Amazed: at the Grand Canyon-what a magnificent sight, even though some of the drive was either with closed eyes or with my head in the floor because I'm afraid of the heights. Once I got my on my feet and felt a little secure I thoroughly enjoyed the view. Awesome! I was also amazed by the hugeness of Hoover Dam, too bad the heat drove us away so we didn't really tour it the way we might have liked.
Dazzled: by the bright lights of Vegas. I truly enjoyed seeing The Blue Man Group but know that this is not the place for me. I guess I'm too cheap to want to take a chance on winning a little while losing a lot. Also dazzled by the sights of Hollywood, even though we didn't see any "stars" as far as we know. Maybe they were the people honking at the "crazies who were driving slow and taking pictures of everything they saw".
Delighted: at the fun we had going to Disneyland again. Even though I cannot do some of the rides of my youth I still loved every minute of it and want to be able to take my girls and their families.
Disconcerted: by the poverty around us, the helplessness of some, and more so by the extravagance of the majority.
Fascinated: by the fields of vegetables and fruits as we drove through the Salinas Valley and also by the vast fields of grapes in the Napa and Sonoma areas.
Intrigued: at the history behind Alcatraz and the San Francisco Bay area. I want to read more about how the town was impacted after the earthquake and fires of 1906.
Overwhelmed: by the miles and miles and miles of desert land but also by the mountains. Curious about all the different shapes and kinds and how were they formed.
Thankful: that we made it home with no incidents (Diane, dare I say no injuries??) or accidents; for my parents who took us on the first trip to California; but most of all thankful that I have two sisters with whom I enjoy spending time and making memories together.
REFLECTIONS BY DIANE
Kathy had a fortune yesterday that read "Family is more valuable than money". No truer words could be spoken for our sister trip this year. Brian knew that when he graciously and lovingly gave me this trip as a Valentine's gift. In his words, "I thought about all the typical 'things' [to give as a gift] but didn't come up with the right thing...Then, I thought, I could give you something that I know you love; I know you love the time you get to spend with your sisters...So, I want to give you your sister trip." I'm deeply grateful to him for that and for the freedom he always gives me to be who I am and the trust and faith he has in me.
We set out to relive a precious memory from our childhood and to create new memories. We took along old photos and memorabilia, hats and a doll and even a used coupon book from Disneyland. We had a letter with Daddy's words written to his friend in California which laid out our plans in 1966. As it turns out, we drove out of Seymour on July 3, 1966. This year, we left Frisco on July 7. We tried to imagine the road conditions back then, the weather, the roadside parks and restaurants, the motels and hotels. Things have changed, yet much has remained the same. The desert was still hot and dusty and a million miles long. The beauty of the mountains and forests was indescribable. The ocean was much more than "just a lot of water", as I was fond of saying when I was 11. I realize with greater clarity how Moma and Daddy sacrificed to give us a trip of this magnitude back then, and I can only imagine how much we must have driven them crazy with our arguments and complaints and "I wants". I doubt we said many "thank yous" and "how beautifuls".
But we know this now. We are who we are today because of the experiences we had together as a family. Some were better than others. Some were downright difficult, such as dealing with Robert's diabetes and Moma's aneurysm. Most, however, were uplifting and educational and absolutely fun!! That's what we remembered and celebrated on this trip.
To Carol and Kathy, I say "Cheers!" and I can't wait till next year's trip! To Brian, Bradley and Kyle: I love you with all my heart and I'm glad to be back with you. (Hopefully Kyle will say the same when he returns from Spain.) To our friends and family who may be reading this: Thanks for following us on this journey and praying for us and encouraging us.
REFLECTIONS BY KATHY
Even though I’d been to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam with James, Blaine and Dillon in ’97 and Los Angeles, Hollywood and Disneyland with Dillon in ’08, it was still so much fun to experience it with Carol and Diane recalling our trip of ’66. We kind of amazed ourselves at things we could remember, but there were also lots of things we couldn’t.
There’s a famous poem, “The Dash”, saying that all of the important things in your life are what happen “in the dash"--the dash between the years a person is born and dies. When I was reflecting on this trip, that poem came to mind. I guess my poem would have to be called “The Comma”. Although we had our specific destinations and things we were going to do--Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Disneyland (specifically It’s A Small World and The Mad Hatter), Los Angeles, Hollywood, Knotts Berry Farm, former McDaniel’s house, San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge, Napa Valley, having picnics and drinking Shasta colas, staying in cheap motels, visiting our cousin Lisa and her husband Jim, losing underwear in the desert, posing for pictures in places we’d posed 46 years ago, taking along memorabilia from ’66--it was not just doing those things and going to those destinations that made this trip so special. It was what happened along the way, between those destinations and things, “in the comma”, that made it truly special. It was the singing together, the talks, the laughs (and occasional eye-rolling), the beautiful and sometimes depressing places we saw along the way, playing TriBond to fill the long hours in the car, dealing with the dirty old man in Hollywood, the low toilets in Motel 6, us getting irritated with Garmin and Garmin getting irritated with us, the spitting guy that sold us our Hollywood tour, dressing alike, Diane telling “our story” to anyone who would listen.
I like “our story”. I feel very blessed that we were raised realizing the importance of family, that Carol, Diane and I have each other and that we can still take a 2 week vacation together! Now, that’s love!
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