12 Oakdale

No more snow driving from Bryce to Zion, just desert scrub. I’m still enjoying the heated seat and steering wheel. We saw a cattle drive off in the distance with cowboys on horses. A while later we passed another one right beside the road. Ten cowboys, 3 sheriff’s cars with flashing lights, many, many cows. I slowed down to a crawl, assuming that was the accepted protocol. From the cow poop in the road for the next 5 miles, it seemed if we had been a little earlier, we could have actually been in the midst of the herd as they headed east.  I’d come from Zion to Bryce when I traveled here with Peg and Bob maybe 10 years ago. But I was in the back of their camper and had limited views. This time, seeing the checkerboard cliffs from the front of the car, I was staggered by their beauty. Because traffic backed up, I ducked into the bathroom parking lot right before the tunnel. A chance to pee and to have a look around. The park was absolutely packed. Only shuttle buses allowed up canyo...

The DoGe bros continue to decimate our national government, laying off/firing thousands of workers, not knowing what anyone is doing, including themselves. Oops, fired those who watch over our nuclear arsenal; perhaps better rehire. If only we hadn’t closed down their federal email so we could get in touch with them. Our bad. There is a measles outbreak in Texas, 124 ill, so far 2 dead. However, RFK Jr assures us it’s “only” in the Mennonite community and that outbreaks happen every year. He cancelled the meeting of experts who make the educated guess about which strain(s) of flu next year’s vaccine should tackle. All good? My current schlocky novel is a mystery (perhaps true) that involves White supremacists and their crazy beliefs. Fairly scary. I went to retina specialist Dr. Kraut who assured me the only thing he found wrong with my eyes is a small wrinkle in my right retina, too small to bother operating on, which might be the cause of my poorer vision in that eye. Pr...

Amazing how difficult it was to find empty time on all of our calendars to be able to schedule a visit to see Jamey and April. I decided short was better than none, so we flew up Sunday morning and returned Tuesday afternoon. As an experiment, I bought Main Cabin tickets rather than Comfort + for our 2 hour Delta flight. Yes, we do need those extra 3”.  The theme of the trip turned out to be Art and Exercise. Jamey and April met us at the airport. They live .3 miles from a Metro station. I had brought our refillable cards I’d stashed after our last visit, so we added money at the airport, rode 2 stops and walked to their Alexandria townhouse.Their 4-story townhouse. We left our suitcase*, then walked to lunch at a wine bar in Georgetown, then a walk through the colonial section, admiring all the wonderfully maintained old homes. It’s spring in Washington. The azaleas, clematis, and other flowers are at their peak. We rested back at the townhouse (stairs), then a short walk to dinne...