L'aventure américaine

Cell phone coverage has been very spotty and I haven’t wanted to by on my phone amidst all of this beauty.  But, today was Yellowstone. There’s a reason this was the first national park. What a day. An incredible, beautiful day. 

I wish that this blog would write itself when we are in the midst of activity. Like when I am watching randal and the kids search for prickly pear cactus on the “wall” of the Badlands. Or when Milo is successfully climbing an adult ladder at the Notch Trail in the Badlands National Park. Or when the kids are running around chasing each other on the stage while Mt Rushmore towers above them. Or when we are searching for sticks on the road near our “boondocked” campsite.  Instead, I am writing when I’m exhausted and the kids are crying and feeding off of each other and not going to sleep.  But, we’re all so tired because we had the BEST day.  It’s our second night of “boondocking” - or RV camping with no hookups. So, tomorrow we will have to drain and replenish water. The sites have been great though- peaceful and way off the grid today. Last night, we looked out over the badlands and loved watching a storm come up, followed by a beautiful rainbow, and then a gorgeous sunse...

“This is our vacation.” The trip is slower than we expected (why we expected two little kids and a giant vehicle to be conducive to speed is beyond me), so I think that randal and I are trying to remind each other that this IS the vacation. We don’t need to hurry. We should stop and see the only corn palace in the world.  We have left the Midwest and are in the rolling hills of the South Dakota prairie. It was a beautiful morning at the Big Sioux Recreation Center where we stayed last night and we got on the road late.  More to come. An angry toddler and chatty four year old are demanding my attention. 

Day two has commenced in our grand adventure.  For those who don’t know, we decided to get to Oregon by hook or by crook. After cancelling plane tickets to visit our old home for the second time this summer (thanks covid), we had a lengthy discussion about whether or not we wanted to DRIVE to Oregon.  It would never work if we drove a regular car: the restaurants, the hotels, the inability to pee on the road. So, it had to be an RV. And then, when we finally decided that we wanted to go on this trip, we had to find an RV. Which is no small feat, since there are a LOT of people who had the same idea that we did.  We were so lucky to get one. The local dealership got a new (to them) one days before we were scheduled to leave and got it ready just in time for us to pick it up yesterday. And so we picked up our 2020 Coachmen Leprauchaun and spent a hot, rushed day trying to pack it with everything we might need for the next three weeks.  We are headed to Klamath, but pla...

It’s almost 10pm eastern time and everyone is still awake.  But, the adventure commenced and we are happy.  More tomorrow! 

My garden has brought out the highs and lows of my emotions this year.   When I ate my first lettuce, I was ecstatic.  Watching tomatoes redden, zucchini lengthen, and green beans pop out, I am thrilled.  When a chipmunk ate most of my beets and a fungus started to spread, I was devastated.  Seriously, the fungus practically ruined my day.  (Although my dear friend suggested I throw some Vagisil in the soil and call it a day.  It might be worth a try.) When I stepped on some corn accidentally, I quickly said, "I'm sorry, baby!"  Which is the same thing that I say to Marian when I accidentally run her into a door frame. I'm in pretty deep.  Stay with me, garden; the world is dark enough without a fungus destroying you. Milo refused to eat this carrot.  I loved it. The small, but delicious, beet harvest, post-chipmunk ravaging.

It was not my most patriotic 4th of July this year.   But, we celebrated anyway and it felt so nice.  The COVID-19 numbers had continued to sloooowly drop and so we decided we could ease up for the weekend and expand our bubbles for the time being.  (That seems like a long time ago.) They have started to rise again, so we are tightening up again.  It was nice to see cousins though and while we didn't hug, we shared a meal and that felt pretty amazing too. Milo sang happy birthday to America and followed it with "Black Lives Matter."  I learned patriotic songs on the piano and we watched "Hamilton" on TV.  I didn't feel the same pride that I used to feel in years past, but, I do feel inspired to keep working on this slightly battered country of ours. And we'll close with a "Teddy Bear Walk" that Milo and Marian and I started this week.  You spray water on parts of the sidewalk that are ideally marked with a bear paw.  We had some successes and...