DrivingUgh. We’ve had a couple long driving days with plans for a couple more. Driving days are, by far, the worst part of the trip. However, I am super proud of my kids. They only argue a little and have been stalwart friends. My nephew, Jack, is learning to drive back in Montana. He’s a really good kid and will be a safe driver. But before we left, I took him for a drive and made him eat a soft serve ice cream cone while driving one handed. The goal wasn’t to be dangerous, teenagers eat and drive all the time. I wanted his first attempt to be with someone ready to grab the wheel. He was a little freaked out, but did a good job and only dripped a little ice cream on his crotch. well, Jack, I told you it was real world. Here’s me, 8 hours driving, in big city traffic. I’m trying to eat a Chipotle burrito, pull an Airstream, and not spill rice and beans on my lap (I spilled). FunToday we went to a world-class zoo. All I can say is WOW! It was free and better than my expectations. We saw all sorts of animals. Maya’s big deal was seeing a cheetah and Ben’s favorite part was the discovery that elephant poo floats. He was grossed out and enthralled. We did the iconic tourist thing an went to the arch. We fully intended to go up, but it was a 4-hour wait. So we took pictures outside and found a fantastic local brewery to drown our sorrows about not going up. We finished our afternoon at the science center. We played with all sorts of science an engineering toys. I tried to feed Ben to the animatronic T-Rex, and we went to a planetarium show. World openingIt’s hard to take pics of the “moments” when they seem to be happening. That’s a quick way to kill them. But Ben asking, “ Why is the air sticky here?” And, “Are those (trees, shrubs, and crazy-thick forest) real?” felt like his world getting bigger. Maya is getting harder to read, but she loved the science center and the big city highways stacked on top of each other. Sara and I have quietly enjoyed seeing the kids realize that the world is bigger than they knew. Unfinished businessGood news, my fix stopped the leak in the shower from Denver. Better news is that we discovered the shower drains just fine when the dump valve is open. Today our campsite has full hookups, so everything works.
Our non-driving evenings are starting to see a routine- kids shower, adults shower, every retreats to a quiet space. Right now the kids are reading in their bunks, Sara is reading in our bed, and I’m blogging by the fire. I think this is us finding that solo time we all need. i could live in St. Louis. I really like this city. Don’t worry friends, tomorrow we go on!
1 Comment
Erin Dailey
7/1/2018 08:22:13 pm
Had to feed Jack his first ice cream in the back of the Intrepid as an infant and teach him one handed eating/driving while in his mom's Prius! I see how it is. ;)
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AuthorI'm not an Airstream Jedi, yet. Airstream Jedi would have sounded presumptuous, like I know what I'm doing. That couldn't be further from the truth. Padawan is a title I can hope to live up to. Favorite Links:Knots Per Hour
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August 2018
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