Life Without Running

Over the years I’ve made many trips to Cocoa Beach always with the intention of seeing Jeff and family. This trip was no different except the family dynamics once again changed. Jeff and Rochelle had divorced since my last visit and both had new girlfriends.  Clarence and I went to the Sand Bar with Jeff and Tracy a place we always try to go at least once when there. The good news is the food was still good. The bad news is the beer wasn’t cold. 😞 That night Jeff came back to the hotel so Donavan could swim and Alyssa came by after work and then she went to pick up the food we ordered at another of our favorites, Rock the Guac.  The next day was a run around day, taking Charlie to the beach and the dog park. Clarence and I took our normal trip to the Cocoa Beach Pier where we’ve had so many good times over the years. It’s just not the same anymore since a corporation took over. We had one beer and left. They didn’t even open until 11:00 and we used to go there for breakfast. ...

One of the best things about finding Loves service centers is that the majority have dog parks. The majority are nice, some not so much but it’s really nice to let Charlie off leash for a while.  We got to Clarence’s and Charlie quickly settled back in. Give him a chair and he’s pretty content.  Clarence and I went to a new Taco place in town owned by the same people who own Ted’s. The food was outstanding, as was the margarita.  From there we went to Clarence’s usual hang out, Square One, and had our Bud Light. They changed bartenders since I was last there.  The next day we were leaving for Cocoa Beach 😄. 

The trip from home to Stacie’s was for the most part uneventful and that’s a good thing at this point in my life. I did take a few notes each day that I’ll summarize here but that’s pretty much it.  The first two days were cloudy and off and on light rain which made it good for driving and being able to stop as needed. On the second day I heard that Jimmy Buffet had died the night before so I put on Margaritaville radio and left it there all day as a tribute. He was only a year older than me. Then I heard that former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson had died as well. He was my age that opens up a lot of reflection and appreciation for the fact that I’m still able to do what I can, while limited, with my health issues. Because I was in Ogden, Utah for the night I couldn’t find wine 🍷 to raise a glass but I was able to get a Bud Light. Bud Light goes better with Taco Bell anyway.  On the 3rd day we had some torrential rain west of Cheyenne I could see that we were driving in...