Lesly

A few weeks ago my Airstream friend Ann (of cheese garlic grits fame) sent my blog address to several of her friends with this comment:

"This is another of our new Airstream friend's (Tom Cook) Blog --- You cannot imagine how many wonderful people you meet towing "silver!" We met him in Mystic Springs, FL (see comment on my garlic cheese grits in blog !) and he met us Morton at Roosevelt State Park for a few days after the Canton Rally. Hopefully, we'll see him on the Coast in a few weeks -- IF he has time to spare ! "

The next day I received an email from one of Ann's friends, Lesly, in Jackson telling me that she really enjoyed the blog and wanted to know more about "Tinkerbell Jerusalem" and "Inbetweens."

The first thing I did was email Ann and ask if this was the widowed friend she had mentioned to me when we were at Roosevelt Park.

She said, "No, this is someone else and I AM SHOCKED that she e-mailed you. She has been divorced for years I think and her only daughter got married this year. Leslie is actually very very good looking -- exceptionally really if you are into petite, great style, most gorgeous blue eyes you'll probably ever see, shoulder length hair -- sort blondish champagne colored, and sophisticated with a great sense of humor and loves to ride motor cycles. She is Assistant Personnel Director for the State of Mississippi in charge of all executive staff training. She is funny, soft spoken and her writing you is TOTALLY out of character !!! "

So I emailed my Tinkerbell story to her. She also had checked with Ann and gotten some background on me. We emailed back and forth for a couple of days and then talked on the phone. For an hour the first time. After the phone call I emailed her and said that I found it strange - good, but strange - to be talking to someone like I'd known them for years yet asking really basic questions like we did. It feels like I'm just learning about someone I already know. Cool.

My Buddhist friend says we knew each other in a previous life.

We continued to email and talk on the phone for a couple of days.

She has a friend, Becky, living here on the coast who works for the State and she asked if Becky might be able to do anything to help me with the kids camps. On June 5th I told her the only thing Becky could do to help me would be to invite her down sometime for a weekend so we could go for a motorcycle ride.

A major "inbetween"

She had planned to visit Becky over Memorial Day but something came up and she didn't make it. So they had decided she'd come down the weekend of the 8th. Those plans had been made the week before her first email to me.

We met early Sat morning, to avoid some of the MS HEAT and took a nice ride in the country. We stopped at a McDonald's - hey, she might as well learn early on what a big spender I am - for a cup of coffee and we talked for a couple of hours.

An aside - you know I'm kinda proud of myself for so successfully downsizing from a 6000 sq ft house to a 240 sq ft trailer. While at McD's we met a 40-something guy on a Harley with a big backpack on the luggage rack. He was on his way from Orlando to Scottsdale, AZ. His 2004 Harley had 84,000+ miles on it and all his belongings were in the backpack. That's a whole new level of "downsizing". But it's a goal to which I don't think I'll aspire. He wasn't with a gorgeous blue eyed biker chick!

Oops, I mean a "gorgeous blue eyed lady"

Yes, there is a difference.

No tattoos.

Yet.

We rode some more and then went to one of the casinos for lunch. The food at the casinos here on the coast isn't as cheap as Vegas but it's every bit as good. We stayed and talked. Then a thunderstorm popped up so we stayed longer. The waitress kept asking if we were ready to pay and we kept saying, "No, we're in no hurry." Finally her supervisor came over and asked if we would please close out the tab because the waitress' shift was over. She had been too nice to tell us that. Since it was still raining really hard, we called Becky to come pick us up. After a drink, or maybe two at her place, the three of us went out to dinner.

An incredible Italian restaurant, again in a casino. We each ordered an appetizer and either a soup or salad. And couldn't finish all the food they brought. Which made us unhappy because it was all delicious. The waiter didn't seem surprised that we didn't order any entrees, so I guess that happens a lot. I can't imagine eating a 3 or 4 course meal there.

They dropped me off at my bike and I had a cool, slightly damp ride back to Lizana.

Life REALLY IS Good !


To be continued ........