Travel Day 2

Our first night at Walmart was fine. Seems to me that if you're just driving through an area, it doesn't matter much where you stay as long as it's level, legal and safe. When you close the blinds it is much like anywhere else.

We did have some traffic and train noise in the night, but it wasn't loud and did not disturb our sleep. Craig was fascinated by the amount of late-night activity in the parking lot of the 24-hour Super Center Walmart. He got up and raised the front shade to look out several times.  I felt quite safe with the security patrol car constantly driving around.

We intentionally got a late morning start because Craig wanted to get a Schlotzsky's sandwich in La Quinta and a Shield's date shake a few blocks away for lunch.

We remember Schlotzky's from when we lived in Texas many years ago. They have no locations in our home area. We were not disappointed. Our sandwiches were as yummy (and unhealthy) as we remembered from the early 80's when we lived in Texas.

We had one little glitch when Craig took a corner too tight in the Walmart parking lot, but we solved it by unhitching the car, backing both it and the Alfa up, making the turn, and rehitching.  A bother, but better than frame damage!

We drove about 300 miles and stopped at another Walmart in Avondale AZ, just west of Phoenix.  Casa Grande, the location of the rally, is less than 70 miles away and we don't check in until noon.

The weather here is hot and sunny.  We ran the heater this morning, and have the windows open now to catch some evening breeze. 

We all know Karen's husband Steve can do a brake job in a parking lot while they are on a trip.

Craig tried to chase down a squeak in the step while in the Walmart lot this afternoon.

Every time he does this, he says it's the most challenging lubrication problem he's seen.

What can I say!

And he brought me flowers last week too!

Meanwhile, I have been relaxing as we drive and wearing my happy feet socks.

I do my share. We trade off as driver about every hundred miles or so.





Gil has arrived safely, posted his first blog and video from Thailand.  See it here.

First Walmart

Well, I didn't have much time to feel sad about Gil leaving for Thailand, because as soon as we got back home we went into getting ready for departure in the Alfa.  I had taken many things up to her over the week or so before, and assembled trip necessities on the dining room table. Having a good list sure helps when you're in a hurry.

The rally we're going to starts Monday.  We have two and a half days to cover almost eight hundred miles.

Everyone has there own way of traveling and their own best times. There is no way either of us could live through a 5:00 AM departure like some of you.  For us, getting up at 7:00 AM is early, and by the time we have breakfast, shut down the house, bring the Alfa down to the front drive, fill the fresh water and load the refrigerator we are satisfied with a 10:00 AM pull-out. 

Getting the Alfa up our road, onto the freeway, and then stopping to hook up the toad went very smoothly.

Our driving day was the best kind. Uneventful. We had sunny skies and no wind. Traffic was light and this was the best L.A. has ever been.  We ran into only one slow down!  That has to be a record. 

So here we are at our very first Walmart.

We drove 360 miles today, getting an all-time high of 8.7 mpg.

The good mileage was mostly due to the fact that we drove straight down the center of California on I-5.  Flat and straight. We have also been keeping our speed between 55 and 60.

Gil left a coment on my post from yesterday.
 "Sitting here in the Singapore Airport reading your blog. So far, so good, although I'm not actually there yet." 

Love the internet!

Good-by

I picked up our son Gil on Tuesday afternoon.  I had tons of questions and concerns about how he had finished his time in Seattle, and about the details of his Thailand teaching program. I felt like I was a nosey mother, but I needed to know some of these things.  

As he answered my questions, I was assured he had thought this all through and would be as OK as he could be.  Over the years I have come to expect him to have a last minute disaster.  This time, it has been so-far-so-good with only a few small problems that he handled smoothly.

Gil, aka Joko, and Merikay

I wanted a couple of pictures of us.

These two pictures were taken with different cameras. Gil did have a bit of a sunburn and his face was red. On the lower picture I tried to color balance a bit.

Before he came home I asked him to send me a list of his favorite childhood dinners so I could make them for him.  It has been fun to recreate foods that I haven't made for years.  Not the healthiest meals, not gourmet, but family comfort "Mom food."


We did some shopping. 
I bought him some new clean socks.

We showed him the Alfa and shared some of our plans.

We just spent some time together. Just hanging out.

On Wednesday and Thursday evenings we played some three handed Sheepshead, a favorite card game from our years in Wisconsin. Gil was the winner on Wednesday, and Craig on Thursday. I found it hard to concentrate, but enjoyed our time together.

Friday came too soon.  It takes about an hour to drive to the San Francisco airport from our house. Traffic was lighter than usual and we talked about how green everything was, and what a beautiful day it turned out to be.

