Home.

We are back in Nevada City, safe and sound, after yet another full day of flying (Logan, UT -> Elko, NV -> Grass Valley, CA). It feels good to be home, and Pawlene is certainly happy. A few last photos...

Was this Spearfish, SD or Landers, WY? I can't remember, but Peter befriended a real live cowboy during a long wait at some midwestern (emphasis on the Western) airport. They talked airplanes (They are pictured here, perusing an airplane magazine and showing each other their favorites). I think Peter almost got hired on as a ranch hand, but then we had to leave. It was a very sweet exchange. He (the Cowboy) even waved to us on take-off, as promised.

And here are the pictures I hinted at in my last post. Guess where Peter and Celia are. A California beach?

Here is another hint:

Take a closer look at the plants that Peter is hamming in front of. Yes, those are giant MARIJUANA PLANTS!!! Growing WILD on the banks of the Missouri River in...South Dakota. Can you believe it? Denise says they are the kind that you make rope out of, perfectly innocent, etc. etc. Uh huh.

In other news, Martin pointed out that my blog paints a rather rosy picture of our life.

Well, yes. This is true, for two reasons.

One: My natural inclination is to try and focus on the positive, regardless of the situation. This attitude has mostly served me well, and has certainly kept me sane through some rather rough times.

Two: The intention of this blog is to keep my friends and family up to date on the happenings in our lives. It borders on being a Mommy blog, but with a little more "perspective". It is not intended to make any sort of political statement or be a True Confessions type diary blog.

I am striving for the level of casual conversation. I could get into all kinds of philosophical musings on whether or not the blog accomplishes this and strengthens connections or weakens them because I use it as a crutch to replace phone calls and face time. One of the reasons we made this trip is because face time is VERY important to me and no blog will ever take the place of a few hours of hanging out together. Sadly, our family (and most of our friends!) is spread pretty far apart, and face time is rare. So, the blog.

Having said that, if you really want the nitty gritty details of our life in Nevada City and why I no longer talk about buying a house or how miserable Martin really is with our current situation and specifically how HARD this trip was (me, barely keeping myself from throwing up each and every time we get into the plane until several hours after we are on the ground, Peter, throwing more than a few horrific fits complete with kicking, screaming, crying, spitting, accusing, drooling, hitting, scratching, and a bunch of other undesirable behaviors...), please, give me a call. I'd be happy to unburden the gruesome details. And welcome any constructive advice on how to deal with it. We've tried nearly everything, with varying results. Yes, we are seeking professional advice. No, we haven't figured it out yet. We are far from perfect parents, but we are trying our best.

And now, the grand finale -- what we learned from this trip. I will try to present a balanced perspective:

1) Taking a 4-year-old who has a very hard time with both transitions and confinement on a trip that requires up to six and a half hours a day in a tiny, confined space, combined with moving to a different location every one to three days was a TERRIBLE idea.

2) There is no substitute for hanging out in person with friends and family. When I asked Peter which part of the trip he would repeat if he could, he did not hesitate to answer: hang out with Avery and Nathan (his cousins).

3) Karolina is incredibly adaptable. She was a trooper throughout all the flying and being passed from arms to arms of people she had never met. The only time she was unhappy was during a few sleepless nights when that third tooth started coming in.

4) Taos, New Mexico (one of our unscheduled stops) is a very cool place to visit!

Oh darn. There I go again, focusing on the positive. Let me think...OK:

5) I really don't like flying, whereas Martin LOVES flying. Three hours is my absolute maximum, and three hours is a short jaunt to him. He is beginning to re-set his expectations, but it will be interesting to see how we resolve this, especially since the easiest way to convince Martin to go on a family vacation is to let him fly to our destination.

6) People are not as interested/friendly when your plane is just a plain old Mooney with a funny tail number, as opposed to an Apache that is a work of art. We had many more interesting conversations with the locals when we were flying the Apache.

7) Conversations with the locals are still one of the most interesting parts of the journey (at least for me). I always gain a new perspective, just from talking to people who don't live anywhere near me. This time, I learned that not everyone is opposed to "pink slime" in school lunch. It was a valid perspective. I learned something.

That's it for now. There is a neglected cat to be petted, a mountain of laundry to attack, and maybe even a lovely California sunset to be admired with another glass of excellent California white wine. I like where I live.