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There’s really not a better season than the Fall for traveling. The air is crisp, the landscape is beautiful, and the Hampton Inn TV always has some good football to watch at the end of the day.
Like September, October is full of travelling for the Alpine crew. Glenn and Peter kicked off the month with a slide show at the Gilmer’s home in Mobile. The Gilmer’s sons John and Lee were both on staff, and their other son Walter will be a Chief II this summer. Needless to say, the Gilmer’s are an Alpine power-family, and the slide show was a great start.
The next stop was Atlanta, which was perfect because the Alpine off-season crew had U2 tickets! The concert was epic, as you would expect, and Bono rocked the house (even though we were about a mile away from the stage).
Glenn went on to do slide shows in Lookout Mountain, New Orleans, Gulf Port and Hattiesburg. Unfortunately I stayed back at camp during these, but he said they were all really fun. I got to jump back on the tour for a three-day stint in the Pelican State. First we headed to Shreveport, which was awesome. The Barro’s house is beautiful, and it was great to see Mikey and Thompson again. Peter and I feasted at the Superior Grill, a fine steakhouse just down the road, and it made the whole week of driving worthwhile. From Shreveport we went to Monroe for a showing at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Haynes Barr and his parents were our hosts, and Peter and I had a great time catching up with them.
Mississippi was next, and it didn’t disappoint. I always love the drive through the Delta. It’s a lovely change of pace from Lookout Mountain. The Peasters welcomed us to their home in Yazoo City, and the Bobo’s did the same in Clarkesdale. There’s enough Southern charm in those two houses to fill up all of Mississippi. And speaking of Southern charm, we got to meet up with former counselor Mark Noland at Abe’s Barbecue, where I ate more than any one person should.
After the Delta came the Jackson show, which is always one of our biggest. We showed the slides in Jackson Academy, Glenn’s Alma Mater, for some of our favorite past, present and future campers. We ate at Newk’s after, and got to hear the scoop from the newly engaged Malcolm Saxon and his lovely fiance. No, I’m not making this up. Malcolm is engaged.
Our final Mississippi showing was in Oxford. The Tyners offered their living room (and some really good punch) to a handful of boys, and we had a great time sharing and reminiscing about this summer at camp.
It was quite a month of travel, and it got us really excited about seeing all these friends again this summer, and hopefully seeing some of the new friends we made. Tonight we’re off to the Green’s house on Signal Mountain for our last October show. We can’t wait!
