To top off my year of adventures I decided in October to do 17 random acts of kindness in gratitude for being able to celebrate my retirement in such a fun, spoiled, all-about-me fashion. There were two rules: I had to complete them by the end of the year and the opportunities to help/be kind had to present themselves to me randomly.

The random act the longest in the making (four years) was donating my hair. I chose The Wig Fund because it has a special fund exclusively for gray hair. I was an outrageous tipper for three months tipping more than the value of my meal as often as possible. Sometimes I gave the tip face to face and sometimes I left it as a surprise. What turned out to be a funny random act was my decision to drop $20 into each Salvation Army bell ringer’s bucket that I passed. Those suckers are everywhere in December I tell ya. I had the chance to be a Secret Santa to a friend of Mother’s and also to a friend of Cyd’s. I bought wreathes for Arlington Cemetery, paid a stranger’s electric bill, bought a pair of shoes for a nine year old girl, donated jewelry I no longer enjoyed to a cancer charity, bought a couple Thanksgiving dinners for families in need, did a few unexpected favors for friends, and so on and so forth to equal 17.

This was a perfect way to end this special year!

 

 

 

 

Exactly one year ago my celebratory adventures began. How fitting that they would end ringing in the new year just like they began. This time in San Diego with Matt and Emily as hosts. Our nonstop flight was uneventful and took under six hours. M&Em met us at the airport and whisked us away for a quick alfresco lunch before we headed to their place to prepare our entries for the evening’s Top Chef competition. Required ingredient: lemon.

Leni and George, Emily’s parents, hosted and ended up being formidable competitors both in deliciousness as well as presentation. The other competitors were the five Filkeys, Emily’s sister’s family: Erynn, Gabe, Issac, Kaidin, and Layla. Dan and I provided chef hats and aprons for everyone in the hopes our generosity (think paper hats) would glean more votes. Spoiler alert: they did not fall for it. Emily and Matt provided New Years lays; English crackers, the kind that pop and have paper hats, toys, and jokes inside; and made a Happy New Year banner. Spoiler alert: no blue ribbons for them either.

The evening was a blast! George and Leni had two tables set up with lemon themed table decorations. Think lemons artfully displayed in bowls with huge lemon drops scattered around. So festive! When one of Gabe and Erynn’s sons saw the dining room all set up he said, “Get in here, there’s candy all over the table.” So cute!

Each family could submit as many entries as they wanted in two categories: h’ordeuvres and dessert. We took turns presenting our entries with inflated descriptions of their flavor profiles and preparation intricacies. First place in the h’ordeuvre category went to Leni for her chicken meatballs. First place in the dessert category went to 9 year old Issac for his trifle parfait. Please do not let it leak out that we lost to a 9 year old. A charming 9 year old with his finger, obviously, on the culinary pulse of this diverse group, but never the less. Between categories we played Pictionary. Girls against boys.

We watched the ball drop in Time Square at 9:00 (midnight on the East Coast) and gradually said our good byes and headed back to M&Em’s after a fun, funny, great New Years Eve!

The rest of the long weekend passed in a blur of well paced, get-your-fun-on activities: walks on the beach, fire pit and barbecue at home, and a Mayan exhibition. No surprise is that my belated birthday celebration was a highlight. From party hats to breakfast on the beach at a train station turned restaurant to a gift bag full of goodies to an amazing dinner out to brunch at the rooftop restaurant Mr. A’s that has a view of the city that would make a grown (wo)man cry. It was a wonderful getaway and a terrific finale to my 17 retirement adventures in celebration of 17 years at ASIS!

 

Record breaking, unseasonably warm weather and sunshine at home and in Tennessee made for an uneventful, quick flight to Memphis. Deb picked us up at the airport and whisked us away to a Japanese restaurant for lunch. We enjoyed bentos which were a fun reminder of the years we all spent living in Japan. It’s where, in fact, I got to know Deb and where we became fast friends. She was in high school and I was a bride with three years of marriage under my belt. Japan was Dan’s first Army assignment after the Officers Basic Course; he was a second lieutenant. I digress.

