September 9, 2012

Already missing the outdoor space in Santa Fe.

I missed writing my blog two days in a row. That has never happened before, but I had a good excuse: I was driving from Santa Fe to Houston. On Friday, the girls and I left Santa Fe about 2 p.m. (Mountain Time). We stopped in Amarillo around 6 p.m. (Central Time) for gas and potty breaks. It was so cold and windy that I got a shawl out of my suitcase. It was only in the mid-60s, but for some reason it is always windy in Amarillo, which makes it feel colder. Back in the car and on the road, it rained on and off for three hours. Around 10 p.m. we got to Vernon, Tx, where we spent the night in a Holiday Inn Express suite (it was the only room available). The girls and I got cozy in the king-size bed – with the thermostat turned down and lots of pillows – for some late night television. I had put a bottle of white wine in the cooler before I left Santa Fe, and it was a really good night cap.

We left the hotel around 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. I was so pleased with myself that I made the interchanges around Ft. Worth. There are many freeway changes and I don't find them well marked. I've missed the signs several times and headed to Dallas, Shreveport and Abilene, but this time I made it. We stopped in Decatur for gas, potty breaks and lunch. The super large Diet Coke got to me and I had to stop outside of Huntsville for another potty break. While I was out of the car, Rose got into my lunch bag and eat the pickles I discarded. There's nothing smellier than a dog with pickle breath. Continuing on our adventure home, we pulled into the Houston driveway around 4:30 p.m. My two-day drive was rewarded with Mexican food and margaritas with Mr. B and friends!

Today I'm creating catch-up time. I slept late this morning before getting on my computer and finding 196 emails. I've answered the important emails, set meetings for the coming week, read the Sunday newspaper, watched part of the Houston Texans' game, and written my blog. Now, it's time for the women's championship of the U.S. Open and a nap.