Sitting Out on the Lake

We back in Harper. Hollis went back to school today and I just sat out on the lake. It was 61 degrees so my co-cola thermometer said and it was partly cloudy (I could tell that myself.) So I taken my eye pod what Hollis give me and dialed around to my favorite album called "Puccini Without Words" and listened away. If any of y'all interested that's a good way to get into opera, just listening to the music without them singers. I like singing too but it's because I been listening to it all my life. You know with my daddy playing his Victrola in the living room. Of course, like I told y'all my mama were in the kitchen listening to Roy Acuff on her plastic radio. So I got to like both opera and opry. So I'm listening to some Madame Butterfly stuff and watching our osprey swoop around and just as relaxed as I could be, when what to my wandering eyes should appear but Trixie. That's one welcome home I didn't need.
Tomorrow: Trixie Fills Me In

Hollis' funny name of the day:
T. Doff is very angry

Back in Atlanta

We home. I mean we back in Atlanta, but it feels like home. The temperature was 69F when we landed. Way better than the 42F we left behind in London. Last night I just watched the telly while Hollis went off to tell his girlfriend goodbye. Glad I warn't there to see that. Anyway she'll be back at Millsaps in April. I don't reckon it'll kill him to be without her that long. The flight back was okay. We followed the sun so it was daylight the whole way. Hollis says I ain't as apt to get jet slag coming this way. I can't figure that one out. Our cousins picked us up at the monster airport they got here in Atlanta.  They brung us back to their house and grilled steaks and asparagus on the patio. It was good to get some American food for a change. Tomorrow me and Hollis is headed back to God's country. He had brung his jeep over and we riding it back. So glad to be this close to Harper. Thank you, Lord.
Tomorrow: Just Sitting Out on the Lake

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Avery Littlejohn has a small bathroom

Getting Ready to Come Home

Today we're fixing to get ready to prepare to come home. I said it like that cause Hollis is always making fun of me cause I'm always fixing to do something. Anyway we packing our bags. I remembered I ain't bought nothing for Dorothy here in England so I went across the street to that big store and what I seen I thought she might like was this plate with a picture of William and Kate on it. Dorothy almost went nuts when Princess Di and that prince guy got hitched and I knew she would like something about this upcoming wedding. I don't know if y'all know but William is Lady Di's son. They all say he is real nice like his mother was. I seen a little wood box filled with tea bags and got that for her too. Hollis was funning me earlier today and said our plane was gonna stop in Egypt. He had me for a minute but I could see in his eyes he was fooling. I seen on the telly (that's what they call TV over here) where Egypt peoples was all out in the street running around and throwing things. We ain't never had no gatherings like than in Harper since the Piggly Wiggly had hog's head cheese on sale last year. Of course our crowd warn't running and throwing. We heading down to Cat's Wick tomorrow.
Tomorrow: Back in Atlanta

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Katy Barr guards the door

The Tower and Anbow Lynn

We leaving sometimes this weekend to come home. I know I'm excited. One of the things I miss most about Harper is Dorothy's cooking and Dorothy some too. Today we was out and about London and one of the things we seen was the Tower of London. The tower ain't much of a tower at all, but it is a pretty good size old, old building. Inside you can see the exact spot where Anbow Lynn got her head cut off. Some peoples say she got her neck cut off, but I think that would take two cuts and from what I heard there was just one. Anbow Lynn was Henry D Yates second wife and was the mother of Elizabeth number one. Elizabeth One was the queen that looked like she was going bald. Now I ain't gonna lead you wrong, the stand and the ax and all that stuff warn't there, just a nice little green marked off part of the yard. In this tower there was a jail house and a lot of ole English folks was kept here. Another thing they has here is the crowd jewels. They is these great big precious stones and they is called the crowd jewels because there is always at big crown around to look at them. They got so many peoples that they made a moving walk to push you past so peoples won't hang on too long gawking. Didn't take me long; one little peek were enough for me.
Tomorrow: Getting Ready to Head Home

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Candy Klein has the right to refuse

