On Vacation-You Won't Forget Us, Will You?

Years ago, I read an article that said if you were planning a trip of more than an overnight, you should bring your suitcase out several days in advance so your cats know something is going to change. They might even learn to recognize the suitcase as meaning you are leaving and they should anticipate someone else coming to care for them. I don't know if the girls know the suitcase because, for years, I couldn't afford to go anywhere for more than an overnight, but I brought up the suitcase and left it in the living room for them to sniff and lie in, if they so chose.

The first day it was out, they were in it. They were sniffing it. With the top flopped open, Pilchard would hide under the lid and charge out at Mija until Mija took a swing at her one evening. They watched as I dropped clothing and toiletries into the bag. Then, Wednesday night, I zipped it shut and stood it by the front door. I was ready to go.

On Friday, when we were getting ready to run errands, I pulled out clean clothes for the day and out popped this.

This poor bedraggled thing is a one of a set of wool felted mice I got last year for them. This one seems to be the one they prefer to attack and drag all over the house. I've found it in my shoes or on my bed and once, in the water dish. To say it is "well loved" is a bit of an understatement.

I did some laundry while I was at Carole's so I wouldn't have to pack enough clothing for the full week. This accidentally got wrapped up in the clothes I was washing so not only did it go to Virginia, but also it got a better bath than being dropped in a water dish.

We pet owners tend to anthropomorphise our pet's behavior, sometimes, to the extreme. We ascribe human traits to animal behavior. But I like to think that they saw I was packing for a longer stay than overnight and they were worried I'd forget them. So, they dropped a token of them into my bag. That way, I'd remember them all week. It's more like someone was playing with this, tossed it into the air and it landed in the suitcase. They left it rather than try to find it amongst the clothing. Still, it made me laugh. I'd never forget my girls and I'll always come home to them.

Beverage:  Water

Deb

On Vacation-The Games We Played

I've danced around the issue, but, for this post, it's time to acknowledge that my daughter's first marriage didn't work out. There are many reasons why but it just didn't work out. She's got a new beau, Larry, and mom is quite happy with this one. There's a lot more in common and a lot more mutual respect. One of the big things they have in common is playing games.

The ex was okay with game playing so long as it was the games he wanted to play. Larry doesn't care. It's about the experience of playing games with friends and family. Winning or losing is immaterial. Playing games, from card games to board games to role-playing games to online games, has long been a part of our family life. From the earliest times when Carole learned to play Candyland to now when she's off playing online games that are quite complicated, gaming is something she does. That Larry shares her interest in games is a huge plus.

I have long been jealous of my friends, April and Perry, who had a long running Monday Night Game Night where they got together with a bunch of friends and played anything and everything. There are a lot of studies which talk about how games keep your brain learning and learning staves off dementia. My ability to understand what April and Perry and friends were playing was limited. I sometimes felt as if the synapses in my brain just gave up. But their game nights were also more about being with friends, which, of itself, helps keep a myriad of health problems away. If I had a boat load of friends nearby, I'd try to have game nights once a month.

So, I was excited to play games with Larry and Carole while I was on vacation. We got out our sodas and cookies and had a ball. The first game we played was Star Wars Trivial Pursuit.

Holy Millennium Falcon, Batman. Talk about trivial. That Larry knew what color "x's" robe was when he was on x planet in the 3rd movie was impressive. He probably knows more than I've forgotten about the movies. Needless to say, he creamed Carole and I.

After that, we played World of Warcraft Trivial Pursuit. Um...yeah. I redeemed myself, going from last place to first place. Carole quipped, "Well, let's see if we even get a turn" as she pulled up the first card to read to me. I don't know everything about WOW, just as Larry doesn't know everything contained in the Star Wars trivia. It's fun to run into a question you don't know, one that makes you sit back and say, "Really? I didn't know that."

Later in the week, we played Settlers of Catan.

I've played this before with April and Perry. It's a fun game and requires just enough strategy to not make me dislike it. I really don't like strategy games so you'll never find me playing something like Risk. Settlers requires thinking about where to build roads and towns, but there's the luck of the dice roll too, which you can't control. Carole is really good at this game and soundly beat Larry and I.

The last game we played was Boggle.

Larry has a degree in computer science. Words are not his strong suit. Carole had, at one point, considered a double major in English and Anthropology, but opted just for Anthropology, so she can spell. Larry doesn't mind playing Boggle with her even though she can beat him by 100 points. He was looking forward to watching the two of us go head to head.

I'm afraid I cannot keep up with my daughter. I have slowed down in word recognition. She sees words very easily and, while I can see some words she can't, she's much better at it than I. She won both games we played although the first game was closer than the second game.

