New Pillows for Rudy; Misunderstanding PT; Kayak Head; A First Class Sailor; Georgia, by any other name...; Marietta Architecture

My Lovely Bride recently purchased two new pillows for the sofa on The Bus. She is very proud of them, and was somewhat put out when we came home to find our little guy Rudy sleeping on top of one... "Hey, it's raining outside and you won't let me go out and chase squirrels..."

When I met our new friend Greg the other day for coffee, he asked for details about my PT regimen. After describing my running and biking, he asked what injuries I had suffered. I replied, “Well, aside for some shin splints back in 1977, none to speak of...” He looked bewildered, and said, “So why are you doing all that Physical Therapy?” “Greg, what Physical Therapy?” “You know, Ty, the 5-7 days of PT you do every week!” I said with a laugh, “Greg, in the military, “PT” is physical training, not physical therapy!” He must have thought I was a basket case, having to do physical therapy almost every day...

But speaking of injuries, I had a self-inflicted “dodo” injury yesterday; while carrying the puppies from The Bus to the car in a pouring rain while wearing a hooded rain parka, I ran my forehead into the stern of one of the kayaks which are on racks on top of the car ... not once, but twice... fortunately the kayaks are fiberglass, which My Lovely Bride opined were much softer than Your Faithful Correspondent’s hard head. (I’m not sure, but is that a compliment?)

We got out on a bike ride in a sunny interlude of an hour today, and while out and about on base met Operations Specialist First Class Larry Williams, US Navy. We chatted about the Navy, his past assignments, and his family. OS1 Williams mentioned that he has three kids, the youngest of whom is considering joining the Air Force. I replied, "Well, Larry, every family has a cross to bear..."   Go Navy!

In between rain storms, we spent a delightful Sunday morning at Unity North Atlanta Church (where Suzanne gave her presentations on Saturday) hearing the sermon by former pastor Carole O’Connell and inspirational music by a quartet and young singer, orchestrated by Reverend Richard Burdick. The congregation was warm and welcoming, and we look forward to another visit to Unity North in 2014 on our East Coast tour.

On tour one is constantly looking at maps, right? Maps.  I love maps.  I mean that I really, really LOVE paper maps. GPS and electronic maps are functional, but anyone who reads a lot of history or geography will probably tell you that there is an art in cartography (mapmaking) that transcends the functional value of the map itself. For example, while Suzanne was driving up I-75 through the southern part of the state of Georgia, I noticed several unique and interesting place names: Ty Ty, named for the ironwood and Buckwheat trees that once lined Ty Ty Creek; Po Biddy Crossroads, supposedly named for a less than affluent woman who owned a store at the crossroads; Possum Trot, named for local fauna; Sixes, supposedly named for a “removal” fort located nearby along the Cherokee Indians’ Trail of Tears. 

In 2006, the Georgia Department of Transportation (must have been “citified” folks) decided to drop the names of 408 small towns and hamlets from the state maps, supposedly “to eliminate clutter”. Well, that was not taken too kindly by the residents of places like Ty Ty, Hickory Level, and Po Biddy Crossroads and the other clutter spots around the state. There was a “peasant revolution”, as a British newspaper called it, and the bureaucrats were forced to back down and reinstate the names of the small towns that they had tried to toss in the dust bin of modern cartography.... one small victory for rural Georgia! 

Here in Marietta, we are in suburban Georgia. I would like to share three very different photos of interesting architecture that we passed today on the way to church. The first is the gate of the Marietta National Military Cemetery, established in 1866. This cemetery, like other national cemeteries, is the final resting place for thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and coast guardsmen. It is a somber place on a rainy day, and I would have liked to have spent some time reading some of the gravestones, but that will have to wait for another visit. 

The second photo shows a very modest Marietta home, probably owned by an impecunious carpetbagger lawyer... it is for sale by owner, so if any of our readers is interested in moving, I will provide info on its location.  

The last photo caught me off guard as I was driving. I had seen such roadside displays often as a kid, but modern storefronts lack the panache exhibited by many commercial establishments built in the 50’s and 60’s. Unlike many newer restaurants with blasé signboards, this one can be seen at a considerable distance, and you can be sure of what it serves. Bagels, hummus and veggie wraps are probably not on the menu here. (The chicken's beak even opens and closes! How cool is that?)