Ok, that song is not exactly about Georgia, nor do I belong there anymore, but I did have a lot of fun going down those old country roads.
There is something very interesting - even emotional at times - about stepping back into your past. On that Georgia trip, Lila and I missed a number of things we were aiming for (like visiting Aunt Sara - one of our main objectives) - but the journey took us down some interesting paths as well. Let's just say that between the two of us having "GPS' systems on our phones, they somehow did not agree most of the time, and well ----all roads lead somewhere!
Actually, something I have always wanted to do was to take a trip and 'get lost' and see where it took me. This was not planned, of course, but though we were never too far off track, we wandered, for sure!
Get lost. I'm not sure I ever got lost with Roger. He has a pretty innate sense of direction. Now there were plenty of times when I would tell him that he was lost, but he would figure it out.
On our journey home, after we had pretty much outrun the oncoming storm, we headed through Middle Georgia. Highway 41 DOES parallel I-75, right? Well, in theory it does.
We made it most of the way and ended up at this 'intersection from Hell' in Ft. Valley. I remembered this thing from my childhood - it was under major construction this time. This thing was like a four-way stop with traffic lights and stop signs and about 6 roads that intersected.
One thing we learned was that Georgia road signs are nothing like Florida road signs - not like Central Florida road signs anyway - THANK YOU DISNEY FOR SPOILING US! You might find road signs overhead, on the side of a road, on a corner, behind a bush - and they are almost simply highway NUMBERS. And there could be five at one location. And there are no names of streets so much of the time.
All I can say is....GLORY! Someone help me! Someone give me a paper road map!
After visiting the 'intersection from Hell' about three times, we finally headed down what we were confident was the correct highway - only half a block from the 'previous highway" we tried, mind you. We drove happily along until we came upon a sign that said "Andersonville Trail" and Montezuma. Now, my Georgia geography might be a little rusty, but something told me this was way south of Ft. Valley and Warner Robbins - and Aunt Sara!
Since late afternoon was approaching and children were going to be tracking us down, we kept going south. Next time, Aunt Sara! Hang in there!
But along the way, a lady needs a break every now and again, so imagine where the road led.....to cotton fields - in full bloom. I just could not resist the photo op.
Roger's Lesson: If you REALLY think you are lost, then find a fire station and they can help you EVERY time. But don't be too quick to get back on the short route, because you might miss an adventure.
Not so.
On one trip to the farm, my parent's four children must have been a fussing mess because I remember daddy pulling off the side of the road and saying - 'get out' - and he made us pick cotton. It was on grandaddy's farm, so it was ok. He made us pick it - I remember it being for a whole day in the blistering sun, but I bet it was only for about 10 minutes. I can remember crying and pulling thorny things out of my hands. I also remember him talking to us about hard work being a good cure for fussing. Some time later, in history class, when I began to learn about the south and the "cotton pickers" - I had a real appreciation for what they were talking about. I also gained a great appreciation for the industrial revolution, emerging technology, and more than anything else, Spirituals -as in music. Just think about it. Maybe that will be another post for another day.
No, cotton is not soft when it grows on a plant, and no, it does not offer ONLY A LITTLE pain!
Cotton is good, but you don't get the final product without great sacrifice by someone.
That's kind of like salvation, isn't it. The final product is amazing, but the sacrifice, by someone other than yourself was pretty brutal. That should make one appreciate the value of salvation even more.
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