Thursday - Day one of the "Prequel"

Phil and I left Westwood at about 7:30 a.m. and headed south. We chose the "scenic" route, which turned out to be a great choice because it enabled us to meet Jim Rice (N3368K on the PB) in Memphis. He directed us to his office and we walked a few blocks to the Peabody Hotel, then turned into an alley where we discovered Charlie Vergo's World Famous Rendevouz...Phil was hungry for ribs and this was a good place to have them. We enjoyed meeting Jim...as it renewed his faith in Purple Board people. He thinks anyone you meet on the internet is liable to be a bad guy. Jim passed the test! We talked about...you guessed it...AIRPLANES!!!!

We headed south from Memphis thinking we would stay in Jackson, but decided another 90 minutes down to Hattiesburg would make Friday a better day on the road.

So, we were 14-1/2 hours on the road - Flippy drove 5 of them...wants me to get a lot of practice in for when I'm on my own, I guess.

The first song on my iPod this morning was "Celebrate Me Home" by Kenny Loggins. Seemed like a strange way to start a trip, but it got me thinking about home and what that really means to me. I moved five times during my K-12 years...I mean to five different cities/towns. I lived in 7 different houses during that time and attended 8 different schools. In many ways, I am like a turtle - I've had to carry my home with me...so much of it I carry in my heart. Home has become an amalgam of places and people and experiences no one will ever be able to take away from me...

...Play me one more song,
That I'll always remember,
I can recall,
Whenever I find myself too all alone,
I can make believe I've never gone,
I never know where I belong,
Sing me home..... (Kenny Loggins)