A day late, a dollar short

Some things are just not meant to be.

Sherri and I were all set to hit the road last Friday for a week's vacation when we got a phone call from our nephew, Kevin Haddon, a Special Forces sergeant with the Army's Black Dagger parachute team.

We're practically out the door when he said he was in Lakeland to jump at the annual Sun N' Fun Air Show.

When were you going to tell us this? I asked.

It was a long story.

When I told him we were headed to St. Augustine, Savannah and Charleston, Kevin stopped me.

"I think we've got a show near Charleston next weekend," he said.

Great, I said. I'll call you. We can hook up after all.

So that last Wednesday afternoon, Sherri and I are at this funky beachside bar on Tybee Island, Ga., outside
Savannah. We're talking to the pub owner and mentioned we were planning to see Charleston and catch our nephew at an air show.

Oh, yeah, he said. Beaufort, S.C., Marine Corps Air Station always has a good show.

It was right on our way, so I called Kevin and told him. We even got a hotel room for Friday night in Beaufort for the return trip from Charleston.

We were good to go.

Not.

When we drove past the air base that Thursday morning, there were no signs announcing an air show.

Hmmm.

Spoke to Kevin later that day and said, you are jumping at Beaufort MCAS, right?

Yeah, something like that, he said.

So, after two fun days in Charleston, we're rolling by the air base again Friday evening.

Still no signs advertising an air show.

I call Kevin.

Uhhh, looks like we're not jumping at Beaufort, he said.

Huh?

They were actually at Shaw Air Force Base --- only about two hours north of where we were.

We never did see Kevin jump.

Maybe next time.