Day 18

Bag # 11 of Carol's treats

Running Rummy score: Phil 400, Elaine 170

We just can't seem to get away from people with whom we have something in common or who have been forewarned of our arrival and advised to treat us well or to whom we are related or who, upon learning earlier of our plans, have invited us to stop or who are just terrific people. Here in Alabama we found a wonderfully funky campground surrounded by goats, a donkey and folks who have long ago made this place their permanent home or at least their permanent summer home. There are folks here (this is a campground mind you) who have settled in so well that trees have grown up that would obstruct their passage should they try to leave. They have kids in school; the bus stops here. The owners remind us of ourselves and this place, to an extent, of the Tidewater. When we told the owners we might leave so we can drive into town she gave us her car. This after having taken our car in for a windshield replacement (it had cracked during the drive up from Fla.) whereupon we asked whether we might leave our van with them till we came back to return our rental RV in 3 weeks and, while there was no space available at the shop, one of the employees called her parents and arranged to have us leave it at their house, which we did. This campground is in Fairhope, Alabama and since we enjoyed it so we stayed two days. That gave me a few hours to catch up with correspondence and to review our collection of invitations to visit folks here and there. When I opened up the file, there was Wayne and Carol's suggestion that we visit Wayne's sister. And where might we find her? Just down the road apiece right here in Fairhope. I'd had no idea. We arrived here completely by chance. Tomorrow we will visit Wayne's nephew in Mobile Bay (another arrangement courtesy of Wayne and Carol), stay at his place for a night or two and then head further west, perhaps to absorb Mardi Gras, perhaps to avoid it. And then we have no contacts (we know of) till Austin.