Day Three:
Logie and I began the day eating a tearful breakfast together. By this point in the trip, he was over it, and I think he had come to realization that he is a beach person, not a road trip person (he keeps referring to the "nice beach hotel with 7 floors"). He cried big, salty, heart-breaking tears. All he wanted to do was stay at the hotel and swim in the green pool (we had bribed the kids with ice cream the night before to avoid having to swim in the green pool. Pools should not be green--I usually don't discuss my political views on social media, but I am pretty adamant about that viewpoint.) After let Logan cry a bit, we left Paris, Texas and set out for the Byars' homestead in Lubbock, Texas.
On our way, we dipped into Oklahoma so we can say we have been there and so that Emma could see where Mrs. Bishop, her teacher last year, is from. The ride to the Byars house was our longest ride thus far, and it solidified Logan's belief that he is not a road trip person. He cried every time we answered the question, "Are we there yet?" Brad and I, however, loved the trip. He LOVED the increase in speed limit, and we were the only ones on the road. Apparently the trek from Paris, TX to Lubbock, TX is not an oft traveled route :-). I loved the windmills. My goodness! They were mesmerizing. If I didn't have two kids with me, one of which was on the brink of a mental breakdown, I would have wanted to just sit in a field for hours and watch the windmills. I've never seen anything like it. And we went for hundreds of miles without seeing a house, a farm, or anything other than a tumbleweed. The amount of land and sky were astonishing.
We finally (for Logan) arrived at the Byars and the kids (and the adults) got some much needed play time. We had some fantastic Mexican food, saw Lubbock Christian for the first time, played in a fountain, had some snow cones, and chatted into the wee hours of the evening. Thank you, Byars, for the invite even though you were leaving on your journey the next day. It was great to see you guys. And readers who know Heather, she is now the Pioneer Woman. She lives on a dirt road!
Day Four:
Today we began our adventure with a trip to Amarillo, TX. Logan was in better spirits. Playing with Liam had restored his spirit. In Amarillo, we saw the Cadillac Ranch (an art installment by the group Ant Farm. The combination view of a corn field that goes on for infinity and spray painted Cadillacs was oddly beautiful, and the kids enjoyed making their marks on the cars with spray paint. I saw one teenager/young adult writing "From dust to dust" in spray paint on the cars; it is so interesting how your mark is covered by someone the moment you walk away from the spot. Truly a regeneration of art--a perpetual motion art exhibit. I just loved the group effort at creating art, the juxtaposition of nature and technology, the draw of an opportunity to "leave your mark", the idea that trash/junk can become something beautiful, and just the experience of watching my children create.
Then we journeyed on to the MidPoint Cafe which is located on the exact midpoint of Route 66. When we entered, we were told that the owner's refrigerator had died and all he had was pie and ice cream. Emma felt as if she had died and gone to heaven.
After our stops on Route 66, we continued on to Albuquerque, New Mexico. As Brad said, "Every time we crest a ridge, the scenery changes." We went from desert, to farmland, to mesas, to mountains. It was truly beautiful.
Albuquerque is gorgeous, and our hotel has a view of the mountains. Tonight the kids swam, we ate at a hole-in-the-wall burger joint, and then we drove to the Sandia Mountains, took a little walk, and watched the sunset. Truly a perfect evening (until we tried to find the main drag in Albuquerque, learned the main drag was shut down for a street festival, and then couldn't figure out how to get back to our hotel--but you know, every recipe needs a little vinegar, right?)
Oh, and as we were walking tonight near the mountains, Logan learned that he is not a nature person. Tonight, when I told him we would be walking more tomorrow in nature, he exclaimed, "Nature? Not nature. There are predators." I don't think Boy Scouts are in his future. Oh, and he's finished with pictures. So all the pictures from now on will probably be of Emma.
Oh, and Emma said tonight at supper, "I don't understand what is going on with the protest downtown Atlanta and all, but I do get the concept of Black Lives Matter. It's not that all lives don't matter; it is just that black lives matter too." And she said it just like that. Like it is such an easy concept. And then she said, "I think these are things that people should probably just talk about with their friends and stuff in their living rooms, not on Facebook." Sometimes she just slays me. Absolutely slays me.
