Back in Texas

After 24 days of visiting friends and family in Wisconsin, Iowa, Washington, and Wyoming, I am finally back in Texas. I got back here on Friday night.

My first priority was to get my car inspected on Saturday as it (the inspection) was 1 1/2 years past due. It didn't pass the emissions test so my next priority was to get the catalytic converter fixed. I did that on Monday morning. I was told I needed to drive it 40 miles to reset something. Three days later I have only managed to drive 27 miles. I will need to get it on the road so I can get back to the inspector tomorrow.

My other first priority was to clean house. It needs a cleaning pretty bad after two and a half years. I spend the mornings cleaning, have lunch, take a nap and read or come to the library to get on the internet. I have discovered AT&T doesn't have DSL in my area. Cable is too expensive. So I am spending my online time at the library. In the evenings I watch TV. Not much has changed as far as TV programs. They are mostly the same as when I left in 2006. So guess what....life here is pretty boring so far. I have made some luncheon dates with friends though, so that hopefully will liven things up. Ha,ha.

I watched Obama's 30 minute infomercial last night and it was very impressive. There is sure a lot of money involved in the election process. I keep wondering if it could be put to better use!

Most of the political commercials are pretty negative and even those that aren't don't say much about the candidate's visions. Wyoming had the worst political commercials I have ever seen. But that may be because I didn't see things the way they do there. There were a lot mentioning gun control---who was going to ruin the state because he or she was for it. I just didn't think that was the most important cause in the world, but I guess it is in Wyoming.

Well, enough of that. Let's just hope that the country elects people who will get us going on more important issues.

On A Clear Day.....

you can see forever! However it was anything but clear when I left Butte this morning. The fog was so dense I had trouble seeing what was ahead of me. I drove from Butte to Bozeman (about 85 miles) in this fog. It was like being in a blinding rainstorm in Dallas or a blinding snowstorm on Stevens Pass. Needless to say, it was quite stressful.

By the time I made a rest stop in Bozeman and got back on the road, it had cleared up quite a bit. I tried to capture the scene on my camera, but it's kind of hard taking a picture while driving 70 mph down the interstate. This is the best I could do!

The rest of the drive to Sheridan was uneventful. I must say though that the drive through Montana is breathtaking. Even after the evergreens were behind me, the rolling hills and treeless mountains were so beautiful. At one point the low clouds settled below the snow capped mountain peaks making it look like they were floating in the sky. (I would have liked to have taken a picture, but I was still driving 70 mph.) I have driven this route a few times in the past and always am amazed at the beauty of the state.

Interstate 90

For the past two years I have been telling people about my plans to take a trip from Seattle to Boston on Interstate 90. I had hoped to do it when I left Holden this fall, but since I stayed an extra month and since the price of gasoline had gone sky high, and since I had a car full of belongings that I needed to move, I revised that plan. I am still going to do it, but will do it in segments. The first segment is this trip from Seattle to Sheridan, Wyoming.

I left Seattle yesterday after a week of visiting friends in Tacoma and Seattle. Speaking of a car full of stuff, I am lucky there is room for me to get in behind the steering wheel. The car is "jam packed" for the duration. The drive along I-90 through the Cascades was beautiful. This is the height of the fall color and the scenery was awesome. I drove from Seattle to Quincy, where I spent the night with Holden friend, Carolyn Giese and her daughter Serena. Serena's boyfriend was also on hand, so guess what....we played pinochle until late. What else would you expect to do at Carolyn's home? We had a real fun time. Carolyn and I won one game and Serena and Jesson won one. The highlight of the evening was when Carolyn got the bid and after I gave her my cards, she had TWO "ropes" in the trump suite. Talk about excitement.... To top it off, it came on her birthday! For a serious card player like Carolyn, it was like winning the lottery!

This morning I left Quincy and drove to Butte, Montana. The mountain range through Idaho and western Montana is absolutely gorgeous. I took this picture at Lookout Pass on the Idaho/Montana border. It just doesn't do it justice though. The colors of the larch were like gold shimmering in the sun. I never get tired of scenery like this!

Midwest Trip

Since this is the first time I've had a chance to update you on my wanderings over the past two weeks, I feel the need to catch up.

October 1 - I left my car in safekeeping with Norma in Wenatchee. After she fed me dinner she drove me to the train where I boarded and headed east.

October 3 - I arrived in La Crosse, Wisconsin, rented a car and drove to Decorah, Iowa. I met my two former roommates, Cozy and Nelda, from Luther and we all stayed at Cozy and Bruce's home just outside of Decorah. We had such a nice visit and enjoyed talking about anything and everything, getting caught up with each other. We had not been together since 1988. On Saturday we toured the Luther campus, then met Holden friend, Abbey, at Mabe's pizza for lunch. That night we went to our 45th class reunion dinner and got semi-reacquainted with former classmates.

October 5 - I left Decorah and drove to Pepin, Wisconsin, and had lunch with Will Chiles at the Harbor View Restaurant. Spent the afternoon with Stuffi at a birthday party in Stockholm. Butch Thompson, entertained at the party with a magical piano concert. That night I stayed with Stuffi and enjoyed her wonderful hospitality.

October 6 - I drove to Red Wing MN for a Feldencreis session with Lisa Walker and then on to Green Bay to visit my cousins, Sharon and Audrey. We had a scrumptious dinner and after dropping Audrey off at home, we went to Sharon's new condo (so beautiful) where we talked until quite late, catching up on each other's families, etc.

October 7 - I left Green Bay and drove to West Bend where I spent the afternoon and night with Jeanne and Jim Fellenz. Jeanne was my best friend from high school! Imagine, keeping up after 49 years. What a joy.

October 8 - Drove back to La Crosse, turned in my car, and got back on the train to return to Wenatchee.

October 10 - I arrived back in Wenatchee, picked up my car from Norma and headed for Washington's Long Beach Peninsula where I spent the next three nights alone at the Haines' beach house. This was a nice relaxing time where all I did was read, eat, sleep and take a couple walks on the beach.

Talk about hospitality! I met it coming and going on this trip. Everyone from Norma at the beginning to the Haines' at the end of this trip showed such wonderful hospitality, I was overwhelmed. As you can tell, this was a whirwind trip and if I could do it over, I would take a couple extra days. I would put some pictures here too, but I am not on my own computer and can't add them from here. More to come--check back later.