Oh Atlanta, Oh Atlanta

Whee, doggies. There’s nothing like going through the Atlanta Airport in a wheelchair being pushed by a man in a hurry! We landed on Concourse C, and in less than 15 minutes, he had moved us through all the elevators (which are not nearly as convenient to places as the escalators), onto the train, off the train, picked up our baggage and had us on the rental car bus.

Rolling, rolling, rolling, keep them doggies rolling…..Well, Rawhide, he wasn’t, but it’s the only way to go when you don’t breathe very well.

Driving in Atlanta was not nearly the challenge I remember. We took one wrong turn and were able to correct that very quickly. I did see an Antiochian Orthodox Church building – never knew that church existed. We found our motel easily, had a wonderful dinner with friends – that good fried chicken at Watershed.

After my mother died, I had given her bed to them. It’s old with caned inserts in head and foot board and a fancy raised appliqué of flowers and stuff in the center of each. She had always painted it ivory. They painted it dark purple, and it was gorgeous!!! Seeing someone enjoy it was a delight, especially knowing that my friends had given new life to an old story.

And, they have my great grandmother’s chairs, dark with a pale birch table. And, Mom’s sewing rocker is gaining new life in their living room. Other tidbits were sprinkled around their house, and my heart was pleased to see the things of my memory were making new memories.

Here, it’s air conditioning time, especially in the motel with no windows to open. Tomorrow we are all going to the zoo to see Mei Lan, the panda cub…rain or shine. Then maybe it’s on to a bookstore or to the Ikea showroom. Small town girl on a spree in the big city! Whooee. Smell that plastic burning.

See how easy it is to forget about the church’s troubles, the nation’s troubles, and just relax. I bought a couple of fluffy pillows to enjoy for this trip, and I’m full of good food, happy talk with friends, and the prospect of a good night’s sleep and a fun day tomorrow.

To my friends in the blogsphere, remember to keep MadPriest on his toes, and Cecelia in your prayers.