Wednesday, August 29, ’12
H-104 Tucson L H 65 L 58 RAIN H H 73 L 59 M H 81 L 60
L–74 C H 92 L 76
Bear update: The Bear says Jack Has Crashed Our Indian Tom Tom Dance Party. TR says, “Even Chief Yellow Horse couldn’t defeat Jack.” Moose say, “Me hopes Jack wins, Bear!” Lou says we will have a Consult The Thing Party. We will serve Whatever The Thing Eats.
We woke up to sun Will it last? It lasted, and the temperature in Tucson climbed to 104.
Brooklyn 78/63
We woke up at 7:30AM. We got dressed and took the pets outside in the parking lot for a walk. We drove everybody to Kranberry’s for breakfast. We had the same waitress that we had yesterday at lunch. We checked out of room 103 at 10:11AM. Our 1st pit stop was at Love’s two exits later at exit 20. Kenny looked for a back support for his car. They didn’t have one. We bought a flat of water instead. We passed Gary, NM at exit 15. Then we got to vast expanses of flats with white dust or sand and lots of rock formations. We crossed the border into Arizona. I saw a blue and yellow sign. But then the San Simon rest area was closed. That was supposed to be our next pit stop. It was open in June when we left. We continued on to exit 362 Bowie. Our 2nd pit stop was at the same ramshackle Shell station that smelled musty. We tried to call attorneys as I took photos. We got off the road at exit 340 Willcox. McDonalds was our lunch stop and our 3rd pit stop. We got out the computers. But the atmosphere was tense. There is still no money other than $650.00. I should never have paid those bills several weeks ago. Then I’d have $1400.00 more — $2000.00 for living expenses. Gary called Shapiro. We got back on the road. The 4th pit stop was at The Thing at exit 322. Kenny and I paid $2.00 admission to go behind a closed door to see The Thing. There were footprints leading up to it. Would you believe we saw a diorama of Hitler seated in a 1932 car! This was The Thing? We were so offended we left. Now we’re stuck with a Thing bumper sticker that we don’t know what to do with. How stupid can these people be anyway? The Thing should be western-themed like Bowlins. We wanted to get off at the dinosaur McDonalds, but the road construction worker waved us on. We weren’t allowed to. So we got off I-10 and the interstates all together at exit 275 Houghton Road at 1:44PM. Our 5th pit stop was at the Carl’s Jr Rita Ranch on Houghton Road. We got Cokes. Kenny got ice cream. The 6th pit stop was at Petsmart and Bed Bath & Beyond at 2:30PM. We bought pillows for everybody. The Bear went in triumph back to E Wallen Ridge Drive. We arrived back at 3:10PM at an odo of 24,528. Kenny’s odo was 42, 300. We put the cat in the house and turned down the A/C. We started working the fans. We went to BBB and bought another fan. Kenny stayed in the house while Gary and I went to Safeway to buy water and cleaning products. We then put the dog in the house and went to Viro’s for dinner. We called my parents to tell them we were back and finished unloading the cars.
We’ve Been Gone For 2 and 1/2 Months. We Come Back To AZ And San Simon Is Closed 8/29/12
No sooner did we see the bright yellow and blue sign for Arizona than we discovered that the very first rest area on I-10 was closed, San Simon. It had been open when we left the house in June. We needed a place to stop for the dog, and the state of Arizona was playing us false. There was no construction in the area. There was no work on the rest areas in progress. We had to go on to Bowie to a broken down ramshackle Shell Station instead. Thanks a lot, Arizona! And a nice welcome back.
Hitler At Bowlins? You’ve Got To Be Pulling My Leg!