The Opera

We taken a taxi. Hollis had kinda pushed me to go out an buy a new suit and shirt and tie. I wouldn't buy no new shoes though. My Sunday ones is good enough. All that stuff cost a lot but I ain't never gonna spend what I got no way. We got to the opera and I'm telling you the people that was there looked like they was all butlers in them old movies. The mens was dressed like Fred Astaire and the womens was really all frilled up. We had good seats right down front. Now like I said I know how the music is gonna go with my daddy spending his young years with that Italian family in New Orleans and all. They started playing the overturn and I couldn't help but close my eyes and imagine I was sitting on Harper Lake with a soft breeze on my face. I had to try not to notice all them different kinds of perfumes. I opened my eyes a couple of times during the show; one was when Figgy Rowe sang his piece. He was good. You know he was the same guy what got married in Mose Hart's opera. I have to say I am glad Hollis taken me and all, but ain't nothing like sitting on my lake and listening to the overturn and watching that ole osprey fly all around like he could hear the music too.
Tomorrow: The Tower and Anbow Lynn

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Gladys Canby couldn't be happier

Hollis Goes Off Somewheres With His Girl

Hollis and his girlfriend left early this morning on another walking tour around London. They like to go places that they read about in books even if the books didn't really happen. Today they was taking a "Saturday" walk and ride where this doctor in this book went. Hollis wanted to see exactly what the London Flyover was. I ain't got no idea what he's talking about. Well, I warn't supposed to get out on my own but I did anyway. I warn't gonna get lost again because I used my good noticing skill to remember where I went. I wanted to go down and ride that big wheel. And I did find my way there. I'm getting to understand what peoples are saying better after my time here and I try to talk real clear so they will understand me. On the wheel high up over the city I seen where we was staying and up and down the river they call Tim's River. I met some people in my car on the wheel from Germany and some others from Australia. I told the Australia folks that I did not know Oprah but we was both from Mississippi. I ain't told y'all this, but Hollis printed up a bunch of cards inviting people to tune in to my blog. I handed some out cause I has had peoples from all kinds of countries looking in. That makes me real happy. Hollis had a big surprise when he come home. He had got tickets to the opera. We going tonight to see "The Barbershop in Seville."
Tomorrow: The Opera

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Phil R Rupt works down at the filling station

I'm 'bout Ready to Head Home

Last night was the first night we stayed away from the flat across from the food court. I didn't sleep too good. And today we been riding around the English countryside (on the wrong side of the road.) You gotta pay for everything with what they call pounds and the temperature is called C instead of F and I'm 'bout ready to head home. We got a couple more days because thats what our tickets say. On the way back to London we went through this little town and peoples was in town shopping around just like they do in Harper. Kinda made me homesicker than I already was. We was hungry so we had what they call tea. It's like a little meal later in the day. One big thing they don't have over here is sweet tea. They drink their tea hot just like it was coffee and put a lot of milk in it. And the sugar comes in little cubes what they call lumps. I don't reckon I would ever get used to that. We made it back in and I went right over to that food court and got me some good stuff to eat. I ain't gonna tell y'all what it was cause I ain't never heard of it before but it was some kind of fish with a yellowish sauce on it. I have to say it was tasty especially with all them vegetables I got with it.
Tomorrow: Hollis Goes Off Somewhere With His Girl

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Cherry Pitt broke my tooth

Rye

Today was a nervous day for me. Hollis rented a car, you know with the wheel on the wrong side. And we went off driving down the wrong side of the road like they do over there to the town of Rye. Now I may not always notice the same things everybody else notices, but this place was like something in a old pirate movie. I found out while they is 2 miles from the sea now, it used to lap right up on the town limits. Can you believe the sea can move that far? I mean like I walk out one morning and Harper Lake is done down at the county line or something. Well back then this Norman family come over from France (see what I'm telling you about that place) and captured all of England. We got some Van Normans in Harper, I reckon they may be kin to this bunch, but they all good peoples far as I know. We stayed in this hotel that was hundreds of years old and it smelled like it too. The cafe downstairs was real high priced and they had some things that I didn't care for like raw salmon and fish eggs. And they called tomaters ta mah toes. I'm gonna have to say we had a good time though. My room had a secret passageway what went to the kitchen. I didn't have no need to use it. One trip to the kitchen was enough for me.
Tomorrow: I'm 'bout Read to Head Home

