Recently there has been a bit of tension when it came time to write my blog entry. Not a fight, just annoyance. It seems that we have been getting back to the hotel rather late, and Mary and I each want to check our e-mail or do other things on the computer. So it has often been after 11 or 12 before I write the blog. By that time, Mary is very much ready for lights out. That’s why the entries are often short. So I thought I’d get a jump on it tonight.
I’m writing this in the car in the middle of nowhere. Literally. We’re on Highway 20, the Central Oregon Highway. We left Burns about 30 miles ago, and have about 85 miles to go until we get to Bend and our hotel for the night. While most of this is cattle country, I haven’t seen a house or ranch for a while now. Just rolling hills, lots of sagebrush, and occasional pine trees. We’re listening to Prince Caspian on CD.
It’s 9:30 on my watch, although we’re in the Pacific time zone now, an hour earlier than we were on. So we may get to the hotel by 10:00 instead of 11:00 (even though it will still be late on our body clocks).
{Mary just mentioned she’s having a hot flash. She’s been informing me of these little moments several times a day for the last few weeks.}
After loading the car this morning (a very tight fit), we went back over to Charie and Bill’s (on the Idaho side of the river) for breakfast. They had ground some wheat and made whole wheat waffles and bacon. Mmm-mmm! Then we went back over to the Oregon side and visited Mary’s mom for a little while. Then back to Idaho, this time almost all the way to Boise. We stopped to do some shopping, but Mary was still not able to find a red dress to wear for Liz’s wedding. Then lunch at Costco, and a little more shopping. Still no luck. This time, I took a nap in the car while she and Melissa shopped.
From there, it was time to take Melissa to the airport. She had a tearful farewell. On the one hand, it’s kind of exciting to be off on her own, but she was also pretty nervous about it. I told her: “You have a passport, a driver’s license, a plane ticket, and $20 in your pocket -- you have the whole world at your fingertips!” After she left, it really occurred to us: now that she’s graduated from high school, she’s 18 and is going off to work for the summer before going off to continue her education in Rexburg, I think this means we really are empty nesters now.
The funny coincidence is that Melissa is going to working and living in the Phoenix area. So we will stop by and see her in a week, on our way to Mexico. For now, it’s more central Oregon high desert for a while.
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