Jonah Lisa Land

Dispatches :: Monahans Sandhills, TX

Today's big stop was at a childhood favorite of mine.  Out in the middle of nowhere in west Texas are about 4000 acres of sand dunes. 

There's not a ton to do--you run up the dunes, you run down the dunes, you sled the dunes, you dig in the dunes.  But it's heaven for a kid. 

I remember being fascinated by them when I was young.  It felt like a place where the environment matched my energy.  I feel like we spent hours out there but, having been there as an adult now, I don't think it could have ever been more than an hour or two at the most.  It's hot.  Africa hot.  And it's exhausting running up and down those dunes.  Even the small ones.  I think I have a little insight into what my mom was feeling on those family trips back in the 70s.

 

As we were loading up Huck said, "Thanks for taking me to the beach!"  Poor kid.  There's no water within hundreds of miles of this place. 

He literally had sand in his ears and butt crack. 

FANTASTIC TIP:  Sand is nearly impossible to brush off and it's very scratchy trying to.  But if you rub BABY POWDER anywhere that sand is sticking to you the sand will rub right off like magic.  Even from sticky, sweaty, sunscreened legs and necks. 

We thought we cleaned it all off at the park but tonight at the hotel about a cup of sand poured out of hiss pockets when he was getting ready for bed.

A fun and tiring day.

Dispatches :: Pecos, TX

We just passed through the home of the world's first rodeo. And I just uttered the words, "Hey, you're bogartin' the Fritos."

This is the town where organic moms go bad and don't look back. We loaded up with Chili Cheese Fritos, Donettes & Gatorade and then we headed into the desert.

That just about tells you everything you need to know about where we are emotionally on this trip. I wish I could have gotten one of these too but Ma's looks like it's been shuttered since the interstate came through.

Dispatches :: Roughneck Shithole, TX

Apologies in advance to any Fort Stockton readers. The town we stayed in last night was just a patch of dirt full of redneck peckerwoods. I can say that because I come from a long line if redneck peckerwoods.

I'm pretty sure the guy we sat next to at the IHOP had swine flu. It's the first time we've broken out the Purell the whole trip.

Onward, to another redneck shithole...

Dispatches :: Austin, TX

I have some advice for parents of preschoolers...steer clear of fondue restaurants. 

We went to one with my in-laws.  I was thinking, as they were, that what with all the dipping and cheese and chocolate it would be a match made in heaven.  WRONG!  What none of us considered was the long sharp forks and pots of hot liquid at the table.  There weren't any accidents but trying to eat fondue while nursing a baby and keeping Huck from skewering or scalding someone was no fun.  But mmmm, warm cheese.

Austin is such a great funky town.  We also ate at the South Congress Trailer Park Eatery.  It's a weird little collection of trailers that sell food.  Tacos, burgers, desserts.  There's a swing under a big oak tree, lots of picnic tables with colorful umbrellas, a pavillion for live music at night and a whole flock of plastic pink flamingos.

Though we didn't go swimming in Barton SPrings, we did spend an afternoon at Zilker Park, rode the Zilker Zephyr train and visited Zippy the balloon man. 

Huck got a scabbard and two swords.  I love that he made 2 swords.  I mean, how sad would a balloon knight without a battle be?

Oddly one of the highlights of the trip was our visit to the State Capitol where my sister works. 

Huck really liked the building and the big wide halls.  We also got to go into a few representatives offices and one had lots of taxidermied things in it.  Now, to borrow a phrase from my niece, taxidermy isn't really my thing, but Huck loved getting to see a real alligator head up close.  And with our amazing insiders tour guide we also got to go into some tunnels that go under the roads and connect the Capitol to outer buildings.  I told Huck they were super secret spy tunnels so he did his sneaky walk down there--it's a sort of fast tip toe thing with his shoulders snugged up to his ears.  Very ridiculous.

The other highlight of the visit for me was seeing my kid do something I've been kind of play teaching him for a while.  We often do a little play introduction.  We shake hands and I say "Hi, I'm Mommy, what's your name?" and he says something like, "I'm Huck. I'm three." And then we do a little pretend greeting conversation.  He thinks this is very funny.  We were in and out of a lot of offices and there was lots of handshaking going on and my adorable little guy jumped right in and introduced himself to each new person we met.  A little shaggy headed politician.  It could not have been any cuter. 

We're out of Austin now and headed west on the last driving leg of the trip.  We'll make our way back to Idaho over the next 4 days.  More dispatches to come...

Sheriff's Log :: 25

Lots of threats and suspicious activity while we've been away but the mini horses and meat salesmen seem to be laying low.

APR 6

8:28 a.m. A dog complaint was called in

10:04 a.m. A funeral escort was requested

10:54 a.m. Subject was reported trespassing

12:30 p.m. Theft of a wallet and Valium was reported

APR 7

3:10 p.m. Debris was reported in the road

APR 9

6:55 p.m. A violent man was reported

APR 10

8:57 a.m. A male husky was reported as a disturbance

9:25 a.m. A car was reported through a fence

6:37 p.m. A dog was called in as a disturbance in a neighborhood

APR 11

6:18 p.m. Suspicious activity was reported

9:01 p.m. A driver reported hitting a moose

APR 12

11:47 a.m. A dog was found running on the road

APR 13

7:34 p.m. Threats were reported

9:16 p.m. A truck was reported in Felt with its hazards flashing

APR 14

2:21 p.m. Threats were reported

APR 15

6:52 p.m. A civil dispute was reported between a mother and her daughter

APR 16

1:10 p.m. Suspicious activity was reported

3:29 p.m. Suspicious activity was reported

3:40 p.m. Disturbance of the peace was reported

5:58 p.m. A victim reported a vicious dog that bit her

8:21 p.m. An accident in the Broulim’s parking lot was reported

APR 17

6:44 a.m. A road hazard was reported

2:47 p.m. A stop arm violation occurred

2:55 p.m. A dog was reported missing

APR 18

10:59 a.m. Suspicious late-night activity was reported at a house

Dispatches :: Denton, TX

We spent a few days out at Stephen's sister's ranch in Denton.  Huck was not in the best of moods but did enjoy feeding the horses and dogs while we were there.

