Have you ever noticed that travel requires a good deal of give and take? With a fixed number of days surrounded by all those dollar signs that go into plans for fun or adventure or relaxation or all-of-the-above, one can hardly justify the time and expense that a good pout or fight can incur, despite the potential for makeup sex.
Two weeks is about all Jimmy and I can manage away from home together before the return on our investment begins to dwindle.
Two weeks is about all Jimmy and I can manage away from home together before the return on our investment begins to dwindle.
Jimmy loves planning our trips; I don't. I like being in the loop during the planning stages, but taking care of the details bores me immensely. Jimmy revels in the details; he used to manage the construction of multi-million dollar stores for Bass Bro with hundreds of thousands of details that go into the completion of said stores before he got canned during the economic downturn. Getting the best deals when booking hotels, cars, airlines, tours, etc. is a cinch for my now retired construction manager. I think it makes him feel manly. I'm happy to oblige him.
Jimmy beefing it up.
Occasionally I regret not contributing more to the planning stages. By no means am I suggesting I’m a Stepford wife either (good movie!), pampered and cared for at the expense of an opinion or intelligent thought. Besides, I’ve never even lived in Connecticut. I’ve simply mellowed with time; learned to pick my battles. Travel is not one of those battles, except occasionally when getting to our destination involves driving rather than flying.
Jimmy is more a destination kind of guy, which works quite well when we fly; point A to point B in a flash (let's not talk about the Midway Airport debacle; suffice it to say, I made the best of that situation; the situation/change-of-plans drove Jimmy crazy!). I’m more into the journey; snapping pictures in the airport, on the plane, at our destination. I drive him crazy with all the pictures as it is, but put us in a car and add the monotony of hours and hours of endless highway (and nothing but boring photo ops) and it's a sure bet I'm going to have to break up the monotony with a little diversion after four or five hours of driving. Not an easy task for a destination kind of guy.
I can occasionally negotiate a detour when it’s something Jimmy sees as interesting (our stop in Tennessee at the Jack Daniel Brewery last January was not planned), but there are times when I have to take the bull by the horns and initiate a change of plans that doesn't always promise something tasty for Jimmy; at least initially. He usually comes around.
I can occasionally negotiate a detour when it’s something Jimmy sees as interesting (our stop in Tennessee at the Jack Daniel Brewery last January was not planned), but there are times when I have to take the bull by the horns and initiate a change of plans that doesn't always promise something tasty for Jimmy; at least initially. He usually comes around.
Bet you had no idea I was a rodeo queen.
That change of plans is much easier to tackle when I’m the one doing the driving. We were cruising down US 1 from Key West to Miami, with me behind the wheel, when I negotiated this detour.
Don't be crabby now, Jimmy. This won't take long.
“Oh, look Jimmy! Is that a crab or a lobster?”
“Don’t know; don’t care.”
That was Jimmy-speak for, ‘No way are we stopping at a roadside tourist trap. It’s not in our plans, much less my DNA.’ I volleyed with a sure bet when it comes to appealing to most men and their DNA.
“I think it might be a place to eat?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Well, I’m driving, and I think I might be hungry.”
That last statement was made gently and with diplomacy. I was hungry for a diversion, a chance to stretch my legs; and maybe a little shopping by way of souvenirs. The drive was beginning to feel like another cattle drive from sunup to sundown. Not that I've ever been part of a cattle drive, but by now you know I'm better when it comes to embellishing than I am at planning.
“Don’t know; don’t care.”
That was Jimmy-speak for, ‘No way are we stopping at a roadside tourist trap. It’s not in our plans, much less my DNA.’ I volleyed with a sure bet when it comes to appealing to most men and their DNA.
“I think it might be a place to eat?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Well, I’m driving, and I think I might be hungry.”
That last statement was made gently and with diplomacy. I was hungry for a diversion, a chance to stretch my legs; and maybe a little shopping by way of souvenirs. The drive was beginning to feel like another cattle drive from sunup to sundown. Not that I've ever been part of a cattle drive, but by now you know I'm better when it comes to embellishing than I am at planning.
I admit, I was a big fan of the TV show Rawhide as a kid. But I wasn't doing the driving then.
I’d forgotten how liberating defiance could be as I pulled into the parking lot, although I knew diplomacy was the better part of valor.
“Twenty minutes, tops. I promise.”
It was more like an hour, but Jimmy didn't complain. He did find some food among the Rain Barrel Artists' Shops in Islamorada. Besides, for the most part, Jimmy is really just a cute puppy dog; all bark and no bite. Yes, like most puppies, he could use a bit of obedience training and lots of room to roam;
“Twenty minutes, tops. I promise.”
It was more like an hour, but Jimmy didn't complain. He did find some food among the Rain Barrel Artists' Shops in Islamorada. Besides, for the most part, Jimmy is really just a cute puppy dog; all bark and no bite. Yes, like most puppies, he could use a bit of obedience training and lots of room to roam;
Such a cute puppy!
yes, he can smell trouble/detour a mile away;
Moo over and make way for another detour.
and, yes, he can even get bullish about a change in plans (me? never!);
We usually manage to steer clear of any real trouble while riding the range.
but we both know, we're in this trough together, for at least two weeks; then all hell may break loose.
No, this is not our only idea of wet and wild!
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