Greetings from the Golden State! My husband and I had a great trip, driving across the country. We left on Saturday and took I35 to Wichita, Kansas. We stayed on the outskirts, but drove to downtown the next morning to get some exercise. We walked around downtown for about an hour and stumbled upon this cool Old Town area. Best part was we found a Dunn Bros. Coffee Shop! It's a small outfit that was started in St. Paul and they roast the beans right in the store. Sadly, that was to be our last espresso until we arrived in Santa Fe.
From Wichita, we took 2-lane highways, which made for some beautiful views if you like flat and desolate. We rarely saw another car and got blank stares when we asked about a coffee shop. But we found this town, which didn't have espresso but did have a sense of humor.
Santa Fe was very cool and I spent way too much money there on a hat. What was I thinking! I could have bought several pairs of running shoes, but I never had a custom hat before. That was one good salesman! I should hire him to sell my house.
When we left Santa Fe, we were back on the Interstate. I missed the back highways and wanted to drive on the old Route 66, but we didn't have time. We had about 600 miles to drive to get to Vegas. We did get off the Interstate at one town, because the Garmin system we got told us there was an espresso shop there. We ended up in Winslow, Arizona of Eagles fame. You know, "Standing on a Corner in Winslow Arizona." It's on the Route 66 and they had a little tribute to the song, complete with mural, bronze statue, and a red flatbed Ford truck.
On our way to Vegas, we passed Hoover Dam. After all the times we've been to Las Vegas, we've never been to to Dam. It was actually too dark to see anything, but the structure looked cool, with its Art Deco architecture. I was too tired to go out to dinner, so we had room service and went for a walk on the Strip in the morning.
The last leg of our journey was uneventful but exciting for us, because we would be spending the night in our new house. We arrived on Wednesday night and had Thanksgiving dinner with my parents the next day. Friday we did our part to help the economy and Saturday the moving van finally arrived. They finished unloading right before dark and now my house is full of moving boxes and paper. That will give me something to do.
Now it's time to get used to how they do things here. We joined a gym and I can't help but compare it, unfavorably, to my old gym. But at least I got some exercise. They have a new club opening up next month, so maybe I'll like that better. SD just left for a business trip and I didn't realize how much I relied on him--I feel like the new kid in school. But I know it will pass.
I'm hoping to get Internet access this week; until then I'm at the mercy of coffee shops that offer free Wi-Fi, so my posting will remain sporadic. I expect to be more settled next week and will be able to get back to reading and commenting on YOUR blogs. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. Talk to you soon.
Here's a picture of the house I'm moving out of, taken this morning.
The men are finishing packing and loading up the truck as I write this. They spent all day yesterday packing but didn’t finish. Take my unsolicited advice and don’t accumulate stuff. I really hope I learned my lesson; I’ve been throwing away running magazines from three years ago and performance reviews from thirty years ago (!) all week. We’ve had four garage sales and I’ve actually gotten quite good at it. We’ve made several trips to Goodwill, gave stuff away and threw away even more.
Life has been so hectic lately that I haven’t had time to be sad. My good friend Paula came over a couple of times to help me sort what goes and what stays and we had a tearful goodbye. It’s very difficult for me to say goodbye, although I know that I will remain friends with Paula and some others forever. I stopped by Starbucks today and said goodbye to some of the regulars. It’s weird to know that you’ll never see some people again when they’ve been a part of your life for so long.
My house hasn’t sold yet, but I won’t be staying here any longer and that’s a strange feeling. When I first saw this house sixteen years ago I didn’t like it but it grew on me. And I knew this was the neighborhood I wanted to live in. We had moved here from Southern California and I loved the house I lived in there and wondered if I would feel the same about this one. I do. We have remodeled extensively, so there’s a lot of me in it. This is also the longest I've ever lived in the same house.
But as much as I’ve enjoyed living in Minneapolis, I’m a Californian at heart and I truly feel like I’m going home. The move is easier because I know what I’m getting into. I’ve stayed in my new house several times and I know the area. I even found a running group, although I’ve yet to run with them so I don't know if there's anyone who runs at my speed.
SD and I bought a pickup truck and we’re driving back to California. We’ll stop in Wichita, Santa Fe, and Las Vegas and should be in our new place by Thanksgiving. Of course, the moving van won’t be there yet so we’ll have Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant with my parents. I’m hoping the van will arrive by Friday. I’ve reconnected with a former roommate and she’s going to be visiting family in my area for the weekend, so I’m planning to see her.
California, here I come!
I got tagged by Peter to reveal 5 things you don't know about me. Since I once posted 100 things about myself, I'm not sure I have much new. Here goes.
- When I lose something, I pray to St. Anthony to help me find it. He usually comes through. :-)
- I iron my pillowcases.
- I participate on a running community board and my screen name is Not2Fast.
- I haven't had an alcoholic drink in 20 years.
- I registered for the Big Sur International Marathon 21-Miler!
Yep, I thought I'd spring that last one on you. After debating whether to sign up for the marathon or the 21-mile race, I picked the latter. The Nike marathon cinched it. I was afraid the 21 mile race wouldn't give me a sense of accomplishment, but remembering how my knee gave out at mile 15 during Nike, 21 miles will be challenging enough. I forgot that racing is different than a long, slow distance run. So now I have a race to train for. :-)
Here's something not about me. AmyBee ran the New York Marathon! Her race report is up--go give her an Atta Girl.
Bruce Springsteen is in town! SD and I went to his concert tonight in St. Paul. I've never been to a Springsteen concert--never was a very big fan although I enjoyed his hits--and was amazed at how much energy he has. I wonder how he stays in shape. What a fabulous concert! Of course, YOU KNOW what I wanted to hear. SD said he wasn't going to play it; I guess The Boss consults him on his playlist. Anyway, I waited during the entire concert and he didn't play it. I figured SD was right. Springsteen came back for his "encore" (you know, where they pretend the concert is over and then play the rest of the set) and he dedicated the next song to a lady whose birthday it was--her 85th! I hope in addition to running marathons when I'm 85, I'll still be going to rock concerts. After that song, he played Thunder Road. And then...Dummm Dum Dum De De Dummm. That's right; he played Born to Run! My power song. The song that gets me through boring miles on the treadmill and painful miles in a marathon. It was fabulous! The house lights were all on and everyone was on their feet and singing along. Then the song after that was Dancing in the Dark. Take me now, Lord. I still owe you a report on the RBF meet up, which I will do as soon as I upload the pictures. And a close-up of my necklace for Danielle. But it probably won't be until after this weekend--I'm having another garage sale Saturday and Sunday, and am going out both nights as well. It's too bad I have such a quiet, sedate life.
