Goodbye West Coast

Posted on June 9, 2014 by TheJessicaness
waking up at the USO

waking up at the USO

Caleb sat on one end of the couch and I used him as a pillow and his sweater as a blanket. Sleep came faster than I thought and I slept soundly until the alarm went off at 4am. We grabbed our things, made our way outside, passed a man praying, and used the bathroom. We found PS1 with our official passports at 4:20 – something to show at customs that we’re with the military. We checked our bags and at the entrance to security got to read a health advisory about the Arabian Peninsula. There is a new disease called MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) that obviously involves shortness of breath and possibly death – so wash your hands and avoid people.

At The Gate by Gary Hughes, 1997

At The Gate by Gary Hughes, 1997, San Diego Intl. Airport

We’re on the other side of security at 4:45, we make it to our gate, split a muffin after I read for a while, and then wait to board. At 5:55, Pacific time, we take our seats across the aisle from each other. Our plane is headed to Chicago and the gate next to us to Denver with the same departure time, but as we sit on the plane the pilot tells us that San Diego asks that planes not leave until 6:30. I’m surrounded by sleeping faces, including Caleb’s, so I will take the opportunity to begin reading Humboldt’s Cosmos – a story about a man who explored Latin America.

While we were being seated a guy noticed that there is no seat 33. I’m in row 36, two from the back and there is a lot of turbulence on this ride. I watched Coronado disappear in the distance and then let the guy by the window seat close out the clouds and sunlight so that he could sleep easier. I hope for a chance by the window – especially on my first international flight in over 20 years. For now I will enjoy reading in an attempt to keep my mind off missing my dogs.

setting off on another adventure together

setting off on another adventure together from the Midwest

Sleep comes between pages for part of the flight, and I want to fight it, but this ensures I will be well rested for the next one and get more reading done. We land at 12:20 Central time, and have enough time to walk to the next concourse – from C to B – and glance at the Vosges Haut-Chocolat display. I call our auto insurance company to update them on our situation. We board at 1pm when they call out military, etc. and this plane is tiny – only three seats and an aisle wide. I get a window seat, watch us take off, open the bag of sweet/salty crunch mix from the USO and then read for an hour until we both fall asleep.

waiting on runway in Chicago

waiting on runway in Chicago

I read for a while longer after our 30 minute nap and everyone is jolted awake with the turbulent landing. We land at 4:40pm Eastern time, to the Norfolk Airport, grab our bags from the last carousel, and then sit outside and wait for Kris, Caleb’s brother, to arrive. I call Dan, our neighbor taking care of the car, to see how things are going. He’s at the car place and soon calls me back to get Caleb’s birthday and social. It starts to sprinkle some, Kris is stuck in traffic, and Dan calls back because the guy there needs a printable version of the back of our title – which is blank, to prove that we didn’t sell it to someone else – after we just paid it off and haven’t received the clear title yet with the lien removed.

Kris gets there at 5:40 and takes us to his large two-story house 25 minutes away, including traffic. It feels nostalgic being back here, where Caleb and I began, like walking through the halls of your elementary school – once so daunting, now so constricted and small. Kris shows us the woods with a creek in the backyard that comes with mosquitos, honeybees, and a blackberry tree. Kris drove down from Maryland where he’s spending time with the wife’s family to deliver the truck key – the truck that we will drive up with and then return tomorrow before our flight.

a bustling metropolis under fluffy clouds

a bustling metropolis under fluffy clouds

Kris needs to grab some extra pillows and other comforts from home and shows us around the house before we go. We see Tristan’s room upstairs. In the den is a large book collection – lots of science fiction, legal thrillers, and educational material. On the wall is a world map with different coloured pins to show the 36 places they’ve been – stationed, together, apart, and vacation. Then the boys have a look through the gun cabinet and Caleb holds a rifle that looks fit for a twelve-year-old.

farmland under multiple clouds

farmland under multiple clouds

Kris takes us to Town Center for dinner at Saffron Indian Bistro. We got samosas, plenty of extra-garlic naan, and some spicy veggies, paneer, and beef. I ordered a Yuengling as I remember missing it on the West Coast, but had left my ID in the car. Kris and Caleb were kind enough to talk the waiter into bringing me one. I’m old enough and they will take responsibility for me. I had suggested Mangoes or Guadalajara’s for dinner, but one has a meat-filled menu and it seems the other one closed, but I might’ve remembered it in a different place. It has been five years since I’ve been here.

