The Sweet Taste of Asphalt

Here I am at the beach at one of my most favorite places.... FRIPP ISLAND, SC. I totally love being here. It's a complete escape from the outside world. "Island" is in the title for a reason. The closest grocery store is 20 miles back on the "mainland." We arrived here late Sunday night. I brought my son and his friend for the week... two 18 year old boys. Yeah, "may the force be with me", I know!! They are good boys and very helpful and extremely self sufficient. Not a hardship for mom at all, thus the reason I agreed to this little vacation. Nick, Jacob's friend, graduated in June and will be headed off to USC in August. The two of them wanted a little "fun beach time" before the split.

We've been having a great time. Sitting on the beach for hours, going for golf cart rides around the island. The island is only 6.5 miles around, not very big at all. The boys love riding the moped and "exploring" as they tell me. I think their exploring has not yielded the hoped for results they were anticipating. Ya get me?

Thank you, Zac Brown for this GREAT song!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB8Nkn3Xjes

These boys can eat. I've already made two grocery store runs. I cook supper for them each night and they eat "like a normal person eats." Something happens to them around midnight. They become ravenous! Whatever I fixed for supper, disappears and is completely gone by the time I get up the next morning. The mess in the kitchen is still there but not the food! Such is life with growing boys. I am enjoying their company and their shenanigans. Jacob is by far the more "shenanigan" of the two. I bet you couldn't have guessed! ha That boy is so full of "Hey, Watch This!" His entire life we've told him he could have a promising career on "Saturday Night Live." He entertains everyone and usually it's things that make one's head shake and then we all end up on the floor because we are laughing so hard. I love to hear him laugh. You know that really hard laughter that happens when you get so tickled over something that you just can't quit? Then you take a breath and it starts all over again? Well, that's Jacob. He makes life so much more interesting! (and frustrating!!!)

On Fripp, golf carts are the main mode of transportation. Cars are only used to enter and leave. Well, the boys have been "hogging" the golf cart this week. I haven't even been for a jaunt around the island yet. Yesterday, after I left the beach at 7pm, I decided to take the golf cart for a spin for a little while... no boys, just me. I was good distance away from the house when I go over a little bump and all of a sudden the golf cart just dies. I mean, a slow death. Thankfully I was able to pull over to the side of the road. I called Jacob immediately and asked him to come and help me figure this out. He rode the moped. I thought he just didn't charge the cart. It was dead dead. Okkk. so here's where the story gets really good...

I decided I could ride the moped back to the house so I could get supper started. No point in all three of us standing there waiting for the cart to charge. I've never tried to drive it/ride it, but how hard can it be, right? Nick was bringing my van with the charger. Boys were going to take care of this problem for me. Well, here's the thing... I asked Jacob to tell me what to do. He says, "Mom, it's easy. It's just like riding a bike. You remember how to ride a bike don't you?" "Sure," I reply, and I get on that dang moped. I was going to ride it down the road a little ways just to practice before setting off for the house. We all know what good intentions are paved with, don't we?

I start and I just didn't have my balance quite right yet... I tried to right it. I really did. I couldn't gain control of the thing and ran smack into a very large metal mailbox and next thing ya know, I was sliding about 5 feet on sweet hot asphalt. You know if you've ever been in an accident, everything seems to move in slow motion and you have time (usually) to have a quick thought or two? This is exactly what happened to me. I saw that mailbox and for a split second I thought I was going to miss it, but it became very apparent that I definitely was not going to miss it. I am looking at that mailbox that is about to hit me head on and all I can say to myself is, "F... me. I'm going down." I tried to do the best I could by not taking it completely off its post... so I side swipe it and knock the door and make it crooked (that mailbox is sturdy!) but then I am totally off balance and the moped and me go down and I go sliding. It was horrible. Horrible! Have you ever had an accident on asphalt? It takes all your skin off! Thankfully I knew it was coming and when I fell, I fell on my right side and I put my arm down first instead of my head/face. My left leg was hit hard by the corner of the mailbox and the handle bar of the moped. (I will show you some pictures...) Jacob saw all this happening and couldn't move. Finally, after coming to a stop, he sprints over to me. He was worried. "MOM!! Are you OK?" He asked me this over and over. He helped me up and I was just trying not to panic. Nothing is broken; I'm not gushing blood from an artery; I'm just really banged up. I can do this.

A Good Samaritan did come out to help me. The "mailbox house" renter came out to inspect the damages, both the box and me. He brought a first aid kit and some wet paper towels. He was an older gentleman with grown kids of his own. He was very attentive and even used his bare fingers to rub Neosporin all over my bloody wounds. I told him what happened and he said, "And how old are you?" hahaha Yeah, well, what difference does age make when you want to try to something new?? You with me? Anyway, he told me he would take care of the mailbox and I should go take care of myself. He was able to fix the box and no one the wiser to what had happened. :) Sweet! I left the boys to deal with the golf cart and I drove the van back to the house. I needed to get in the shower and wash off the asphalt. Let me just say here that when water hits "road rash", it's a whole new level of hell, and then when hydrogen peroxide is poured on, the foot stomping and swearing begin in full force! It wasn't my proudest moment, but thankfully no one else was around!

upper thigh left leg

inner thigh

elbow (the worst injury)

The bruises on my leg keep growing and are now Blue Ribbon worthy and my arm still hurts like the Dickens, but healing is taking place. I got in the ocean twice (again, a whole new level of fresh hell) because salt water has healing properties and I needed some quick healing. You probably heard a distant scream on that one! I can tell you that I will never again attempt to ride a moped on asphalt. A big open field with lush grass, yes, but not a road. OMG! That horrible feeling of sliding on asphalt will never leave my memory! (nor Jacob's. It is a great story for him to tell. We laughed about it the other night-hard-but that's what my kids do and then I start laughing with them and we can't stop. I get hurt and they want a play by play with video!) My daughter saw a picture of my elbow and said, "Wait. Did you fall? If you did, did Jacob get it on video?" Yes, she did. All compassion that one!

I will leave you with photos and as bad as they look, believe me, it hurts much worse!!
Go, me!