Last Saturday we were concerned about freezing rain, sleet, etc.  This week we look at the snow and wonder how deep it will get.  If we had not had medical appointments we might have gotten out of here sooner.  The plan was to spend Sunday in our church routine.  Meeting the Krajewski's after we attend 9:00AM mass at St Julie and they 9:15AM at St Dennis in Lockport, their new parish.  However, the snow might make getting to Lockport a bit of a challenge.  Mary Ann just called to make us aware that a "bug" had invaded their world.  Joe has been home from work a few days and she is feeling like she is just coming down with it.  She was concerned about Mary's respiratory issues.  Joe, currently under medication probably is not contagious but Mary Ann is another story.  Since we are planning a Tuesday departure we decided that we would make the call she left us with in the AM when we assess the snow.  Of course, I was compelled to make a comment on the wisdom or lack thereof of not getting a flu shot. Shame on me!!  Anyway I just posted last weeks update and needed something to write about.  I am particularly annoyed that tonight's NFL game is on the NFL Network which requires purchase of a premium package from Comcast and most other providers.  What is that song Money Makes the World Go-round, the World go-round.

   We awoke Sunday morning to about 8" of snow dumped by the storm that blanketed the Midwest before moving east to clobber upstate New York with up to 2 feet of white stuff.  Mary inflicted some more abuse on her respiratory system by clearing enough away so we could use the 4 wheel drive Explorer to get to 10:30 mass.  Don was there and we compared  health issues.  We both have BPH, both need our head examined but I won with an arthritic hip that may require replacement when we return in the spring.  After mass, we talked to the Krajewski's and met for breakfast at Cafe Miele.  Upon our return, looking at more shoveling, we found a neighbor had performed a random act of kindness by snow blowing the remainder of snow in the driveway.  We uncovered the Windstar so it can be packed tomorrow and got inside.  I turned the baseboard heat on in the train room so I can find a few things that need to make the trip and currently we are watching Dallas and Philadelphia after watching Favre set a new all-time passing record as Green Bay beat St Louis to go 12-2.  It seems like a long wait to get going South but we had stuff to do.  As a matter of fact I had better take a break here and gather some stuff together.

    Monday am I went to the Veterans Center to drop off a friend's camera. Lots of folks had "snowbird" advice and when I said we were driving I got that advice also. I was gone quickly to meet an MRI appointment in Oak Lawn.  When I got back from there a visit to Walmart produced a couple of bottles of STP gas treatment which is designed to eliminate after in the fuel system.  The other two cars will sit out .  Our house watcher will start them occasionally and warm them up, perhaps take them on a short errand.  However, they will sit out all winter as they would anyway.  I should have bought a bottle for the Windstar which is making the trip. Last thing we need is gas line problems on the road. I'll grab one tomorrow when we make a gas stop.  Right now I am watching the Vikings attempt to put the final nail in the Bear's faint playoff hopes.  In the morning we will put some last minute items in the car that we did not wish to leave in the cold all night.  The first day out is always hard as you attempt to make sure you have everything.  Once on the road it is easy to get up and move out each morning.  So I'll close this right now and pack up the computer to go with me so I can carry out web responsibilities while on the road.

    Well it's Tuesday and today's the day.  Seems like preparation has lasted a while.  I woke at 4:30 am to care of one of life's necessity and never really got back to sleep.  Mary woke at 5:15 and got up at 5:45 to get started. There was quite a bit of stuff to be loaded into the car that would not have been good outside over night.  We pulled away from the drive at 8 AM. After stopping to fill up with gas we headed down Harlem Ave. to I-80 and then East to I-57.  The plan was to get directly South as soon as possible hoping to avoid the possibility  of black ice.  The snow which had whipped and drifted looking much like dollops of whipped cream began to appear to decrease as we moved south of Champaign.  By the time we stopped for an early lunch in Tolono, the temperature was well above freezing and cold water dripped off the buildings and unfortunately once in a while down your back.  By the time we crossed the Ohio River into southern Kentucky there was little evidence of winter except for a bit of ice melt on pavement and the temperature was in the mid forties.  Mary does the driving and since she does not like night driving we began to search for accommodations finding ample lodging at a Day's Inn in Paducah Kentucky.  We perhaps could have gone a bit further but since darkness was approaching and we were in uncharted territory we decided to stop even though it was not quite 4PM.  A mini mart at a gas station across the street provided a place for foraging for provisions which were consumed in the room.  During the afternoon ride I felt like we were in a cell phone commercial at one point. Mary's cell phone rang and before I could talk to anyone the call dropped.  I had recognized the number as that of the office of the Neurologist.  My peace of mind improved as I listened to the subsequent phone message that the MRI results were fine.   I am getting ready to upload the St Julie bulletin a bit early in case I doze off.  I will also do St. Terrence.