With bellies full of tempura shrimp and giosas, we headed home to find  Deb had decorated the house from top to bottom with lights inside and out. Candy and goodies were within arm’s reach no matter where you sat, even in the bathroom. My idea of heaven.

Our stay was relaxing and fun from start to finish. Deb and Tom taught us a new game: Sequence. Girls against guys. Girls skunked guys 10 games to three. Boom. We also played one of the Mongeon standards, Hand and Foot. The in-laws (Tom/I) against the siblings (Deb/Dan). The in-laws ruled. Bam! Overconfident with two wins, I was not prepared to land at the bottom of the leader board when we all played Things with our friend Karen.

Food, something that always plays a prominent role in Mongeon get togethers, was a major player this weekends as well. Deb surprised us with breakfast in bed the first morning, made individual beef Wellingtons for Christmas dinner and salmon in foil pouches for our farewell dinner. Our choice of apple strudel, lemon cookies, and devil dogs topped off each meal.

A highlight was an amazing afternoon tea at Chez Philippe in the luxury downtown Peabody Hotel, an institution in Memphis since 1925. We arrived early enough to enjoy the gingerbread neighborhood, gigantic tree, beautiful lobby, and famous ducks that spend their days luxuriating in the lobby fountain.

As if treating us to afternoon tea was not enough, Deb and Tom surprised us with stockings and loads of Christmas gifts. An extra special gift was the watch Deb and Tom gave Dan. It was George’s last watch and had been cleaned and fitted with a new band.

Who could forget my birthday’s coming up? Not Deb and Tom, that’s for sure. After a made to order breakfast our last morning I was treated to a gift bag full of goodies. So thoughtful but not at all out of character.

With full bellies and birthday gifts in hand, we left for the airport. Seems the beautifully warm  weather we’d enjoyed was causing major weather disruptions in various places across the country which meant all sorts of travel delays. We were very lucky that our delay was only three and a half hours. A delicious barbecue lunch and a flat screen TV [think bowl games] made the time pass quickly.

Stick a fork in Christmas 2015!

We road warriors were up and out by 8:00 after coffee, the last of the pumpkin cake, and a farewell look at the beautiful view from the patio. We left the gas can as a small thank-you for the wonderful accommodations. Seriously? Seriously.

We started the day asking one another how we had slept. Mother bowled us over when she said she was bothered by a lot of gas during the night. Her zinger, “I couldn’t sleep but I sure could fart.”

Our route back to Arkansas was primarily on I-40. The question was how, when, and where to join 40. Jerry has driven it many times and laid out a very picturesque route for us from Saddle Brook up. It was on great 2-lane, no shoulder roads that took us through scenery that seemed to change every few minutes. We went from s-curves and switchbacks to vast open spaces that made us think of bison herds to stark rock formations. Cactuses dotted the landscape in Arizona, but that changed to everything from pine trees to shrubs to almost nothing as we drove along. No time to get bored with our surroundings, that’s for sure. The biggest shock scenery wise were the lava fields just short of I-40. The trip from Saddle Brook to I-40 took about five hours. Cyd did all the driving; I navigated with my phone; and Mother shared fun stories.

I-40 took us out of Arizona into New Mexico which is Mother’s home state. Mother left before she was two but she knows a lot about her family’s history which she shared with us along the way. We passed the turnoff for Las Vegas where her Aunt Fay lived to be 102. As we drove through Albuquerque she told us her maternal grandfather is buried there. A couple of her brothers ranched in New Mexico and five cousins still live here. We called it quits for the night in Santa Rosa, 525 miles into the trip back to Arkansas. We averaged 28.3 mpg.