 Craig dropped us off with Gil's luggage and went to park the car. In the last few months he has gotten rid of everything he owned except for what fit into his two bags and a backpack.

Storage was not an option.

The International terminal was strangely uncrowded. There were no long lines at the check-in desks, and all went quickly without a hitch.

We all walked together toward the security check in area, and when we got to the hallway that led to the parking area we said our last good-bys.  

It was hard to watch him walk away.








A final wave, and then he was gone.  Off to Thailand!

Gil's passion is making videos.  This is how he saw the last few days. 

A Mother's Mixed Emotions

I'm having very mixed emotions this week.  

Our son, Gil, is coming home for a few days before he leaves for
Thailand to take a training course for teaching English as a second language. He is then guaranteed placement for the several months of teaching he needs to do to get certification. While teaching, he will get a small salary and housing allowance, but it is not a permanent position. After that he hopes to find a position either there, in Indonesia, or some other country.

Most people who do this are fresh out of college and looking for adventure before settling down back in the States. He is not. At 42, he is at the top age limit for the program. Although he is looking for adventure, he is also looking for a fresh start in life. He does not want to come back and settle down here, rather he would like to find a new life there.

He has been to Indonesia twice before. As a high school student he did a year as an exchange student, and went again as a college student. Both times he went as a somewhat rich young American with money in his pocket, supporting organizations, and a life to return to.

This time, he has limited means and has gotten rid of all of his possessions. He has given me enough to buy his return ticket and provide a little cash to start again if he comes back, but that is only because he has to show he has the means to leave Indonesia if he wants a visa to go there. Although both of our names are on an account, I am holding it for him. We have an agreement that he cannot have it unless he needs it to come back.

My mixed emotions are that I'm happy for him because he is giving this dream a shot. I want him to be very successful in this adventure. But if he is, I may not see him again for years and that makes me sad. But except for a few summers, we have not lived in the same city since he left for college 24 years ago. Our visits have been infrequent, although I always knew that he could get on a plane and be home in a few hours.  

At least with Skype, blogs, email, and Facebook we will be able to stay in touch. And if he is successful and makes a new life, we might just take a trip there for a visit. 

I guess I have to remember Evelyn's ending line on her blog:

"Don't wish on a star - Reach for one."

Good luck Gil,

 if you catch a star, hold on tight.

No Reason

Craig brought me flowers today.

Why?

No reason.

Leg Cramp Follow Up

I'm writing this because so many of you commented that you or your spouse also suffered from leg cramps. I hope this information helps someone.

I have been taking a prescription potassium supplement and using the magnesium oil I bought at Whole Foods for two weeks now. Although I have tried to drink more water during the day, I am not pushing it to extremes like I did in the first few days. I do drink Pellegrino with dinner, and most nights consume most of a liter. I only stretch lightly when I think of it, and that is not often.

I've had new blood tests that are showing good levels of potassium and magnesium. They were low before. Apparently all the avocados and other high in potassium things I have been eating, and the magnesium in my Cal-Mag were not enough. (Avocados have more potassium than bananas.)

It is difficult to describe how different I feel. Until I relaxed, I didn't know I was tense. I do know I was afraid to turn or change my leg positions in bed because if I did I was likely to set off a cramp. I often had what I can only describe as a "jangly feeling" in my entire body: a slightly nervous feeling. 

I have been fighting sleeplessness for a long time, and would often have to get up to walk out cramps in my feet or legs several times a night. I would also visit the bathroom, but that was just because I was up already.

I have not had a cramp for ten days. I have been falling asleep much quicker than before, and only waking once to go potty, and then falling back asleep easily.

My whole body feels calm, no more jangly feeling.

My mood is better because I am more rested.

I can turn over in bed without worry about setting off a cramp and my feet and legs are relaxed. There has also been an improvement in my Restless Legs Syndrome, but that comes and goes so I don't know if it is related.

One negative: I have gained three pounds in one week. This may be because I am now "hydrated" as opposed to being "dehydrated."
I can live with a gain of three pounds if it means no more cramps, but have to be careful not to gain any more. Weight gain is not supposed to be a side effect of taking either of these minerals.

Only one more point. For me, this is the first time a doctor has taken this problem seriously. I guess it took a trip to the ER. If you get leg cramps, insist you get a blood test for potassium and magnesium. It sure has made a difference in the quality of my life. 

oops!

I went to delete a draft of a post and deleted the one I wrote yesterday instead.  Oops.