We stopped at the four Bowlins stores on I-10 in New Mexico. They advertised “The Thing” at exit 322 in Arizona. As a lead up at the Butterfield Stage stop on the way from Deming to Lordsburg they had a mannequin in an old car. It was supposed to be a skeleton, perhaps an old-time miner. On the bumper was the sticker The Thing Exit 322. We were expecting a typical western bad guy as the thing. We couldn’t believe it when we paid $2.00 adult admission and followed the yellow footprints behind a closed door to find Hitler seated in the back of a 1930’s Rolls Royce. What does this have to do with the west? What about the light, spoofy atmosphere of Bowlins. We were so offended that we left, not knowing what to do with the bumper sticker we’d bought ahead of time in eager anticipation.
My husband says “The Thing” was a 50’s alien sci fi movie. Is HItler the ultimate space alien? Following the Americans’ cartoonish image of Hitler, somehow they think this fits.
Now my red phone broke too. Kenny changed the battery when we got back.
Postcard:
We drove from Lordsburg to Tucson. We crossed the salt flats and then the AZ border. All the rest areas were closed, but we made it back at 3:10PM. The car had driven 6000 miles. We’d gone 13, 000 miles.
Dog/Cat Report:
The dog got more excited when we pulled in the driveway than I’d seen him since the day we picked him up at the kennel in Pittsburgh. He insisted on coming to the grocery store with us. We finally persuaded him to stay inside the house while we went to dinner. He ate his roast beef sandwich from Viro’s and fell asleep on the living room sofa.
The cat immediately went under the bed and took a nap as soon as we put him in the bedroom. He has hardly emerged since then. Kenny said he was standing at the window for awhile looking at the backyard. As soon as I put new towels on his post in the bathroom he scurried out from under the bed and leaped up there. Then he came up on my desk and walked over the computer several times. He got more lively and started to explore all the bags still sitting in the dining room.
The weeds have grown high in the front yard where the flower bed used to be. The roses are still there. The pool is very low and green. When we called my parents after dinner they said their pool is green, too. They’ve been digging up their street for 3 weeks. I asked for a photo. That started a ridiculous discussion about photos. Grandpap said he doesn’t take photos anymore because no one wants to see them. I tried to explain our system of keeping photos online.
Karen left today for Massachusetts. She’s stopping in Scranton tonight. She’s renting her house for $1000.00/month. She can’t sell it. She wants a large garden, but the real estate market in Pittsburgh isn’t favorable for moving to Massachusetts.
Kenny cleaned the refrigerator. Gary turned the hot water back on. We’ve been doing laundry this evening. We’re running the water in all the faucets and replacing the towels in the bathrooms.
We got back home in the amount of time it took the QM2 to drop us off in Brooklyn, sail back to Hamburg, go on a Norweigian cruise, and sail back to New York.
Still no contract . . .
What next?
Packing List ’12
1)Kenny’s suitcase
2)Gary’s suitcase
3)Linda’s suitcase: small packing cube with socks and charging cords, flower wallet with stones from Nuremberg, my beads, and my flashlight, bigger packing cube with lingerie, 2 nightgowns, capris, wings, empty Petco bag, Orvis T-shirts, receipt Itoya, Itoya with road note tablets, two books: The Nazi Sphinx and The Lusitania Plot, hair towel, beach clogs, Mandarin Oriental slippers, dark blue slippers, outside zippered compartment: white garbage bags, American Itoya with reservations until July 6, Blue Petes and Seashore State Park, wrapping paper from ship
4)extra Orvis suitcase with European souvenirs
5)Gary’s backpack: laptop
6)Kenny’s backpack: laptop
7)Linda’s blue laptop bag: mouse, white charging cord, postcards and FEDEX envelopes in back pocket
8)elephant tapestry bag: brown purse notebook with pad of paper, wallet, pens, iPod, Virgin Mobile device, battery in charger, memory card cases, wedding ring, dragon car keys, sunglasses and spare, Purell, wipes, Cetaphil, eyeglass cleaners, inside compartment: international driving permits, passports, notepads, Met Life checks, Bear’s sword, stamps, etc.
