and clacking at the entrance to the Bayou Boardwalk.  We shared a chicken salad sandwich at the garden cafe and gift shop.  We also finally learned the name of the evergreen trees we had been seeing everywhere - the Bald Cyprus.  Isaac was impressed at the use of seashells mixed with gravel to pave the parking lot and was really good at spotting 7 turtles, several lizards and even one snake.  All in all, we had a fantastic, relaxing morning and were ready to head out on the next section of our drive.

We drove back north to Mobile, across the Mobile Bay and down to Pensacola where we crossed the Pensacola Bay and eventually connected with the Oskaloosa Island at Destin, Florida.  From there, we followed the Gulf Coast taking in the sites until we reached the Panama City Beach where we stopped for an early dinner at the Oishi Thai Restaurant and Bar.  We ate our fill of Edamame, Sushi and Sashimi served with apple fries and cucumber slices.  I had a Saki Mimosa that was pretty darn tasty.

As we drove, we were making some serious progress with The Lost City of the Monkey God.  The book was written and published in 2017 by Douglas Preston who is a freelance journalist.  His stories have been featured in The New Yorker, Smithsonian, Harper's and National Geographic.  This story is about a project headed by documentary filmmaker Steve Elkins.  The book is a fascinating account of how Steve used lidar - a technology used to make 3D maps of difficult to reach areas - to search for and map archaeological sites in the Mosquitia region of eastern Honduras.

This story has it all.  There is a surprise encounter with the fer de lance (technical name Bothrops asper), an aggressive snake that can shoot venom up to 6 feet and fangs that can penetrate even the thickest hiking boot.  If not treated promptly, the bite can cause sepsis, acute renal failure, internal bleeding and death.  Douglas awoke in the mornings to the call of the howler monkey right above his tent - a sound that can be heard for up to three miles.  He saw lions, tapirs and jaguars.  And he showered himself with Deet more than once daily to avoid the myriad of jungle insects. He would ultimately end up being bitten by the sandfly - a bite that would cause an infection of an incurable flesh eating disease called leishmaniasis.  The parasitic disease, if left untreated, eventually eats away the victim's face leaving a gaping hole.

Despite all this, the team of engineers, filmmakers and scientists entered the jungle and discovered the now famous archeological City of the Jaguar and mapped it.  The latter half of the book dealt with the question of figuring out who were the city's inhabitants and why they seem to have left the city and disappeared from history.  Needless to say, we were both hooked and could not wait to get back to the book the minute the car doors were closed.

After dinner, we headed inland to Tallahassee, Florida - our next stop - and arrived at the Holiday Inn Express to the north of Florida State University.  We were quite tired after a full day, good food, tons of beach air and some serious progress with the book.  We had also just crossed the time-zone line.  So we called it an early night and went to bed.

The Florida Mom & Son Adventure - Day 3

 This morning - both the Rav and the humans needed some fuel (due to COVID, coffee service had been discontinued at our hotel - the cherry on top of a not-so-terrific stay).  So before heading out we fixed both of those problems at a nearby gas station.  After filling up we headed straight east towards Jackson, Mississippi.  We got a little nostalgic as we crossed 'Ol Man River into Vicksburg, Mississippi - we had been through that very spot on an earlier family vacation.  So we took a quick and unscheduled detour into the heart of town to look around at the civil war period architecture.  

Although I have been to the Vicksburg battlefield twice, I have not visited downtown.  (At least I don't remember visiting downtown - I was pretty young during my first visit.) So we slowly drove the marked historic scenic route through downtown and ended up near the old depot and river's edge.  It was Sunday morning so everything was closed and the traffic was very light.  It was also close to lunch so we decided to park next to the James Brent Lower Mississippi River Museum.  We grabbed some snacks out of the back of the car and wandered around the river's edge and the model of the Mississippi River that was near the museum parking lot.

I decided to take some pictures of the area when I noticed in the camera's lens none other than the Queen of the Mississippi heading up the river and straight toward us!  What you need to know is that Ross and I have started a retirement bucket list.  On that list is a Mississippi riverboat cruise and the "The Queen" is one of the boats we have researched.  So - like true landlocked Kansans with nowhere special to be - we hung out and over-analyzed the entire landing process trying to guess what was going to happen next.  We were like kids in a candy store - or at least I was.  IT WAS AWESOME.  After the boat was fully docked, we decided to hit the road once again.

