Time Warp

Tuesday, it seemed this week would go on forever. Today, it seems like it flew.

At day’s end, morning seemed ages ago. How many times have I said “yesterday” only to be corrected with “that was this morning”?

Breakfast was in Pensacola, lunch in Alabama and coffee break in Mississippi. Sixty miles to an unscheduled stop in New Orleans.

Apparently, the beignets were a BIG hit so we are heading back down to Café Du Monde. Voodoo dolls and Mardi Gras masks also seem to be on the agenda.

It’s going to be a quick stop. We all need rest and we have an early start tomorrow for the final stretch home.

I am so proud of these students — they have worked so hard — and can’t wait to see the finished products.

They have been so excited by their discoveries in each state and triumphs in getting interviews and picking up on new stories.

But one goal repeatedly escaped them. They wanted to get out on the water.

They tried fishermen, contract cleaners, wildlife advocates and several said yes, but for one reason or another, each possibility ended in defeat.

So a quick look at a map presented a solution with several benefits.

We took the scenic route along the coastline out of Florida and into Alabama. A ferry crosses the bay from Fort Morgan to Dauphin Island, where everyone had been but me.

The students who misssed Gulf Shores and Perdido Key got to pass through.The route took us to Lulu’s at Homeport, owned by JimmyBuffett’s sister.

I was excited even if some of the kids didn’t recognize the name. Then I subjected the ones in “the flashy car” to about 50 miles of Jimmy on my iPod.

The ferry crosses 4.2 nautical miles and today the bay was covered with oil clean-up craft. It was an amazing site that I’m sure one of the students will show soon.

We’ve stopped a couple of times to let them pick up the souvenirs they have bypassed in their haste to report their stories.

Finally, the Louisiana state line!

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