9)Bear bag and new Bear bag with souvenirs from Bowlins
10)Canon video camera bag
11)cat suitcase with two blue plastic dishes, dog’s red water bowl, PPP, cat toys, cat combs
12)cat’s stroller
13)cat pan
14)LL Bean blue cooler with paper plates, cups, and birthday stuff, sponges, and dishwashing liquid
15)LL Bean toiletry bag
16)Land’s End dark blue souvenir bag with shoulder strap, Bowlins souvenir bag with statuette
17)Guess purse with shoulder strap and souvenirs
18)dirty laundry bag
19)Kenny’s camera bag
20)pillows including Kenny’s small pillow
21)2 Vornado fans, 1 floor fan
22)cat’s soft-sided tan carrying case with shoulder strap
23)quarter coin purse, other coin purses
24)small dark blue LL Bean purse
25)umbrellas
26)extra pair of tennis shoes L
27)Petco bag in front seat to take in stores
28)Petco bag with extra cans of PPP in back of Bearmobile
29)flats of water
30)dog’s water dish and jug of water
31)dog’s toys
32)3 hats
33)Kenny’s mattress cover
34)new pillows from BBB, new fan
35)dog’s beach towels
36)supply bags
37)supply bags of clothes
39)power strip for computers
40)sunglasses and clips
41)flats of water
42)dog’s water dish and stand
43)cat’s hard-sided carrying case and crunchie tray
44)cat litter
45)extra cat crunchies, including small bag, dog treats, dog biscuits
46)3 White Sands jackets and 3 Queen Mary black rain ponchos
47)Land’s End dark blue souvenir bag with shoulder strap with boxed souvenirs, videos, and magets
48)Kenny’s snack bag
49)cat bed
50)dog sweater
51)Gary’s suit, Kenny’s suit jacket, dress shoes
52)
H-104 Tucson L H 65 L 58 RAIN H H 73 L 59 M H 81 L 60
L–74 C H 92 L 76
Bear update: The Bear says Jack Has Crashed Our Indian Tom Tom Dance Party. TR says, “Even Chief Yellow Horse couldn’t defeat Jack.” Moose say, “Me hopes Jack wins, Bear!” Lou says we will have a Consult The Thing Party. We will serve Whatever The Thing Eats.
We woke up to sun Will it last? It lasted, and the temperature in Tucson climbed to 104.
Brooklyn 78/63
We woke up at 7:30AM. We got dressed and took the pets outside in the parking lot for a walk. We drove everybody to Kranberry’s for breakfast. We had the same waitress that we had yesterday at lunch. We checked out of room 103 at 10:11AM. Our 1st pit stop was at Love’s two exits later at exit 20. Kenny looked for a back support for his car. They didn’t have one. We bought a flat of water instead. We passed Gary, NM at exit 15. Then we got to vast expanses of flats with white dust or sand and lots of rock formations. We crossed the border into Arizona. I saw a blue and yellow sign. But then the San Simon rest area was closed. That was supposed to be our next pit stop. It was open in June when we left. We continued on to exit 362 Bowie. Our 2nd pit stop was at the same ramshackle Shell station that smelled musty. We tried to call attorneys as I took photos. We got off the road at exit 340 Willcox. McDonalds was our lunch stop and our 3rd pit stop. We got out the computers. But the atmosphere was tense. There is still no money other than $650.00. I should never have paid those bills several weeks ago. Then I’d have $1400.00 more — $2000.00 for living expenses. Gary called Shapiro. We got back on the road. The 4th pit stop was at The Thing at exit 322. Kenny and I paid $2.00 admission to go behind a closed door to see The Thing. There were footprints leading up to it. Would you believe we saw a diorama of Hitler seated in a 1932 car! This was The Thing? We were so offended we left. Now we’re stuck with a Thing bumper sticker that we don’t know what to do with. How stupid can these people be anyway? The Thing should be western-themed like Bowlins. We wanted to get off at the dinosaur McDonalds, but the road construction worker waved us on. We weren’t allowed to. So we got off I-10 and the interstates all together at exit 275 Houghton Road at 1:44PM. Our 5th pit stop was at the Carl’s Jr Rita Ranch on Houghton Road. We got Cokes. Kenny got ice cream. The 6th pit stop was at Petsmart and Bed Bath & Beyond at 2:30PM. We bought pillows for everybody. The Bear went in triumph back to E Wallen Ridge Drive. We arrived back at 3:10PM at an odo of 24,528. Kenny’s odo was 42, 300. We put the cat in the house and turned down the A/C. We started working the fans. We went to BBB and bought another fan. Kenny stayed in the house while Gary and I went to Safeway to buy water and cleaning products. We then put the dog in the house and went to Viro’s for dinner. We called my parents to tell them we were back and finished unloading the cars.