It was a short, green jaunt from Vicksburg over to Jackson.  We got in a little more of the book and arrived just in time for the museum to open at 1:00 p.m.  The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum offers free admission on Sunday afternoons, so after leaving our zip code at the ticket desk - we walked on in.  There were three exhibits to view.  The permanent exhibits were the civil rights exhibit and an exhibit on the history of the state.  On the second floor was a temporary exhibit called "Wet Mississippi."  Intriguing.

Since our primary goal for the day was the civil rights exhibit, we started there.  The exhibit is laid out in a circle like a donut.  You enter and travel around the outside circle to the left, weaving in and out of the inner circle.  The docent on duty explained that the inner circle is meant to be a respite from the heavier material around the outside.  The exhibit begins with the British slave trade to the American colonies and continues through the civil war, the reconstruction period, the days of Jim Crow and White Supremacy, the world wars, the time of civil unrest through the 50s and 60s and ends with a contemplative final exhibit to help you process all you have just seen.

A trip through this exhibit is intensely personal. The presentation is thorough and immersive - containing warnings in some parts where graphic details of violent events are explored.  It can easily take your entire afternoon.  We realized we had been there two hours and hadn't even made it past the world wars.  So we had to skim over some of the more recent history in order to see the entire museum.  Much of the history and stories on the walls you have seen if you have paid any kind of attention to documentaries, movies and articles on civil rights.  What this exhibit does is bring all those disparate pieces together enabling the viewer to grasp the genesis, development and importance of the entire civil rights movement.

The thematic question posed at the end of the very first room (the end of the Civil War) was: 

"Where do we go from here?"  

For the first time, I was able to connect the failed attempt at reconstruction to the events that followed placing everything into context in a clear and understandable way.  Early attempts of politicians to help the broken nation heal contained positive rhetoric, but failed in practice.  Mississippi Senator Lucius Lamar included this quote in his controversial eulogy for abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner who died of a heart attack in office in 1874:

"My countrymen!  Know one another and you will love one another!"

The world wars did much to bolster the confidence of the young men of the south and sparked early organization of the civil rights movement. 

"I had low self-esteem.  The army built me up and made me proud of myself...And I've still got it in me."  Nathan Harris, Mississippi Delta.

Isaac and I shared our thoughts as we wandered in and out of the various rooms.  We spoke about abuse.  We spoke about the seduction of power and greed.  We spoke about bystander behavior.  We sang "This Little Light of Mine" and other gospel songs with the music piped into the inner circle breaks.  We ached in frustration with the mothers of murdered sons.  This is exhibit is heavy.  This exhibit is necessary.

After leaving, we did a little mindless shopping in the gift shop to recover from the experience.  I picked up some spices and a recipe for southern chicken salad.  Then we headed upstairs to the temporary exhibit which turned out to be about prohibition.  And here, we learned one of our favorite new 'fun facts:'

Apparently, Mississippi holds the distinction of being called the "Wettest Dry State" in the nation during the days of prohibition.  This oxymoron takes a bit of time to process, but it's helpful if you remember that during prohibition, making, selling and drinking alcohol was against the law.  In Mississippi, like in all the other states, alcohol was made, sold and drunk all on the black market.  But apparently, it was made, sold and drunk to such a degree that the state also managed to pass a law to collect taxes - yes I said taxes - on liquor being sold on the black market.  Fascinating.  

I also picked up a recipe in the exhibit speakeasy of author and Mississippi native William Faulkner's favorite toddy which can be drunk either hot or cold.  Apparently Faulkner transported quite a bit of alcohol into New Orleans during prohibition.  I found an article about Faulkner's activities during this period with the recipe included.  Essentially his standard toddy consists of:

• 2oz of bourbon or white whiskey
• 4oz of water (cold or boiling)
• If cold, 1 lemon slice; if hot, 1/2 lemon, both juice and rind
• 1tsp of sugar

"The key to the toddy, according to Faulkner, is that the sugar must be dissolved into a small amount of water before the whiskey is added, otherwise it 'lies in a little intact swirl like sand at the bottom of the glass.'" - Robert Moor, The Paris Review