Now, we sleep and then do it all again. Poor Logan. I hope he survived. Next year, we will go to the beach, I promise (No one tell him about sharks, OK?)
Logie and I began the day eating a tearful breakfast together. By this point in the trip, he was over it, and I think he had come to realization that he is a beach person, not a road trip person (he keeps referring to the "nice beach hotel with 7 floors"). He cried big, salty, heart-breaking tears. All he wanted to do was stay at the hotel and swim in the green pool (we had bribed the kids with ice cream the night before to avoid having to swim in the green pool. Pools should not be green--I usually don't discuss my political views on social media, but I am pretty adamant about that viewpoint.) After let Logan cry a bit, we left Paris, Texas and set out for the Byars' homestead in Lubbock, Texas.
On our way, we dipped into Oklahoma so we can say we have been there and so that Emma could see where Mrs. Bishop, her teacher last year, is from. The ride to the Byars house was our longest ride thus far, and it solidified Logan's belief that he is not a road trip person. He cried every time we answered the question, "Are we there yet?" Brad and I, however, loved the trip. He LOVED the increase in speed limit, and we were the only ones on the road. Apparently the trek from Paris, TX to Lubbock, TX is not an oft traveled route :-). I loved the windmills. My goodness! They were mesmerizing. If I didn't have two kids with me, one of which was on the brink of a mental breakdown, I would have wanted to just sit in a field for hours and watch the windmills. I've never seen anything like it. And we went for hundreds of miles without seeing a house, a farm, or anything other than a tumbleweed. The amount of land and sky were astonishing.
We finally (for Logan) arrived at the Byars and the kids (and the adults) got some much needed play time. We had some fantastic Mexican food, saw Lubbock Christian for the first time, played in a fountain, had some snow cones, and chatted into the wee hours of the evening. Thank you, Byars, for the invite even though you were leaving on your journey the next day. It was great to see you guys. And readers who know Heather, she is now the Pioneer Woman. She lives on a dirt road!
Day Four:
Today we began our adventure with a trip to Amarillo, TX. Logan was in better spirits. Playing with Liam had restored his spirit. In Amarillo, we saw the Cadillac Ranch (an art installment by the group Ant Farm. The combination view of a corn field that goes on for infinity and spray painted Cadillacs was oddly beautiful, and the kids enjoyed making their marks on the cars with spray paint. I saw one teenager/young adult writing "From dust to dust" in spray paint on the cars; it is so interesting how your mark is covered by someone the moment you walk away from the spot. Truly a regeneration of art--a perpetual motion art exhibit. I just loved the group effort at creating art, the juxtaposition of nature and technology, the draw of an opportunity to "leave your mark", the idea that trash/junk can become something beautiful, and just the experience of watching my children create.
Then we journeyed on to the MidPoint Cafe which is located on the exact midpoint of Route 66. When we entered, we were told that the owner's refrigerator had died and all he had was pie and ice cream. Emma felt as if she had died and gone to heaven.
After our stops on Route 66, we continued on to Albuquerque, New Mexico. As Brad said, "Every time we crest a ridge, the scenery changes." We went from desert, to farmland, to mesas, to mountains. It was truly beautiful.
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| Probably the last pic of Logan on the trip. All experiences he has from this point on with nature will be forced :-) |
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| Any restaurant with this much stuff on the wall must be good :-) |
Oh, and as we were walking tonight near the mountains, Logan learned that he is not a nature person. Tonight, when I told him we would be walking more tomorrow in nature, he exclaimed, "Nature? Not nature. There are predators." I don't think Boy Scouts are in his future. Oh, and he's finished with pictures. So all the pictures from now on will probably be of Emma.
Oh, and Emma said tonight at supper, "I don't understand what is going on with the protest downtown Atlanta and all, but I do get the concept of Black Lives Matter. It's not that all lives don't matter; it is just that black lives matter too." And she said it just like that. Like it is such an easy concept. And then she said, "I think these are things that people should probably just talk about with their friends and stuff in their living rooms, not on Facebook." Sometimes she just slays me. Absolutely slays me.
Now, we sleep and then do it all again. Poor Logan. I hope he survived. Next year, we will go to the beach, I promise (No one tell him about sharks, OK?)
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