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Augusta Easter Trip, Day 2 of 6
Apr. 18th, 2019 11:59 pmTHURSDAY
We went to claim our luggage and I noticed to my dismay that my bag was rather badly bent out of shape, so we took it to the baggage drop and inspected the damage. Fortunately nothing was torn or outright broken so I took the customer service number and decided to call only if I couldn't bend it back once we arrived in Augusta (as it happened, I was able to do so easily).
Next we hopped on the train to the rental car facility. The young woman who assisted us was new on the job and needed help from a colleague to get the computer to stop trying to charge me the underage driver rate. She apologized profusely for the inconvenience. After trying out a couple other cars in the designated aisle we picked a white Chevy Malibu with North Carolina plates, and headed for Augusta.
Traffic was moderate in our direction, especially once we got to I-20, but was insane going the opposite direction into Atlanta. We stopped at a Waffle House about 3/4 of the way there, and I notified the hotel we'd be arriving around noon.
We exited the freeway and drove into Grovetown to stop at Gary's dad's house. He wasn't there because he was in a rehab hospital, but we had a chat with Gary's stepmother Lillie, his aunt Carol, and his brother Mike who was about to go for a run around the neighborhood. From there we took the short drive to our hotel, picked up the room keys and settled in for a nap.
We got up at 3 and headed to the hospital for a quick birthday celebration in the lobby; Lillie and Carol were already setting up the table with yellow birthday cake and ginger ale, and Mike was in the room with Gary's dad (Darnell) when we arrived. We waited briefly for the nurse to unhook his oxygen from the wall supply and switch to a tank attached to his wheelchair, and then we wheeled him down to the lobby for birthday cake. Later, a family friend from church, Dorothy, arrived with a big mylar balloon that read, "It's my birthday - it's all about ME!" which I think is going to be the theme for the weekend. Shortly afterward, Gary's half-brother Rahmik arrived from work.
We cut the cake (which was delicious) and chatted for another hour or so, and then Lillie, Carol, Mike, Gary and I had dinner at Great Chow, a Chinese buffet and grill opposite the Augusta Mall. The food was good, especially the hot and sour soup which was better than most I've had. After dinner we parted company and returned to the hotel to catch up on sleep.
We went to claim our luggage and I noticed to my dismay that my bag was rather badly bent out of shape, so we took it to the baggage drop and inspected the damage. Fortunately nothing was torn or outright broken so I took the customer service number and decided to call only if I couldn't bend it back once we arrived in Augusta (as it happened, I was able to do so easily).
Next we hopped on the train to the rental car facility. The young woman who assisted us was new on the job and needed help from a colleague to get the computer to stop trying to charge me the underage driver rate. She apologized profusely for the inconvenience. After trying out a couple other cars in the designated aisle we picked a white Chevy Malibu with North Carolina plates, and headed for Augusta.
Traffic was moderate in our direction, especially once we got to I-20, but was insane going the opposite direction into Atlanta. We stopped at a Waffle House about 3/4 of the way there, and I notified the hotel we'd be arriving around noon.
We exited the freeway and drove into Grovetown to stop at Gary's dad's house. He wasn't there because he was in a rehab hospital, but we had a chat with Gary's stepmother Lillie, his aunt Carol, and his brother Mike who was about to go for a run around the neighborhood. From there we took the short drive to our hotel, picked up the room keys and settled in for a nap.
We got up at 3 and headed to the hospital for a quick birthday celebration in the lobby; Lillie and Carol were already setting up the table with yellow birthday cake and ginger ale, and Mike was in the room with Gary's dad (Darnell) when we arrived. We waited briefly for the nurse to unhook his oxygen from the wall supply and switch to a tank attached to his wheelchair, and then we wheeled him down to the lobby for birthday cake. Later, a family friend from church, Dorothy, arrived with a big mylar balloon that read, "It's my birthday - it's all about ME!" which I think is going to be the theme for the weekend. Shortly afterward, Gary's half-brother Rahmik arrived from work.
We cut the cake (which was delicious) and chatted for another hour or so, and then Lillie, Carol, Mike, Gary and I had dinner at Great Chow, a Chinese buffet and grill opposite the Augusta Mall. The food was good, especially the hot and sour soup which was better than most I've had. After dinner we parted company and returned to the hotel to catch up on sleep.