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

Thursday

Words of Wisdom for today: When you are five, tired and missing your mom--your socks don"t fit right.

A bike ride in the morning and swimming in the afternoon makes everyone very tired and cranky. Skyler is napping; I'm catching up. Bills are paid, laundry on the last load, clothes packed for Skyler to go home tomorrow. There are some vacation things I need to do but not yet. I'm making lists of what not to forget.

The new age of electronics requires a lot of recharging equipment and if you for get it your camera, phone video camera will be usless. There is a law of some kind that says if you forget one of those vital cords--no one where you are going will have one and even if you try to buy one it will have to be ordered and arrive when you get home.

How many kinds of shoes do I need? How many of my pills do I need? It is cool here for June and making it difficult to think: hot, humid weather. I usually forget anything for rain since it doesn't usually rain here in the valley from June to October.
I definitly need my exercise clothes and shoes. Walking daily in essential for me. I haven't done enough in the last ten days but I have been riding my bike.

OK I gotta go to the store and get some milk. And check my lists.

Monday

Skyler went to school with Paulette today so I was on my own. Maybe not a good idea because I went shopping. Clothes, software and stuff.

I met a friend in Davis at Peets coffee and we spent an hour catching up. I got my glasses fixed. I cleaned out my P.O box that I still have there until October.

I did some laundry and cleaned up a bit.

This evening I took a West Coast Swing lesson.

I'm going to sort one more basket of paper and finish the book I've been reading.

Tomorrow, after the Rivercats game Skyler comes home with me and we go to a Monarchs game in the evening.

Six days until on the road again.

The weekend

Skyler went to sleep at Auntie Pea's Friday afternoon and will return after the Monarchs game on Tuesday.

We had a busy day on Friday. No school. YEAH! Skyler had his first lesson with the digital camera. We went walking in Davis and then rode the a double decker bus. We sat on the top level of course. "Grandma, this bus is old. How old do you think it is?" I'm not sure. He looked out the windows and at the cars below and the tree tops at eye level, but the age of the bus was always on his mind. "Why is this bus so old?"

We were hungry after our photography trip and went to MacDonalds for lunch. I think it was a little lonely for him to play without his sister. There were a couple of other kids there but they didn't want to interact. We completed all of my errands and went back to Sacramento. He took his 25 minute car nap on the way home and was ready for more action.

We drove to Auntie Pea's through the Friday Afternoon traffic nightmare.

Paulette gave me an alternate route so I could go to the Zumba exercise class on my way home.
The apartment was very quiet when I got home.

Saturday night the Monarchs beat the Los Angeles Sparks in a really great basketball game. The women are getting more aggressive in their playing every year. Skyler ate his pizza while looking at the assembled crowd. When the game started and Paulette and I became loud fans. He sat for some time looking from one to the other with a puzzled look on his face. He then caught the Thunderstick that were dropped and began making noise with them. He stopped long enough to tell the woman next to us she had one of thundersticks was upside down. She later asked if he was always so good.

He joined in the chant BEAT LA, BEAT LA.... I watched him listen, try it out and listen again and finally get it right.

In the car, after the game he said, Can I call my mom? We said yes, and heard her say What are you doing still up? He talked to both of his parents and moments after he closed the phone was asleep.

Thursday

The last day of school. I showed Whale Rider and my students exchanged gifts. I don't know how it came about but they drew names and brought each other gifts. I received a plant from one of my students. She doesn't know I can kill plants without even trying. No lesson planning until August.

Skyler stayed with Maria and last night he tried out a couple of Spanish words. I offered to let him watch the movie with the class but he looked at the cover and said, "I don't think this is appropriate."

Then we went to the staff lunch; small staff only seven people including him. I really don't like kids at adult lunches but the administrative assistant, Telly, talked me into it. I must say Skyler lasted longer than I expected him to. I still don't like kids at adult meetings even if i brought the kid.

Back home we rested until it cooled down enough to go for a bike ride. This time Skyler took a spill. He fell into the grass pretty hard and the bike hit his arm. No lasting scrapes or bruises. However, when relating it to his parents he called it a crash. Now I know to inform them before he does of the extent of the "crash" We went on to Borders and he had chocolate milk while I had a latte. The ride home was uneventful. We looked for our blue heron to take pictures but it wasn't at the pond.

I have had to relearn something I learned when Paulette was small. Do NOT be sucked into arguing with a child. So...now I am walking away after stating my case once; sometimes twice. Kids are such little lawyers.

Now it's Friday, first day of vacation and we have things to do.