While we are eating I get a message from Mike, neighbor’s son and ride home, that the car was accepted and would be delivered to Bahrain in 90 days – well that’s a lot longer than I expected, but I’m sure our transportation needs will be taken care of. We get a nearby hotel for 45 days while we house search, then Caleb will either have a duty van pick him up or carpool with a master chief that lives nearby the houses we looked at moving into.

circling over the ocean for landing in Norfolk

circling over the ocean for landing in Norfolk

After dinner at 8pm, Kris takes us back to the house to pick up the truck and then fills it up with gas for us – $70. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge cost $13 and we are doing the speed limit or less with no intention of rushing the alone time in the car away from the in-laws – though they can be most agreeable at times. I offer to drive the truck so Caleb can spend some more time with his brother in the Durango. I texted Kris and we got a vehicular response – parking on the shoulder – a second before his text reply. Caleb had to go around him to stop in the truck with older brakes.

Norfolk coast

Norfolk coast

We enter Maryland at 10:15pm. Fifty minutes later we are in Ocean City and the sidewalks are filled with graduates participating in Senior Week – where kids go to the beach and get drunk. This city has some events catered towards making it a safer time for them and a more enjoyable time for the locals. This is mostly a Northeast coast event. Where I come from they looked out to make sure we didn’t drink and drive on graduation night. We weren’t given permission to get hotel rooms and booze for a week of debauchery.

We arrive to room 503 S at Sea Time at 11:30pm. Vicky opens the door for us and we quickly lay down for sleep. I remember the Indian food is in the car and whisper (we are sharing a room with Kris and Vicky) that to Caleb who replies, “My butt’s going to smell like that.” I cover my mouth to laugh and am sure I woke up Terri and Bubbie (Vicky’s mom and grandma), but not Tristan who was sleeping soundly in his port-o-bed.

waiting at the Norfolk Intl. Airport

waiting at the Norfolk Intl. Airport

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An Early Start

Posted on June 8, 2014 by TheJessicaness
entering California via I-10

entering California via I-10

This morning came sooner than I thought. The alarm went off at 5:15 and we were showered by 5:30. We cleaned out the car and then repacked it, took a group photo, and were pulling away at 6am with the temperature only 74 degrees. We will escape the city before the heat arrives. We got gas for the car and then Caleb took the wheel so I could write notes and then read to him – if Sparky would quit farting so we can roll the windows up while driving on the highway.

We reach the California border at 8:30 – on a route we’ve never been on together, and roll through Chiriaco Summit just long enough to get pictures of a corroded car at a rusted gas pump, the General Patton Memorial Museum, and the military tanks surrounded by other unused vehicles in a barb-wire compound. I would’ve loved to spend more time, but emotions are high and my anxiety level peaked. I wanted the doggy drop off to run smoothly before I enjoyed the rest of my day. We passed a field of wind turbines at 10:24.

Chiriaco Summit

Chiriaco Summit

I read to Caleb until we get near the Los Angeles city limits. I give him directions to the house that will be keeping our dogs until driving them 40 minutes to the airport on Tuesday, two days from now. We arrive at 12:30pm and tell the guy that the dogs need to be separated from all other animals regardless of anything else – playtime, adequate watering. We opened the box that contained their travel crates, assembly required, with bowls included and were told that absorbable material would be provided for comfort and liquid absorption. Sparky finds a ball and Piggy finds the water bowl. I say good-bye.

