Pacific Specifics

    I was in Apple Valley, California when I last wrote. Headed to Cedar City in Utah. We were only there for two nights as we helped load up a moving truck for someone in our family. It hailed the second night, which was crazy. The weather was perfect during the day, and then some minor hail. Then we drove with family to Chino Valley in Arizona. It was about a seven hour drive, with a pretty desert sunset. It was my turn to drive and it was fun, with the girls in one car and all the testosterone in the moving truck.   It’s kind of a strange thing, to be driving 75 miles per hour and sitting still. No wind in my hair, just sitting in my seat and it looks like the mountains are moving as I pass by them. Put it on cruise control and traveling all those miles with just a few arm movements. Am I the only one who thinks these things? When we more officially retire we will probably be those people who have an RV instead of a house. Who knows. There is so much to see! I w...

  Good morning! What did I post about last? I can't remember. We arrived in the United States of America on the last day of August. Three weeks ago. Since arriving in Las Vegas, we have been to Cedar City, Apple Valley, Topock, and back to Apple Valley. And today we are heading back to Cedar City. Which means we went from Nevada to Utah, to California to Arizona, back to California and now back to Utah. Whew. Then the plan is to come back to California in a week. Then after a few days start the drive to Seattle - we have to be there by the first week of October, taking the longer route along the Pacific coast, including Oregon. Another long drive, but a scenic one.   Between Southern Utah and Southern California the scenery doesn't change a whole lot. It's all desert for the most part. My two favorite views are the amazing sunsets, and the Virgin River gorge between Las Vegas and St. George. You can only catch a few brief glimpses of the river, but the canyons are crazy c...

  I was just wondering. How do I make today great? With all of the imperfections of Life and it's creatures, how do I get to the greatness? Life is always both. The best and the worst. So hard, and so easy. Good and bad. Ups and downs. Steps forward and setbacks.   I woke up early and felt like a reasonable human being. This is rare for me! I had my outfit picked out, so I got dressed and started to feel ready for the day. I didn't know what today was going to bring when I picked the outfit. That decision was made in the dark, right before I closed my eyes. We had multiple options. Go with family to their river house in Arizona for the weekend. Stay back at their house in California. Go back to check in on folks in Utah. And anything else that my husband could conjure up for us to go do.   I just unpacked all of my make-up from storage, so I decided to put some on. Before breakfast. This feels so weird. But I wanted greatness, so I chose to get ready for it. Not that ...

  Who am I writing this blog for anyway? I have a new app called Fabulous, and it's supposed to help me stay on track. I said I would write in my journal, and this is the closest thing I have at the moment. I did not go out and buy one more book to write in. I already have about 30 of them, after burning a dozen of them. I am writing this blog for my family who want to know what it's like to be me. Who want to know what I'm up to, and why.   We left sunny Samara on 30th, almost 2 weeks ago. We drove to Liberia, spent the night by the airport, and flew into Las Vegas on the 31st. It was wonderful to spend time with my son Seth and his lovely wife Marika. There was not a lot of jet lag, but I felt a bit dazed being back in the United States of America. On the 2nd of September my daughter Melissa picked us up for the drive back to Cedar City. It was so nice to see her, to see my car, to zoom on down the road towards the town that I left behind a year ago.   What a whirlwi...

What happens when the human mind sleeps? Many say it's when the brain shuts down most physical activity and the subconscious takes over. Does the subconscience come and mix with the conscious mind like fresh water where it meets the ocean? Except the subconsciousness is the ocean.  Or is the conscious mind like a beach and at night its high tide. The subconscious washes up and over, and rearranges the beach, maybe depositing some shells. Wiping the sand clear of all tracks from the previous day. Or is it like a James Bond Martini, and it's shaken, not stirred? Or is it a complete separation of the two every night? Like a couple who dances together but don't touch? Or just rub up against each other? Or a like a pair of swing dancers where the conscience is the woman being led and tossed around by the subconscious man, to some wild beat we are barely aware of? We don't have to consciously take the effort to tell ourselves when to breathe. It just happens, ever...