Does this mean we are OLD???

We became friends over storytelling.  When we met he told me he had been encouraged to write a book.  He said he didn’t know anything about writing a book so I told him I might know a little widow woman who could help him with that.

He has lots of stories.  He should write a book.  He tells stories very well.  I haven’t given up yet on helping him write his stories – some that I am now a part of – like this one – in his words.

We both had wanted to do this for some time.  And many people have asked us:  WHATEVER FOR???

We rode the bus from Mandarin to Downtown Jacksonville and back

Paula planned the day.  She knew how much the trip was going to cost; she knew the bus numbers and the times we would board, arrive downtown, and then return to Mandarin. She even included ice cream when we got back.

The bus was empty when we paid our fare and found a seat.  We hadn’t been on the bus long when a man who had been partying boarded.  He headed to the  back of the bus – and remained standing.

That wasn’t going to work for our driver, so she stopped the bus and told him he needed to sit down.  He ignored her.

It seemed to be getting a little tense.

“Do you have a gun in your pocket?”  Paula asked me.

“Am I wearing pants?” was my response.

The man sat down and our trip continued.  We were enjoying the ride and we believed that we were on our way to City Hall.

We arrived at the bus terminal between the Prime Osborn Center and the Greyhound Bus Station.  Somehow, we missed the fact that what we remembered about busses ending up in what we had known as Hemming Plaza was no longer true.

Our plan had been to see some of the buildings that are a part of the downtown Jacksonville of our youth.  But we took that in stride as we looked for bus #25 which Paula was sure was the one we needed.

As I paid the fare, I asked the #25 driver if he was going out San Jose Blvd. to Mandarin.  He must not have understood my question.

Our ride through San Marco was interesting and we took turns telling each other about this or that building and what we had done there. 

And then we got to University Blvd and turned LEFT.

UH OH

Paula kept saying “he’ll turn right at the next intersection”, but that never happened.

We made many turns.  It felt like we were just going in circles.  And then the driver pulled into the University/Phillips Hub.

"This is the end of the route", the driver said.

We should have boarded bus #17.  I was quiet.  Paula was quieter.

The bus driver was kind.  He could get us to a stop where we could catch bus #17.  And he wouldn’t charge us.

He seemed concerned about us crossing a busy highway.  The silver streaks in Paula’s hair must have told him we are not young!! 

At the appointed stop, he directed us to a bus stop for #17.

It was very hot.  I held Paula's hand as we carefully crossed the busy street and walked a long way to the bus stop. 

30 minutes and three dollars later, we were on our third bus, this time with a very pleasant driver.

We arrived at the Marbon bus stop and headed for Daily’s where we planned to enjoy some ice cream.

Paula’s neighbor came from behind the counter. He had a tray of chicken sandwiches.  Would Paula like one? They were free.

“I’m with her,” I said.

So we both enjoyed a chicken sandwich, then the ice cream.

Paula planned for the afternoon’s budget to be $7.50 because she knew ice cream was a part of the adventure.  We ended up with it costing just over $11.

But we had done what we wanted to do.  And a few days down the road we agree.  We had fun!

We didn't see what we wanted to, however - so we need another trip into town.  Maybe we'll Uber.

Paula’s saving her money.

 May your life have enough sunshine   

To make you appreciate the shadows