I felt terrible leaving as I heard Sparky crying at missing me. They may not eat and may go a bit crazy, but as long as they make it in one piece I will be super happy at their arrival in Bahrain. I will miss them terribly while we’re apart. Caleb must’ve seen the tears in my eyes and put on the comedian channel which helped to cheer me up. We drove out-of-the-way from our Highway 5 south route to Dan’s to go to Happy Cow Car Wash – complete with laser light show – at 2:30.

sunset in Imperial Beach

sunset in Imperial Beach

 

Part of me was happy to be doing something new and the other half of me was sad that the dogs weren’t there to bark at the water as it hit the windows. We pulled up, paid, changed the radio station as directed, and pulled forward. We were surrounded by flashy lights, soap suds, and a projected show in front of us. I think it was dancing cows, but it was hard to see while the windshield was covered in multicoloured foamy bubbles. We got to use the rest of the time on a dryer hose, because the guy beside us didn’t need it. I sucked out dog hair, food crumbs, and dried leaves while Caleb moved the seats and mats around.

I called Dan to let him know we were on our way. We stopped by Harper’s in Chula Vista and got my $30 back for an unsatisfied clarinet cleaning/repair job. I’m grateful to Steve for his dedication to customer satisfaction. I will use that money to pay for long-term parking at the airport and gas money for Dan for delivering our car. We pull up in Dan’s driveway at 4pm. He signed the P.O.A. and took our spare change – $2.41 with no quarters. Yoli, his generous wife, offered me some flan and I got Caleb to eat some too since it was so delicious.

saying good-bye to Piggy

saying good-bye to Piggy

Caleb dropped me off at Betty’s with the dried sage we got from his dad. Like other things that we pay a lot for down here – morels and asparagus – they grow wild in Montana and are free if you can find them. We went to Sea 180 Tavern at 5pm for a beer and hummus with pita served on a wooden board. We sat at a table with a fire, in the sun, looking at the ocean through glass – soon to have a broken piece from kids playing on the sand below. We walked back to Betty’s so she could gift me with a flowery headband – something to remember her and our days in southern California together – it’s perfect.

Caleb picked me up at 6:50, and we stopped by Bibi’s to hug goodbye to her and Dan, and then made our way to the airport after stopping at Don Panchos for a California burrito – Caleb’s last for the next two years. We parked in spot 138 with 74,500 miles on the odometer and were standing in the parking lot looking lost when the employee shuttle driver asked where we were going and gave us a ride to Terminal 1. We needed Terminal 2 so we walked there and picked up our tickets, but couldn’t check-in our bags yet – good thing we didn’t bring them with us, but left them in the car.

airport art - The World Through the Tapestry of Our Lenses

airport art – The World Through the Tapestry of Our Lenses

We asked at the USO to make sure they would be open. We went to the car to grab the bags and the driver that delivered us to our car would be the same one to take us back to the airport. We walked to the USO, checked in, and I got offered a couch for the night. They will lock us in at midnight and then we have two exit doors to choose from when we wake at 4am. I went to the lounge for a coffee while Caleb shaved his beard and found Father’s Day cards and filled one out for mine and used some space to write Caroline too – not that she’s a dad, but I appreciate her just the same.

I grabbed some snacks for breakfast – crunchy stuff in a bag and a muffin – when the USO won’t be open and then chatted with the volunteer about our prior service – he worked on helicopters in the army and then was a narcotic officer and worked in a jail for seven years. Caleb got done ridding himself of facial hair and then filled out a card too. Part of me knows I need to sleep, it’s after 11:15pm, but the other part is excited about the adventure I am beginning.

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A Day In the Heard

Posted on June 7, 2014 by TheJessicaness
pottery in the Heard - by Caleb

pottery in the Heard – by Caleb

As told by Caleb.

… Somewhere I had yet to see. We went to breakfast together and I ordered the protein waffle. From there we went our separate ways. Caroline and I got in the car and tried to leave U.S. Egg and head towards the museum when… “Look, they have cronuts!” If they are open we can get some since John has never tried them. Luckily, Candyland Cupcakes are busy cooking them and opened five minutes before we drove past. Four cronuts in a box, two plain and two chocolate, and we are headed to the house to drop them off and go to the museum.

