Slept well. Slept fitfully. Had a disturbing dream. The last part of which a young toddler fell into the ocean. The dad and several others dove in to rescue the child. The child was saved and alive. Woke up with a dry throat. It hurt to swallow. Hair is flat again. This hotel had the best array of breakfast. I chose a Kashi cereal and a bagel topped with scrambled eggs and sausage. It was yummy.
We left the hotel around 8:30 a.m. rather than 10 a.m. It's going to be a long journey home, but at least we're heading home.
We're in the desert. Dad has the air conditioning turned up high...or so it feels like it in the backseat. Perhaps it is because they have the sun shining on them whereas I am completely sheathed in the shade. Brrrr...
We had quite a time trying to pack the strawberries into the cooler this morning. Perhaps we shouldn't have bought so much last night. However, they are so delicious. Mom had some with her cereal this morning. We ate so many of them along with the apricots yesterday that we weren't hungry for dinner. We only purchased lunch yesterday. Dad had the six mini burgers from Burger King. Mom and I order our lunch from a Japanese noodle shop. She had the vegetable Ramen soup with BBQ pork. I had the California roll with "crunchy stuff" on top. (Yes, that was the description on the menu.) It was enough for me. I wasn't too hungry when we stopped for lunch.
Dad made a bed in the back of the Prius by folding down one of the back seat. Right now there are luggage on top of the bed section. The road is not curvy anymore. Praise the Lord! It's not as consistently smooth though...ah--we just hit a smooth section. I haven't driven any. No big deal. Not really in the mood to drive. Will be doing all the driving next week. It's comforting to have a good notebook and pen. I guess this is my way of conversing rather than talking. Yesterday I barely talked. I think I'm going to keep a wine journal. I'm not an expert in identifying the grapes or the nuances of their flavors, but I'm not clueless either. There are lots of labels from Texas that I haven't even tried. I should. I would like to go to Fredricksburg and do some wine tasting.
Mom is perfecting the technique of taking pictures of herself. I wonder if we purchased a camera for our department at work yet.
When can I plan a trip to Fredericksburg? Book club is in two weeks. At my place. I'm going to make tortilla coated baked chicken. Perhaps I'll make a side of angel hair pasta with tomatoes and basil. Maybe.
Awoke to discover we're in Arizona. Scenery hasn't changed. Dad stopped at a Carl's Jr. in Kingsman. Mom and I ordered salads. Not really hungry yet. Then Dad went to the gas station to fill up the car. It's not hot here. Dad said we're up in a higher elevation. The weather is quite comfortable. I do say California and Arizona seem to have an inordinate amount of sunshine. Too much. Perhaps the sunshine is magnified by the desert.
Would be nice to have some chocolates. Perhaps at the next stop. That's what I keep telling myself, but once we come to a gas station I change my mind.
On our way to Flagstaff. One hundred sixteen miles. About two hours. Dad said when he lived in Arizona he got tired of seeing all the desert rock. Mom said she wants a house where she can have citrus trees. I would like a townhouse with a rooftop garden overlooking a pretty view.
All the towns we drove through, none of them called out to me to relocate. I suppose where I'm at is where I still need to be. I don't mind that.
We ran over a blown out tire on
the highway.
It tore the front fender lose.
Dad's fixing it with a clothes
hanger one of the mechanics
gave him.
Read Matthew 10 today. Jesus said He didn't come to bring peace. There's no in-between. There's no negotiation. There's only what God says and religion. The laws were to point people to Jesus. However when the laws became a means in itself then it became religious. What would matter more to the Father: mercy or adherence to the law?
"We are never really alert to our destinies, are we?"
Dad said we'll arrive in Fort Worth around 6 a.m. (Actually it was more like after 11 a.m.)
A train. A line of boxed cars snake through the desert. Painted rocks, crinkled sage. Clear blue sky. Popcorn white. Solitary sight. Blacktop highway. Pungent dust. Dust everywhere. Like gritty mist hovering the ground. Fine dirty dust that fills cracks. Short blanched poles. Sun drenched. Sagging lines. Abandoned homes too old for families. Trailer homes in dusty yards. Peeled paint and dirty windows. The wind blows. Solitary. Route 40.
Made it home after 11 a.m. on Sunday
morning. Fort Worth was
irritatingly hot...but it
was so good to get home,
shower and make
breakfast for my parents.
We laid down and rested
for 45 minutes until they
had to get back on the road
to go to their home.
From Clos Du Val winery.
My souvenir from the Napa Valley.
Monday, May 17
-
"It's a good day,
wake up,
kiss who you love,
go to work and
accomplish something
even if it is just one thing."
-
All photography were taken with my iPhone.
© 2010 Sriprae P. McDonald
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