My car is currently in the garage, so I can get in and out of it, undetected. I wouldn't want my neighbors to know that I am obsessive-compulsive about "placement" of items in the car, but I am.
Randy and I have certain spots for certain things, and sometimes one of us gets the idea that one of those spots can be changed...............and sometimes we discuss it before the decision is made. Or not. Ahem.
The case of wine (not a "crate" as I had miscalled it yesterday) is in the car, and it needs to be covered with the blanket to keep it cool. The used postal box with the AAA maps and books needs to be directly behind the center of the front console. When we cross over a state line, it's important to grab the next travel book and be on the ready, or we might miss something! (We had to make a trip back to Iowa a few years ago just for this reason. We missed the Field of Dreams, because we didn't have the Iowa book on the navigator's lap. Once we realized our error, and our loss, it became a prime re-visit location, and we were not satisfied until we had recrossed the Mississippi River and yelled, "If you build it, we will come!" in the center of a ball field, and looked for deceased loved ones in a cornfield.
Next to the box of maps should be my bag of books: In case I need to read, of course. My habit of letting magazines stack up for months on end, then taking them on a trip is sometimes a game I play. I read the magazine in the car while Randy drives, then when I finish it I will either leave it in a ladies room, or my favorite: approach someone who is obviously waiting idly, without reading material (God forbid!) and say, "Hi. I am the Queen of Recycling, and I have just finished this magazine. So I don't have to throw it away, could I give it to you to read?" Actually, I have only done this twice, and the Queen bit only once..........but the expression on that woman's face was startled, and a little bit afraid. I wondered later if she thought I was some kind of criminal magazine attacker. But she accepted the magazine!! ........and when I looked back, she was reading it. I am definitely going to do that this trip. Maybe I should pack my tiara, just for fun.
Completed paperback books get left behind in drawers of motel dressers, to encourage the cleaning crew to read them. (Deep in my soul, I truly AM a language arts teacher.)
The bag of cosmetics sits on the other side of the back seat. This includes shampoo, makeup, and any other item used in restrooms or in front of a mirror. It stays cool there, doesn't spill, and the bag is easy to carry into motels. We never use the shampoo in those motel rooms. We bring them home to stock our guest bathroom. If you ever stay with us, you get the shower cap, shampoo, and lotion!
A box of bottled water and a cooler full of chilled foods sits on the floor directly behind the navigator. Picnics need to be planned.
In the back of the van should be 2 beach chairs. You never know if we're going to a beach or a lake. One picnic we had was held in a deserted rowboat because we didn't have chairs along. 2 beach towels, a laundry bag, and 2 suitcases complete the rear cargo area.
In a few minutes I will go to the darkened garage (behind closed doors) and put all this stuff into the van, rearrange it, look it over, and get that great feeling of anticipation that comes with knowing that a trip is about to happen........especially since we don't know where we are going. (And for anyone who does not believe that.......I have 12, count them, 12 tour books in that box........because we truly do NOT know where we are going!)
Today I did a miraculous thing. I managed to pack in ten minutes (that is not the miracle). I managed to pack all the clothing I need in one SMALL (repeat that: small!) suitcase! I bet I still have some things I don't really need, but if I do spill Kool-Aid all over a tee shirt, I do not need to have a nervous breakdown over it. (If I spill it several times, however, it could get hairy.......)
The 2 pairs of shoes, you ask? You knew that wasn't going to happen!!! Four. Four pairs, no more!! One will be on my feet. The walking shoes will be in the back with my suitcase, my shower shoes fit into that SMALL suitcase, and I threw in a pair of low heels to go with my "dressy" outfit. 4 pairs total. ( If you've been following the Cathy cartoons, you may see that I learned something from her.) I personally believe that I should win some kind of Fewest-Number-of-Shoes-Taken-on-a-Vacation-Award, don't you??
We are hoping to leave in the morning, but that all depends on whether Randy finishes the job he is working on today. He still has to pack his suitcase. I think I will wait until he has packed it, (probably a great big one, with 14 pairs of shoes and sandals), before I yell ,"Ta-Da!!!" and show off my little teensy itty bitty suitcase.........
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Getting Ready.........not yet in motion
We've been saying that we are leaving on the 15th for about a month, now. That's the day after tomorrow,.NO, it's TOMORROW !!!... and so far the only thing I have "prepared" is a pile of maps and AAA books showing Canada.
We might not be going to Canada! We have thrown around the words "South Dakota" a few times in recent days, and I can see that we get excited when we breathe out those words......."Souuuuuth Du Kota"......it brings back wonderful memories. We've been there twice during the Sturgis Rallies........800,000 motorcycles, and US IN A CAR. Such fun! Such beauty.......we'd love to go back.