We try to follow Google directions until Caroline recognises the way. We get to an empty parking lot and wonder if they are even open. We get inside and when I’m about to pay Caroline asks about a military discount and we both get in for free. Caroline asks what I want to see first, but I don’t even know what they have. Right then we are asked if we would like to join the guided tour. Caroline has never done it, so why not.

We start at the Beginning of Time in Phoenix and learn about the Native Peoples, talking about the different types of pottery and fabrics they made. We eventually fell behind the tour because of our discussion of fiber arts and ended up finishing sans guide or tour group. Caroline is an endless fountain of information about all things woven, knitted, or crocheted. We make our way out of the Native People’s exhibit and head through the rest of the museum.

We learn about reservation life and that the sensors on the displays are sensitive as I lean in to get a better look at an old newspaper. We saw on the way in that there is a Lego exhibit and have saved that for last. We head up the stairs and are deposited into kid-land… we fit right in. We made race cars that we raced against each other and some of the kids there. We made crowns and glasses, but sadly all fun things must come to an end as I made the Lego outline of Caroline lying on the floor after a horrific accident involving giant falling Legos. Luckily no one was hurt as they were foam rubber.

After all the fun it was time for lunch. We went to the Courtyard Cafe and both ordered the prickly pear lemonade. We got some guacamole and fire-roasted tomato salsa with chips to split and decided on the hummus veggie sandwich to split as well. I wish Jess could’ve been there to help us eat all the food. We ended up not being able to finish the chips and dip. We walked through the gift shop and were blown away by the extravagant prices on our way back to the car.

As we drove back we kept seeing second-hand stores and Caroline brought up making swants. As we are about to get to the house I miss the turn and we end up in front of a Goodwill… so we stopped to peruse the sweater aisles. We found a cashmere sweater, then another, and then four more. We each get three with the intent of unravelling them and knitting them into something else. As we are checking out we both get texts asking where we are so we immediately head home.

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A Day In the Office

Posted on June 7, 2014 by TheJessicaness
fatherly symbolism for, "I will miss you most awesome daughter ever!"

fatherly symbolism for, “I will miss you most awesome daughter ever!”

We were going to wake early to give us more time to our day if we decided to drive to Mt. Lemon in Tucson or to an art event in Flagstaff. Neither happened when Dad almost went into work. Instead we agreed to spend the day together and let Caleb and Caroline go to the Heard Museum – somewhere Caleb has yet to see.

Legos at the Heard Museum - by Caleb

Legos at the Heard Museum – by Caleb

We all went to breakfast together at U.S. Egg at 8am. I ordered the granola yogurt and an English muffin. We drank our coffee and said our goodbyes to Mario and his waitresses. From there Dad and I went to the office where we would stay until 2pm. The other two went to the museum and had fun making shapes with Legos in the temporary exhibit.

playing dead, not just for puppies anymore - by Caleb

playing dead, not just for puppies anymore – by Caleb

They split a sandwich there and brought home fry-bread. We went to North for lunch at 2:30 and split some fries with lemon aioli and a pizza with mushrooms and smoked mozzarella. We met back at the house and waited on the other two to get back from Goodwill where they found a great deal on cashmere sweaters. They want to unravel them and reuse the yarn. I felt like getting out of the house and bringing the dogs along, so dad-less we went to Echo Mountain Off-Leash Arena just south of their house at 5pm.

kachina dolls - by Caleb

kachina dolls – by Caleb

Caleb threw the ball for Sparky a few times and then I noticed Sparky’s left rear foot was bloody and that it was still 103 degrees out. I carried him back to the car, but we weren’t ready to go home yet. We drove down the street, pulled into a neighborhood, and then drove around until we found parking next to a trail sign. The dirt was hot too so I tried to keep the dogs in the shade. They did well. We were looking for the top of Mountains Preserve, but we only found a road to a water tower. We turned around and Caleb carried Piggy back to the car.

