Portland, OR

It's been a pretty good week with the boy. This weekend we hit Portland, OR, in a day trip, and the Cascades. We saw the Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah Falls, Powell's, and a couple of museums, and had a lovely late lunch at Tasty & Sons. The guys also got to see a couple of aviation museums in Everett, and went to The Root Beer Store. This weekend we're headed to Vancouver.

Outside of that, there's not much to report. I'm working, hubs is not, and we've stopped getting unemployment payments. Tomorrow my in-laws are renewing their vows on their 49th wedding anniversary; I tried desperately to find cheap flights to surprise them with our presence, but alas. In two weeks I'll be headed home, for a variety of events, and I'm excited about seeing everyone again. But I'm also worried about losing ten days' worth of income while I'm there.

Mt. St. Helens, WA

Another day, another day trip. Yesterday we took the boy to both Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier. Mt. Rainier was clouded over--you couldn't see the summit--and there were far too many people there for my liking (even on a Monday).

Mt. St. Helens, though, was an unexpected treat. I guess because it's not a national park, and because it's relatively remote, there were very few people there. The drive up to the Windy Ridge viewpoint was gorgeous--twisty, overgrown mountain roads, lush vegetation, we even saw a wolf. (Beware, though--because the roads are closed during the winter, they're not as maintained as they should be. There are a lot of potholes and frost heaves.) Nevertheless, the driving was fun, and I'd highly recommend committing a full day and seeing both sides, as there is no one road that goes all the way through.

Snoqualmie Falls, WA

The first of several day trips with the boy over the next couple of weeks. Tomorrow we hope to take him to Mt. Rainier!

We're not moving again (yet, anyway)

DH's phone interview with the company in southern California didn't pan out--so at least I don't have to worry about moving again. He also had an interview with a local company, so fingers crossed. We're having issues collecting unemployment, so I suspect that his days of joblessness may be forced to come to an end soon.

I've been getting some extra hours at my job this week, going in early and answering phones, helping with inventory, etc. It'll help make up for some of the lost hours of my other job. My body is starting to recover from all those months of running full blast, on my feet 16 hours a day; my back and feet don't hurt nearly as much, and I'm less crabby. I got my ass handed to me last night--super busy, and I got quadruple-sat--so after tonight, I'm very much looking forward to two days off. It'll be our last weekend by ourselves for a bit, as Stepson returns next Friday for an extended visit through Labor Day. We're planning some day trips (Cascades, Mt. Rainier, Snoqualmie Falls) but nothing like the road trip we just got back from.

I've also been debating my clothing options for my upcoming trip to Virginia next month. A short visit to my friends in Boston, my 20th high school reunion, and my best friend's wedding all call for fierce outfits, correct? I have neither the time nor the money to do a lot of shopping, so I've just been trying on different combinations of things I already have and supplementing those with sparkly accessories from the Goodwill.

Vacation aftermath

It's always a little disconcerting, coming home from vacation. I feel like my true self, when I'm having adventures. Returning to a routine after that just feels...routine. But we're all just working for the weekend, right?

This week has been especially disorienting, since I returned home to a whole pile of bad news. Not just dealing with the car's broken windshield, either; my mother-in-law is facing a whole new battle with cancer, and I'm down one job. While I was away, I was scheduled right out of my day job. It's probably for the best: working two jobs, 16 hours a day on my feet, was exhausting. I was tired and cranky all the time, and it's not a stretch to suppose that my customers (and my husband) were not being treated to my best self. The loss of income is worrying, but it was nice not being in physical pain all week.

So, I'm not sure yet whether I'll try to find a new day job. For a little while, at least, I'll work just the one job and get back to cooking more. My husband had a great phone interview last week, and we're waiting to hear whether that will lead to further interviews.

Historically, I've never been good with a limbo situation. But right now, one day at a time feels right. So, one day at a time. Today: make some tomato sauce, enjoy the sunshine. Tomorrow: unknown.

Road trip expenses and food

Gas: $330 (not bad for almost 4,000 miles)
Hotel: $799.40, for an average of $114 a night
Food: $883, which included groceries, road food, coffee, ice, and one nice dinner out every night, for an average of $110 a day total for 3 people
Souvenirs: $66 (mostly postcards)
Tickets and admissions: $62.50 (the rodeo and a tour of Wind Cave; all other national park admissions were included in our annual pass)
Parking: $14

For a grand total of: $2,155. 81 for eight days (and I'd budgeted $2,000, so yay me!), which is about $270 a day all-inclusive.

The iced coffee lasted exactly one day. Then it was back to buying crappy gas station coffee every morning. But hey, we had our own mugs, and gas station coffee in that part of the world was less than $1 each. We refilled the water bottles every night, made new sandwiches every night, and returned with nothing in the cooler except half a jar of jam.

Not included: one windshield replacement, $440. Still not sure if that should be considered a road trip expense, or car maintenance.

Road trip wildlife

Buffalo, bighorn sheep, elk, pronghorn antelope, marmots, prairie dogs, and wild horses (not pictured).

Little Bighorn National Monument and Battlefield, MT

Our last stop of the vacation was Little Bighorn National Monument and Battlefield in southeastern Montana. We ended up cutting the road trip short by a day; my husband had a phone interview he needed to get back for, and there was that pesky cracked windshield to repair. (Turns out we also had a dented splash guard underneath the car, which popped loose and scraped the highway a couple times on the drive home. Montana is not well-designed for low-clearance automobiles.) But we managed to work in everything we wanted to see, except one thing, which was a scenic drive anyway and so no great loss.

The drive home was long, but we were road-weary and butt-sore and ready to sleep in a real bed and see the cats again.

Hopefully the mental images of everything we saw will sustain me through a few weeks of working continuous doubles.