On The Road To Shangri-La.

Who says that a Mini-Cooper can't hold much? Well, me laddies, here's the proof.

Tucked into me boot you see Mistress' luggage, and what you probably don't see very well is that there are also 4 antique dining chairs in there as well! And with room to spare.

We were ready to head off to St. Petersburg, FL to visit with Mistress' brother, Jim, her sister-in-law, Sally and hoping to get to see two nephews, Jon and Casey. Mistress was so excited because this was our first long road trip together, and she's not had a visit with her brother in many years! This outing was going to be a treat. My little buddy Steed was acting as co-pilot, and even if his map reading skills were null and void, he was an enthusiastic traveling companion.

As you see here, Steed travels in the lap of luxury when he's in me. His own little car seat keeps him at window level and he can curl up for a nice nap when the scenery gets a bit boring.

It proved to be a longer trip down than it should have been due to Mistress getting quite lost just off her own doorstep. Though she managed to wander aimlessly through several counties and waste quite a bit of time, she got us back on track at last and we were off and running.

There were quite a few roadside highlights which Mistress saw ... but not in time to grab the camera and snap a photo ... you pass things quite rapidly when Mistress has her foot on me go-peddle! One of our favorites was a business which seemed to be run out of an old motel. Artistic Taxidermy, it was. Now, I ask you, is that not a contradiction in terms? Are the very words, 'artistic' and 'taxidermy' not diametrically opposed? I think Mistress had a hard time deciding if she was amused or appalled, but I just kept me bonnet pointed more or less South and motored down the highway.

We found ourselves amused by another 'artistic' moment. Mistress always enjoys seeing the evidence of artistic sensibility in unexpected places. Sometimes it is a joyful plastic Flamingo placed in the yard of an otherwise uninspired house that signals that a quest for beauty has risen in the breast of the house's owner. We noted a similar thing on this trip.

Off the side of the highway was a rather run down little house, quite sad-looking indeed except for the owner's enthusiastic used of cement yard-art. Placed on either side of the entry steps, and possibly there to hold on to in case the steps were unable to perform their required duty and actually support human weight, were two LARGE statues. As tall as the roof of the house, it was a bit difficult to tell what they represented, but Mistress believes they were knights in full armor. In front of these impressive guardians of the gate, were two large cement lions who flanked either side of the crumbling front walk. The yard boasted little else. No grass, flowers, or shrubs fought for 'pride-of-place' with this immense yard-art.

At last we reached our destination, and I was glad for a bit of a breather, and a chance to meet my newest 'cousin'. I had thought to be photographed with the Fab Fulp Ferrari, but I was too late. Here I am with it's replacement.

I'm not sure I caught the name as we were chatting. In me own defense, Porsche do talk very fast. And he does have an Italian accent no matter that he insists he doesn't. So I'm not sure what he's called. I just avoided the use of a first name as I hated to keep saying, "What's that, Mate? I didn't quite catch what you said.".

Mistress enjoyed her ride in him, whoever he is, and said he corners almost as well as I do. Now THAT is saying something, laddies. And I was a tiny bit jealous when I asked if the boy had as much pep and vigor as meself and Mistress just said, "Ummm, well, lets just say that Mr. Porsche will not be left standing at the starting gate and leave it at that, Jeeves."

Steed and I were left behind when Mistress went to visit her nephew Jon at his new house. They road in what Ms. Sally calls her "Kitty Kat". Quite a looker if I do say so meself. Wouldn't mind sharing a garage with that little Jag. But I digress.

Here's Jon standing in front of his house and waiting to give Mistress the grand tour. You can just see the nose of his car, and you might note that red cars seem to be a theme in this family. Jon is not 'car crazy', but Mistress says she has no idea how he escaped that madness. His brother Casey didn't.

Here's nephew Casey with his ride at the restaurant on Saturday night. They will be racing this weekend and Mistress and I are hoping that they blow everybody else right off the blacktop! Motor Happy!!

The final cousin that I had the pleasure of meeting was named "Bentley", and I had no trouble understanding him at all. Nice to be with a fellow Brit who knows how to speak the Queen's English. He was a bit of a toff, but nice enough all the same.

Before we knew it, we were back on the highway and headed for home. I think our road trip went quite toppingly. Mistress complimented me on how well I did, and, if I might toot my own horn, I think I held up quite nicely. With plenty of stops for Mistress and Steed (and a couple for me to have a bit of a tipple) we made it home in 12 hours. Mistress checked at one point and I was getting a bit better than 43 mpg!

Right ho! Pip, pip!

Ta, till next time.