We’ve Been Gone For 2 and 1/2 Months. We Come Back To AZ And San Simon Is Closed 8/29/12
No sooner did we see the bright yellow and blue sign for Arizona than we discovered that the very first rest area on I-10 was closed, San Simon. It had been open when we left the house in June. We needed a place to stop for the dog, and the state of Arizona was playing us false. There was no construction in the area. There was no work on the rest areas in progress. We had to go on to Bowie to a broken down ramshackle Shell Station instead. Thanks a lot, Arizona! And a nice welcome back.
Hitler At Bowlins? You’ve Got To Be Pulling My Leg!
We stopped at the four Bowlins stores on I-10 in New Mexico. They advertised “The Thing” at exit 322 in Arizona. As a lead up at the Butterfield Stage stop on the way from Deming to Lordsburg they had a mannequin in an old car. It was supposed to be a skeleton, perhaps an old-time miner. On the bumper was the sticker The Thing Exit 322. We were expecting a typical western bad guy as the thing. We couldn’t believe it when we paid $2.00 adult admission and followed the yellow footprints behind a closed door to find Hitler seated in the back of a 1930’s Rolls Royce. What does this have to do with the west? What about the light, spoofy atmosphere of Bowlins. We were so offended that we left, not knowing what to do with the bumper sticker we’d bought ahead of time in eager anticipation.
My husband says “The Thing” was a 50’s alien sci fi movie. Is HItler the ultimate space alien? Following the Americans’ cartoonish image of Hitler, somehow they think this fits.
Now my red phone broke too. Kenny changed the battery when we got back.
Postcard:
We drove from Lordsburg to Tucson. We crossed the salt flats and then the AZ border. All the rest areas were closed, but we made it back at 3:10PM. The car had driven 6000 miles. We’d gone 13, 000 miles.
Dog/Cat Report:
The dog got more excited when we pulled in the driveway than I’d seen him since the day we picked him up at the kennel in Pittsburgh. He insisted on coming to the grocery store with us. We finally persuaded him to stay inside the house while we went to dinner. He ate his roast beef sandwich from Viro’s and fell asleep on the living room sofa.
The cat immediately went under the bed and took a nap as soon as we put him in the bedroom. He has hardly emerged since then. Kenny said he was standing at the window for awhile looking at the backyard. As soon as I put new towels on his post in the bathroom he scurried out from under the bed and leaped up there. Then he came up on my desk and walked over the computer several times. He got more lively and started to explore all the bags still sitting in the dining room.
The weeds have grown high in the front yard where the flower bed used to be. The roses are still there. The pool is very low and green. When we called my parents after dinner they said their pool is green, too. They’ve been digging up their street for 3 weeks. I asked for a photo. That started a ridiculous discussion about photos. Grandpap said he doesn’t take photos anymore because no one wants to see them. I tried to explain our system of keeping photos online.
Karen left today for Massachusetts. She’s stopping in Scranton tonight. She’s renting her house for $1000.00/month. She can’t sell it. She wants a large garden, but the real estate market in Pittsburgh isn’t favorable for moving to Massachusetts.
Kenny cleaned the refrigerator. Gary turned the hot water back on. We’ve been doing laundry this evening. We’re running the water in all the faucets and replacing the towels in the bathrooms.
We got back home in the amount of time it took the QM2 to drop us off in Brooklyn, sail back to Hamburg, go on a Norweigian cruise, and sail back to New York.
