Boiled P-nuts

We had a fabulous time in Florida, thanks to the hospitality of Susi Westfall and her team at CityWrights, to Len and Rita in Boca and Carrie and Carlos in Anna Maria. I'm excited to have finally made it to Summer Shorts, which has welcomed my plays for two years now, as well as to have swam in the Gulf of Mexico and ridden on a wave runner -- all firsts for me, and all memorable moments.

Sadly, our time in Florida ended on Tuesday, when we began the inevitable trek westward once again. As you can see from our map (yes, we still use a paper atlas, as well as Siri and our cell phones), we drove to Miami on the east coast and back north on the west coast, traveling as far as Tifton, Georgia, before heading west into Alabama. But we didn't leave Georgia without partaking in the fine southern tradition of boiled peanuts at Mark's Farm Stand. Of course, local peaches, tomatoes, corn, melons, honey, Americana and mosquitoes were also in abundant supply.

Yes, boiled peanuts looks like roaches, but they taste like edamame -- they're boiled in a salty, vinegary brine that softens them and confirms their identity as a legume, not a nut.

Georgia peaches are indeed sweet and yummy.

We drove to Montgomery on the Jefferson Davis Highway while listening to NPR on the 50th anniversary of LBJ's signing of the Civil Rights Act. As we passed through many towns that still felt segregated by economics, we couldn't help but ponder how far we still have to go to create a nation where all men and women are created and treated as equals.

Wednesday evening took us from Montgomery to Tuscaloosa, where Justin and Katie are living. We fought hell in the form of lightening and thunder and high water to get there, driving straight into yet another massive storm cell. It was so bad we had to pull over at a gas station to wait it out. But when a power outage thrust the station into pitch black darkness, we hit the road again. It was a treacherous and scary journey, but we obviously made it. Seeing Justin and Katie was a great reward the next morning. 

We left Tuscaloosa on Thursday and drove to Tupelo and then to Memphis, where we crossed the Mississippi River.

We saw five state lines in one day today: Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri -- all beautiful, yet all different, from flat farmland to the rolling hills of the southern Ozarks. We've also met some really nice people, like Bill Mears, the collision mechanic from Harrison, Arkansas, one of the many folks who have stopped by to look at the teardrop. 

Tonight, we're sleeping in a Walmart parking lot in southern Missouri. Life, it seems, can be very beautiful here on the eve of Independence Day in the heartland.