Home at last after a wonderful trip. But it is a long way by car. 1270 miles in two days. On the way from Houston to Charlotte we went our usual route along I 10 which turned out to be a nightmare of construction and traffic reduced to one lane over and over. We had some business to handle before we left which took us all over Houston in the morning traffic so it was nearly noon before we got out of town. We made it only to Gulfport the first night and dragged our tired bodies into Miguel's in Charlotte around 7:30 Saturday night to meet our son and family. Two 12 hour days in the car but it was worth it.

We rarely ever experience anything like autumn here so I was enchanted by the fall colors all the way through northern Alabama, Georgia and then into Charlotte. So beautiful. And my son's home is just wonderful and sits on a bluff over Mountain Island Lake on the northern edge of Charlotte so each morning we could sip our coffee on their balcony overlooking the lake through the colorful trees.

We met the newest member of the family, Gatsby. He is a delightful beagle who just sorta showed up in the neighborhood and they adopted him. He and Daisy, their other dog, are like an old married couple...pretty funny.

Kate is still taking riding lessons and is doing very well. The picture is of the stable where she rides out in the country side not far from their home. There are always multiple cats and kittens around. Kate is playing the flute this year and we went to her first band concert. Later we went to Sam's soccer team banquet where he got a medal. As you can tell, most of our time was spent around the grandchildren's activities.My son has been with Wachovia now for several years but with the take-over by Wells-Fargo is facing a possible or more likely probable lay-off. I can read the stress on his face but he is handling it all pretty well and his wife is supportive of whatever they need to do even if it means moving. So we shall see.

We stopped overnight on the way home in Meridian, Mississippi. What a beautiful town and the Quality Inn we stayed in was far and above what we had experienced from that chain before. We will go back. And driving a more northern route on I 20 was a much better and easier route through beautiful mountains and autumn colors. We will do that again even if it is a little longer.