We now had one hour before the museum closed at 5:00 p.m.  So we wandered at a moderate pace through the history of Mississippi exhibit comparing and contrasting the difference between Mississippi history and Kansas history.  For example - there was nary a tipi in the 'early Mississippi' exhibit as the early natives in that area were farmers.  We studied a nicely executed, life size comparison of the living rooms of a slave cabin, a farmer's home and landed gentry from the same time period.  The exhibit pointed out how each room had common elements (fireplace, places to sit and gather, and sometimes places to sleep) allowing the viewer to notice the stark contrast in purpose, style and size of each of the rooms.  We found a terrific reconstruction of an 80's living room that contained an exact replica of the record player my family had during my childhood as well as other toys and items that were part of my childhood.  We sang and danced in a reconstructed juke joint that allowed you to select songs by famous Mississippi artists on a juke box.  I will say there was a shocking absence of Elvis.  And then it was time to go.

We grabbed some more snacks out of the back of the car, queued up the book and pointed the car south toward Mobile, Alabama.  We arrived near dusk and checked into a courtyard view room in what quickly became my favorite hotel of our stay - the Malaga Inn in downtown Mobile.  I found the hotel on VRBO - the place I always check when I travel.  The spots I have found never disappoint.  The Malaga has entered into my top 10 all-time favorites - even with reduced services due to Covid.  We arrived in time to take a quick, early evening walk around downtown Mobile to enjoy the evening air.  And then it was back to the hotel for bed and a terrific night's sleep.

The Florida Mom & Son Adventure - Day 2

 Today was a driving day.  We are a family of introverts, so we like a quiet car when we are driving.  However, since I knew we would be in the car for a large section of our week, I spent a little time preparing a menu of audio books just in case Isaac might be interested.  He was interested although made no promises to actually listen to anything.  I had five titles ready for him that I had checked out with my State of Kansas library card.  This first leg of our trip was all about picking what we would be reading.  

To create the list, Ross and I examined several lists with titles like "100 Books Every Man Should Read"  Some books that made it to the short list were stories Ross had read and enjoyed.  Some were books I had read and enjoyed.  And there was a wild card.  The titles were:

• King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard
• The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston
  
• A World Without Email by Cal Newport
• The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
• The Body by Bill Bryson

After reading the title and summary of each - Isaac made his choice.  True to form, it was the book with, in my opinion, the Best Title.  He chose The Lost City of the Monkey God which is a true-story tale of adventure into the Honduras jungle to find Ciudad Blanca - the White City - or, as the title indicates, the Lost City of the Monkey God.  This story was a perfect companion to our driving adventure and - we would discover later - became an important element in what one might say was a theme of our trip.  To make a long story, short - the book lives up to its title.

That decision made we aimed the car to Hugo, Oklahoma and our first stop at the Endangered Ark Foundation (EAF).  The preserve is just east of town and is home to a herd of 60 Asian elephants.  The Foundation was formed to provide a home for retired circus elephants. Due to the endangered status of the Asian elephant, they also run a vibrant breeding program.  When we were there we got to meet the preserve's newest occupant, two-year-old Cameron.  He was born last August and is one cute hairy little guy.

We had tickets for 11:00 a.m. and started our experience in a shed that operates as a gift shop, restroom, and welcome center.  When it was time to start we were ushered to a door in the back of the gift shop.  Right inside ready to greet us was Cameron and his mother, Wimpy.  In the next half hour we learned that 46-year-old Wimpy was a very good mom who has had a majority of the 7 babies born on the preserve while she has lived there.  This is no small feat as the gestation period for elephants is two years and then baby elephants nurse for a total of four years before they are ready to be on their own.  Cameron and Wimpy showed us some of their circus skills.  Wimpy did a wonderful job.  Cameron, who was still learning step one - the trunk raise - did a good job after being promised a banana.  We watched another elephant get a hoof manicure and then watched her paint a canvas and t-shirt which will no doubt be for sale in the gift shop soon.

Elephants are the 5th smartest animal on the planet.  They are beat by dolphins, then rats, pigs (I can attest to that one), and the Bonobo ape (a close cousin to the Chimpanzee).  As such, it is important to keep them intellectually stimulated as well as physically active.  They are treat motivated - and like any good elephant preserve - bananas are endless and at the ready.  The trainers, who clearly love these animals, are generous and full of fascinating information.  When the educational part of our hour had concluded, the keepers loaded us into a trailer fitted with patio chairs and a box stuffed full of cut up bananas.  We were pulled by tractors out into the preserve to see the rest of the herd.

