10.03.26 Good to be back at our happy place...

 Hilton Head is great but there's nothing like Cape May. Nice to wake up on day one of our 30-day return trip to New Jersey with perfect fall weather. We both agree it would be hard to give up our place here and it only takes being back about 10 minutes to reinforce that in our brains. Sometimes once you give something up you never get it back, so this is worthy sticking with. 

10.02.26 Lucky we left when we did...

       We left Bluffton at 630 and headed north on Interstate 95. It was an easy ride and when we got to Bucee's in Florence we got a text from Lauren asking us if we were involved or stuck in the big accident that happened on the bridge over Lake Marion in Santee, South Carolina. The accident involved about 40 vehicles, including 15 tractor trailers. 

     Amazingly no one was seriously injured and there were no fatalities. We were trying to figure out where we were when the accident happened and I was able to check the lone picture, below, that I took as we drove through that area. 

     That picture was taken at 757 am and the accident occurred, at that spot, a little after 9 o'clock. Interestingly, the fog must have got worse which probably was a factor due to visibility in the area. You just never know where and when stuff like this is going to happen. Lucky for us the entire ride was uneventful, and actually enjoyable. We decided to head to Cape May and made plans to drive to Lewes, Delaware, and reservations to take the ferry over to Cape May. 

      The directions said it would take 10 hours and 45 minutes and it was pretty much spot on, plus the hour and half for the ferry ride over to New Jersey. This route took us off 95 as soon as we crossed over into Virginia. It was there we both first saw our first cotton field. 

       We got to Norfolk and then made a left and headed north towards the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. It would be another first for both of us. The bridge-tunnel-bridge-tunnel-bridge is an engineering marvel. It's located at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and is 17 miles long and takes about a half and hour to cross. 

      I was amazed when we approached the first, of I think three, tunnels, which have long spans between them. You can see below how one of the tunnels sits between two bridge spans.

     As many times as I've looked at the map I never realized how wide the entrance to the CB was. I shouldn't have been surprised as the opening of the Delaware Bay is 23 miles wide. When we hit the other side we went looking for food. There was nothing around Cape Charles but we did find a local fish market and kitchen. It was crab cakes, shrimp, hushpuppies, fries for us but what the lady ordered after me made me do a double take, "Two pounds of toads please". 

     "Toads, like frogs?", I asked. No these are a Virginian-Eastern Shore delicacy and are called the "chicken wings of the sea". They are actually called Sugar Toads, because they taste sweet like sugar and are as ugly as toads. They are actually fish, the northern pufferfish. 

I know we have them in New Jersey but down here it's a thing. I've never tasted them but if they had them on the menu I would have tried some. 

     We dined as we drove not wanting to miss the ferry at 745. Taking this route was like taking a tour across the heartland of America, not that I've ever been. Long, flat roads, with minimal lights or traffic, that takes you through farmlands and small towns. And while it was scenic after 11 hours of driving we were ready to be back in Cape May. So we were happy when we rolled into the ferry terminal.

     Taking the ferry over reminded me of the ride out of Woods Hole over to Martha's Vineyard. It's pretty much run the same way as the Steamship Authority does it. I guess a ferry is a ferry. We drove on and seemed to have been loaded by car color as they were all white on the one side, but overall the ferry was pretty empty.

      It felt good to roll into Cape Island and get into the house. It was about a 13 hour day but again luckily we missed the accident, had an easy and stress free drive, and saw some pretty cool things. We'll have a day and a half before the weddings begin, but I can say it's nice to be back in New Jersey. 

10.01.26 Gettin' ready to hit the road, nice to help a brother out, and why not....

     Well yesterday was a mad scramble to get things tightened up before we hit 95 north for New Jersey. Lots to pack up into the Suburban and a check list of things to do at home and The Fly Barn. I spent some time with the push mower just to give the grass a tight trim. Hopefully is doesn't grow buck wild while I'm gone. With the recent focus on the fence and the siding I soon hope to turn my

hope to turn my attention to the getting the boats, well at least the skiff, ready for some time on the water. I'm thinking of dropping it off and having it onced over by a boat guy before taking her out. On the way home I stopped at a place way, way in the back that was getting flooded on the big tide. 