   The middle day of the trip, in this case Wednesday is often the easiest.  Having taken a minimum amount of things into the Days Inn in Paducah, KY, there was not much to take back out and load in the car.  We had hoped to get south of Atlanta possibly Macon GA before stopping.  We grabbed some coffee and a treat from the Days Inn breakfast bar and headed out about 8am.  The trip from Paducah to what would turn out to be McDonough, GA. was the most interesting.  The choice of radio entertainment varied between call in swap shop shows and preachers wanting to offer us salvation.  Mind you salvation is a great thing but sometimes one can get too much of a good thing.  As we got closer to Atlanta the call in shows seemed to change from swap shops to obituary readings.  Certainly we were exposed to an entirely different culture that when one flies from Midway to Tampa.  At no time did we hear the words Happy Holidays as people unabashedly wished us and others a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  The trip was ended prematurely by an accident up ahead of us.  Georgia has message boards spanning the roadway and one indicated an accident a few miles ahead and instructions to exit I-75.  We exited a bit early and wandered south through the countryside seeking a place to get back on I-75.  We came upon an interchange which was still north of the scene and since darkness was coming opted to stop for the night.  Looking out of our 4th floor hotel room we noticed that the Southbound lanes of I-75 were backed up to that intersection as well as further north.  It was a good decision.
Later that evening on the 11 PM news we discovered that the accident had involved a fatality and asaked God to care for one whose life and perhaps a visit had been cut short and peace to the loved ones.

   Since we had changed time zones during Wednesday's part of the trip and it became a bit nerve wracking for our driver (Mary) we actually slept a bit late Thursday AM and again with complimentary treat and coffee in hand departed on the third leg of the trip about 8:20.  Even though the weather through Tues and Wed had been good this morning was even better as old SOL was out in his southern shining glory.  Having talked to Dave (son-in-law) the previous evening and checking Google maps we estimated the trip to Tampa to be about 6 and a half to 7 hours.  We soon passed Macon, which had been the target destination of the night before and passed familiar landmarks as we traveled south over familiar territory.  By the time we hit the Jennings/Jasper interchange just over the Florida Georgia line it was time to stop for fuel, both human and automotive.  We had been wearing hooded sweatshirts the first two days and immediately removed and put them in the back of the van.  We proceeded south and as we got closer I whipped out the laptop and got it set up.  Interstate travel is easy and usually well marked.  It is the local route after the Interstate which can be confusing.  Not having a GPS system, I had developed a map and instructions the night before and saved it as a web page.  A quick click and we had turn by turn instructions from I-275, the Tampa bypass to the Eskew abode.  We arrived at about 3:20pm just about 7 hours after departing McDonough, GA.  Actually we had been very lucky.  We ran out of indication of snow as we crossed the Illinois-Kentucky line and `except for a bit of fog and a couple of drops of drizzle felt very lucky in a mountainous area which can be quite tricky this time of year.

  Having been on the road for three days we slept a bit late Friday and took our time getting cleaned up and ready for the day.  Friday afternoon we ventured out on a trip to forage for provisions and other  items.   That made the Walmart Supercenter `the ideal place since they have everything.  It will be nice when our new store in Orland Hills is complete since their prices seem a bit better than regular supermarkets.  The kids were hosting David's company Christmas Party at a local restaurant so we got to watch a little Friday night TV while enjoying some munchies.