Vacation's All I Ever Wanted

Back in the day Linda and I used to have a life. It was nothing exciting or glamorous, but it was a life. Then, suddenly and without warning, things changed. Our dogs started getting older and sick and needed much more attention than my mother in law could give them as she herself needed attention. We weathered the loss of a dog and then my mother in law and then our last dog started her decent at the same time as my mother did too.

That meant through all of the past five years or so we have been home bound, or at least one of us always needed to be. Our vacations became separate adventures with one of us at home managing the ever tilting ship. This past winter we lost my mom and our last dog. What it meant was that we had no more responsibilities. As you would expect we had no idea what the hell to do with all of our free time.

After my brother, sister, and I emptied our mom's house and got it sold, we had completed our last remaining project. While we were together, my sister casually mentioned that her daughter, Emily, had asked her if since Grandma was gone did that mean she might not see her uncles again, or at least as often. My sister told her she should be so lucky.

(Emily on the far right with Linda and yours truly)

Once we caught our breath, Linda and I decided that this year we would make two trips, together for a change. The first trip we planned was to see her family this fall in North Carolina and the Atlanta area with a brief stop to see my remaining Uncle on my dad's side in South Carolina. Our second trip we planned was to drive to Colorado to see my niece stopping along the way to see my brothers new house in Las Vegas.

A short four-ish hour drive had us arriving in Las Vegas late morning. We took the tour of Joe's new place which was cute as a button even with the remaining glitter scattered around from the previous owner who either made jewelry with tons of glitter, or was a very busy stripper. (I'm kidding. There was not a bit of glitter to be found as my brother vacuumed and cleaned the house for fifteen straight days to clear it out of the house). We talked, played a game involving marbles and drinks, and then crashed for an early get away the next morning.

Our next almost eight hours was spent driving through Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and finally Colorado. Most of the drive looked like this with the occasional wide open spaces for as far as you could see. Anyone that thinks this country is getting over crowded should come take a drive through the West. We have plenty of room to grow.

We arrived only three hours earlier than I had told my sister we would be there so she was panicked to get herself and the house ready for us, but as always she was flawless in getting things done. We took the tour of her and Michael's new house which is a downsized place from their previous semi mansion but still beautiful.

Over the next few days we visited Sylvan Lake, Vail, Eagle, Beaver Creek, and other places in the area. We were walking around at 7000, to 8000 feet, all day and night and while we felt fine, we enjoyed my sister and brother in law demanding we drink more water to stave off altitude sickness. We didn't and we never got sick, but their worrying about us was cute. (I think they were worried we would get sick and never leave.)

If you are ever in need of a pair of $2300 womens loafers I know a place in Beaver Creek.

After our third night we woke up to see our bags packed and my sister with a map for us to find St. George, UT. We said our goodbyes and exchanged Hollywood hugs and kisses and were off on our next leg.

After a quick seven hour drive back through the same scenery we saw on the way up, we arrived in the bustling megalopolis of St. George. This western town in Utah has multiple national parks and attractions all framed by beautiful red rock formations and desert landscapes.

We stopped at Pioneer Park on the left and center on our way to the Kayenta Art Village on the far right. The art village is outside the little town of Ivin and worth the drive. There are some very talented artists living in the area and we had to buy a few things.

We enjoyed our quick visit but were ready to get back home. This was the longest we had been away for many years and we realized that we were, one, not as young as we used to be, and two, not as in shape as we used to be. And all we pretty much did was sit in the car, that is how out of shape we are. We talked about getting back in shape while we drove home, and then we laughed and grabbed another candy bar.

Everyone treated us wonderfully, my brother was excited to see us and couldn't have been more accomadating. My sister and brother in law, were unbelieveably generous with their home and time. We loved seeing our niece and her husband Chris who has a new business he has started and is doing well, so we are happy for those two kids. But we really loved seeing Roxie, pictured above, who loved to get treats from us and snuggle with me on the couch, as long as I didn't take her spot.

All in all, it was a great trip, if not long. You would think with as fat as my ass is that I could sit in a cushy car seat for hours but no, I could still barely walk when we would stop for gas. We looked and felt like old people when we would get out and try to make it to the restaurant along the way.

Thanks to Joe, Nancy and Michael for their hosting. We plan on doing it again in ten years. By plane and with wheel chairs.