     I've heard that during the winter months redfish explore far from the bigger waters, even to the point where they stuck on the dropping tides. I'll be ready to finally find some fish when I return in November. 

     It's a straight shot down some long country roads going from Ridgeland to Bluffton. There's not much on the road and on one long stretch there's just a firehouse occupied by Jasper County Fire - Rescue. As I made my way south I saw a firetruck pull out and park across the street, partially blocking traffic. At first I thought he was going to back in but as I got closer I saw the smoke. 

     By the time I got there the lone firefighter had stretched a hose line and was putting water on a tractor trailer that was hauling garbage. Something inside must have combusted and it was just starting to take off. He was alone, so I grabbed my turnout coat and went over to see if he wanted a hand. He looked at the patch on the arm and said, "Hey brother, Newark, can you take this line?". 

     He wanted to get the driver to dump the load and pull the tractor away so it didn't also catch fire. He's a one man show, a paid Lieutenant manning the station, driving, and beginning firefighting before the next companies arrive which is some distance away. So basically he had to hear the driver laying on the airhorn in front of the firehouse, instruct him where to park, radio it in, drive the apparatus, put it in pump, stretch the line, wet it, and then operate it. That's pretty impressive in the few minutes it took me to get from where I was down the street to where he was. In my Newark days engine companies ran with one officer and four firefighters. 

     While he handled the driver and the truck the one side was knocked down so I went and grabbed a hook off the truck to start opening up the tightly packed garbage on the other side. Realizing it would take more overhaul then just a few pokes with a hook we stretched a second line to keep it in check,

thus hitting it from both sides. It's been a bit since I had a nozzle in my hand, and yes, I miss it, tremendously, even shitty garbage fires like this. Soon his help arrived and then there were three. 

     Not wanting to linger I told him nice job and I tip my hat to him, especially if he had a structure fire and had to do the same thing. He asked if I would like to join, "Either paid or volunteer", and I answered, "No, I'm good brother", and let him get back to work. 

     If there were a few firemen there when I approached I wouldn't have stopped but with just one guy, it just felt like the right thing to do. I always carry that turnout coat and first aid bags with me for just these kind of situations. While not life threatening or medical in any way, it's still nice to assist when I can. I never want to feel helpless if, well, when, I come across these things, and I seem to do it a lot. Just the other day near that bridge where I fish there was a two-car head-on crash, with two people needing to be Medevacked from the scene. I wasn't there, but was earlier before it happened. You just never know when and where you'll be when things go sideways. 

     And before we head out today we both did some job searching, contacting, and interviewing. We both got our fingerprints done yesterday for the FBI background checks which is the last thing we need to get our nursing licenses endorsed by South Carolina. 

     I also had some correspondence from the Dean of Nursing at the University of South Carolina so that may be an option for me to consider. I don't do Indeed, but today I did and found out Hilton Head is looking for an Assistant Public Safety Director, so hey why not me?

     I did it to just do it. You never know. At least my application and resume went though because I got email back from Hilton Head's HR department shortly after I submitted it. 

     I think my chances are slim to none, but, you never know where you might wind up in this life. Who woudda thought that I would ever be penning this blog from South Carolina? 

09.30.26 Well, the fat lady hasn't sung just yet...

 

     Well that was worth $185. We took the pick up to Clearview Automotive for a total, and I mean total, pre-purchase inspection. They test drove it had it on the lift for 90 minutes. The mechanic brought Theresa and I back and we got the full diagnosis, the potential remedies, and recommendation on if it's a good truck or not. The good, "It's a clean truck", "Nothing catastrophic", and the bad, "It needs some attention to make it road worthy". Ouch. And then he started pointing things out.

     Now I know it's 16 years old and has a ton of miles. The new trans the dealer put in, not to worry. They go all the time and putting one in isn't a big deal. The puddle under the truck after running it, well that's not good. 

     What is it about used trucks down here and the radiators? Like the big Silverado we looked at last week this one blew the radiator as well. I'm not sure if I just missed this or it happened during the test drive. But it needs to be replaced, like now. And then there's two oil leaks. One at the 

"Oil adapter plate" and one small leak at the valve cover gasket, which he said, "If you replace one you might as well do both". He also had a list of other things, either not earth shattering nor a deal killer, that have to be addressed at some point. Things like wiper blades, the step rails, a TPMS (tire sensor), and a bulb or two. But the big ones, the radiator, the valve cover gaskets, and the oil adapter plate, he gave us a parts and labor price on. The big three can be done for $1,515.57. 