Here he is getting a big smooch from Blue.

Dispatches :: Fort Worth, TX

Well, we're on the move again but in an effort to catch you up a bit on our trip, I'm going to post a few short highlight posts from our 2 weeks in North Texas.

We had big fun.  My parents treated Huck to his first ever trip to Six Flags Over Texas.  I honestly thought it would be a waste of money for a 3 year old--he'd maybe ride 2 things and that would be it. 

Well color me wrong...

That boy rode every ride they'd let him on and wanted to ride a few they wouldn't.  He started out on the kiddie rides on Looney Tunes Land but before we knew it he was begging to get on the Mini Mine Train and the Conquistador.  We rode the log ride and the parachutes, too.

We also visited the Fort Worth Zoo again.  It's the zoo I grew up going to so it holds a special place for me.  Just as you expect from a boy his age, he loved the snake house the most.  Sad to think it was the last time.  They are moving the old Herpetarium that's been there as long as I can remember to a swanky new building. 

We also got our best line from this outing.  At the African Parakeet exhibit we bought popsicle sticks coated in honey and seeds to feed the birds. 

Huck has spent the last 2 weeks telling anyone who will listen that, "A bird landed on my dick." 

No, that's not a typo.  That's just exactly what it sounds like when he tries to say a bird landed on his STICK.  That ST sound is tough to master and until he does, I have to admit I've prompted him to tell a few people about the fun he had at the zoo.  Just to see the looks on their faces.

Routines

The relentless routine is the part of parenthood that really gets to me the most.  It's the part I didn't think about before I had kids.  I thought, Sure the lack of sleep will be hard.  The crying, the whining, the temper tantrums.  There will be financial struggles and it will be harder to find time for myself.  For Stephen.  These are the things I knew about and was ready to accept and struggle through during these hard early years. 

I didn't consider that the thing that would really drive me nuts would be cutting grapes in half for the 825th morning in row.  The meals, the baths, the constant loading and unloading of the dishwasher.  It's like Chinese water torture--the slow drip, drip, drip of one droplet of water on your forehead for years on end.

Vacation is the only thing for it.  You know, besides pills and liquor.  We all need a break from the monotony sometimes.  But the typical 5 to 10 days just doesn't do the trick for me.  Sure, it's a nice break but I'm never quite happy to get back into the soup.  I'm not fully refreshed.

We've been gone for a month now.  We've had tons of wonderful experiences but we've also stayed in 5 different homes, 8 different hotel rooms (so far), driven almost 5000 miles (so far), changed timezones 3 times (1 more to go), had early and late meals and bedtimes and way too much sugar. 

I've passed the point of being refreshed and have crossed over into completely new territory--I am longing for the monotony of our good old daily and weekly routines.  We all are.  The kids, who have been really brilliant travelers, are ready for the structure of home.  That's a coy way of saying our baby is crying more and our preschooler is becoming defiant and cranky.  What's really bad is we still have a whole driving leg left--from Texas back to Idaho. 

The good news is, when we get there, I am totally, 100% ready to dive back into the still waters of routine with a renewed sense of purpose.  So bring on the comfort of my home, my bed, my dog and, yes, even the laundry.

8 Ball

See this?  I'm behind it.


Been having trouble keeping up with the blog the last several days on this trip.  Fortunately, it's because we've been spending a ton of wonderful time hanging out with family.  It's been great and it's where I need and want to be at the moment.  I'll get back on track next week when we get back on the road.  Until then, here are a couple of blogs I'm liking right now...

Urban Organica

The Magnifying Glass

Tiny Happy

Craft Hope Project

I've been waiting patiently for SouleMama to announce her next craftivism project on Mama to Mama.  The infant hats to Haiti were a huge success--over 5500 hats were sent to be included in birth kits!  I really enjoyed participating.  But I also know that Amanda has a book coming out soon and 4 kids--the and the youngest SouleBaby is only a month older than Jemma.  Best intentions aside, that's a handful so I'm cutting her some slack.

In the meantime I've found another wonderful craftivism site...

Craft Hope operates with the same basic idea as Mama to Mama:  You've got mad crafty skills and there are people in the world who have nothing.  Two great tastes that taste great together.   Do what you love doing and make something for people in need.  Send your goods to Craft Hope and Jade will get them where they need to be.  It's very simple.

The current project is to make cloth dolls for the Casa Bernabe Orphanage in Nicaragua.  You can use any doll pattern you like or use the simple tutorial available on the the Craft Hope website.  The dolls will go in the hands of every new child who arrives at the orphanage, usually with nothing but the clothes they're wearing. 

This is a really worthwhile cause and a project that your kids can help out with.  Even teeny tinys can help choose fabric and pack a box.  Older kids might want to make a doll of their own to send.  It's also a project that you can likely do from scraps you have on hand (I mean, if you have stacks of fabric like I do) and the cost of shipping.  You don't really even need a sewing machine.  Get the right pattern and dolls are something that can be sewn completely by hand. 

The deadline is June 13th so I'll be dedicating a little time to this when we get back home.

Stitch up some love.