On Our Marks, Get Set...

Today is a list-crossing off-day.  He has a list.  I have a list.  Hopefully at some point in the day our lists will converge and we'll be ready-ish to drive away tomorrow.  I don't think you're ever ALL ready and I take comfort in the fact that there are Walmarts all over the place so we can pop in and nab whatever it is we realize we've forgotten when we pass through a town.


Early this morning I picked all the ripe tomatoes and the ripening tomatoes and the tomatoes thinking about ripening.  We'll put them into a square Tupperware canister that fits perfectly in a spot in the back seat by the cooler so that we can have picnics of cheese, pretzels, almonds, and fresh tomatoes while on our trip.  Last time the tomatoes lasted until about the middle of South Dakota on the way home so I have high hopes for many picnics.  I'm a big fan of eating outside, Durwood not so much and usually he wins but on vacation when we want to be outside anyway, I win.  Yay!

The sun was far up in the sky when I was out there but I caught it peeking through the leaves of L&SJ's big maple tree and here's a shot of the other planter of coleus.  I love the colors, that lime green and magenta together especially.  Coleus isn't a plant you have to baby either, I've been lax watering this summer (shame) but they're lush and full and beautiful anyway.  

Durwood pointed out last night that the dinette light fixture spider has attached its web to one of the stars of my Icarus mobile.  It isn't in focus but you can see that the star on the left is pulled out at an angle and there's no breeze blowing it that way.  I remove that web nearly every day and every night the spider puts it back.





All of these pictures were taken with my new pawn shop camera.  I stopped at Camera Corner after work last night and got a card reader so that I can suck the photos off into the laptop since the laptop doesn't seem to want to recognize the camera when I use a USB cable and the Canon website thinks it has no drivers for me.  I'm guessing there was a CD with the driver in the original box.  I'll do a web search when we get back, but for now the reader works just fine.  The guy at CC told me that while it is an old camera, it's a good one, and it was $800 when it was new, so Yay, me.  Now I just need to learn how to use it.  Owner's manual in the suitcase?  Check.

August 15--Italy, Medallion.  The lovers gazed into each others' eyes unblinking.  Of course they were carved on a silver medal so naturally there was no blinking.  Sarah turned the medallion over in her hands.  It was about the size of a half-dollar and the chased rim was gilt.  She could tell it was old because the carvings were worn down where thumbs had smoothed it over the years.

And that's when I zonked off.  I'm on the fence about whether I'll do any prompt writing while we're gone or just concentrate on writing in the travel diary at night.  We shall see.  I'm going to try to post here every few days too.  That'll depend on finding wi-fi in the Wild West.  Time to get packing.  So, talk to you soon-ish.
--Barbara