They also go to a local Irish pub on Wednesday nights for a trivia contest. I had really good fish and chips and some incredible chocolate mousse. Oh my, was it good. We were in 3rd place after the first round, first place after the second round, 2nd place after the bonus round, 4th place after the 4th round and then the bottom fell out. There was a "name that tune" final round. I had no clue what any of the music was so I just ate my chocolate mousse. It was current music and "classic rock", two areas that I have a very limited knowledge of. The guy running the trivia contest did have "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart, which caused me to laugh out loud because this came after 4 songs I hadn't a clue about. The others in attendance knew a few more than me, but we sank to 9th place overall. Still, I could see doing that on a monthly basis if I lived closer. My team would just have to understand I don't know rock music. Jazz on the other hand...

We went to lunch at Larry's parents' house on Monday and they also like to play games. We played one of the longest Uno games I think I've played in years. We also played Rat-a-tat Cat. This is a very fun card game from Gamewright Games. It's suitable for all ages. It was a lot of fun to play with Larry's parents, to see where he got his love of gaming from.

I miss this. I have a large number of games in my closet that I'd love to play if I could get a group of people together. Mille Bourne, Scrabble, Disney Trivial Pursuit or Humble anyone?

Beverage:  Water

Deb

On Vacation-The Trip To Virginia

I left Thursday, May 22nd. The day dawned cool and clear.

Realizing I had a 12 hour drive ahead of me, before stops for gas and food and to simply walk around, my goal was to leave at 6 a.m., which is 7 a.m. in Virginia. I packed as much as I could on Wednesday night. There were just a few things to pack on Thursday and, at 5:45 a.m., I kissed my girls goodbye, told them Pam would be taking care of them and headed out the driveway. The first stop would be breakfast.

Of course I'm going to start my vacation with Dunkin'. I did it last year. I think it should become a tradition. I told the manager I'd see her again in June. She wished me a good trip and I was off, officially.

I couldn't have asked for a better driving day. The sky in Chicagoland was completely clear. Leaving at that time of day means getting to Indiana is a breeze, unlike about an hour later when it can be stop and go.

The perfect weather continued through Ohio. I had to laugh because in middle Ohio, Interstate 80 is undergoing major repairs. Road destruction doesn't phase me, but how the road was divided was confusing to people.

I'm in the "express lane". This is for cars only who don't want to exit at any time during this 25-mile stretch of construction. We have these all over Chicagoland, even when there isn't construction. I got behind more than one car that found themselves in these lanes but needing to get off. Once the lanes ended, they would head to the shoulder, map in hand, to figure out how to get back to where they needed to get off.

The rental car was great here. As long as there was no slow traffic, I could set the cruise control for the mandatory 45 miles per hour and not worry that I was accidentally exceeding the speed limit. I saw more than one person pulled over upon existing the construction zone. With a fine of at least $250, that puts a huge damper on a vacation.

Interstate 80 is often referred to as "the artery of America". Running coast to coast from New York, past Chicago, to San Francisco, it's probably the easiest way to get from point A to point B through the mid-section of the country. Memorial Day weekend is when Rolling Thunder hits Washington DC. This event, which brings awareness of the POW/MIA situation, sees thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts arrive in DC for events, speeches and get-togethers. I was vaguely aware of this as I headed east. The farther east I went, the more motorcycles I saw.

At rest stops, they would congregate together, asking where each other was from and if they wanted to ride together to DC. I often heard, "Oh I'm not a vet. I just ride to show my support." A lot of people were riding to show their support.

I think we all had the same directions because I saw the same people over and over. You know the feeling when you pass a truck, get off for gas, and pass it again when you get back on. I passed the car pulling the trailer here in front of me several times from western Ohio as I headed east.

And the thing about Internet or GPS directions, they often send you out of the way in the drive for fast. I'm picking up US 522 to head south here. I had to leave 522 to get to 37 to get to I-66. I'm leaving Interstate 70 east here. US 522 runs from I-66 straight north to I-70. The only fly in the ointment for speed is that 522 goes through downtown Winchester, Virginia, a very old city where George Washington lived for a time. I know this because, on my way home, I opted not to completely retrace my steps, but take 522 straight north. I lost it south of downtown Winchester and wound up spending 30 minutes driving around the downtown before I found it again. Downtown Winchester is a pedestrian mall with a museum dedicated to George Washington's law office. I think it merits a visit some day, but not when I'm trying to go home.

522 is a beautiful drive in Virginia.

It's four lanes for a bit in Maryland but narrows to 2 lanes in West Virginia. This moved along swiftly, even taking into account the drive through a couple of towns. Once it gets into Virginia, it's 4 lanes of lovely driving.