Waiting patiently for us (and the bananas) were Isa and Lilly.  These two entertained our group for quite a while.  Isa was being shy.  When she wasn't eating she would hide her head behind a tree playing a kind of peek-a-boo with the crowd.

Elephants symbolize strength, power, wisdom and loyalty.  When up close and personal, they exude sensitivity, intelligence, peace and playfulness.  I was blown away and felt blessed to be witness to this suspended moment of worship for God's creation.  Regardless of age, size, creed or color - all of us on the tour were one in play and harmony with the grace and heart of these animals.  I stood teary eyed watching person after person approach hesitantly, holding their bananas carefully in two hands.  Then, when they crossed the invisible line into the elephant's space, each face would burst into uninhibited laughter and delight as they were welcomed, touched and explored by the waving, curious, friendly trunks of Isa and Lilly.  All concern, stress, and worry vanished.  There was no space for emotions such as these.  Time was suspended and pure, unadulterated joy hung thick in the air.  It was beautiful.

I could not help but think how fortunate were the keepers of elephants.  The foundation team were wonderful - patiently answering questions, snapping photos, holding bags, helping people clean their hands after feeding, and offering second and third moments until the box of bananas was empty.  I could have stayed for days so entranced was I by this wonderful scene.  Reluctantly we said our goodbyes and climbed back into the trailer.  We were slowly taken back to the spot where our cars were parked.  No one was talking.  We all knew we had been given a great gift.  Refreshed, awed and at peace with the world - we turned to the south and drove on.

In Texarkana we stretched our legs walking through the Owl's Nest Flea Market.  We skirted Shreveport, LA and buzzed by the Duck Commander headquarters long enough to take pictures in the then empty parking lot.  We came to a stop just east of town.  It was a good, full day of adventure.

The Florida Mom & Son Adventure - DAY 1

This spring, I led the financial aid team through the creation of an office strategic plan. As part of the exercise we also created our team values.  To start, I gave each team member a list of common values to prime the pump and told them to find five words that best represented their personal values.  I did it too.  My words were:

FAITH, LEARNING, AUTHENTICITY, EMPATHY and ADVENTURE

It was a good exercise.  It also made me realize that this pandemic has had me trapped at home for far too long.  It was time - past time - for an adventure.

Isaac's spring break was coming up.  Isaac has spent his entire freshman year of college living, eating and attending classes in his residence hall room.  His university is doing a terrific job keeping the doors open and the pandemic at bay by offering a majority of classes online and allowing students to live in a single room for a double room charge.  It's a good arrangement.  But it's not the ideal, and definitely not the typical, college freshman year.  He's met people.  He gets out.  He's matured and is learning things about himself.  But still.  I sensed he would jump at the chance to join me on my quest.

Ross understood this need but did not share it.  It was too soon after our vaccination.  He chose to stay home, guard the fort, watch the dog, and limit his potential exposure to COVID.  So on Friday, April 16, I packed up the Traverse with the supplies we were taking with us to Florida (food, an aquarium for Sam, my clothes and my backpack) and left work early.

My old travel buddy and I had enjoyed multiple discussions via Zoom and text about the trip.  His instructions were, "I want to see things I haven't seen before."  With that guidance, I chose a meandering route avoiding large cities and stops approximately every 2 hours - the Hicks family rule.  To say we were excited was a gross understatement.

When I left Winfield, it was cold and rainy.  Snow was expected in the northern part of the state later in the week.  I spent the two hour drive to Tulsa and Isaac's residence hall listening to the latest Off the Cuff episode and re-listening to a couple of older ones.  I drove to Isaac's residence hall, unloaded the Traverse into his room and we drove together to the airport to pick up our 'ride.'  I had reserved a car from Enterprise about two months earlier and discovered that was a wise move.  Rental cars are currently at a shortage due to the pandemic.  

We parked the Traverse in the airport parking garage - cheap insurance in case of hail storms - and went to the terminal to pick up the rental - a white, Toyota Rav4.  We drove back to campus and loaded the car with our supplies - the car had a nice sized storage compartment and there was plenty of room to stow everything we were taking.  

We did a quick drive through McDonalds for dinner and were on the road south in about 60 minutes from my first arrival.  We rolled into the Holiday Inn Express at Okmulgee, Oklahoma around dusk and had plenty of time for a relaxing evening before going to bed.  So far, so good.  A solid week of adventure awaits!