Fri Jun 25, 2015

STATS
Departure: 8:40 AM Bakersfield, CA
Arrival: 3:15 PM Palo Alto, CA
Miles: 253 miles
Travel Time: 7 hrs.

It's been almost seven weeks exactly--just a couple of days shy—and about two weeks longer than we anticipated. Barbara and I are still (or again) sick, and we'll be checking in with our doctor on Monday. Friday afternoon was spent emptying the RV, which we have not yet finished, and Friday evening saw us collapsed on the couch in front of the TV.

We got a little surprise when we got home. Shannon and Jared came over on Thursday evening and rigged up a welcome-home gift for us. We have a freezer in the garage that we had emptied and unplugged before we went on this trip to minimize electricity usage. When we got back, the door was decorated like a gift, with a "Welcome Home" sign on it. When we opened the door, a million packing peanuts fell out onto the floor and revealed a plaster cobra, dressed up like Uncle Sam, staring at us.

(The story of "The Snake" is a long one, but I'll try to give you the Reader’s Digest version. It started with my parents and their friends. Someone, probably my mother, found a plaster cobra, coiled and ready to strike, in some antique store. This was probably 40 or 50 years ago. From that time on, the Snake has been passed from family to family in their circle of family and friends, and we have the distinct privilege—or insanity—to continue the tradition. This Snake is probably the third or fourth incarnation, its predecessors having been accidentally, and in one case intentionally, broken. The only rule is that, once you get it, you need to hold on to it until no one remembers who has it. Then you strike, and, boy, did we get struck.)

So there we were, standing in front of the open freezer, mouths agape, staring at the chaos before us, when I heard music coming from inside the house. I went and looked to find the TV on and playing Fourth of July videos with fireworks and patriotic music. My son-in-law, Jared, evil genius that he is, rigged the freezer to send a wireless command to the TV—triggered by opening the door—to start playing the videos. He had to use some pretty sophisticated equipment to make that happen. He thinks he’s getting it all back. Hah!

I also need to mention that Brian and Rietta aided and abetted this perpetration by watching Maddie whilst the other two carried out their nefarious deeds. Of course, any excuse to watch Maddie is a good one, so I can’t fault them. Heck, if I had been there, I would have offered to watch Maddie and been completely happy to let the others booby trap the entire house. So, I guess they’re clear.

And one other thing I guess I should mention. Shannon, in an obvious attempt to atone, left us two meals: homemade chicken tortilla soup and spaghetti. We’ve already finished the soup, which was delicious, and we’ll get into the spaghetti next. I guess I’ll have to rethink not returning the equipment.

Well, that about wraps it up. We had a lot of fun on this trip, and we’ve enjoyed having you along for the ride, as it were. I hope I haven’t bored you too much with my literary lunacy. Barbara and I really enjoyed reading all your comments.

Oh, and watch out. This could be happening again. We’re already talking about the next trip....