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Faye Rowe is ancient

Dover

Today me and Hollis taken the train to the town of Dover. It was a tough day for me because of all the climbing and walking, but it was one of the best days since we been here. We got off the train in downtown Dover and Hollis got us a taxi up to Dover Castle. It is way up on a hill. The driver let us out on this road sorta behind the castle and we had to walk around and up a big hill to the gate. Wore me out. When we was inside we saw all kinda things. One was a roman light house cause Dover is right on the sea. We got some food in the castle cafe and it warn't too good. It was the worse eating we had in England. We walked all over that place and saw a lot of things. Then we went to see the white cliffs. They're called the White Cliffs of Dover and they is something to see. You know they had a song about them cliffs a long time ago. I think it was during WWII. From on top of the cliffs on a clear day if you strain real hard and make up your mind to it you can see the country of France. I didn't see it and that was my only chance cause I sure ain't going there. My Uncle Angus what was there during the war told me some things about them folks that makes me want to stay away.
Tomorrow: Rye

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Sawyer Bloomer has shiny shoes

Author's Homes

Looks like a lot of peoples what wrote books used to live in England. Me and Hollis and that girl went out together to look at their homes. We had been to some already out in England, but a whole bunch had houses in London. There was one section what had a bunch of places called Bloomsbury or something like that. I don't remember the names, but Hollis and that girl got a big kick out of looking 'em over. I think one of 'em was named David Copperfield, the same as that magic guy. They kept talking about David and where all he went around and about London. And one was named Oliver. And one that got me was Tom Elliot. They said he was born in St. Louis but come over here and stayed. I think he wrote a lot of poems. Y'all can probably tell I am in a struggle with today's post. I need to get them to learn me more about these peoples before I head into their houses and try to understand. Sorry folks. Tomorrow will be better. I promise.
Tomorrow: Dover

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Jay Walker gets a lot of tickets

Churches

We already been in a bunch of churches. Almost every town we went had one real big main church. In everyone of 'em you could have put all the churches in Harper County and still had room for more. I ain't gonna talk about but two; the two we was in today. The first one is called St. Paul's Church. It was built after the first one by that name was burned up by a mighty fire. That was hundreds of years ago. Now they is working on cleaning it up (I don't mean from the fire.)  Peoples was everywhere working on it. This is the church where Princess Di and that prince guy was married. We got a guy in Harper looks just like him. Nobody thinks our man is the least bit good-looking. Hollis got on one side of this balcony and whispered to me on the other side. I heard every word. I bet over the years a lot of peoples got in trouble with that. The other church is Westminster Abbey. It is older cause it has been around for about 1000 years. This is where Prince William and his girl friend is gonna get hitched. It is also the place where a lot of kings and queens and famous English people is buried right in the church. I looked around at the grave markers and saw a lot of names that was the same as people living in Harper. I reckon some of them is kin. It cost a lot of money to go into both of these churches. I am glad they don't charge to go into the ones in Harper. They have too much trouble getting peoples to come as it is.
Tomorrow: Author's Homes

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Hal Ling talks to the moon

Isle of Wight

Y'all probably remember that one of the things I read about in those leaflets Hollis brought to me was where Queen Victoria stayed a lot. It's Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. On the way there we went by almost every kind of transportation you ever heard of. We walked to the tube station, took the tube to the railway station, rode the train to the port, rode a hovercraft to the island, took a bus to the gates of Osborne House, was picked up by a man and his kid driving a carriage with some kind of little horse pulling it. Wow! Osborne House ain't like no castle or palace. It's just a big ole house. A nice house but no palace. We seen where the queen slept and died, her husband's bathroom, where she was laid out after she died, where she wrote her letters, and a bunch of other things. The yard was big and pretty. We ate at this little restaurant on the grounds. I had what they called winter soup. It was full of vegetables and had turnips in it. I ain't never had soup with turnips but I'm gonna tell Dorothy and get her to make me some when I get home. Lord willing I do. We was having good weather, not too cold or rainy. But when we left the house and was waiting for the bus, it come up a real heavy rain. We was still wet some when we got back to the flat.
Tomorrow: Churches