     He provided us his findings and estimates in a very thorough report. I was amazed, first, that the used car dealer let me take it for over two hours, and the shop offered this type of service, and were as thorough as they were. We then went back to the dealer, before stopping to put some

gas in it to make it back to the lot. And yes the gas gauge works, it was just on dead empty. We then had a sit down with the owner's son who was manning the lot. "Wow, I didn't know that, we'll have to get it all fixed for you". What? What kind of used car salesmen are these guys? Honest. Transparent. And not defensive in any way. They kind of left me shaking my head. My thinking was to get him to come off the price by a thousand or so and I'd handle it, but he insisted he wanted to make it right, and would provide all the documentation that it was done correctly. Is this an episode of The Twilight Zone? 

     Before we left I snapped a shot of the two trucks sitting side by side. With these new developments any final deals won't be made before we head back to New Jersey. Of course, they said they will make it right and hold it for me? Again, WTF am I missing here? 

     We were pretty much fried from all the truck stuff so we headed for lunch at a little recommended hole in the wall Mexican restaurant. I've never been but sitting there I felt like I was. It was lunchtime and the constant stream of workers and non-workers confirmed we were in a good place. I'm lucky we ate early because I don't know how chimichanga's and running up and down the court would go together. 

     I got to the gym at 5 and hour early before my debut on the court. I stretched, I biked, I stair climbed, I shot around.....I waited. And no one showed up. Not one.

     At 557 I said to Theresa, "No one's coming to play, I'm hitting the hot tub". Kinda like a little kid waiting for his Dad to show up. I later went on the app for the mens league and saw that guys decide, virtually, if they are coming or not if there's enough, or the right, people coming to play. Now they'll have to wait for over a month to get a piece of me. 

09.29.26 Fall has arrived, hit the dump, scored at the thrift store, and a night early....

     Fall officially arrived in the Lowcountry last week. It's like somebody turned off the humidity switch and now the days are just glorious. Fifty degrees in the morning with highs in the upper 80's during the peak during the day. The big thing is you don't sweat just walking around. While the leaves don't change like they do in the northeast they do decorate for fall down here like I used to up in New Jersey. Somehow our fall wreath made it down here intact so I hung it up and it just looks good. One thing about downsizing, you only need a taste to be reminded what season you're in. Back "home" I would have searched through the attic for all things fall and spread them out inside and out of the house, with more things still tucked away, probably never to be seen again. Simple. Quick. Easy.

     One thing different down here is how Jasper County handles garbage and recycling. They have multiple centers where you can come and drop-off your daily garbage, construction debris, recycling, and just about anything else, included the dreaded used oil, tires, chemicals, and even paint.

     So Theresa and I loaded up the cut-offs from the fence and took advantage of their Southern hospitality. Back home I would have either had to pay for a dumpster or stored it in the yard and added in to those bins supplied by Waste Management, adding a little each week until it's gone. There's a constant flow there between people dropping stuff off and trucks switching out empty containers with the full ones. Finding this was a nice surprise. 

     We're heading back to New Jersey on Thursday checking off a couple of boxes. We have three weddings, want to visit with family, and have to close down Cape May down for the year. Two of the weddings are "Black Tie", and I won't even go into my thoughts on that, but, I can say that attire requirement adds a lot of stress to attendees, like me. For me, it would be like having a pool party and putting on the invitation, "Bikinis only", or "BMI's less than 25" required. 

     When we were downsizing back home the closets weren't spared from the edit. I gave away lots of clothes, including a tuxedo I had purchased from Kohls's years ago. Down here I dug through the bins and boxes and found a suit, but it was more midnight blue with black in it, which, I've learned, would be a fashion faux pas, and a violation. So it was off to find a black suit. And you know where I was getting that.

    The Bargain Box is Hilton Head Island's oldest thrift store. If you look above it's open and people have to wait their turn to get inside. It's kind of like how an Estate Sale is run. Sometimes, I was told, there's 50-100 people in line, so we joined in and waited our turn. 