Still no contract . . .
What next?
Packing List ’12
1)Kenny’s suitcase
2)Gary’s suitcase
3)Linda’s suitcase: small packing cube with socks and charging cords, flower wallet with stones from Nuremberg, my beads, and my flashlight, bigger packing cube with lingerie, 2 nightgowns, capris, wings, empty Petco bag, Orvis T-shirts, receipt Itoya, Itoya with road note tablets, two books: The Nazi Sphinx and The Lusitania Plot, hair towel, beach clogs, Mandarin Oriental slippers, dark blue slippers, outside zippered compartment: white garbage bags, American Itoya with reservations until July 6, Blue Petes and Seashore State Park, wrapping paper from ship
4)extra Orvis suitcase with European souvenirs
5)Gary’s backpack: laptop
6)Kenny’s backpack: laptop
7)Linda’s blue laptop bag: mouse, white charging cord, postcards and FEDEX envelopes in back pocket
8)elephant tapestry bag: brown purse notebook with pad of paper, wallet, pens, iPod, Virgin Mobile device, battery in charger, memory card cases, wedding ring, dragon car keys, sunglasses and spare, Purell, wipes, Cetaphil, eyeglass cleaners, inside compartment: international driving permits, passports, notepads, Met Life checks, Bear’s sword, stamps, etc.
9)Bear bag and new Bear bag with souvenirs from Bowlins
10)Canon video camera bag
11)cat suitcase with two blue plastic dishes, dog’s red water bowl, PPP, cat toys, cat combs
12)cat’s stroller
13)cat pan
14)LL Bean blue cooler with paper plates, cups, and birthday stuff, sponges, and dishwashing liquid
15)LL Bean toiletry bag
16)Land’s End dark blue souvenir bag with shoulder strap, Bowlins souvenir bag with statuette
17)Guess purse with shoulder strap and souvenirs
18)dirty laundry bag
19)Kenny’s camera bag
20)pillows including Kenny’s small pillow
21)2 Vornado fans, 1 floor fan
22)cat’s soft-sided tan carrying case with shoulder strap
23)quarter coin purse, other coin purses
24)small dark blue LL Bean purse
25)umbrellas
26)extra pair of tennis shoes L
27)Petco bag in front seat to take in stores
28)Petco bag with extra cans of PPP in back of Bearmobile
29)flats of water
30)dog’s water dish and jug of water
31)dog’s toys
32)3 hats
33)Kenny’s mattress cover
34)new pillows from BBB, new fan
35)dog’s beach towels
36)supply bags
37)supply bags of clothes
39)power strip for computers
40)sunglasses and clips
41)flats of water
42)dog’s water dish and stand
43)cat’s hard-sided carrying case and crunchie tray
44)cat litter
45)extra cat crunchies, including small bag, dog treats, dog biscuits
46)3 White Sands jackets and 3 Queen Mary black rain ponchos
47)Land’s End dark blue souvenir bag with shoulder strap with boxed souvenirs, videos, and magets
48)Kenny’s snack bag
49)cat bed
50)dog sweater
51)Gary’s suit, Kenny’s suit jacket, dress shoes
52)
Wednesday, August 29, ’12
1)USA Today $1.00
2)Kranberry’s breakfast Bear Cash $44.51
3)Loves Lordsburg flat of water Bear Cash $5.99
4)McDonalds Willcox lunch Bear Cash $29.53
5)The Thing admission cash $2.00
6)The Thing bumper sticker cash $2..13
7)Carl’s Jr Cokes cash 4.90
8)Petco doggie bags and dog toy Bear Cash $22.89
9)Bed Bath & Beyond: 3 pillows Bear Cash $198.53
10)Bed Bath & Beyond: Lasko floor fan Bear Cash $47.98
________________________________________________
TOT: $358.46
Extra Things Bought:
Amazon.com: car cleaner and Dyson Animal Bear Cash $433.23