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Pat Down works at the airport

The Other Southerner in London

Lo and behold there was a woman outside that station where I was lost at who heard me talking and walked right up to me and asked me if I was from the South. I was so excited I didn't know what to do. It turned out this lady was from Dublin, Georgia and was in London shopping for a new dining room table. Now ain't that hard to believe. But I didn't care why she was there. I was just glad she was. She heard me asking for help to get back to where we was staying and it just happened she was staying kinda close to us.
She could tell from how I described what was around where we was at. I told y'all I was real good at noticing things. Well, me and that woman, her name was Smith, rode back--we had to change lines just once--to the exact tube stop where I got on earlier that day. She even walked around the corner with me and watched while I climbed up the steps to the building where our flat was at. I waved a thank you and probably will never see her again. But if any of y'all know a Mrs. Smith from Dublin, Ga who was shopping for a dining room table in London in January 2011 tell her thanks a heap. She's real nice.
Tomorrow: The Isle of Wight

Hollis' funny name of the day:
M. T. Head ain't too smart

Lost in LondonI

Today didn't turn out too good. Hollis asked me if I would be alright hanging out around the flat for a few hours while he and that girl went on a London walk. He said she had the day off and wanted to go on the Mrs. Dalloway walk. I told Hollis he could write the name correct. I kept wanting to call her Galloway because we got Galloways in Harper. Ain't never heard of no Dalloways. Anyway Hollis said she was a character in this book and the whole book was about one day in her life. Huh? So I told him I would be just fine, but I wouldn't. After Hollis left I went across the street to look at all the pretty food in that food court. I spent about a hour there and decided I would walk out the other side of the store. That's when I made a big mistake. I seen the entrance to the tube stop and figured I would ride it down one stop and walk back. I got to studying some of the peoples around me and forgot to get off. When I did get off I walked what I thought was up and over to the side going back, but I ended up on a different line somehow. When I  didn't see any signs for the stops that seemed right I finally decided to get off. And you know what I seen when I did get off? A lot of trees and no city buildings. Much as I hated it I had to ask for help. But here's the deal. Nobody could understand a word I was saying and I shore couldn't understand them. Lord help me.
Tomorrow: The Other Southerner in London

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Scott Free in divorced

Stonehenge

Me and Hollis took another train out to go see Stonehenge. Stonehenge is a bunch of rocks all set up in a circle by peoples long, long ago. They think it may have been used for religious services. We got there after taking a bus ride out of Salisbury. I guess that's the town where they invented that steak recipe that Dorothy does so good. Anyway we got there and it was a big bunch of rocks like they said. Once again the problem is ain't nobody figured out how these peoples so many years ago could move things what was so heavy. That's gonna give me a lot to figure on when me and Willie is fishing. Hollis knows a lot of stuff but he don't know for sure how they did it. He told me that a book he read had a girl named Tess what come here on her last day of life. She had murdered a bad man and was being looked for by the cops. While she was running she stopped to rest at Stonehenge. There, a angel come to her and she asked the angel to let her die there instead of getting executed. And in her mind she did. She died right there. But Hollis said he ain't too sure she didn't just dream it and was really sent to prison and was killed there. Something about a black flag flying over the prison to show she was put to death.
Tomorrow: Lost in London

Hollis funny name of the day:
Winnie A. Rives has been waiting a long time.