We've also actually really talked about Canada....hence the maps and stuff.........I think we're afraid to go there........will they have places we're familiar with, like McDonalds and Comfort Inns??? What if they speak French, and we don't? Ok, Canada IS a possibility.
New York State......there's a place called Lilydale that I want to visit. It could be "on the way" to anywhere else, and we could just "happen" to go there, maybe. That might lead us back to Vermont or New Hampshire........or Maine..the ocean........
Randy, my darling husband, says that he gave me "THE LIST" after the last trip, and it has "everything we need to pack" on it...........but I cannot find the list, and I am not motivated to write up another one.
Usually, I just start packing. My suitcase rarely leaves the back end of the van, anyway, so it doesn't matter if it's heavy when it exits the house. I throw in a number of underwear items, tee shirts, shorts, a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, one "decent dress" in case we go somewhere really nice for dinner, a swim suit...........and 4 pairs of shoes, even though I will probably only wear a pair of walking shoes and a pair of sandals for the entire trip. This year I resolve to only take those two pairs of shoes. And my rubber sandals to wear by the pools. IF there are pools.
The coffee maker, the box of maps (for wherever), my journaling bag (filled with markers, pens, glue, and other good "stuff"), my BAG-O-BOOKS, a box full of food that can be taken out for picnics or eaten in the car.............a crate of wine (yes, a crate), a heavy old comforter so I don't freeze my rear end off in chilly motels where we keep the air conditioner on HI since we're not paying the electric bill, my camera with a bag of batteries for it, and hey.............I just made a list !
Tomorrow is the day we will start to pack the car, maybe........since I don't really think we're going to get out of here on the 15th. I believe the 16th will probably be Departure Day. It's just a gut thing.
This is my first "blog experience," and I am not sure if I am going to like it or not. Just a minute ago, I wanted to use the word "ass" instead of "rear end," and I didn't feel comfortable doing that. THAT is why I am not sure if I am going to like blogging or not. But I do believe it would be nice to have my journals all nicely "archived," whatever that means.
I am going to now end this first "post" as they call it. I am going to have to learn the terminology to do this. IF I like this, then maybe YOU will see it. But I would have to send you an email, first, I suppose.
We might not be going to Canada! We have thrown around the words "South Dakota" a few times in recent days, and I can see that we get excited when we breathe out those words......."Souuuuuth Du Kota"......it brings back wonderful memories. We've been there twice during the Sturgis Rallies........800,000 motorcycles, and US IN A CAR. Such fun! Such beauty.......we'd love to go back.
We've also actually really talked about Canada....hence the maps and stuff.........I think we're afraid to go there........will they have places we're familiar with, like McDonalds and Comfort Inns??? What if they speak French, and we don't? Ok, Canada IS a possibility.
New York State......there's a place called Lilydale that I want to visit. It could be "on the way" to anywhere else, and we could just "happen" to go there, maybe. That might lead us back to Vermont or New Hampshire........or Maine..the ocean........
Randy, my darling husband, says that he gave me "THE LIST" after the last trip, and it has "everything we need to pack" on it...........but I cannot find the list, and I am not motivated to write up another one.
Usually, I just start packing. My suitcase rarely leaves the back end of the van, anyway, so it doesn't matter if it's heavy when it exits the house. I throw in a number of underwear items, tee shirts, shorts, a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, one "decent dress" in case we go somewhere really nice for dinner, a swim suit...........and 4 pairs of shoes, even though I will probably only wear a pair of walking shoes and a pair of sandals for the entire trip. This year I resolve to only take those two pairs of shoes. And my rubber sandals to wear by the pools. IF there are pools.
The coffee maker, the box of maps (for wherever), my journaling bag (filled with markers, pens, glue, and other good "stuff"), my BAG-O-BOOKS, a box full of food that can be taken out for picnics or eaten in the car.............a crate of wine (yes, a crate), a heavy old comforter so I don't freeze my rear end off in chilly motels where we keep the air conditioner on HI since we're not paying the electric bill, my camera with a bag of batteries for it, and hey.............I just made a list !
Tomorrow is the day we will start to pack the car, maybe........since I don't really think we're going to get out of here on the 15th. I believe the 16th will probably be Departure Day. It's just a gut thing.
This is my first "blog experience," and I am not sure if I am going to like it or not. Just a minute ago, I wanted to use the word "ass" instead of "rear end," and I didn't feel comfortable doing that. THAT is why I am not sure if I am going to like blogging or not. But I do believe it would be nice to have my journals all nicely "archived," whatever that means.
I am going to now end this first "post" as they call it. I am going to have to learn the terminology to do this. IF I like this, then maybe YOU will see it. But I would have to send you an email, first, I suppose.
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