Odyssey

Thursday evening.

Note about arriving in Omaha. Last night when we arrived Shae had been asleep about the last 45 minutes of the trip. When David took her out of the car and said, "We're here." She opened her eyes and said "Uncle Bob's rock." David put the rock in her hand and we trooped up the stairs to the front door. Shae handed Bob the rock she had picked up in Wyoming. When she picked it up she said "Uncle Bob needs this rock. Who is Uncle Bob?" (We had been talking about Uncle Bob and Aunt Shirley and had a rock for Shirley from the Great Salt Lake.

What a day. There are seven people sleeping in the Nebels house. Skyler slept with me, Shae with Daddy and Paulette got the couch in the living room and the TV. That also meant she would be awakened when Alex, Shirley's grandson arrived to spend the day. Then there were eight. By eight there were people, big and little, milling about everywhere. Paulette had been out for a run, Adam was awakened by three children looking for the cat. It was OK because he had to go to work. Skyler and Alex connected the way young children do--over toys and a cartoon on TV. Shae kept looking for Milo. Milo stayed hidden. Showers, dressing, tooth brushing moving car seats to another van--the one that would carry eight people, sun screen, water bottles, shoes, and whatever and we were off to the zoo. Rosenblatt stadium is across from the zoo. It was opening celebration for the College World Series and half the cars in Omaha were driving or parking in the area. The zoo parking is for zoo people only and everyone had to pay zoo entrance fee before parking meaning a long line to get there. Three, Four and five year olds can make a lot of noise in a confined place. After about twenty minutes we were on our way to get our hands stamped THURSDAY and in the aquarium. What excitement. Sharks, turtles, fish of all kinds. Skyler and Alex held hands and ran from place to place with one or two adults following and sometimes saying stop or wait. Shae walked into the tunel and said "Oh, my gosh." two or three times. Jack Carson joined us about this time. Next we went to the bears, then tigers, primates of various kinds.

The hungry group arrived at the Rainforest Restaurant and soon a table for nine held, hotdogs, hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, wraps, a bbq sandwich and assorted drinks. Jack began to talk about seeing the insects and spiders and soon Alex and Skyler were as quiet as they had been since their first meeting earlier in the day. The feast complete the group split, Shirley, Shae, Myrna and Jack rode the tram around the zoo to look at some birds while the rest went to the College World Series free events. When the tram stopped at the end of the route, Shae put her head on my shoulder ready to sleep. OH no I said and stood her up. Forty two pounds of sleeping three-year-old is not a weight I feel capable of carrying more than two feet. So she walked back to the car. Strapped into her carseat she slept before we backed out of the parking spot.

Odyssey

Here we are at Little America Wyoming at the end of our second day of travel. We are about 300 miles behind because of a late start on Monday. As Paulette says, It's all good.

Today we stopped in Wendover to see Wendover Will overlooked the salt flats and then we waded in the great Salt Lake. Skyler and Shae even made a mud and slime castle.

I have been tracking the I'm hungry, I have to potty, Where are we and Can I have... questions and statements I'm hungry is winning by a long margin. I'm surprised--I thought I have to potty would win

Enough for now--this will be easier with pictures.

Odyessey

Twas the night before the Odyessey....

Shae and I had a day of cleaning, laundry packing and for fun swimming. We were talking about the zoo in Omaha at dinner and she told me. Chimpanzees throw poop at animals that are going to eat them. We don't eat them so they won't throw poop at us. I'm sure she will announce this bit if information to the other zoo visitors at the chimpanzee cage.

Phoenix Mercury beat the Monarchs last night but not without working hard. So there.

I think I have all of my electronic devices together and have almost finished packing. The last of the towels are in the dryer and as soon as the beach towels are dry I can finish packing and put a few things in the car. It will feel so much closer to leaving if I do that.

LaDawn: There are few bidets in the US and my only encounter with one was in Spain. However I have an interesting picture in my mind of how that would look. Not much different than the toilet but It sure sounds classier.

Send good vibes to the computer/web/mac goddesses that Paulette and I can get my web page to her computer and have pictures of this event along the way. Verbal observations will continue in this space. web.mac.com/myrnagj is the web page