For most of the trip, hubby Bill was at the wheel and rarely offered the reins for another driver. I offered to drive a few times but was told, "I got this." Bill "claims" he gets car sick in other seats in a vehicle, so drive he must. I sigh and let him go with gusto and hope he keeps pace with the traffic (he tends to "grandpa drive").
What all his driving meant to me was that it allowed me to catch up on all my periodical reading, namely, AARP and Prevention Magazines. Please don't laugh; they have excellent writers and informative articles. Oh, I've learned a lot. In the last few days, I learned: what I should or shouldn't eat, what to do with my money/401K/retirement, where to vacation, how to fix the weeds in my yard or flowers to plant, plus how to cook a good burger, how to cope with chronic illness, a cancer dx, or mental health illnesses and long term care policies, voting strategies, what to watch on Netflix/Amazon Prime, how to get organized, how to clean my home, car, ears, and lastly, how to make iced tea brimming with "medicinal" benefits. It is a lot to live up to with all that learning. I think I can do it (okay, some of it?)
When I looked up from the magazines now and again and gazed out the window, you know what I thought? Despite what's happening in the world today, I'm proud to be an American in this vast land. It's really the hard-working and good people that make this country great. Maybe we can't see it through the lens of the daily news (so much angst), but when one is passing over, and through the highways and byways of mountain passes, national parks, abundant farms, and city centers, it amplifies that we are all in this life together.
We all work and play hard in raising our families while still trying to bring the best value to our lives and those we hold dear daily.
And after all the bourbon, baseball, and BBQ in Kansas, a side trip to The Quilt Cottage in Hays, KS, was a check in my box of "what we love to do." I was thrilled when we saw the advertisement sign on I-70 and wondered if my guys would go for this type of rest stop, and they were! We went! I bought a pattern ("Quilts Feed the Soul"), and Bill and I met the owner and a lovely employee, Jan, who said quilting is alive and thriving in the Great State of Kansas.
After several more hours, we made it safely to Berthoud, Colorado, and the home of the Linda & Mark Misencik.
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