I had a vague inkling that a comet was passing by our solar system but I didn’t really have the details so I was surprised when the GG asked if I wanted to go out and try to catch a look out on Joy Road. Well. I know from my experience with Halley’s Comet that it can be difficult to see comets without a telescope. And it wasn’t dark yet and I had leftovers in the ohh-ven, etc. So I scooted him off with the promise of dinner and a freezer ‘hattan when he returned.

Okay, so we did see Halley’s Comet back in 1986. We took a trip to Florida that March. We drove our 1985 VW Jetta (5-speed manual) and we had us, Little Cat Z (18 months old), and The Beautiful Susie (one of the GG’s little sisters) with us. Susie LOVED Little Cat Z (and all of her many nieces and nephews) and she and LCZ totally bonded on that trip. Suzie taught her how to say alligator (“erderator” was LCZ’s rendition). Susie was a special friend of mine too and I miss her.

When we left The Planet Ann Arbor for that trip, our Jetta was topped by a hard crust of ice/snow. I don’t think it melted until we got past O-haaa-o. After our first night in a motel, Little Cat Z freaked out when we were packing the car the next morning and made extra sure she was outside the room and next to the car. I DO NOT WANT TO BE LEFT HERE ALONE was the vibe. I held her and looked into her eyes and explained that we would NEVER leave her in a motel and I don’t think we ever had that issue again. Small children are a lot smarter than everyone thinks they are.

So we were in the GG’s parents’ Florida condo and we had a great time. Because of Halley’s Comet, the GG spent many early mornings (like 5:00 AM) driving a half hour into the interior of Florida with his telescope to observe Halley’s Comet. He would arrive back in Bradenton just about when LCZ was waking up, which was still way early and we would take her out somewhere for scrambled eggs and friends.

The pics are from Coquina Beach. In the first pic, LCZ is pointing at a seagull. In the second you can see the seagull.

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