Officer Friendly and the Estrogen Bus

Just got back from the NAECED Conference. The trip up was eventful. Was me and 5 women (some menopausal) in a Thrifty Rental Van. Took us 13 hours to get to Jacksonville from Miami (had to stop to pick up the other passengers).

On the way up, we stopped at a "Flying A" truck stop, just near St. Augustine, to fill up for gas. Just as we got back on I-95, the van began to sputter and shake, so we pulled off the road and the vehicle died. (Yes, we did put in the right gas, and no, it was not diesel) We were at mile marker 306.

We called the road service assistance, and during the course of our wait we spoke to Lawanda, Keisha, Eric and Connie. We had to wait for a flat bed tow truck to pick up a new van at the Thrifty lot in Jacksonville (50 miles away) and deliver it to us at the side of the road.

While we were there, hunky Officer Friendly (Florida Highway Patrol) stopped to render some assistance. I immediately got out of the van. He suggested we move the van off the road a little more, so he and I pushed it forward and off to the side. The ladies, of course, took a shining to this nice young man. So, what do you do when you have a nicely packaged officer assisting you at the side of the road? You cop a feel (or is that feel a cop?). I quickly asked him to get in a pose for a picture. I did tell the officer that if he was down in South Beach to stop by the Palace and that I'd treat him (more like treat "The Court") to a "special interactive shot". He smiled and shook my hand. He spent about a 1/2 hour with us, but we could not convince him to get into the van while we waited. I guess it's because he was alone and had no back up......

We waited for 4 hours before the new van arrived. In that time the temperature had dropped, which enhanced the need for "nature's call". At least we had a small flashlight and tissue for the ladies to use in the great outdoors. The grass was a little tall, so they had to be careful not to get any burrs on the carpet. No snakes or insects around.

We had many silly conversations about different topics. I was told I was to be awarded a Medal of Valor for not running away screaming from the ladies and their questions and comments. This just marked the beginning of a good weekend. Will blog about the conference later in the week.

Will definitely be out and about for a bit on Sunday. Will be looking forward to meeting up with Jerry this week while she is in town.