We went to bed Friday night talking about making a run for home Saturday in spite of how tired we all were … especially Mother. As if we had no plan at all, we slept until after 8:00 the next morning, got to breakfast after 9:00, and were on the road at 10:00 which obviously poked a major hole in our tentative plan.

We (read: the Royal We = Cyd) drove 400 easy miles which took us through the panhandle of Texas and as far as Oklahoma City. Because we were on the interstate the whole time the scenery was basically uninteresting. One thing worthy of note is that I-40 boarders and in some cases overlaps part of Route 66, the iconic 2,400 mile Mother Road, which dates back to 1926 and runs from Chicago to LA.

Early on Mother’s parents left Texas for New Mexico, so there’s a lot of interesting Irby history there also which Mother regaled us with. Her parents (our Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Cookie) were born there for one thing. We passed the exit for Claude, Texas, where mother’s grandparents had ranched. Texas offered the cheapest gas of the whole trip at $1.85/gal. Made us question our judgment at so frivolously giving the gas can to Sue and Jerry.

It was obvious early on that we’d run out of daylight before we got home, so we called it a day in Oklahoma City. We ended our nice day by having pizza delivered to the room. We decided before turning off the laughs and the lights for the night that we’d sleep as late as possible the next morning and not even kid ourselves about popping up with the sun.

That takes us to this morning, our 18th day on the road. We rolled out of bed at 8:30 and finally got on the road at 10:30. No problem, really, since we only had a three hour drive to Rogers where we started 9 states and 3,825 miles ago. We all consider the trip a highlight of our year ! and are so grateful we could do it together. In all ways, the trip was wonderful.

I’ll get in the way here for a day and a half and then head home.

Murphy has nominated the Alabama song The Ladies Roll On as our theme song for this trip which we have unanimously decided is perfect. Thank you Murf; we accept your nomination.

We spent Wednesday, the 21st, on the road and saw every kind of scenery known to man. There was breathtaking beauty; sandstone (I’m guessing) cliffs that looked like cream-cycles; huge barren mounds of black dirt and rock that bordered on sci-fi ugly; horses, cows, antelope, sheep, and a small herd of mules. The scenery changed every few minutes. Cyd did a great job keeping us on the road through sheets of intermittent rain. We set our watches back an hour since Arizona, our destination, does not observe daylight savings time.

As we got closer to Tucson the iconic saguaro cactus started making their appearance along with other desert vegetation. Just shy of arriving in Saddle Brook, a lovely retirement community north and east of town, Cyd ran smack dab over a plastic gas can that got wedged between the car and the road. It was dark so we could not see under the car, had no flashlight, and desperately wanted to be resourceful but sadly lack all skill in that department. After driving a short distance it became clear it was not going to budge by itself. Cyd suggested calmly that I crawl under the front of the car and grab it while she slipped the van into reverse. Was she kidding? I wondered. NO. Feeling like I had no choice, I crouched down on all fours and managed to get hold of the handle before she backed up. Bam! It was dislodged. All the while Mother, legally blind and unable to assess the situation for herself, was asking how it was going.

Our cousin/Mother’s niece, Sue, and her husband, Jerry, were our hosts. They met us at a beautiful furnished home that they are in the process of selling and had offered us for our stay. In the world of compare and contrast, there was zero comparison between this stunning three bedroom home and our $55 room the night before. We had the place to ourselves. Sue and Jerry had a chili and pumpkin cake dinner ready for us when we walked in the door. Talk about service. We enjoyed the meal and their company and all headed to bed early.

We had a slow, relaxing morning that started with coffee on the back patio that overlooks a golf course and the mountains! We all decided we could wake up to this every morning. After breakfast Mother took a power nap before Sue and Jerry picked us up for lunch in one of the club houses and a tour of the impeccably landscaped, ideally situated, well planned community. We enjoyed catching up with Sue and getting to know Jerry. Mother managed an afternoon snooze before we met for cocktails at their new home and dinner at one of the community restaurants. We sat by a huge picture window overlooking a wall of mountains. Wow.