A Trip to Oxford

Me and Hollis took a train out of London today. He bought us a special pass what let's us jump on a train and go anywhere we want to. Today we went to Oxford. You know that town that was named after the town in Mississippi where Ole Miss is at. Ha Ha. You know I'm just funning y'all. It's the other way around of course. I reckon. Anyway I found out Oxford ain't just one college. It's a whole bunch all called going to Oxford just to make it easier. Like when peoples out in the country say they from Harper just to make it easy for others to know where they live. At Oxford we climbed up the tower and looked out over the whole setup. You want believe it but I seen sheeps right close to the campus. The students there looked real smart so I didn't try to talk with 'em or tell 'em any stories. Just about dark me and Hollis catched another train and rode back to London. After we got off at the tube stop right next to that big store we went into that food court and got us some real nice food. I ain't going to try to tell you what it was cause I ain't never heard of it before. It was good though.
Tomorrow: Stonehenge

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Minnie Sota is cold and distant

Museums and Such

Today we went to a bunch of museums and art places. We rode the underground trains to everyone of 'em.
Hollis really knows how to get around. You'd think he'd been here before but he ain't. He said all you got to do is follow the little map and get on the right train. You see they got more than one train what comes through the stations and if you get on the wrong one you may end up in Scotland or some place like that. The museums was all good but you know how good I am at noticing things? Well the number one thing I noticed is when they carved them statues years and years ago nobody much wore any clothes. I didn't never think I would see so many nekked mens and womens in one building. I got real tired of looking at 'em. The thing I liked most was the Egypt stuff. Them peoples had quite a life back then. They buried their kings inside these big tombs called pyramids. The story I heard there is nobody can figure out how they was able to build anything that big and tall back then. How did they get them big rocks up to the top?
One thing I kept looking for in all them art places was welding art like I do. Since this stuff come from all over the world looks like somebody would do it. I would if they asked me.
Tomorrow: A Trip to Oxford

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Willie Bragg. You be he will.

We Arrive in England

We here. The plane ride was pretty good. That Hollis is something else. He got us the good seats up front.
Said he didn't usually get those seats but he wanted me to be rested and not get what he called jet slag. I don't reckon I got it cause I feel pretty good. We had two real good meals on the plane and was waited on hand and foot. We come into a airport called Cat's Wick down south of the city. Hollis had a car waiting for us what took us right to our apartment (they calls it a flat.) I ain't figured that out. They do drive on the wrong side of the road just like I read about and the steering wheel is on the wrong side too. The flat is right across the street from this big store called Herrods. I reckon it was named after that jewish king what treated Jesus so mean. Don't know why. There are two bedrooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms, and a living room/dining room combination. From the living room you can look right across and see what they call the food court of that big store. I know I'm going over there. Hollis said it might be a good idea for me to rest up and we could get a good start tomorrow. I think we going to some museums and such. They got a bunch of 'em here. Hollis went to see his girlfriend. I hope that don't surprise none of y'all.
Tomorrow: Museums and Such

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Thurston Hungar is miserable

Atlanta Airport

We on our way. Our cousin took us to a MARTA station called the Art Center Station. We got out with all our suitcases (we both had a little one and a big one) and made our way into the station. It was just like something you see in the movies or on TV. They was running a weekend schedule because of all the bad weather (a lot of peoples couldn't get to work) so we had to wait a while for a train. Then we had to stand up. I done pretty good. We was all underground and one of the stations looked like they had chipped it right out of solid rock. Right after the main downtown station we come up out of the ground and the rest of the trip was outside. I seen the airport way before we got there and whoo whee it was big. We got off the train and went right into the airport. It was built that way so you didn't have to walk outside or across any roads or nothing. We had to go through a inspection where we was made to take off our shoes and empty our pockets in to this little basket on a moving line. We got 'em all back though. I was beginning to be real sorry I gave in and decided to go on this trip. Now we is sitting here waiting for our plane to load. Hollis is typing away and I'm telling him a few more things like: when we gonna get there? (at 7 am their time) and will I be able to sleep on the plane? (Hollis says he is and I can too if I want to.) Y'all know I flew once on the way back from Korea, but that was different. I was a soldier then. Now I'm just a old man from Harper, Mississippi.
And I'm pretty nervous don't you know.
Tomorrow: We Arrive in England (I hope)

