MP: where it all started

If Captain hadn't come to Chicago to pick me up from a summer internship 19 years ago, and taken me to meet his brother in Evanston at the fish market restaurant. ..

...then to the blues club for a little music...

...then to the lake -ichigan shore, where he asked me to be his wife...

...then we wouldn't have these 5 kids to take on a road trip, ending on memory lane. The kids enjoyed the story and the evening.  A perfect way to come full circle.

 Delicious seafood and gumbo. I got amazing tuna tacos.

 We didn't go down to the blues club but enjoyed Latin jazz in downtown evanston.

The twins are always willing to join in the dance.

MP: mountain musings

* when captain and I first met, we asked each other if you could pick anywhere to live where would it be; without reading each other's answer, we both said in a cabin on the side of a mountain near Golden CO. No joke.

* Although we both knew a bit about the effects of high altitude,  it was still surprising to us and the kids living at 8400+ feet for several days. Thirsty and constant mild headaches.

* Good beds, great view, good weather,  no wifi as promised because router was taken out by lightening,  and the trip up and down the mountain was about more than we could take after weeks of driving.  It was 14 miles from golden, but took at least half an hour to get to it. 

* we loved Co and still do; we've decided our dream home should further down the mountain though. :)

MP: scenes from CA

Just into CA. About 100 degrees

Largest wind farm in the world; tehachapi

Took a longer route to get to the ocean sooner; hit it near Cambria

Drove up hwy 1 past beautiful ocean on one side and cliffs on the other; had more twists and turns than we had bargained for! Saw the Hearst Castle on a hill and passed through the Big Sur forest

Their first time seeing the Pacific Ocean;  68 degrees

Pictures I didn't take

At home it's June 7, but here in western Arkansas we still have some minutes left in Day 1. The kids are just about all asleep. We had a wonderful visit with my aunt and uncle and cousin's family. I'd love to show you a picture of the foundation and logs of the log cabin my uncle and cousins are building - by hand. You would be impressed.

Or maybe I could show you the barges on the Mississippi at the base of the St. Louis arch. That we saw at the picnic we had by the river.

In the "morbid curiosity" file, I could display the crown which fell off of Eric's tooth about 6 hours into our drive that led to an educational lesson on tooth cement. No? A moment of gratitude that I was driving instead of taking pictures at that time.

Sadly, I am not showing these pictures.  Primarily because I took none of them. As I prepare for my sleep shift as we head for Texas,  I declare that tomorrow I will do better. Because we will see my nephew. And he is cute. And his mother is a photographer.

MP

I leave you with the one pic I did get in...These kids (and Mark!!) are cute too!