view from the hike

view from the hike

Back at the house with plenty of water and air-conditioning I read from The Glass Castle for a bit while the other two went back to their sweaters before Dad decided it was time for a movie – A Hundred Ways to Die in the West – in a theatre near us – playing now! It was a goofy movie choice for him, but we all laughed at the absurdity of the film that is set in 1882. From the theatre we went to dinner at BJ’s. Caroline and I split the kale salad, Caleb had a burger with fries, and Dad had a steak with mashed potatoes. I helped myself to fries with potatoes on top.

the unattainable top (while trying to avoid the hot dirt with dogs)

the unattainable top (while trying to avoid the hot dirt with dogs)

We skipped dessert there and I was anxious for the fry-bread waiting on the counter at home. I had a quarter of one while Caleb walked the dogs. Upon his return Caroline got out the box of cronuts so that Dad could try one for the first time at 10:38pm. There’s a story as to why he hasn’t had this experience sooner involving a man and cash, but that’s for another time. There were two chocolate and two vanilla – still good after being in a box all day. I made it until 11pm before deciding to go to sleep.

a box full of cronuts

a box of cronuts

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Dogs and No Postcards

Posted on June 6, 2014 by TheJessicaness
Piggy and me at the USDA office

Piggy and me at the USDA office

I wake up to the sound of Dad and Caroline moving around but usually lay there waiting until they are done using the bathroom and fall back asleep. This morning I walked the dogs and then lay down again. They left to start their days and I got up to shower. Caleb washed himself and the dogs. I had a piece of rye toast with passion fruit butter and bitter orange jam on it for breakfast.

We left the house at 10:30 for the dogs’ eleven o’clock appointment. What should’ve only taken 20 minutes ended up being six hours of running around between different Banfields and the USDA Wildlife Services office. While waiting on some paperwork, sitting on a bench by the check-in desk I saw a dachshund approach. When the owner neared I asked how many babies were in its belly. She assured me Pee Wee had a wee wee and no pups on the way. Oops.

A larger dog, with bows on, approached the scale and sat on it until she was given a treat. This went on about five times while a lady stood with a cat meowing in her cart and two girls dressed just as skimpily as their mother stood around waiting for their dog to be done at the groomers. Turns out the fat weiner dog wasn’t here to be seen (this time), he was waiting on his brother who made out with the veterinarian assistant in front of me – just another reason I won’t let my dogs lick things.

The same doggy nurse with the menagerie of dog poo on her face is the one that will help get our paperwork in order. At least when she hands it to us I don’t have to worry about her hands being dirty – or do I? The day cost some $200 for two physicals and a piece of paper saying as much. We finally got everything printed out, signed after returning to the office, and paid for in kitten souls, and got to the house at 5pm. I read to Caleb until Caroline got home 30 minutes later.

We began the debate about dinner, met Dad at the office at 7pm, saw Caroline play the keyboard and Rainy get hired at Timefire, then decided on True Food Kitchen. I said any spot in the restaurant would be fine and they almost put us in the lounge area, where the seats are bigger than the tables, which would be fine for drinks and cigarettes. I went to the bathroom as soon as we were seated and the sinks are located outside, trough style.

We split edamame dumplings, a kale crunch salad, a bowl of crudités, spaghetti squash casserole, and a tempeh sandwich with sweet potato bits and lemon kale. Dad ordered tuna and salmon. To drink we shared a medicine man, strawberry soda, kale juice mix, and an acai mojito. Dessert was a bowl of chia pudding, strawberry-rhubarb crumble, and a lemon tart with coconut whipped cream.

I left there three bites too full, but I wasn’t about to leave any sugary bite orphaned on the table waiting to be escorted to the trash by the busboy. I’d rather slather them on my taste buds and feel them slide down my throat where their joyous calories will give me the energy needed to find their family and eat them too.  I enjoyed the walk back to the car among the street lights, knitted poles, and stairs to where we were parked in the garage. Caleb and Caroline secretly decided to walk the dogs together, leaving Dad and I alone, only returning to cuddle with their spouses.

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