These are random musings of my life journey, the people, animals, places, and events which have woven, and continue to weave, a tapestry that is me. We all know there is no real destination, only the ongoing experiences which blend together, creating the trail. Each step gives a glimpse of what is to come, without allowing me to see the end result. It is exciting. I have a home base that is mine, that gives me a place to rest. This is it. This is where my heart is, no matter where I journey...................

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Kerrville, TX

WHAAAAA......???

Where is everyone? No comments on the previous post? NONE??? Harrumph.

I'm going to post anyway sniff even if it might not be read sob because everyone is too busy snivel and doesn't love me anymore. sighhh.

My plans changed completely today. Other than the fact that I'm still driving west toward home, everything else is a new plan. It began when I called the home of a former foster son. He lives just south of Houston, and the plan was for me to drop by his house to visit and meet his family. I've talked to them on the phone, but I've never had the opportunity to meet his wife and kids in person, so I was excited about that. Those plans were more or less tentative, because I didn't know if I'd have time when I got on the road. I'd said I'd call them this morning and let them know if I managed to get close enough to have time to stop for a while. And since I did get farther than I thought last night, I was delighted to see that I would have plenty of time. They weren't home, so I left a message. I still haven't heard back from them! See, I'm not important enough for them to remember, either!

Next I called my niece to whose home I was heading southwest of Houston. When she h
eard my voice, she gasped and almost choked. She thought I was coming next weekend, her kids were away for the weekend with friends, her husband working tonight(he runs a restaurant), and she had made plans to go out with friends. She said she would call and cancel the date with girlfriends, and I told her not to do that. She was embarrassed and felt really bad, but I told her I'd catch her next time I make the trip to Florida. We talked for about 45 minutes, until the Houston traffic began to build, and I told her I couldn't talk while driving through a strange city.

It was a good thing that I got off the phone. Houston was a holy mess. I'm just glad I didn't do that on a weekday! There was a detour of I-10 for construction that wound through various city streets for four or five miles, then once back to the interstate, we were behind some sort of motorcade. Was there some sort of presidential candidate in Houston today? There were also Cops blocking access to underpasses when the motorcade was going. Strange. Probably just a funeral, but it looked to me as if there were a lot of flashing lights on vehicles for that. It finally turned off the highway, and we were able to resume regular speeds.

I also had to find a Cracker Barrel to return the books. I misplaced my Cracker Barrel map (I think I might have thrown it away this morning when I cleaned and straightened the car
), and I couldn't remember exactly where one was. I called Terri to have her look on the internet for me, but she wasn't home. So I called Caroline who didn't answer (she was having her three hour nap!). I tried Gail, and she didn't answer, either! Where is everyone when I need them??? I called TL back, and she got hold of Kirk who ran home from a soccer game and looked it up for me! Returned the books, filled the tank, grabbed a snack and hit the road again.

BTW, the book Finding Noel was good. I enjoyed it a lot. I cried in a few spots, however, so be careful if listening while driving!

Since I wasn't seeing anyone here, I decided to push on toward home. For some reason last night before I went to bed I checked how long it would take me to drive from San Antonio to home, and also from Kerrville to home. Kerrville is about 50 miles west of San Antonio. Now, last night I had no idea about all this, so I don't know why I even checked it out. Now I'm glad I did! I couldn't remember the exact driving times, but I knew that it would be possible to drive all the way home from that area, albeit, making it a long day.

As I drove along, I decided to try to make it to Kerrville, one of the last places to find decent lodging from there to Ft. Stockton. So while gassing up in Houston, I checked the m
ap, and gloriosity!! I knew I could make it to Kerrville easily, and my note from last night told me that I could make it from there to Nogal in 8.5 hours. Gasp! I can make it home by Sunday evening, rather than Monday!! This saves me one night of motel expense, and it gets me home s.o.o.n.e.r!!!

I arrived in Kerrville just before 5:00 and considered going another fifty miles to Junction, then remembered yesterday's tiring debacle! Nope, staying here! This is a small town, but my accommodations are very nice. Comfort Inn, recently remodeled and well done. We are in and settled for the night. The kids are both zonked. I think they are tired of traveling, another reason to get our tushies home! They have done excellently on this trip, much better than I expected. However, enough is enough. This is the toughest part of the trip because we are doing several days of travel in a row, with no breaks longer than overnight. Yeah, I'm tired, too.

I've chuckled at the names a number of towns along the way. Some I can't remember without going back and seeing the maps which I didn't bring in. I can tell you two that make me chuckle today ... Comfort, which was just a few miles down the road from Welfare. LOL! I also remember seeing a sign for Sublime, Cat Spring, and New Berlin today. Don't y
ou wonder where these names come form?

On this trip I've seen every kind of gas price you can imagine. The highest I think I've seen Was $3.43 or $3.44 (NO! I didn't have to buy it there!) and as low as $2.72 (Yes, I bought that one!). They were over $3 in most of Florida and the Southeast close to Florida. And interestingly, they were high in some of the areas that make the least sense, near the off shore oil fields in Louisana. It doesn't make sense to me!

So tomorrow I will get up as early as possible and get on the road. It is just
8 hours, 26 minutes to home! But that is a long day for me, and it is through the most boring part of the drive, the southern part of West Texas. Ugh. Oh, BTW, remember how narrow Alabama and Mississippi are on I-10? Just around sixty miles each. Louisiana, a fairly normal width for a state, is around 200 miles wide. Then we come to Texas ... it is 880+ on I-10!!! Of course, that would be going clear to El Paso, which I don't have to do, thank goodness! But 880 miles?!?! The 660 (aprox) that I'm doing is enough, thank you very much!

Hmmm. Can you tell I'm eager to be home? Does it really show? I mean, really?

I just took the dogs out for a constitutional and look what I saw in back of the motel .....








The lighting is all wrong, so I hope you can see it. This is a working windmill! If you enlarge it, you'll see the blades are actually moving! I'll try to remember to take a picture before I leave in the morning. Daylight will do wonders, I'm sure!!



Life is beautiful!!!
Even in the dark!

5 comments:

  1. Goodness...you are really feeling unloved tonight!!! No one at home where you want to visit, mixed up dates and no one posting comments!!!

    Wonderful news that you can be home tomorrow night..I think you and the "kids" will be happy to see your own front door, not to mention your own beds!!

    Drive safe, especially since it's boring terrain...let us know when you have arrived home!

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  2. Sherry - LOL! Not really. But it was funny how everyone "avoided" me all day!

    Oh, yes, it will be wunnerful, wunnerful to be home and in our own bed tonight!And I will be careful, thanks for caring!

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  3. Wow!!! I know what you mean about no place like home. And no bed like your own. You have had an exciting journey, done a lot of things and seen a lot of people. I am sorry your people in Texas weren't home. But as you say you're home one day early.

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  4. PS. I care about you. You're one of my blog buddies!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love you...I promise I do!!!

    I think the previous post slipped by me...sorry bout that!!!

    Now dry your eyes and sit up like a big girl,LOL :-).

    ReplyDelete

If you have something to say about it, just stick out your thumb, and I'll slow down so you can hop aboard! But hang on, 'cause I'm movin' on down the road!!! No time to waste!!!