The Ride Down

I know I start a blog every time I leave Seattle for more than 24 hours, but I thought this would be a good way to keep everyone updated on what I'm doing without clogging up inboxes with e-mails and attachments.

I spent my first week of unemployment in Burien, getting everything together and saying goodbye to the dogs. Here I am saying goodbye to Old Man Buck, who I hope I see again.

I had some business to attend to that week, but I also got a day off to go river rafting on the Wentachee. Our first rapid was our biggest one, it threw our guide (but strangely, no one else) out of the boat. So after that, all the rapids weren't as exciting. No pictures of that, they're all in my memory.

So off we went on July 2nd. Anthony stayed home, so the stars of the show are Mom, Dad, Katie and myself. Here is Mom enjoying an article on Megan Fox.

Dad usually started out the day driving.

And here's me being a dork in the backseat.

Katie was probably napping in the car and didn't want a portrait taken of her, so I took another stupid one of myself. I don't think all the pictures need to be quite so big. Or at least the ones like this.






Washington looked like this when we left. In July.

First stop was the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland OR, where the weather was already looking better. We saw Pride & Prejudice, which I realize is not Shakespeare. The plan was to see P&P and then a Shakespeare play, but cheap seats sell out fast during July 4th weekend. The play was fabulous, the actors did such a good job. Ashland was a cute little town. We stopped at a wine cellar for lunch and tasting and went shopping around town, where I found a bit of a gem: a stamped-signature photo of Mary Pickford. With puppies.

After the play, we drove down to Yreka, California and made the necessary stop at the Black Bear Diner.












And Mom had to stop in Weed, California.

On the 4th, we made it to Reno. First stop after checking in at the Sands was happy hour at Roxy's for $5 martinis (or a Laphroaig, in Dad's case). I had a Cajun martini with a jalapeno stuffed olive (Joel, I know what you said about olives in martinis, but it's my favorite part!). I think Katie got a strawberry-lemonade martini.

Mom joined us later.

After drinks, it was dinnertime. El Dorado had a 4th of July seafood buffet. Bad news for me since I don't like seafood. Note mom's specifically-worn-for-the-4th patriotic red shirt.

We saw crowds gathering that night and assumed there were going to be fireworks, but we were too busy indulging in various vices to wait. Mom and Katie hit up the slots, and Mom won $30 on the nickel machines.

And so we trekked on through the deserts of Nevada, being sure to stop for ice cream in Tonopah.

We got to Vegas pretty late on the 5th. There was only enough time to get dinner and for Mom to lose the $30 she won in Reno. We spent the next morning walking around the Strip, visiting Caesar's Palace and the Bellagio and having breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris hotel.

Next stop: Arizona! Look! A road runner! It runs the exactly the way the Loony Tunes character does, but it does not make the same sound. Ask Katie to give you my very inaccurate version of it.

We stopped in Flagstaff our first night and it was actually a really cool town. Dad, Katie and I went to Beaver Street Brewery for dinner (Katie chose the best dinner, a Navajo Taco Pizza) and walked around window shopping.





Everyone in Flagstaff is really mellow and they dress in hippie hemp clothes, it makes me wonder what they're studying at Northern Arizona University. I like to imagine it's crochet arts and medical marijuana nursing.

Of course we went to Arizona for the Grand Canyon. None of us brought our papers, so luckily no one asked about our immigration status or we'd all be deported to Ireland.




The Grand Canyon was beautiful. Please ignore the black spot that shows up in all my pictures, I really need a new camera. If anyone has Photoshop and wants to erase it out of the picture for me, I'll repay you with a REALLY big hug.

There were these 10-year-old kids totally scaring their mom by leaning over this edge. Then, it turns out Dad wouldn't even look at the pictures Mom was taking of Katie and me until we got back up to safe ground. I guess it happens at any age.

We took Route 66 through New Mexico, stopping at the Silver Moon for some fucking amazing Mexican food (and the f-word is a necessary adjective, Mom).

The only roadside attraction we stopped at was Billy the Kid's grave (on the left). We were all a little disappointed we decided not to go to the meteor crater, so this made up for it. Besides Billy, there were 5 or 6 other early settler graves which were pretty cool.

I just killed a cockroach, and they really do roll over on their back when they die.

We got to Texas on the 9th. Mom and Dad wore their Longhorns shirts for the occasion. It was so funny, probably within 10 miles of crossing over from New Mexico to Texas we saw our first oil rig and they just kept coming. We also saw a real longhorn. The UT Tower creeps out Mom, but she wanted a picture anyway.

Dad has finally accepted the fact that one of his daughters is going to be a Texan for two years. He showed this by making a Longhorn in his macchiato. He was also unable to find a suitable macchiato during the trip, with no more than one teaspoon of foam.

We spent the 10th running a few errands and seeing the sites. We visited the capitol and shopped on South Congress. My family is fully equipped with various Longhorns gear from the Co-Op. Now I feel like my friends: "Where is your University of Washington ephemera?" Except my friends don't use the word ephemera.

We had a lovely morning on the 11th and my family turned around and went home (which they should be arriving shortly, it's a lot faster without a U-Haul on the back of the car). So now I'm left to contend with this:

along with mosquito bites, crazy loud cicadas and muggy heat. It's like the rainforest (and I'm not exaggerating, I have been to the Amazon).

So I'll update in a few days. I've pretty much just been unpacking and being lame, so hopefully I'll get out a little more later this week/early next week. But Meagan (the new roomie) has been great about making me feel welcome despite being wonky on painkillers this week. We even had a Crafternoon on Sunday and I got to meet some of her friends. I'll post the bag I tie-dyed on the Craft Blog when I get a chance.

I miss everyone like crazy! Move here.