In June, I flew to Seattle to pick up a pickup and camping trailer so it could continue being used for fun and entertainment in the early years of retirement. While in Seattle I got to see many people and enjoy their company. The time went quickly and soon we were on the way to the East.
The first night was spent at the rest stop located on the Continental Divide. I was unprepared for the morning chill and we were soon off and done the mountains into the beauty of a Montana morning.
Three days later we found ourselves at the border of Florida and three hours later arrived home.
Two days after arriving home, I had surgery on my left eye to re-attach the retina. My dad was left to his own devices and trying to fix a few lingering problems with the truck and various little house projects as we awaited the arrival of my mother. When she arrived at Orlando, I was again allowed to hold my head up and drive. One of the highlights of their visit was a trip to St. Augustine where we toured the old town area. The oldest wooden school was on the road intermixed with various shops and eating establishments. A curiosity was the preserved building and area where slaves were once sold in a darker time of our history.
After Dad and Mom left in early July, I spent most of my time recovering from the surgery and waiting for an opportunity to return to Maryland to visit my kids and grandkids. Shortly before the recovery was over, I learned that my retina was again detached and underwent a lengthy process to repair the eye. This is where we are today, waiting on recovery and release to travel.
In the meantime, we recently got a phone call inviting us to meet Dad and Uncle Bob in the Cape Canaveral area for dinner. We departed the house as they departed Alabama. As we arrived in the Titusville area, two problems happened. The first was that the airport where they were supposed to land was closed for runway repairs. Secondly, after another phone call from a diferent nearby airport, it was learned that they had suffered a flat tire on landing.
Lucky for them that a Chrysler scissor jack was just the ticked for lifting a Mooney, we soon discovered that the tube was bad but replaced both the tire and tube to be on the safe side.
My beautiful bride took the above picture and insists that the title is "How many Zimmerman men does it take...to find the flat..to change the tire...pick something, she laughs too hard to ever finish.
Finally, after the tire repair was complete we retreated to our respecive places of residence with me and my wife getting home just after one AM. We were pleased the following morning to receive another call indicating another day of aircraft readiness repairs. We decided to meet at the "half way" point for dinner. This happened to be Daytona Beach: 74 miles for me, about 40 for Dad. I selected a restaurant which specialized in fish and we had a wonderful meal and fun. This time, we all got home at a respectable time and my dear old dad gave me an opportunity to take a picture to remember him always:
