Weekend in Tampa Bay

Wedding season has begun. Last weekend started a string of 7 weddings in 8 weeks. This weekend was our furthest ever. A family I knew from church back in the day contacted us about shooting their wedding in Tampa Bay. We were flattered at the offer and got their date locked in. The wedding was on a Friday so we scheduled to stay an extra day and make a very mini vacation out of it.

After doing the math I figured it would be cheaper to drive even though the 10 hours one way was not appealing. Rebecca was also afraid at the possibility of having to get her gear checked. Lost camera gear could not be an option. So to spice up the drive down a little bit a decided to set up the camera and do a time lapse. I know I've been a little time lapse heavy as of late, but I think they're fun. We set up the camera in the back seat on the tripod. Photos were taken every 60 seconds except for a few certain scenes that warranted being closer together. Rebecca will be adding some actual photos of our trip to her blog in the near future.

We drove down on Thursday and got there just before dark. We got some seafood at a local joint then went briefly to the beach. I don't think we've been to the beach since Matt's triathlon nearly two years ago. Josh and Lauren's wedding festivities began at one on Friday. They had the ceremony at a local botanical gardens which was really pretty. Everything went real well. Once again, I'll let Rebecca give a more detailed account of that day.

Saturday we had to cut back on our per diem since we had gone a little high the first two days. So we went to Chick-fil-a for lunch and used some coupons. We also had to go to the Apple Store because Rebecca's laptop had quit working. Since she had planned on working in the car on the way home we figured it would be best to go ahead and get it fixed. She needed a new battery and a new charger. Glad to have that taken care of we moved on to activities we couldn't actually do in Birmingham. Next stop was Ikea. The 3 hour maze of home furnishings was overwhelming as always. I calmed my nerves with some Swedish meatballs in the cafeteria. Keeping the per diem low. Rebecca got a few small things. I think she's set on some new office furniture, but we didn't have room in the car. Maybe it was just a secret ploy on Rebecca's part to go back? After leaving we went to the beach and got there just in time for it to start raining. A little ice cream helped to pass the time and got back out for the rain to pass and leave a beautiful sunset.

The drive back today seemed to drag on forever. Rebecca managed to squeeze in three naps. She'll probably stay up most of the night now.

Monday Morning Mishap

I rarely take the interstate in the morning. There are about 3 comparable routes to my parents house, and I usually get set on one for a while then I'll switch. In the afternoon, the interstate is always the fastest, so in the morning I usually go one of the other two. Traffic was light on Monday as I pulled out and so got in the turn lane for the interstate. I get onto the interstae from Hwy 31 and from this point on I-459N to the I-65 interchange there are 5 lanes of traffic. I don't have to merge any because the on ramp lane turns into the I-65S exit lane. One lane over is the I-65N exit lane, and the other 3 are through lanes. Traffic was flowing freely in the 3 through lanes, very backed up in the I-65N exit lane, and slow in my lane.

Immediately after I get on, I see people trying to switch positions trying to avoid the backed up exit lane, either to get to my lane or to get to the through lanes. I see a grey SUV pull out of the I-65N exit lane into one of the through lanes moving at a decent speed. She must not have noticed a red sedan was already coming in that lane. The red car slammed on the brakes and veered slightly to the left to try to avoid. Not having enough time the red car hits the SUV and bounces even further into the next lane over where there happens to be a semi-truck. The red car hits the wheels of the semi (miraculously avoiding getting stuck underneath) and bounces off it back into the backed up I-65N exit lane, hitting a black SUV and blue sedan. Writing this it sounds much worse than actually observing it. While scary, there wasn't major damage to any of the cars, and my immediate thought was what a terrible way to start a week. As I get even with the red car I look over and notice the driver appears to be unconscious, thus greatly changing my impression of the accident. I pull over on the shoulder, grab my phone, and run to the car. I get to the window and he is definitely knocked out. The windshield is hard to see though and the side airbag has deployed making it hard to get close to him. He's leaned up against the door, so I don't want to open it to risk moving him. So I try yelling at him. He still doesn't respond. I dial 911. While talking to the dispatcher I notice, no one else has stopped to check on the guy. The other 3 drivers involved, having much less damage are still sitting in their cars talking on the phone, I'm guessing insurance, family, or 911 themselves. I tell the dispatcher where the accident is while trying to figure out a way to get to the guy. Just about then he comes to. He must have gotten knocked out by the airbag. He's dressed in scrubs, so I figure he's in the medical industry. The dispatcher wants to know what the injuries to the guy are, so I hand the phone to him so he can just tell her himself. His arm is a little cut up from the glass, but other than that he's seems to be ok. He doesn't remember anything after running into the semi.

The authorities arrive soon after and take charge. I stick around to give my statement to an officer, then head on my way thankful I wasn't heading north that morning.

Pretty much just below the 459 icon is where the accident took place.

Big Gulps Huh

After the Samford vs Furman football game we stayed in Rebecca's office til 9 PM while she edited pictures from the day. We were already packed and ready to go for Tennessee, so we hit the road as soon as she got done.

Her parents, brother, and Granddad were already in Tellico Plains. It is about an hour or so south of Gatlinburg in the Cherokee National Forest. Mrs. Melanie loves the mountains and has made it an annual trip. She rented a cabin for a week, so we got to join for a few days. 

It was a four hour drive and in the easter time zone, so we didn't arrive til 2 AM. Eli Gold kept me going til we got to Georgia then heavy eyes started to set in. So we stopped at the always hopping Pilot station in Rising Fawn for some caffeine and sunflower seeds. One of the workers was very nice and told me about how important it was to keep the hot dog buns stocked at all hours. "If the truckers come in and look in here and there's no hot dog buns, then that's like going to a strip joint with no girls." I decided to stay an extra step back from the hot dogs, just in case. I then made my way over to the fountain drinks for some Mountain Dew and noticed they were out of cups except for the smallest and the largest. The smallest was a 12 oz, way too small for this hour. The large one was way more expensive so I asked the hot dog guy about the deal with the cups. (Apparently truckers don't get as mad about empty cup slots.) He told me they were out of all the middle sizes and to get whatever I wanted and he'd charge me for the smaller size. I said good deal. Now I've seen the Route 44, Thirst Buster, Big Gulps, etc. However, they pale in comparison to what this station had. A 64 oz, hydrate you through the sahara, half a gallon (just under 2 Liters for my metric buddies) of caffeine goodness. I had never seen a cup so big. I put mine under the fountain, set it to the desired size, went to the bathroom, then when I came out it was almost done. There was also some sunflower seeds on their clearance table. 

One of my 200 or so favorite moments in Dumb and Dumber.

So Rebecca and I came out with a gallon of coke and sunflower seeds for just over $2.00 and we escaped unharmed by the angry truckers.