Monday, October 8, 2012

Good-bye TJ...








My
last day
with
TJ...






These last
3 days
have
gone
fast!







well,
actually....







the last
18
years ...









have
spun
by....














like
a
top.







Weren't
you born
just
yesterday...









youngest
of
the
four...







and
the
only
boy?





Wasn't it
just
this morning
I could carry
you
in a
backpack?








and
you
were
riding
through
the rain?






Only a little while ago
your
first
Family
Nature
Summit?














And now
you
need
to shave...
















and I'm leaving
you
in
Mississippi....






Our
last
day...







last
Sub-
way.







It's
good-bye
to
Beluga,
too.





We
drive
out....













to
check
out

his
temporary
housing...







Not
bad,
TJ.







C'mon,
Mom.

Let's
go.


But, TJ...






the
roads
are
flooded!









We'll
find
a
way,
he says!


To
the
Gulf
of
Mexico!








We
go
exploring...









and
then
settle
down...







for a
rousing
game
of
chess.







TJ
won.


:(







Then
we're
off...








drivin'
down
Highway
Ninety!








This
road
was
underwater
two
days
ago....








They plowed
off the sand
like
we
plow
off snow!






And
with
global
warming
lapping
at the
beach....





No wonder
every
gulfside
house
is
For Sale!






We
take
a
break
back
at our hotel...








a few hours
with
our
computers...









and
thinking
about
the
future...






Then
back
to
the
oceanside...








for
a
Bonefish
dinner!












Here's
to
Habitat!







After
dinner
we browse
the
beach....






sketch
in
the
sand...








and
play
one
last
game....








We
watch
the west sky
get
dark...









and east
the
Mississippi
moon
rise....








It's
time
to
say
Good-bye...








Good-bye
to
TJ....













Good-bye
to
TJ....















and
Hello...







to
the
Empty
Nest....










The
Empty
Nest...







The
Empty
Nest!







Three
cheers!