3,000 miles later and here we are again!!

Well, what a circle that was!!
We started in Washington State (home), drove across to Montana, drove south through Wyoming, drove further south through Colorado, then west through Utah, further west through Nevada, then north through Oregon and then back into Washington.
What a country, and MAN is that gas expensive!! The most we paid was $3.90 a gallon, and that was so very painful to pay, but we were in Vail, Colorado, and of course it's more expensive in the middle of ski-bum-country. We got to the ancestral homestead of my mother's family in Florissant Colorado. I never felt rooted to my kin like I did there. We walked through the fossil beds and took a 5 mile hike through the area, it was great to get some fresh air.
Chris got a speeding ticket in Montana - we were almost to the Wyoming border, doing 85 in a 70 zone out there in the straight and no-where. Suddenly here's a sheriff coming at us, just in time to clock us at 85. He said 87, but my speedometer said 85, I was looking at it. Anyway, I had the registration and insurance and my driver's license ready, Chris has his license out. The sheriff asked if either of us had warrants, no sir we don't. He said the ticket would be $40 and that we were expected to pay it right there, either cash or check. I smirked thinking the officer was just mad we made him late to lunch and wanted us to pay for his food, so we gave him $40 in cash, he noted it on the ticket, and we were on our way. I got a picture of the car in my side view mirror, so that will be on here one day soon when I get the pictures off the camera.
All along the trip we saw beautiful country, took about 600 pictures between my digital and Chris's 35mm camera. He likes to take pictures of flowers and bugs, I prefer trees and clouds, so there's a lot to choose from. When we get the film developed from his camera we'll have the camera shop put the pictures on a disc so I can share them here too.
When we were going through Utah, instead of going to the big church, we went to the Great Salt Lake and the Bonneville Salt Flats - where the land speed records are set and broken, and walked on the salt - that was very interesting.
All 3000 miles behind us, we figured that we spent just about $300 in gas, triple what it cost us to take a trip to Arizona a few years ago after my dad passed away. The one thing I really hated in Colorado and again in Utah is that everybody seemed to be playing this fun game of trying to read the part number on the exhaust pipe on my car - going 80 down the freeway 5" off my bumper. I was scared a lot that I was going to get rear-ended, and scared that I was going to get pushed into the cars in front of me. Also - in most of the states we were in - minus Nevada and I think Utah, there is no Mandatory Helmet law - so people on motorcycles are simply bare headed. My uncle rebuts that it is his right as a person over 18 to not wear a helmet if he chooses to, and I agree that a person has a right to wear a helmet or not, but why would someone want to go 80 miles an hour down a highway without something to protect them from the bugs and dirt flying??? Catch a bug in your eye at that speed and see if you don't flinch and take your hand off the handlebar to pull it out and wipe your eyes, suddenly you're not paying attention and go flying off the road into a tree...wow.
Good news though, the cats survived our vacation just fine. They were really happy to see us when we got home last night, and everyone had to come tell me how long it'd been since they saw a friendly face. My daughter and grand-daughter were out here taking care of them, but its not the same as when mom & dad are here and open the cat food cans on time and feed them in the fashion to which they are accustomed.
All together with rooms, some food (mostly we ate from the BBQ and cold foods) gas for the car and miscellanious expenses, our vacation cost just over $1,400.00.
Did get a fright while we were in Winnemucca, Nevada yesterday. We stopped for gas leaving town, and the gas was $14.96. I handed the young girl behind the counter a $20. She hit the wrong button on the register and didn't get told how much change to give me. She ran in a panic to the adding machine on the other side of the counter - it was out of paper. She involved the other working girl there, who went to the other adding machine and figured out they owed me $5.04. I had been saying to the youngster that .04c makes it $15, and $5 makes it $20. She couldn't understand what I was telling her. Finally after two of them and two adding machines, they concluded that they owed me $5.04. The first girl was amazed and impressed that I could subtract $14.96 from $20 and get $5.04. I explained to the girl that it's always easier to add up than it is to subtract down. I think they'd have nominated me for president of the world since I'm so darn smart!! The poor girl next had to take a smoke break and calm down her over-worked brain. And this - dear people is the product of our school system and the advance of technology. What would people do if the adding machines don't work? I suggested to both of them that they should try adding and subtracting with a pen and paper - good practice.
Since I'm self-employed I do my deposits once a week and I don't use a calculator - I use a pen.
I'm Jana - and I'm running for president.

We're OUTTA HERE!!

Well, just in case anyone misses me --- we're leaving on vacation for a week. Driving from Washington through Montana and Wyoming and then to Littleton, Colorado to see my 91 year old Grandma for a few days, while we're in Colorado we'll take a day trip to Florissant to see the homestead of my ancestor Adeline Hornbek. There's a web site dedicated to her and the homestead in case anyone's interested in looking at it. What I find so interesting about her is she built the cabin herself and raised 3 kids alone- one is my great-grandfather Elliott Jr.
On the way home we'll go through Salt Lake City, if they'll let us heathens in I want to see the Tabernacle and the boys choir. After that we'll go through the Moab desert and then home. About 3,000 miles in 9 days... whew I'm tired already!
See you next Sunday when we get back!!

A Few words about the furbies in my life

Here's Benjamin in his "Superman" pose, and Buddy on top of the old sofa and Ben halfway underneath it. Sassy is snoozing in her favorite cubby, and Shadow is glaring at Benjamin for daring to walk near her. I swear my life would be so boring without the cats.

Sassy is the oldest - she's 13, Shadow is next at 9, Bud is 8, and Ben is 3. Shadow and Sassy are both polydactyl cats (extra toes on front feet) both have kinks in their tails, and bad attitudes. Shadow is the best lap cat in the house. Sassy is next, but suddenly when she's in my lap she will get mad because I'm petting her and will hiss and run from the room. Bud is very calm unless I'm buggin him by pulling out tangles or sticks from his fur. He rumbles through the house every night carrying his toy barbell around. I don't know why he does it - maybe he feels like the MAN of the house or something. Benjamin Franklin came to us a couple of years ago, hungry, and sick. Love my pussycats!! Happy Mother's Day to us all!

Its a BIRD and some cats!!!

This is a Western Tanager















I hope the group doesn't find the Tanager, as this is the first time I've seen one. He's so very pretty and has a great song. I was looking out the cats' room window -(yes, the cats have their own room, don't YOURS?), and I could see this beautiful flash of yellow flying around in the yard chasing bugs. Well, we got out the camera and took this shot of the bird. I went on the web and typed in Birds of Eastern Washington, got this great website - BirdWeb, and was able to look through the pictures of the birds in the area till I spotted Mr. Piranga Ludoviciana and learned that he and his mate are monogamous breeders, guess they don't stay together after the eggs hatch, they incubate 3 to 5 eggs and both parents feed the babies. Mostly they eat bugs which is what we saw the male doing. Neat, huh? Wow - never know what you're going to learn looking out the window on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the brood of cats are a bit hard to see, but Benjamin is in the green chair, Shadow is in the closest spot to the camera, Sassy is standing left of the wheelbarrow and Bud is laying in front of it. The stairs on the wall lead up to the cat door, and the chair at the bottom is to aid the older cats - Sassy and Bud to get to the bottom stair. One of these days Chris needs to put in another stair for them, but meanwhile, they can jump in the chair, if Benjamin isn't in it.
Meanwhile hope you're enjoying your Saturday afternoon, as I am. I go outside and the cats follow me around the house - best exercise they'll probably get today!!