Tales of the Ordinary Days

Day 28 | 30 Days of Writing A little recovery and reflection going on in the back seat Today we have surpassed 3,900 total trip miles and crossed into our 10th and final state of Wyoming. It was a solid ten hours on the road with only one driver behind the wheel for every logged mile. Garrett is our driver. Larry, Zeke, and I are the passengers. Zeke was pretty much wiped from spending the past few days with his energetic doggy cousins. He snuggled in with Grandpa Larry for most of the ten hours on the road. A book or other obstruction on a lap gives him no pause, Zeke just lays right on top of it all. Our overnight stay is in Rock Springs, Wyoming. Over dinner (at Old Chicago, of course), I asked the guys what I should name this blog to describe our day. Garrett immediately said "recovery". When I asked for clarification he added "and a lot of reflection". Larry nodded his head in agreement. We had a long drive to get to our next major destination and ...

Day 27 | 30 Days of Writing A night well spent (left - Ken, Jody, Linda, Kenny, right - Larry, Sandy, Garrett) We spent our last day in Reno. Zeke had a first and so did I. Zeke swam for the first time. I met some of Garrett's family for the first time. For the rest of our crew, this was all old news. The morning started with a big breakfast at a neighborhood cafe. Aunt Linda's four dogs waited in her car while Zeke was a bark away in ours. They knew something big was to come. With a short, but scenic drive, we found ourselves in the beautiful Frenchman Lake area. Linda and her dogs (standard poodles - Finn & Pete, corgis -  Roe & Marsh) know this area well. Zeke was the virgin pup, following his canine cousins to seek out something he had never experienced before. I have to admit, I was a little nervous. Zeke's closest encounter with water was our neighbor's backyard waterfall. Now we found ourselves in a big recreation area with five dogs o...

Day 26 | 30 Days of Writing Lunch with my date at a brewery in South Tahoe Today Garrett and I had a day date. Missing our date nights but not quite realizing it, Aunt Linda and Larry told us we were on our own. They had their own plans for the day, even offering to take Zeke. But we instead chose to take the big baby pup with us. While Larry, Linda, and Kenny shopped Costco and Trader Joe's for the menu items for our evening meal, Garrett and I (with Zeke in the back seat) took a driving tour around Lake Tahoe. I would describe the day as raining a lot. Garrett would argue that I'm exaggerating (note we didn't get out of the car other than to eat). But we were able to spend some time alone, catching up. A perfect afternoon even with the rain. Tahoe views (clearly rain) As we talked about life concerns and thoughts on our future plans, Garrett carefully maneuvered us around the curves and ascents into the Tahoe region. My husband loves for us to 'be o...

Day 25 | 30 Days of Writing Notice the clean plates...awesome meal by Aunt Linda (La) A summary of our day... Leaving Bishop, CA this morning, we drove into rain as we headed into Yosemite National Park. The temp dipped to a nippy 45 as Garrett weaved us through the park switchbacks. We weren't too keen to get out and get wet. Instead we overwhelmingly enjoyed the sites through the windshield and the warmth of the car. Midday as we continued north to our final destination of Reno, NV, the home of Garrett's Aunt Linda and Uncle Kenny, the sky broke open with the sun we love. 71 degrees greeted us, along with Linda and Kenny's four dogs, two standard poodles and two corgis. Zeke was thrilled, as were we. Yosemite was great, but sitting in Kenny and Linda's backyard with the five dogs entertaining each other, as their human counterparts did the same, was pure bliss. Listening to the stories of past family trips and many memories was wonderful. La...

Day 23 | 30 Days of Writing Last night in Kingman Today was our last day in Kingman before we hit the road again. It doesn't feel like we've been gone for over a week. In fact, thinking about being back home next Sunday made me a little sad. Our epic road trip is living up to expectations and going by way too quickly. I also noted that my 30 day writing exercise coincidentally ends with day 30 being the night we pull back into our driveway. Thoughts were starting to stir on which writing project I should take on next. Mom helped relieve me of this decision. I am now officially on the the writing team for the Pick Family History book. We spent the afternoon going through Mom's mounds of documents, files, and research with her. Google file sharing will be our saving grace as other contributors include mom's brothers in DC and Indiana, and sister in Idaho. My very organized mother white-boarded her outline of the book contents with many notes on key points...

Day 22 | 30 Days of Writing Zeke enjoying his chewy stick at Uncle Matt's house Day 2 in Kingman, Arizona. My brother, Matt, has now said on at least a couple of occasions, "Today was a perfect day." And that it was. We hung out all day with Zeke as the center of our attention. From football watching to dog walks, light conversations were ongoing with a set agenda non-existent. My husband, the Purdue grad, was very happy with the main game outcome today. Zeke didn't take sides, although he does now have his first two team bandanas to wear proudly on game days. These gifts from Uncle Matt include a blue NAU and a golden Iowa number. Matt worked on his bike in the garage for bits of the afternoon while Mom and I sat at the table with computer and iPads. Football games were on at least three TV/device screens throughout the day. Zeke rotated from garage to the living room to the backyard, depending on the human of interest and doggy desire of the moment. ...