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Furston Goal is about to score

Getting a Airplane Out of Atlanta

I can't believe it. No mail again today. I ain't expecting nothing. Just saying I can't believe it. Me and Hollis took a ride or maybe a slide out of the neighborhood. Hollis has a four wheel drive jeep and that makes it better. It was a adventure though. He taken me to this restaurant where I got a $14.00 hamburger. Huh? Dorothy can give you one just as good for $3.50 and the tea is free. All you can drink. If everything goes like Hollis hopes it does, we will be flying out of here tomorrow night. I said I didn't think we could get to the airport and Hollis says we gonna ride a MARTA train. Whatever that is. I done seen a whole bunch of things I ain't never seen before here in Atlanta. Don't know if my brain can stand much more. Anyway it looks like this time tomorrow me and Hollis will be heading for England. Pray for me.
Tomorrow: Atlanta Airport

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Ford Driver buys American

More Pressure

We still snowed in. No mail. Airport closed. But plenty of food. They sure was ready for this shut down.
Hollis don't know everything. He come to me and told me that they still use miles in England. Well, by dang that's different. I warn't about to go to no place where I couldn't find my way back to where I started. Then Hollis said he warn't gonna beg me to go. But then he commenced to doing just that. He said I needed to start doing more stuff. He said the time will pass a lot faster than I can imagine and he has a real good place to stay. He swears I will have a good time. I reckon I ought to do this for him. I still can't figure out why it's so important to him. He's paying for everything and he's gone lots of other places by hisself. When I asked him why it was so important he said he just wanted me to get to see England before I really got settled at home. I reckon I'll go.
Tomorrow: Getting a Airplane Out of Atlanta

Hollis' funny name of the day:
N. D. Money is rich

Me and Hollis Has a Serious Talk

We snowed in. I mean big time. Can't even get out of the neighborhood. They say on the TV don't get out at all no matter what. And people still doing it. They got big trucks off the side of the big highways and all kind of peoples left their cars right on the road and got out and walked. They crazy over here. Now Hollis and me has had a lot of time to talk and he says he done bought my plane ticket to London and he got a place to stay with two bedrooms and a kitchen and everything. He really wants me to go with him. I said why go over there in the winter and he says it ain't as bad as it is here. But I says it's better in Harper than it is here. He says I need to start doing things so I can spend a little bit of the money I got saved up. I reckon that's right. Don't none of my kids need nothing except maybe Doreen, but she'd just waste it probably. Hollis showed me the temperature in London and it was 7 degrees. Just before I got real upset he said it warn't all that bad they has a different way to tell temperature. And I said they do everything wrong like temperature and driving on the wrong side of the road. And he told me they ain't got miles either. They got kilometers. I ain't going.
Tomorrow: More Pressure

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Y. Knott is an optimist

More About My Visit to Atlanta

You'd think they was expecting a hurricane the way they running around getting ready for this snow and ice storm. Me and Hollis went to the grocery store for our cousins this morning. I ain't never seen so many peoples. They was everywhere. They must have had a hundred peoples working at this big store because they was restocking almost every aisle. We took the groceries back to their house and Hollis suggested we drive down to the Little White House to kinda get out of their way. I'm glad we did. The Little White House ain't much bigger than my fishing cabin. It's pretty cozy but I was surprised that the president lived in such a small place when he come to Georgia. Y'all probably know Roosevelt come to Warm Springs, Georgia because it was good treatment for his polio. When he was coming here nobody much had any idea he had polio. Of course that was before he was president, but even after that no reporters used pictures of him in a wheel chair or with crutches or nothing. Today they takes a close up of a pimple on the president's nose. All in all it was a great day in Georgia. Now we is back in Atlanta just waiting to see how bad the storm is gonna get.
Tomorrow: Me and Hollis Has a Serious Talk

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Macon Thyme has a way with the girls

