Recalculating...

It is known in our family, that I am the 'navigator.' It is a pretty impressive title for someone born without the mental ability to know north from south in any situation. If the sun is shining brightly, I can find EAST. If the sun is setting brightly, I can find WEST. The stars--forget it. I love to look at stars, but nothing has ever clicked in my brain as to where a special constellation should be. So, you can see, navigator is a mislabeled title for moi!! I honestly think this is an ability you are born with. You cannot gain it along the way. And, since my brother has been a pilot since the age of 15, you know who in the family got the good stuff when it comes to navigating.

The Trout and I have been talking for some time about getting a GPS. We have researched many models, talked to people who own them and still, we did not buy. We put close to 20,000 miles on our automobile this year and I can attest that most raised voices in this marriage were about misdirection. We have had several trips to Europe and again, I am the designated navigator. Reading maps in French, for instance can put more stress on an individual. I have found that some small villages in Europe will have a sign at one end of the town as to how to get to a certain attraction. Lo and behold...if you enter from the opposite end of town, there just might not be a sign at all. So.....

We bought a GPS which also includes European maps. This should be helpful when we make our trip to France the end of April. We have tried it out several times now and it is remarkable. How in the world can this thing work? Big brother is certainly watching.

I am looking forward to using it by myself next week. Last month I went to a neighboring town for my haircut. I had never been there before, so I Mapquested it all and got there fine. Now, here is where my lack of sense of direction comes in. I could not turn the directions around and get home. Yes, eventually I got home, but it was a long way around until I found some landmarks that lead the way. I am so looking forward to hitting, "Go Home" next week after my haircut. This is going to be great. It is such a crutch for my impairment!!!