We ate donuts to our heart’s content at Si’s before Chad and his sweet family joined us for pictures and last minute chit chat. Ready or not we said our goodbyes, piled into the van, and headed to Hill Air Force Base, just north of Salt Lake City, where Jen, Cyd’s daughter, and her family were expecting us for dinner. It’s a beautiful six-hour drive. We drove past pastures with sheep, cattle, and horses and got a chuckle out of turnoffs for places like Whiskey Springs, Starvation State Park, and Mayflower not to mention the gigantic pink dinosaur welcoming us to the town of, you guessed it, Dinosaur. We even passed a drive-in movie closed for the season.

We got to Hill in the early evening just in time to enjoy a delicious crock-pot roast with Jen, 1st Lt. Rhett, five year old Jolie, three year old Rafe, and six month old Maverick before settling into a small suite at the Guest House on base. We enjoyed hanging out all the next day basically getting in the way. ;~} I went along to drop Jolie off at kindergarten, played with Rafe while Jolie was at school, and cuddled Maverick as much as he would tolerate. That night we enjoyed a pizza and ice cream cake birthday dinner for Jennifer’s 28th. The big news was their winter transfer to Wright Patterson AFB, a stone’s throw from Murphy and Josie in Cincinnati.

The next morning we reluctantly left the happy family with promises to visit in Ohio next year. We drove south a couple hours for a short, fun stop in Wales at the home of Josie’s brother David, who is teaching at the local college, and his wife Kelsey. We had met Eli, their two and a half year old, but until yesterday had not met three week old Lincoln, who is one beautiful little guy.

We stopped for the night in Panquitch, a retro, couple of intersections, two story jumping off point for Bryce and Zion National Parks. Our large, admittedly basic, motel room with two queens and a double was a steal for $55 including tax…and breakfast! We either got used to the musty small or the heater and bargain of it all overrode it.

We had another lovely day, believe it or not. Mother commented that the trip has so far exceeded her wildest expectations and Cyd and I feel the same. The weather has been ideal, the car has purred like a kitten, and everyone has spoiled us with their enthusiasm for seeing Mother and putting up with her two sidekicks.

Totally by chance we were needed at the attorney’s office who is handing Jim’s estate, so we started our day signing a couple documents. Then Susan laid out lunch for us before we divided up for the afternoon. Si spent the afternoon with Mother visiting her old pals here in town and Cyd, Susan, and I drove the countryside and looked at the new ranches and beautiful new homes being built along the river. One of the homes in the final phases of construction belongs to a member of the Walton, as in Walmart, family. Seven deer met us on the bluff where Chad and Heather plan to build their dream house, but otherwise we saw very little wildlife, no doubt because word has spread in the wild kingdom that it’s hunting season.

Dinner centered on a delicious meatloaf that Si tried to pass off as elk but Susan fessed up was beef. ;~} Chad, Heather, Tanner, and Emilee joined us which was so fun. The kids are precious, loving, and beautiful.

Our day was fabulous! It started out in the low 40s and ended in the high 70s with not a cloud in sight. After breakfast in the hotel, we met at Si and Susan’s house and headed out to visit the cabin they are in the process of building on a 40 acre parcel away from everything. That would be everything with a capital E. They have had a few big jobs contracted out, but by ‘they are building’ I mean Si and Susan are doing essentially All the work. They are currently installing a beautiful pine ceiling in the great-room.

The drive to the cabin took about an hour and a half, with half that time on unpaved county and Bureau of Land Management roads. It took us through dry rolling hills smothered in low, mossy green sage and stubby cedar trees. There’s no chance of making it without a four wheel drive vehicle with a high wheelbase or a four-wheeler. Even in ranch country it is remote with not a single power line or building in sight. We saw six large coyotes, prairie dogs, rabbits, red tail hawks, countless chipmunks, a few hunters, and one determined weasel. At one turn on the dirt road we saw the log remains of a stagecoach stop.