Atlanta Tour

Like I said me and Hollis is in Atlanta. I got a lot to say about what I seen today, but I ain't gonna do it now. If you ain't heard they tell us we is in for a big snow/ice storm here. I ain't looking forward to it but it's coming anyway. We has a lot to do to get ready and I am trying to be of help. Tomorrow when things is more settled I will have a lot more to tell you.
Tomorrow: More About My Visit to Atlanta

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Etta Bean has gas

Arrival in Atlanta

We finally pulled in. I found out later that the railroad gives way to freight trains and passengers have to just wait till the freight is gone past. I had to climb a big stairway what come out in a pretty small station. I was surprised it warn't big like the big city ones in movies. Hollis was waiting there and took me out of the station and right on to Peachtree Road. There was cars going ever which way. We went across this side street to  Hollis' car. It's kind of a sport car but I fit in pretty good. Hollis drove me all the way up Peachtree past all these tall buildings into what they call Buckhead. People was everywhere. We turned and headed west past the governor's house and then headed north across this river. My cousin's house is right across the river. I asked Hollis how he knew how to get around so good. He said because he had did it so much. The cousins was glad to see us and had some food ready for us. They had chili and a salad. They was both good. Hollis said that his girl was already in London and tomorrow he would give me a little trip around Atlanta. I reckon I didn't have nothing else to do.
Tomorrow: Atlanta Tour

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Kellin Wales is in trouble with Greenpeace

Train Ride

I mean that porter fellow come back right after we was moving and told me if wanted to get breakfast I needed to come with him right then. We went into a cafe car with tables and he sat me down with this young couple who was already eating. I had done had breakfast before I left but I got me a cup of coffee and a biscuit with honey. The young couple I found out was just married and was on their way home from a honeymoon in New Orleans. We got to talking and they laughed at just about all I had to say. They stayed right there until I finished my coffee and biscuit. When I tried to pay for my food the porter told me that since I had that little room it was all paid for. I told the bride and groom goodbye and God Bless and went back to my little room. I read a little King James Bible and before I knowed it that porter guy come back and told me last call for lunch. That's what they called dinner. He sat me across from this Afro-American woman who worked in a school library in Washington DC. I got her laughing too and we had a real good time. I just got a ham and cheese sandwich with french fries and pie and ice cream. Then I went back and watched a movie on this tiny little TV thing in my room. I dosed off through a good piece of Alabama and woke up with Birmingham outside my window. And darned if that porter didn't come in and take me to dinner. That's what they call supper. He sat me across from this man and woman who come from Baltimore in Maryland. They didn't laugh at nothing I said. They just sat there. After they told me where they was from I don't think they said nothing else. I went back to my room and they announced we was coming close to Atlanta. I could see the lights and everything, but the train stopped and went and stopped and went for about a hour. I was worried because Hollis was waiting at the station. Warn't nothing I could do though.
Tomorrow: Arrival in Atlanta

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Clare DeRoom needs her privacy

The Train

Well Hollis won. I'm going to Atlanta. There are things I want to see there and in Georgia, but I'm a little bid worried about leaving Harper. I ain't left in years. Dorothy come over to the big house early this morning. Willie was already there with his pickup truck. Dorothy told me to be careful and gave me a little peck on my cheek. I couldn't believe it. We ain't hardly touched one another in all the years we been friends. Willie and me talked all the way to Hattiesburg where the train was gonna stop. Willie had been to Atlanta a bunch of times and told me all he knew about it. Most of it was real scary--roads with cars stop and go for mile after mile. That gave me something to think about on my train ride. We got to Hattiesburg, rode past the university and through the downtown till be come to the depot. We had a few minutes before the train got there. When the train did pull in, a man who worked there looked at my ticket and told me to walk about fifty feet down and wait there. Hollis had fixed it up so I had a little room of my own. Willie walked with me and helped me load my suitcase on the train. A real nice porter took me to my room and put my suitcase in a special place. He told me as soon as the train was moving he would be back to tell me how everything worked. I warn't in my room more'n a couple minutes till the train started moving. I looked out the window and seen Willie waving to me. What come in my mind was would I ever see him again.
Tomorrow: Train Ride

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Ward D. Ringo has a lot of explaining to do

