Friday, April 4, 2008

Travel Games

We are safely back from our vacation to the midwest. The time there was great and a much-needed respite. The drive home was long. Our first two days of driving were not bad and we did not encounter the rain we thought we would. Maine was eerie as the mist was hovering over the snow-covered fields. The roads were clear but the sky was grey.

We have decided that the province of New Brunswick is basically Arkansas. The roads are crap and it feels like no one lives there. I swear, I think we doubled the population when we drove in. There are about 8 exits along the TransCanada Highway in NB and not one of them is anything other than an exit ramp. No gas station, no rest stop, no bathroom, no signage. On the way down we encountered a blizzard in this province and on the way back it was fog. Correction, FOG. Serious, thick, spooky, Hound of the Baskervilles FOG. We had about 2 feet of visibility and the road is not well-marked. No reflectors, no reflective paint. Just occasional signs warning you to pay attention to moose(s). Fortunately, we did not see any. I was afraid we’d have a Toyota v. Moose incident. We drove through FOG for about three hours.

Along the drive, we invented some new (to us anyway) travel games to keep ourselves entertained in the car*. Next time you’re on one of those long drives, when the kids are watching something in the back and you can’t listen to your own music because it will interfere with their show, try one of these. One is kid-friendly, the other … not so much.

1) Alphabet-geography game. Basically you replace each state in the US, or every country you can think of, with a certain letter or group of letters. For example: Cralabama, Crentucky, Croklahoma… Some of my recent favorites include Spelgium, Quussia, and Flafghanistan.

2) Innuendo. In this game, you simply add parentheses to certain words or phrases you see along the road. You can instantly turn something wholesome and sweet into, well, smut.
Like “Fresh Fudge” or Grandpa’s “Cheese Barn” or

Entering
“Manhurst” County


* These may have been funny only because we were very tired and stir crazy.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

vacation days

Let's see. We've been here for three full days. We have just been hanging out with our oldest son Polio and other friends, eating at a few of our favorite restaurants, enjoying the down time. The DH and Sandbox are going to rehearse with the choir tonight while I kick back with my homies. (homies in this case means a couple of other almost-middle-aged-ladies holding G&T's).

Today I'm going over to my old workplace to see what's still standing. I'm going to try and talk shop enough to write this trip off as a business expense. That oughta work right?

Not much to report but I'm trying to get back in the blogging groove. Great to hear from you guys! In comments, tell me your favorite winter sport (to play or to watch). Mine are hockey and curling - NOT!

Monday, March 24, 2008

hey!


A quick recap since the last post:


Christmas - was all right. Rather subdued but the visit from Goo was a highlight. Lots of snow.


New Year's - was all right. Goo was still there and we had a small party. We had a dark-haired guest go outside and ring the doorbell and be the first across the threshold in the new year for good luck (like they do in Scotland?). Sampled some horrible Indiana wine - I don't recommend it.


January - Went to court and worked on some more high profile cases. Stress. Interesting. Good times. Also, lots of snow.


February - The DH turned 47. It snowed. Money troubles, the kids got good grades. More snow.


March - were going to travel to our old stomping grounds to see our oldest son and, of course, visit friends but decided to put it off for two weeks. The kids took it well. It meant we'd be there for Easter. Snow.


The day we left, we got a late start because we waited for the freezing rain to turn to rain. Then in New Brunswick, we encountered a freakin' blizzard. You know what a blizzard is? SNOW. The next day was high winds, but day three of the drive was beautiful and clear. We made it in time for church and had a great reunion!


Easter Sunday was more church and more reunion, inlcuding one with our favorite Mexican restaurant. After lunch, it snowed. Naps, then communal dinner with friends. Aahh.


Met our son's girlfriend. She's smart and pretty and has a good sense of humor. Day 1 has been good.