Wind, wind and more wind

Tony and I had hoped to make a push into Phoenix today, but the winds had other ideas. From the time we left Santa Rosa New Mexico, until we stopped in Holbrook Arizona the wind blew. We had to stop several times or risk getting blown clean off the road. At one stop sand was blowing against our legs so that it actually hurt, and I could not close the door! So we didn't make it very far, maybe 5 hours, even though it took all day, and our muscles ache. At one point, I jokingly said I wanted to go home, and Tony said we don't have one, and I was like that's so sad! But tomorrow we get to Phoenix, and start looking for a home, so all will be well.

Moving

We're on our way moving across the country. Right now we're wherever Carrie Underwood is from in Oklahoma. Earlier today we drove across most of Tennessee and all of Arkansas. I learned something very sad today. Tennessee and Arkansas have the suckiest radio stations that ever sucked. The truck I'm driving doesn't have a CD player so I have limited options. Seriously, how many country and Christian rock stations does one state really need? The radio play is so awful it wouldn't satisfy the intellectual stimulation needs of an audience comprised entirely of banana slugs. Finally, I pulled off the freeway in Butt Crack, Arkansas, and bought a portable CD player.

tp

Moving

Although many of you knew this might be coming, we're moving to Phoenix. We were looking around at various places and with the housing bust the cost of living there is unbeatable. Stacey will be able to work three jobs and cover all our expenses while Tony golfs or sits by the pool. Not bad!

Mount Vernon

Last weekend Tony and I did not go anywhere in particular but to the mall. We had to get him shoes to match the new suit for his job interviews.

Anyway, this morning Tony got up and said we should do something since the weather was beautiful. Tony had wanted to go to George Washington's home for a while so we headed out there. (Us and the rest of the world. Just kidding, though it was pretty crowded. I think it took a half hour or so to find parking.)

To view the home, you wind in and out through the house in this line rivaling a Disneyland length, and see what we are told is meticulously restored rooms modeled to look like the house at the time of George Washington's death. They even have some original furniture and paintings, etc. You can't take pictures in the house, so I can't show you the vibrant green walls in two of the rooms that were considered a sign of wealth in those days, but which would doom a house on today's market. I actually kind of liked the large dining room that had the tamer green paint, but it's unlikely I would use it in my future home.

After the tour Tony and I wandered on the back lawn overlooking the river for a while, and then I took pictures in the garden. The flowers were out and as excited about the sun as we were. (Tony took the picture of the sea of red tulips. They are out in front of the house or rather where they have put the ticket booth and entrance.)
I wore sunscreen today, and talked Tony into it too, as this month many magazines are reminding/warning/frightening me of the dangers of skin cancer, and I seem to be susceptible to the power of suggestion in this instance. It eneded up probably being a good thing since most of the line we stood in was in the sun. Who knows how long I will remember to keep up with the daily sunscreen, but I can at least say for now that I am trying.

We also went in the Grist Mill and the Distillery, though we were getting tired of being in the sun by that point and did not take any pictures. (the latter of which smelled like cedar and nothing like the stinky breweries we'd pass in Ireland.)

So that was our weekend thus far. Hopefully next weekend we will be packing for a move. A move to where you say? Hmm... I'd like to know that too.

Public Service Announcement

Annelisa's comment about Mason made me think about being careful with children.

Tony

Sun and snickers!

The sun has decided to come out today! I know I can't really complain about the weather here since it's nothing like the long and dreary winters our New Hampshire and Utah friends have had, but still it has been at least a week since I've seen the sun, and I was beginning to wonder if it had gone to Cancun for spring break and decided not to come back.

Looking for some excuse to get out and actually into the sun, I went for a walk down the street. Ok, I admit I walked down to the 7-eleven and got a slurpee ((smallish one)) and the counter lady talked me into a new flavor of snickers.(this new snickers has coconut in it, not thick shredded pieces like in Mounds, but a smoother kind that just gives the flavor. I thought it was pretty good, and has like 30 less calories than a regular snickers, so that's an added bonus) Kind of counter acts the gym workout from this morning, but since I've lost weight in the last few months, I'll count it as a reward. Besides I did walk to the store, right?

Williamsburg Weekend

Although Virginia is a nice state and we've even kind of liked it here, chances are not very likely that Tony and I will ever live in this part of the country again, so we are trying to hit some of the historical places before we move. This weekend we went down to the Williamsburg Virginia area, including Jamestown and Yorktown.

Saturday we went to Colonial Williamsburg, which is this living museum type of place with people dressed in period costumes and acting out characters. I hear that it gets really busy there, and believe it or not that trio of locations is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. (I know, surprising.) A lot of events happened in that area that led to what our country is today.
Anyway maybe because we got there early, or because the weather threatened to rain, (although it rarely did) but we were able to feel a sort of peace about the place. They don't allow cars in most areas, so it's mainly people walking and a few horse drawn rides. Very few people were even talking on their cell phones, so it was quiet and surprisingly relaxing. It did get busier as the day went on but by that time we were done walking.

I have to say if you go to the Williamsburg area I would just go to Colonial Williamsburg. I wasn't as impressed with the Jamestown and the Yorktown museums. Maybe because in Williamsburg, I think it was 88 of the buildings are original, and many are detailed replicas standing in the same place they would have been. It felt more historical, like important things could have happened there. With Jamestown, everything is a replica and it's not even on the same site. You can go to the original site, as it is an archaeological dig, but we were kind of getting tired by that point. I did like seeing the ship replicas in Jamestown, and the tour guides by the ships were dressed in sailor garb, which I thought looked... funny/cool.

Any way that's just my opinion on the area. Next weekend maybe we will go to the Amish area or somewhere else. Depends on those job interviews. They take precedence over tourism right now.

(P.S. So Tony was the photographer on this trip again. I did take my camera but alas it is film and archaic in that I can't instantly download the images. My whole point in this little post script is that Tony isn't in any of the shots because he took the pictures, and I guess we never switched so I could get one of him.)