Trippin' with Susan Straley

  Sometimes I make good decisions.   Do I do better that 50%? Hmmmm. I made a good decision when I decided to visit Jean Hawks on my journey north.   Jean is a more recent friend of mine. Of course we met through trike riding. I don’t remember ever meeting someone so passionate about their career.   Jean, at 72 is a psychologist.   She specializes in treating people who have experienced trauma.   She is fascinated by the stories and delighted by the people she chooses to treat. We were going to camp together along with her husband at Paul B Johnson State Park near Hattiesburg and ride the Rail Trail there.   But their RV needed some repairs, so Keith went off across country to get the repairs done and I ended up sleeping in their guest room.   Sleeping very well, I might add. Jean took me for a trike ride around part of the reservoir near their home.   It was mostly trail.   I got to meet her friend, Sandy.   Jean

   The day after meeting with Camille in Pensacola, I decide to take a day away from touristy go-go stuff.  I decide to write, and cook, and do yoga and exercises in my campsite. It felt good to get some writing done on book three.  The writing helps me feel grounded in some purpose. I enjoy preparing meals outside. At 3:00 or 4:00 I was ready to break out.  I decided to ride right from the park and take sidewalks and streets that were just outside the State Park.  All the neighborhoods were self-contained and full of dead-ends.  None of them led anywhere.  So I just decided to always turn right.  Eventually I would find myself back on the main road again.   There were waterfront properties that must have been destroyed during Hurricane Sally.  Only the driveway and foundation remained.  Other properties still had tarp over the roofs and siding missing. One neighborhood had the requirement that all homes have a standard white fence.  It gave the neighborhood a Disneyland fantasy feel.