Cliff and I haven't seen Boni and Bill for maybe seven or so years.  I began my teaching career at Deltona Lakes Elementary School (Florida) in the first grade when I was forty years old.  Boni was my peer-teacher and really helped me so-o-o much during that year.  Student enrollment increased heavily and first grade consisted of thirteen teachers.  A few years later Timbercrest Elementary opened and I was fortunate enough to be placed with Boni at the new school where first grade started with five teachers and we were a great team!  As time went by, I needed to try teaching older students.  Starting with first grader basic skills was invaluable.  Eventually, I was moved to fifth grade and taught with Bill for many years.  Those were the days when teachers actually taught.  We all retired at different times.  At present day, Boni and Bill spend about five months at their Colorado cabin and seven months in their panhandle home which is closer to us now than their Central Florida residence. Cliff programmed Tom-Tom and we headed out last Monday morning.  Normally when we travel, I pack two tuna sandwiches, water, fruit, etc. in a cooler or our car-fridge but the fridge needed a new plug, the old Styrofoam cooler got crushed and we didn't replace it, so the drive being only about a 6-7 hour ride, we figured we'd just stop for a bite to eat and drive on.  Tom-Tom took us around Atlanta, which is still heavily traveled, and eventually onto Scenic Hometown Highway 27.  There are no trucks on 27.  Actually, we didn't see many vehicles on 27.  Figuring that we'd stop for a bite to eat, gas up, and go to the bathroom on that stretch of road, I began watching for food/gas signs.  We drove through Cuthbert, what's a Cuthbert? No gas, no food stops.  I looked at the old-fashioned atlas that has pages and that you actually hold in your lap.  Next "big" town was Blakely.  It was in bold print.  By this time we can't even talk or think because we haven't eaten since leaving the house at 7:30.  My eyeballs are floating.  No restaurants.  No toilets.  There are miles and miles of plowed fields and farmers on tractors.  Cliff finally couldn't take it any longer and pulled over to an open field where he hoped nobody would see him.  I held on until we got to Bainbridge where we found a lonely Huddle House sitting out near a newly plowed acreage.  Ahh!  Bathrooms and a menu.  Then more comfortably on to Boni and Bill's house.

Boni's 97-year old mother lives with them and is an amazing woman.

Emma making a corn casserole dish for our dinner.  She's amazing!  Does 40 squats daily and does the laundry, jigsaw puzzles, sudukos, reads.  Has been through many health issues but has beaten them all. 

Cliff and Emma working a jigsaw puzzle.  I think he finally found one piece. 
It's been colder and winder than normal in the panhandle. 

We walked the beach at Carabelle. Interesting history there.  It was a World War II training site.

One night we went to a community Bingo game where the proceeds went to spaying/neutering dogs.  The Bingo caller was a retired veterinarian who came out of retirement, was a vet at the Iditarod,  then opened another vet practice for the community.  We all had the world's worst Bingo cards!  But lots of fun. Great shrimp eating.  Cliff may go fishing, if the water is not as choppy, with Bill the next time we visit. 

                                    Bill and Cliff.  Looks like trouble to me!

Knowing what Scenic Hometown Highway 27 was, we were prepared for the miles of farms, tractors, and lack of bathroom stops on the drive back to Murphy.  Actually, we preferred that drive over 75 through Atlanta, Macon, Valdosta when we travel to see Mark and Jen on the Florida east coast.  All in all, it was a wonderful get-away.  Relaxing and refreshing.