Although my high school geometry grades were atrocious, to the point that I think I barely squeeked by, I remember that circles have diameters as a distance across and a radius as half of that. It probably stretches the truth to say: a circle with a diameter of 250 is what you get when you drive to the farthest reaches of Georgia and back again. It was a 500 mile road trip, going from Columbus south to Thomasville and Valdosta, and on to St. Mary's, within rock throwing distance of both the Atlantic Ocean and the Florida state line. Not really a perfectly shaped O, but still since I did get there and back again, think I deserve credit for making the oddly-shaped, looping trip last weekend. Plus that's the sum total of what I retain from geometry class.
I do remember something about 'pi' and 3-point something or other, for using a string to measure around the circle, multiply by whatever and poof! the answer appears in the little viewing space, when you shake and flip over the Magic 8 Ball! If all this supposition is wrong, please forgive my mathematical ineptness. Mark it up to literary discretion/license?
I had a good (ie: uneventful) trip roadwise. It was an opportunity to perfect my U-turn skills, as there were a number of times when I would think: this isn't right, and decide to go back and start over as things would begin to look more and more unlike what my printed instructions indicated. Driving across south GA is always good, though possibly not particuarly scenic, as all those pine trees, palmetto fronds and swampy right-of-ways can start looking identical after a hundred miles.
There were times, sitting in the backseat of the family Ford Fairlane station wagon, or road-hog Buick LeSabre that the distance between Valdosta and the marshes of Glynn County seemed to be twelve hours apart. And maybe they were, when driven by a parent who was continually swatting towards the disagreeableness of back-seat siblings, and stopping every hour for a potty-break. Plus knowing the narrow two lane highway had a speed limit of 55 m.p.h., and local cops hiding behind every billboard inches away from a reduced speed sign to catch innocent, unknowing passers-by.
This past weekend, I had plans to go to Kingsland to visit a friend from high-school days. The only person from the foggy past I have kept in touch with since graduating, though mostly with birthday cards and Christmas news-letters. We had a good visit, and enjoyed a bit of sightseeing in St. Marys. Like most towns that have been invaded by military installations, there are long stretches of commercial establishments, one fast food place after another, interspersed with discount stores, used car lots, tire sales rooms and rental storage units. In my lifetime, the Navy base that is probably the mainstay of the economy did not exist, but the government payroll is most likely what keeps the community going and growing.
I had not been to St. Mary's in fifteen years, the last time being as the way point for a day trip to Cumberland Island National Seashore. The jumping off place where the ferry docks, has changed, but I am pretty sure that the Island remains as undeveloped and natural as ever. A beauty-full place to go and spend the day or the weekend (if you want to take everything you will need to wear, eat, drink, sleep in with you.)
I left home on Thursday morning and got back on Saturday - not so exhausting that I felt jet-lagged. It was a good trip... including the stop in Lakeland to visit another friend I don't see often enough, where we sat on her back porch and drank a warm cup of lemon-ginger tea, enjoying the last ray of the afternoon sun, setting through the piney woods.
And I am leaving again on Friday! Heading north... so that's another story....
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