Chapter 7

[Janice writes]

We planned our first trial trip for the European expedition. We would leave Protection for Bangor, Maine. It was approximately one thousand, three hundred miles, under half our range. I grinned at that statement remembering some of the short hops Bennie and I had made years before in the Cessna to not go more than half a tank before landing. It was early September when we left. We packed for cool temperatures. We had supplies but figured to be out overnight at most.

We left in the morning on a pretty day. We were the family except for Charlie and the Harold's except for Andy. It was a smooth flight. Robby and Bennie brought us in for a landing on the airport's main runway. It was a little bumpy from the strip not being maintained but was quite useable by the Duck. We even found useable jet fuel for our monster. We wanted to know where we could find fuel available up here. We would gas up here on the way out and on the way back. From our measurements, there was easily enough to fill up two planes four times each.

I'm glad we packed warm clothes. After Tennessee that morning, it was cool. I had a bad feeling that overnight and in the morning would be really chilly. I was right. We talked over the situation and looked over our maps. We had it in mind to stop off in Iceland with hopes that the main airport or air base there would have fuel. The only way to know was to fly there.

Bobbi asked if we could go ahead and give it a try. The plane had some neat gadgets that our Cessna's, King's, and Otter's hadn't had. The navigation systems were much stronger and used GPS which still worked.

We looked over our maps and the laptop that had every airport in the United States and Canada shown. We decided that St. John's in Newfoundland would be a great jumping off point. We could go north to Iceland or south to Portugal from there. SJ said that the Azores were a good stopping point. Bobbi said, "Yes, but it will be harder to miss Portugal." They grinned at each other. According to our calculations, St. John's to Lisbon would be under two thousand, three hundred miles. That would leave us with a thousand mile cushion but we couldn't return without refueling. That was a concern. We decided to push on to St. John's and check its facilities. If it had no fuel, we couldn't use it anyway.

We trooped back into the Duck and took off for St. John's. We arrived there without incident. The runways were in better shape than Bangor. More important, we found an ocean of good fuel. It was also fractionally colder. We spent the night in the terminal and left in the morning for Protection, arriving in the early afternoon. We snacked on the plane for lunch. We taxied to our spot and shut it all down.

Over supper, we made a list of creature comforts we would add to the Duck and any second plane we would use for the trip. It's a big plane and we could be comfortable even if we carry vehicles. Vehicles were the question. We were considering SUV's and four-wheelers. There was even a suggestion that we include motorcycles. We talked about it without reaching a conclusion. I understood the agility of a motorcycle but it was extremely vulnerable. We didn't resolve the issue but were going to think about it.

Bobbi, SJ, and Jacob wanted to visit Andy and Charlie. I suggested we ride horses to their home. They were quick to agree. Robby had me bring measuring tools with the thought of finding a site for a place. We left after an early breakfast. Mel asked, "Jan, have you let them know?"

I said, "No, it's a surprise."

"You should let them know. Everyone will be surprised and greatly."

"It can't be that bad?"

"Okay, as long as you and our girls don't mind seeing our son in all his naked glory and Jacob doesn't mind seeing his sister naked. They are newly married and in the middle of nowhere. You shouldn't sneak up on them." I thought about it and called to them on two meters.

Andy came on. "Hello, mom. It's good to hear from you this morning."

I said, "Bobbi, SJ, Jacob, and I want to horseback ride over to visit for a few days."

"Charles and I will look forward to your visit. When are you coming?"

"We're going to leave in a few minutes. I'm guessing about two and a half or three hours to get there."

I heard a little gasp. "I'm glad you called. You would have caught us at the pond naked as jaybirds. I know we didn't wear much last time but we frequently get some exercise while there. I wouldn't want my brother or Charles' little sisters to see us doing that. I'm not quiet when I think no one's around."

"You can pretend to be surprised for the younger ones. Mel strongly suggested that we not surprise you. That's why I called."

"Thank Mel for me. I wouldn't want to be surprised in the middle of making love to my husband. We'll have enough for lunch though we'll act surprised. We will see you later."

"Okay, Andy. We'll see you around lunchtime or a little earlier."

SJ was listening to the last. I cut the radio off. She said, "You spoiled the surprise!"

I said, "Yes, they had asked to be notified. If you surprise a newly married couple, you also might be surprised. I don't think you really want to see your brother making love to Andy. I'm sure they don't want you, your sister, or Jacob to see them even more." She giggled but nodded.

We rode out just a few minutes later and arrived at Andy and Charlie's just in time for lunch. They were dressed but grinning. We dismounted and they helped us unsaddle the horses and turn them out into the paddock with the others. There were four other guests there. Mark and Bess were there with two friends of theirs, Matilda and Fred. I could see that Fred was hovering close to Bess and thought that good. Andy and Bess seemed to genuinely like each other. We all went in for lunch and there was plenty to eat. Charlie explained, "Our four friends are here doing some building close by. Their new place is across the landing field and a further planting field away. They came over to play in the pond this afternoon which we can all do before it starts getting cold. It's a little warm today for September."

I smiled. I had taken the precaution of bringing a suit and making the teens and SJ pack suits. There would be no naked swimming with strangers, even friendly ones. After lunch, everyone changed and went to the pond. We swam and lay around on blankets enjoying the warm weather and the cool water. I was wearing one of my thong bikinis and drew appreciative stares from Mark and Fred. Andy was wearing a thong bikini as were my daughters. Bobbi caught a little attention but SJ still hadn't developed enough to catch attention in this company. This was particularly true with Andy around in a similar suit. Bess and Matilda were wearing normal bikinis. We had a great time and returned to the house happy but a little tired. After supper, the other four walked over to their site though agreed to come over in the morning for breakfast.

We went to our beds and had a restful night. In the morning, I woke to the smell of coffee. I put on some clothes and walked into the kitchen. At the door, I saw Charlie sitting at the table sideways with Andy in his lap. They were talking in very low voices.