On the Lam

Friday night I looked at my wife and said, "We outta' get out of town." I just felt the need to scram. Thankfully, she was willing so Saturday morning we hopped in the plane and set out for Kentucky. The flight down was about as perfect as they come. We flew at 7,000 feet above a scattered layer of big cotton ball cumulus clouds that were drifting along about 1,000 feet below us.

As we made our way south, some of the clouds started to push their tops up to our altitude and by about the Indiana/Kentucky border we were punching in and out of the bases of some. We arrived in Jamestown at about noon where Grandma and Grandpa were waiting for us.

We didn't do much of anything except relax. That was the only agenda item. How we relaxed was entirely left to our whims. It was great. Saturday night we decided to drive into Somerset for dinner and to get a few groceries. We ate at the infamous Golden Corral buffet--an experience that I imagine could be likened to an ancient Roman food orgy. Only instead of good looking Italians in togas, we dined with a lot of tourists and locals in NASCAR T's and cutoff shorts. I have to admit, for a buffet, the food was really good. I know now why my father and brother speak of it with some reverence and awe. It will destroy your waistline.

Today we got up and had coffee and rolls on the screened-in porch while we listened to the woods come to life. That hour alone was worth the entire trip. In fact it was what prompted me to fly down in the first place. All my best memories in that house revolve around coffee on the porch in the morning.

I also spent some of the afternoon in K-Mart buying some fishing gear that I can keep down there. Next time I go down I'll be set. Just need to see if I can corner my cousin Crowley so he can show me where the monsters are. He's a championship bass and striper fisherman. Spending just an hour with him on the lake would be like getting and hour's worth of free investment counseling from Warren Buffet.

After dinner with Mom, Dad and the grandparents we took off and headed home. The flight back was punctuated with a really cool 10 minutes or so above a thin layer of clouds that were illuminated by the full moon. It looked (and felt) like something straight out of a dream. Or the opening credits of Highway to Heaven. I'm still not sure. We touched down in Champaign about 9.

All in all a successful escape. Here's to more.