     It took about 30 minutes for us to get inside. As soon as I walked in I saw the below sign which just brightened my day. The rack was full of suit jackets but only a few with matching pants. 

As I moved the jackets from left to right I stopped at a black pin striped jacket, and there were pants hanging with them. While I felt like I had found the mother lode, Theresa was less then impressed, most likely wishing we were at the Men's Warehouse or Jos. A Banks. So off to the dressing room I went. 

    With a little taken off the legs this will be just fine. I might have to withhold eating and drinking until Saturday but it will work and I will blend in nicely on the dimely lit dance floor. You know, the one I'll be cutting across to get to the bathroom.  

     For six bucks I added a pair of Bostonians and for two bucks each a black tie, well there you go, and a pair of dress socks. The only bummer was I had to got to TJ Max for a shirt, which is brand new, and set me back $16. So for $36 I am now outfitted properly and should make it past the fashion police at these two shin-dings. 

     But the real score at the thrift store came as I searched for those black shoes. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a pair of Korker wading boots, ones that had the BOA lacing system built in. 

     And the price tag on those.....$7.00, and they were size 11. New these boots would set you back about $200. So the day just kept getting better. 

     After wrapping up the suit search we hit Hudson's for lunch. While we were at the bar my phone pinged that I had an incoming text. It was Julio, the used car salesman, who was bringing me up to date on the current pick up situation. 

     Their detail guy was hard at work doing what used car lot detailers do, make things look better then they really are. Theresa is on the fence on this one, and I don't blame her. To me, this is like that feeling you get when you are waiting to pick up a new puppy from a breeder. Or more correctly, a pro sports team waiting for the physical results for a player you are about to make a big trade for. Well today, the truck is off to see the Doctor, so we'll see how that goes. 

     We stopped by for a quick visit. Theresa didn't know about the text and when we rolled in she said, "They better have cleaned that thing up". I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw her sitting there drying out in all her newly shampooed and Armor All'ed glory. 

     They say if you put lipstick on a pig in the end it's still a pig, but, this swine does look good on the outside. But truthfully, I'm nervous as hell. First, that's she's a solid truck, or not, two, it's a good deal, and three, and most important, that something doesn't go sideways after we buy it and Theresa will have that to hang over for head for the rest of my life. 

     When we were at dinner the other night one of the guys belongs to a basketball league in Sun City. I've been looking to get into something physical so right there I joined up and signed in for this weeks game. So while looking in the garage for that suit that I thought I had I dug out my old kicks and shorts to get ready. I haven't had them on, nor played basketball, in well over 10 years. But at least I didn't have to go back to the thrift store for an outfit. 

     After a quick power nap Theresa woke me up and said it was time to go, that was at 548 with a 6 o'clock start. That didn't leave me much time to stretch out and shoot around. But when we arrived we both realized we were a day early, thankfully. But I did try everything on and grabbed a basketball to at least try to remember how to dribble. It's telling that I parked myself under the First Aid station with an AED nearby. 

     So I was in some kind of work out outfit and why let an opportunity go to waste. It's been a long, long time, probably 12 years, since I was doing two a days at the YMCA in Red Bank. How bad could it be? So I first jumped on the reclining bike before heading over to the stair master, where I did a 10 story climb. 

     After that I entered the gym, which is a mix of free weights and machines. I basically knew my way around and did a little test run at each station just to feel like I still had it. One thing I noticed, besides being older and a little weaker, is how stiff I am. They say if you don't move it you lose it, and that is definitely true. You can move around all day but if you don't push, or test, the limits of mobility and strength, then the muscle memory is gone, and mine has come and went. 

     I used a solid bar that they use in class to try and stretch, and it hurt. Touching my toes? Out of the question for now. It hurt at my hip joints and the muscles, or what should be muscles, in my legs. Yes, watching my diet as of late, and walking Luke around the neighbor hood is good, but I have to start moving, with a purpose. 

Todays a big day. Truck stuff during the day before hitting center court for a six o'clock tip off. I just hope the truck isn't running on life support and neither will I after some friendly ball with the Sun City fellas tonight. Deep down in this body I still have some muscles and some kind of b-ball game.