Georgia on my Mind

I am back from my trip. I had quite a few adventures along the way.

In general, the bus trip was pretty good. If you're a person who loves cultural diversity and thrives on our differences, you would love taking the bus! I have so many stories and met so many great folks!

In particular, I met a man named Scott from Australia. He was traveling around the US for the summer. Last summer, he traveled around the UK. He says he ships his luggage, then flies to his summer destination. He was a really cool person to talk to. I didn't sit by him on the bus, but talked to him in each terminal. We rode the same bus from Dayton to Atlanta.

I also met a lady named Pearl from Buffalo, New York, who rode with me on my return trip from Atlanta all the way to Cincinnati. She was a beautiful, tiny woman with greenish/gray eyes, lovely tan skin and long dreadlocks. She was Polish/Irish/Indian/African-American. She was one of the most interesting people I have ever met. She said she sat by me because she could tell I had a kind spirit and a good heart. We had the most wonderful time chatting away over the miles. Meeting her was a major highlight in my travels.

On several legs of the trip on the way down, many young college girls asked to sit by me. I think that I looked safe to them; they felt comfortable with me. That was a blessing to me as well, because listening to them tell about their lives helped pass time and made me feel less homesick. I think they were feeling nervous, and by me being there for them, I gained confidence in myself.

My visit with my uncle and aunt was so wonderful. They are such a sweet couple, and made me feel welcomed and loved. My cousins came to visit...one brought pizza and homemade cookies to share. My cousin, Stephanie, has a daughter named Jesse, who I got to spend a great deal of time with. She is the same age as my Josiah. Jesse is a ray of sunshine. She drew pictures for me, asked me all kinds of questions about Ohio, and was simply a delight to be around. We are going to write back and forth to one another. She wants me to send items from Ohio that she can share with her class during show and tell.

It's late in the day, so I thought I'd share some photos I took. My uncle and aunt have some wonderful foliage on their 1/2 acre of property. Their property is completely fenced in, and is a little oasis of calm in their community. Hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I did:

Their magnolia tree:

The underside of their magnolia tree:


Close up of the magnolia leaves:



A Wild Rose:

The Bamboo that Grew From out of Nowhere:

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So, that's about it for today. I'll write more later on in the week. Hope everyone out there had a super weekend!