Hollis Puts Pressure on His Uncle

Like I said Hollis is in Atlanta. I got this cousin over there what lives in a place called Vinnings. It's really a part of Atlanta, but they calls it Vinnings. Anyway these cousins are always glad to have somebody from Harper come and stay with them. I ain't been, but Hollis goes a lot. They give him the whole top floor of their house and he can watch TV and use the computer; what ever he wants. He goes because of that girl of his, now they back together. He wants me to get on the train and come over even if I don't want to go all the way to England. He says if I come he will take me down to the Little White House where Roosevelt stayed when he come to Georgia. It's also where he died. Eleanor warn't there, but somebody else was. That's all I'm gonna say about that. He sent me train tickets and everything. I reckon I ought to go. But I hope it ain't no trick like: "You come this far, might as well hop on the plane and fly over with me."
Hollis is okay, but I wouldn't put it past him. He knows what I'm saying because he's the one who's typing my words. Maybe I could go that far. I always wanted to see Atlanta.
Tomorrow: The Train

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Jerry Mander is all over the map

Where Queen Victoria Stayed a Lot

Another place I would go if I went to England is the Isle of Wight. This is where Queen Victoria spent a lot of time especially after her husband Albert died. I think he had typhoid. Don't seem like the kind of disease a prince would get. He warn't nothing but a prince even though his wife was a queen. Anyway they lived in Osborne House on this island I was talking about. One of the things I read about that was funny: the queen and them went swimming in what they called a swimming machine. It was like a little wagon and they would get in it and horses would walk it into the ocean while they way changing into their swimming outfits. The mens and womens did not get in the same machine. Now these wagon things did not go more'n a few feet out and the water would come up so the person inside could get wet with ocean water. After they soaked enough the horses would pull the machine out and they could redress and come out without anybody seeing them in their swim. Now you can get to the Isle of Wight on a hovercraft, a kind of boat that uses air to lift it just above the sea. I would like to ride on one of them things if I was going.
Tomorrow: Hollis Puts Pressure on His Uncle

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Kris Coe is greasy

Learning More About England

A couple of places caught my eye in them leaflets. One, if I was going to go, I would visit is called Glastonbury. It's a place where Joseph of Arimathea come all the way from the Holy Land to visit. Some people even think that Jesus came with him when Jesus was a boy. I ain't too sure about that. But if you don't remember, Joseph of Arimathea donated his tomb for Jesus' body. He didn't have to donate it but for three days, but he didn't know that. And he was the one in charge of the Holy Grail, you know from the Last Supper. Well they say he brung it all the way to England and to this hill in Glastonbury and when he got there he drove his staff in the ground and the Glastonbury Thorn Tree grew up there. And it's still there. It blooms twice a year, in the spring and around Christmas. They say the queen has it on her Christmas dinner table (a sprig of it anyway.) And they say King Arthur and his queen is buried there. Yep, if I was going I would sure want to see that. But I ain't going.
Tomorrow: Where Queen Victoria Stayed a Lot

Hollis' funny name of the day:
P. N. Payne has a kidney stone

Where the Queen Lives

I ain't going, but if I did I wouldn't get in none of them cars with the steering wheel on the wrong side. I mean come on now. But here's the good news. According to some of them leaflets Hollis brung over to me
you don't really have to have a car. They got trains going everywhere and in London they got what they call the tube. It's a underground railroad that will take you close to anyplace you want to go. They got this little map with a different color for each line. They got a bunch of lines. I kinda memorized which lines go to the places a fellow would want to go. You can go to all kinds of places. You can even go right up outside the house where the queen lives. They call it a palace, Buckingham Palace. If I went I would want to go there. But I ain't going. Here's something else. The queen has a bunch of houses. One of the main ones she goes to is in Scotland. I guess she's a little like me. Sometimes I stay in the big house and sometimes I stay down in my fishing cabin. They said the queen's daddy, the former king stuttered just like Mel Tellis. Can't you see how much like Americans they is. But I ain't going.
Tomorrow: Learning More About England

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Lane Walker is a country boy.