Goodbye to a friend

Angel, is you’re still out there.  Thanks.  The conversations we shared helped me through a very difficult time in my life.  Natalie is now 11.  Lauren is going to be 3 very soon.  I need new glasses again very soon.  Probably some of those no lines ones.  You few on here my age or a little older know what I’m talking about.
Alice and I were down to just Lauren weekend before last and I had the Friday off.   It was a beautiful day which gave me the idea that we should head for Florida.  And that’s just what we did.  Spent the night in Montgomery Alabama and on down to Panama City Beach the next morning.  The 2 south bound lanes of 231 were bumper to bumper from Dothan Alabama so we pulled out the atlas and (don’t have the GPS yet) found an alternate route.  Way too short of a trip but just what the doctor ordered.
Back at work the thought occurred to me that I’ve done a trip something like this about every 5 years for the past 15 and this is the first time my wife went with me.
My daughters are growing up and so are my buddies.  I stopped in to visit with him and his family a couple of years ago and his youngest answered the door.  Wasn’t it just a few months ago she was little enough to sit on the arm of the recliner with me?  She’s now a young woman.  I’ve been lucky enough to watch them both go from little girls to young women.  The older one told her boyfriend that that’s just Uncle Bill when asked who I was. 
There were all asking how long before we can get the boat out…
If it wants another $1,500 this summer it may get to stay on dry land…