We toured the cabin (read: looks more like an awesome house!) which is situated at the very top of a bluff with a 360 degree view of the countryside. After enjoying a picnic lunch on the wraparound porch, Susan took Cyd and me on a short drive to see three dugout dwellings. Oh my, was it hard to imagine living in these humble structures with sod roofs and three sides dug out of the side of a small hill. Can you spell rattle snake, bear, and mountain lion?!? Seems there used to be enough brave souls living out there to merit a post office and a school.

We drove back to town in the late afternoon. Susan had prepared a delicious casserole ahead of time, so she popped it in the oven the minute we walked in the door. That and a favorite desert of mine ended the wonderful day on a high note.

Murphy was up with the chickens again this morning. Sadly he had to leave the party before sunrise to make his 11:30 flight out of Denver, a three hour drive. He was headed home to celebrate his fourth anniversary. Admittedly a worthy reason.

Cyd, Mother, and I had breakfast at the B&B and then spent a wonderful morning at Kimberly’s. I got to play kitchen with Kamryn outside and visit her chickens and then went inside to a drowsy Brennan who let me cuddle him to sleep. I couldn’t lay him down, for Pete’s sake, so I held him for the whole nap. I’m every parent’s nightmare.

It’s a four hour drive north and west to Meeker, so we thought we’d better shove off at noon. We drove through Leadville where one of Mother’s half-brothers fell down a mine shaft and was hurt so badly he had to have a leg amputated. Yikes. We were surprised going around one turn to find four mountain sheep standing right by the road. Otherwise the drive was beautiful but uneventful unless you count a little road construction and licorice whips.

We are in Meeker to spend a couple days with our brother, Si, and his wife, Susan; to connect with a few old friends of Mother’s from her days of living here; and above all to meet great grand #9, Emilee Mae, 18 months, the second child of grandchild #6, Chad, Kimberly’s younger brother.

Murf got up with the chickens to ride along with Kimberly, a game warden, who needed to check on a few hunters in her area. Murf loved watching and learning about a job that is so alien to his industrial designer gig with Proctor and Gamble. Around noon Murf’s tutorial switched from law enforcement to ranching. He (read: Brady) saddled up his ride, Rosie, and played rancher for the afternoon. He attempted to separate the steers from the heifers and then the little/young ones from the old. All with the help of two dogs and two others riders. He was one tired buckaroo by bedtime I tell ya but had a wonderful day! He loved the amazing scenery, in particular, as well as watching how effective the cow dogs were. The daunting amount of work necessary to run a ranch well was the big takeaway.

Cyd and I got up just in time to participate in goat milking. Three friendly goats are milked twice a day and know exactly what to do. Anticipating a cup of grain, they cheerfully trot out of their pen, walk over to the milking stand, hop up, and put their head in the appropriate place. Once the milking was done they were all free to roam for the rest of the day. Besides the three milkers, there are two rams, quite a few neutered goats, and a llama who, we are told, takes his mission of guarding the goats from predators quite seriously. Besides the llama and goats, there are lots of chickens running around pecking away at the ground looking for delectable bits.

Breakfast was fabulous: homemade yogurt on freezer jam followed by eggs Benedict. Once our bellies were full to capacity, Mother took a quick nap and then Cyd, Mother, and I headed to Sargents, 40 miles down the road, for a visit and lunch with her nephew, wife, and son. When we were in the car headed back she commented that she had a blast of an afternoon. Her nephew, Bob, in the low 80s, is in the early stages of dementia, so there was a sad side to the afternoon, but it was far outweighed by all the laughter and fun stories about ranching, hunting, years of family get-togethers, and how much gold it takes to maintain the golden years.

Mother napped before we went to Kimberly’s and Brady’s for the evening. They grilled their delectable grass fed beef and we chatted away the evening on full …as is our habit… tummies. Stick a fork in our seventh day as roadies.