Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. Back in America.
Back to big juicy hamburgers eaten without sneers, jeers and raised eyebrows from all a sundry. Back to a country that serves breakfasts that are fit for someone with an appetite bigger than a bird. Back to being able to get something to eat anywhere, anytime at any hour of the day or night. Back to being able to shop 24/7/365. Back to not having to hold the gas pump handle the whole time your refueling. Back to $20. oil changes ($75. in Europe), $1. sodas in machines ($3.00 in la belle France), $7.00 drinks with dinner styled hors d’oeuvres with ocean view at our favorite haunt –and that’s for two people-($30.+++) Back to great TV, 4 Euro haircuts In Canada ($30. you know where) Dairy Queens, highways that don’t charge tolls and especially being able to listen to Rush Limbaugh. Ahhhhhh!
Unfortunately, as we have been driving about we have not seen a single Roman ruin. When we first got back, Janice even managed to tick off the gas station attendant by walking in and saying “Wow!. You sure sell your gas cheap here!” to a jeering crowd of customers.
.
No sooner were we back at the Bee that we found ourselves getting into old habits and getting up at 6 AM. The early sunrise and the noisy geese see to that. Janice is also back with her ongoing demands for yet another bathroom. “We already have 5 bathrooms,” I told her. It is just that none of them happen to be in Canada.
We attended Cassie’s high school graduation in Saskatchewan. It was great to see our baby walk across the stage to get her diploma. In a separate talent show intended as a tribute to parents, Cassie also performed one of my signature magic illusions in front of 600 parents and graduates. It was flawless and it brought the house down and has raised the question as to who is the better performer…….
It was great seeing the kids and grandchildreen in Montana and Seattle and we had wonderful visits with them. They are growing like weeds and thay are a real souce of pride for us. We have decided though that we are all done with the Canadian plains. This is the second time in 6 months we have crossed Canada to get there and it is not like the northern US states such as Montana. We found it too stark and boring. It does not look like prosperous farming to us.
Our stop at home in Arroyo Grande was reassuring as we found the house in pristine condition. Our renters are young guys who, according to the neighbors, don’t have friends come over, don’t party and by our reckoning have never cooked a single meal in the house. Their furniture is exquisite and tasteful. We hope these guys stay for a long time.
. Within the past few days we have left Southern California and are heading back to the Bee. (We are in Nebraska as I write this) While there, we drove back and forth to San Diego, LA and Arroyo Grande to pick up a boat outboard motor from a friend, Cassie’s stuff at home and visited family in Hemet outside of LA. As planned, we settled Cassie in school and an apartment and she got her car. We decided to stick around for a few extra days though to help her adjust to the big city. It was a godsend that her roommate turned out to be a 29-year-old professional who worked for LAPD for 2 years. and just bought a lovely 2 story townhouse. Cassie is set.
Incredibly, we had estimated that we would cover 7-8,000 miles on this particular trip. We now know that we will tip the scale at over 10,000 miles by the time we pull up to the marina. I wish I could add it to our frequent flyer miles. The fun and games will soon be over though and I will have to buckle down to a work project the likes of which I have not had to deal with since I built our house in California 20 years ago.
Bring it on!
Meanwhile, are are continuously amazed that day after day brings yet another day of doing what ever we want without any concern that this vacation will soon be over and we will have to go back to work. This retirement gig is truly amazing.
This will be a combination June / July newsletter. Being on the road just makes keeping up very hard
Au revoir for now.
Michel & Janice
Back to big juicy hamburgers eaten without sneers, jeers and raised eyebrows from all a sundry. Back to a country that serves breakfasts that are fit for someone with an appetite bigger than a bird. Back to being able to get something to eat anywhere, anytime at any hour of the day or night. Back to being able to shop 24/7/365. Back to not having to hold the gas pump handle the whole time your refueling. Back to $20. oil changes ($75. in Europe), $1. sodas in machines ($3.00 in la belle France), $7.00 drinks with dinner styled hors d’oeuvres with ocean view at our favorite haunt –and that’s for two people-($30.+++) Back to great TV, 4 Euro haircuts In Canada ($30. you know where) Dairy Queens, highways that don’t charge tolls and especially being able to listen to Rush Limbaugh. Ahhhhhh!
Unfortunately, as we have been driving about we have not seen a single Roman ruin. When we first got back, Janice even managed to tick off the gas station attendant by walking in and saying “Wow!. You sure sell your gas cheap here!” to a jeering crowd of customers.
.
No sooner were we back at the Bee that we found ourselves getting into old habits and getting up at 6 AM. The early sunrise and the noisy geese see to that. Janice is also back with her ongoing demands for yet another bathroom. “We already have 5 bathrooms,” I told her. It is just that none of them happen to be in Canada.
We attended Cassie’s high school graduation in Saskatchewan. It was great to see our baby walk across the stage to get her diploma. In a separate talent show intended as a tribute to parents, Cassie also performed one of my signature magic illusions in front of 600 parents and graduates. It was flawless and it brought the house down and has raised the question as to who is the better performer…….
It was great seeing the kids and grandchildreen in Montana and Seattle and we had wonderful visits with them. They are growing like weeds and thay are a real souce of pride for us. We have decided though that we are all done with the Canadian plains. This is the second time in 6 months we have crossed Canada to get there and it is not like the northern US states such as Montana. We found it too stark and boring. It does not look like prosperous farming to us.
Our stop at home in Arroyo Grande was reassuring as we found the house in pristine condition. Our renters are young guys who, according to the neighbors, don’t have friends come over, don’t party and by our reckoning have never cooked a single meal in the house. Their furniture is exquisite and tasteful. We hope these guys stay for a long time.
. Within the past few days we have left Southern California and are heading back to the Bee. (We are in Nebraska as I write this) While there, we drove back and forth to San Diego, LA and Arroyo Grande to pick up a boat outboard motor from a friend, Cassie’s stuff at home and visited family in Hemet outside of LA. As planned, we settled Cassie in school and an apartment and she got her car. We decided to stick around for a few extra days though to help her adjust to the big city. It was a godsend that her roommate turned out to be a 29-year-old professional who worked for LAPD for 2 years. and just bought a lovely 2 story townhouse. Cassie is set.
Incredibly, we had estimated that we would cover 7-8,000 miles on this particular trip. We now know that we will tip the scale at over 10,000 miles by the time we pull up to the marina. I wish I could add it to our frequent flyer miles. The fun and games will soon be over though and I will have to buckle down to a work project the likes of which I have not had to deal with since I built our house in California 20 years ago.
Bring it on!
Meanwhile, are are continuously amazed that day after day brings yet another day of doing what ever we want without any concern that this vacation will soon be over and we will have to go back to work. This retirement gig is truly amazing.
This will be a combination June / July newsletter. Being on the road just makes keeping up very hard
Au revoir for now.
Michel & Janice
