Arizona

We made it quite a ways today, further than we thought when we started out this morning in San Angelo. It was still fairly early (not quite six) when we went through Tucson. So here we are at Gila Bend, Arizona. Long stretches of desert and hills in the background. Rather pretty in its own way.

We've made good use of google's number to call for businesses like hotels. Am so glad my son told me about that! We just call up and ask for the hotel of our choice in whatever city and get connected. Much nicer to know where you are going to stay and if they take cats than to wait til you drive up to figure it out.

The gps is getting a workout finding caches, but it doesn't do bad at finding gas stations either. Which is a lot of help when the distances can be so long between towns along I-8.

The cat we are taking to California is a quiet rider. In fact I have to keep feeling under the seat to assure myself she is still with us. Once in a while we can hear her purr!

Here's a couple of photos we grabbed along the way while driving..

New Mexico. .. much prettier seeing the real thing than in this picture..

Tucson had really gussied up their overpasses and bridges.. missed all but this one shot:

and the last cache of the day gave up this picture:

Texas!!

Back home in Texas for a quick stopover. Dropping off two cats and picking up one to take to California. Nice to have a day to just relax and visit out of this long road journey. John baked us cherry tarts and then cooked a great supper of mahi-mahi tonight. I did a few things here, got to visit with one friend and never did call mom! Oops. Well she's getting daily emails. Tomorrow morning we head west, and hope our first stop will be in Tucson. The next night should see us in California!

Back in Ohio

We had a lovely visit in South Carolina. Saw my sister and brother, well one of them, and aunt. Mostly spent lazy days in the country with mom. The time passed by quickly. Well it wasn't but five full days there!
We made a fast trip (not speedwise but no stopping to sightsee) back to Ohio. Good weather all the way and lovely scenery. I particularly liked the farms in one valley along a river. Large barns and silos, wide green fields with mountains behind them. Picture book sights almost in many cases. We made one stop for a cache with a nice overlook. While we did not find the cache we did get a picture!

*which somehow disappeared so had to be edited and the big blank spot taken out!

Not at home

Boy do I miss my "stuff", even if it isn't fancy stuff, LOL. Have been to Ohio, am in SC, am soon going back to Ohio, then down to Texas, then... well anyway... about half the time won't have internet. So even though I have nothing to say, I'd better say it!

No thoughts, just hanging out. Watching Golden Girls with Mom. Visiting sis, brother, aunt. Listening to the crazy cur dog here bark like mad, thinking how every dog has some issue or other. Generally, the owner only puts up with what the owner can put up with so for them, it's good. However others have different things they don't like and do, so sometimes for them, it's not so good. Life is like that!

Same with people. Everyone's busy with their busies and happy for it. While others think that person should not be doing that or should be doing this - but that whatever they do is just fine. Or if they admit it isn't it's a matter of well it's my stuff and I'm good with that. But you need to change, LOL.

Aren't we a mess though?

Virginia and the Blue Ridge

The first day out on our trip we reached the Skyline Pkwy, which is a National Park. The day was overcast and threatened to rain most of the time. Even so the drive was lovely - and we took many piictures. Our second day was spent on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I had never seen this part of the country before. What a treat even if it was terribly overcast!

There were bikers and hikers on the road with us (bicycle, but also motorcycles of course) and we marvelled at their being out there in such weather. I suppose if you truly love a sport a bit of rain, coolness and gray days make no difference. We stopped too see a small waterfall.

While like everyone else we had always thought of making a drive like this in the fall to see the 'colors' I must admit it was worth it even in the gray spring. Maybe one day we can make a return trip in the fall some day. Here is one shot, that shows so well why these mountains are called the Smokies.

and a few more shots - azaleas and a newt? and some other flower...

On the road again

Back in Ohio... first stage of a long trip. Yesterday had a long day at the airports. Storms caused flight delays everywhere. My flight out was delayed, the next one missed, the next two full, but space remained on one going to a nearby location. Stacey drove there to get me. Arrival went from 7 pm to just past midnight! Slept good last night anyway, LOL. Leave here tomorrow, sightseeing our way to SC to some degree or other depending on weather.

Here's Pris. She will miss us while we are gone. But has Mello for company. (Another cat).. then they will get to enjoy a long car drive later in the month.

On the road again (soon)

The last month the mind has not wandered much. Rather tired, busy and contemplating another long trip away from home, indeed the days have been enough to keep me from much mental wondering. Which is a wonder in itself.

There is one thing that does stand out though through all this – my reluctance to leave home.  When others have said such I thought what a stay at home! Go nowhere? How dull! Yet the older I get,  the more I align myself with them.  Is it age alone, a lack of energy, being ever so comfortable in my own place? Will I actually reach a stage of saying No, thanks for the thought but I’ll just stay at home? That’s a bit scary.  Is that a common thing I wonder?

We have a lot planned. A flight to Ohio,  trip to SC and a visit there with stops along the way, back to Ohio then off to California. Maybe thinking about it makes me tired ahead of time. However I do want to go and know that once gone – once on the plane flying above Texas – all reluctance will fade away leaving nothing but anticipation for the time to come.