Six months… that’s the hiatus between Nettie’s spring ranch trip and this one.\u00a0 There has been a tremendous lot going on here at home during that stretch, so I was truly grateful for the lovely break from the summer heat and the chance to go to my happy place last weekend.<\/p>\n
At the same time, it felt odd, leaving mom at home with Laurent in charge of her care and the rest of the household – certainly not due to any lack on the part of Laurent, who is eminently capable. It just felt odd.\u00a0 And having only 3\/4 of my children with me on a “family” vacation prompted much unwelcome reflection on the all-too-imminent exodus from our household of these soon-to-be-adult children.\u00a0 I’m not sure I’m going to be able to adjust…<\/p>\n
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~<\/strong><\/p>\n On Friday we said adios to Laurent and Oma around 1pm and headed over to Tempe to pick up Paul, who left his car for the weekend safely ensconced in his personal parking spot, inside the company’s lovely private parking garage (what a contrast to the open air lots the size of several football fields at GD!\u00a0 Just one of the many perks of losing that job!).<\/p>\n The drive north through Payson was uneventful, until we reached Show Low, where our usual stop at the Circle-K was marred by what I can only describe as the most unconscionable, unwarranted, unauthorized, scandalous, calamitous, opprobrious, unfortunate and downright disquieting development in all the nearly 9 years we have been making stops at that location on our trips to and from the ranch.\u00a0 We bundled out of the van at the gas pump, trundled across to the building, opened the doors and BAM!!\u00a0 Some nincompoop of incomparable ninnyheadedness had decided to CHANGE THE FLOOR PLAN<\/span> – from aisles on the diagonal, to Right<\/span><\/span> Angles.<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I was utterly confounded.\u00a0 I don’t think words are adequate to describe the physical shock to my system!\u00a0 My heart raced, I was dizzy, I couldn’t even look at it let alone venture inside – the most I could manage was to sidle over to the coffee counter immediately to my left, pour myself a cup, and then stand at the door facing out, muttering like Rain Man, “This is wrong… this is wrong… they can’t just change<\/em> <\/strong>it like this!\u00a0 This is… wrong<\/strong><\/em>!” while the rest of the family got their hot dogs and drinks, shaking their heads and smirking at my befuddled state.<\/p>\n I was glad to leave, and just as bemused as everyone else at how affected I had been, since I’ve never experienced anything like that before.<\/p>\n Anyway, after that it was a joy to take my turn behind the wheel and drive last remaining miles over very familiar roads, past very familiar landscape, through the growing dusk, from Show Low to St. John’s, and finally out across the rumbly ranch roads to our little piece of paradise.<\/p>\n Since I had brought along my new tripod, I got it out in the dark after we unloaded and snapped a few pics with my 55-200 lens<\/a> – and then the next morning I tried another shot of the power plant – loved being able to see so much detail from over a mile away!<\/p>\n