It all began today. We packed up and cleaned the house and are heading across the country to North Carolina for our first leg of an exciting summer. Everything was flawless today…except for one little thing. The air conditioner in the car kicked the bucket today in the 105 degree heat. We only had about 3 hours left to travel thank goodness but tomorrow we start our day at the local mechanic shop in Winslow, AZ.

We are staying in the most beautiful hotel tonight, the La Posada, in Winslow, AZ. My mom and I stayed here on our first trip across the country and were so impressed with the place that I had to take Geno here. The hotel is a restaurant, private museum and garden. It was first a fine hotel in the 1940's which was then converted into a train station and then just before it was to be torn down it was bought by a husband and wife team, Tina and Keith Mion, for $153,000 and over time it has been restored. Tina is a fantastic artist and her work is hung throughout the hotel. It is a historic gem and we are so glad we got to see it.

We had a beautiful dinner outside on the porch where dogs are welcome. Clara loved romping in the yard and we even took a detour through the hay maze while our dinner was being prepared.

Of course no stop in Winslow would be complete without a picture "standing on the corner in Winslow, AZ". After dinner we took a nice walk in the tiny town and took the obligatory tourist pictures. What a great first day.