This is Interstate 66 heading east to DC. I caught up with some of the cyclists I'd seen back on Interstate 80. From this point, it was about an hour to Carole's. The drive had been most pleasant and is probably going to be my route from now on. I just have to figure out how it goes through downtown Winchester.

Beverage:  Water

Deb

On Vacation-The 2nd Best Thing

We'd just shoveled another 8 inches out of the driveway back in January but the office chat turned to vacations. Being a small office, we try not to have two of us out at one time. If  you're flying somewhere, you might have to leave or return on a day when someone else is coming or going, but having two people out for more than one day is just inviting the phone to ring with "I need this now" requests.

I get 3 weeks because of my 14 years here so I started thinking about where to spend the time. Because Carole has settled in Virginia, traveling there once a year until I can't travel anymore, is what I will do. I want to see where she lives in all kinds of seasons. I'd been there in mid-May and August. After talking to her, I decided to travel around Memorial Day. I have members of my World of Warcraft guild in Virginia, too, so getting together with them for a party would be easier when there is an extra day to travel.

Now, I love my Jeep. It fits me, fits my lifestyle and what I do. But, with RA, the age of my Jeep and the fact that it's a stick shift make the prospect of a long drive less appealing. In March, I made the decision that, if possible, I was going to rent a car to drive out there. It would be more comfortable than the Jeep. I'd have air conditioning which the Jeep doesn't have. I wouldn't have to shift. I wouldn't have wear and tear on the Jeep and there would be cruise control, allowing me to stretch out my legs in between those times when I stop to actually get out and walk around. Then I fell on May 1st.

My right foot still swells at night, although not like it used to. There is no pain in the knee and the bruises are all gone. But that trauma made the desire to rent very strong and when the cost of renting dropped $100 between the time I checked in April and when I went to reserve a car in May, the deal was sealed. This is what I got.

This is a Nissan Versa. With a large back seat AND a large trunk, I was able to take boxes and bins of Carole's stuff from the basement to her house. I never would have fit 2 boxes and a bin in the Jeep, along with the 2 boxes and 2 suitcases I had with me.

This was the 2nd best idea I had on vacation. (The best idea was going to visit Carole over Memorial Day.) The car drove like a dream. It was nimble, maneuvering easily through traffic leaving Chicago. It was stingy on gas.

My first fill-up, after picking it up with half a tank, was just inside the Ohio border. This is half-way through Pennsylvania. On this tank of gas, I made it to Warrenton. Two fill-ups is all. Had I taken the Jeep, last year's trip leads me to believe I would have needed 4 fill-ups. A smaller tank and better gas mileage made the cost of gas less than $100 one way.

All the room in the back meant the most important things could be in the passenger seat next to me.

That's lunch, Dr Pepper, my cell phone and my music. I could keep my life right there at easy reach. Last year, my music got sandwiched behind a suitcase I was bringing because there was no other place to put it. Having non-essentials in the back was wonderful.

Traveling with an I-Pass to breeze along tollways is a bit of a problem when you have a rental car.

I know how to add and delete cars from my I-Pass account. I was told NOT to add the rental car because any outstanding tolls attached to that car would automatically be deducted from my account and getting a refund from the Tollway was worse than pulling hen's teeth. "Just go through the manual lanes" I was told. That did result in some slow-down in my travel time, and I forgot on a few occasions because I'm so used to just breezing through the lanes. But this small nuisance is not enough to detract me from renting again the next time I go visit Carole.

One thing came up that I hadn't considered. Mountains.

Last year, the drive to and from Carole's involved my spending time in the slow lane to the right. In fact, the Jeep was so slow that not only did I have to put on my flashers, but I got passed by semi trucks hauling thousands of pounds of stuff. This slow travel contributed to the 16 hour drive on the way home.

But I set the cruise control and, as the mountains and their slow lanes arrived, felt the car compensate for this. A steady speed was maintained up and down. I didn't have to move over unless I got behind someone slower than me. This contributed to my trip out taking 11 hours and 40 minutes. I came back in rush hour on a Friday night so my trip back was an hour longer due to stop and go traffic. I'll need to remember that next time.

All-in-all, this was a fantastic way to enjoy my vacation. We used the rental car to go everywhere. It made me realize that, as much as I love my Jeep, as much as it fits with my personality, I need to get a newer car. I'd love something like this Versa, although not in black. The only problem with it would be getting it out of the drive in the winter. What the Jeep plows through with ease would cause the Versa to become stuck. But that would be a small price to pay for the lack of car repairs, the ease of getting around and the savings on gas. I cannot afford a car this year, even used. I try not to think about the Jeep dying and being forced into needing a car.

Here's the final mileage.

That was two thousand of the most comfortable miles I think I have driven in a long time. Renting a car. Brilliant idea. I'm glad I thought of it.

Beverage:  Water

Deb