Promotion

One of the nice things about returning home earlier than planned was that we got to attend Franny's eighth-grade graduation ceremony last week, celebrating promotion from Madison Middle School to high school.


In a way it seems silly to me that the school makes such a big deal about passing the eighth grade, but on the other hand going to high school is a big deal, and the kids all get into it. The girls dress up, some of the boys put on a shirt with buttons, a few of the class leaders and teachers make short little speeches, the school jazz band plays a couple of tunes, everyone gets called up to the stage to receive a certificate (that's Fran getting hers, in the fuzzy photo above), and academic achievers get called out for special attention.

That's where I ended up getting a little annoyed though. Franny's best friend Lacaia (below, with Fran) was one of 27 kids who managed to get through the three years of middle school with a perfect record of straight A's. Quite an achievement, I think, and nice that she and the others were called up to the stage individually to receive a little trophy. But when the stupid principal, Ms. Hudson (who insists on being called Dr. Hudson), got to Lacaia, she bungled her name: "La ... La ... LaCalla?" It's La-cay-a. She messed up Lacaia's last name too, which is even easier.

That made me so mad. Come on, lady! After all the platitudinous speeches about preparation and taking care of the details, you can't take the time to learn the names of 27 outstanding students? Sheesh. What does a kid have to do to get your attention around here, shoot up in the hallway?

Really, I was so bugged I almost walked up to the "doctor" after the ceremony and chewed her out.

Even so, it was a fun night. Frank looked happy and proud. Gina and Greta sat with Michelle and me in the grandstand, and we all mingled afterward in the courtyard, where we ran into Mich and Gabby (she's in Fran's class).

The ceremony was at West Seattle High School, where most of the Madison promotees will attend next year. Gina went there for freshman year but didn't really like it; she and Fran are both moving in the fall to the Center School, which is a smaller arts-oriented school downtown.

Here are Frank and Gina goofing off:


Gabby and a group of her friends. Gab's third from the right, in the blue floral dress:


Franny and her buds:

Nice to be home

We left Renee's comfy house in Denver on Tuesday morning and after two very long days of driving arrived back in Seattle late Wednesday night. Great trip, great memories, but we both agree it's great to be home too.

Although we cut Pie in the Sky II a little shorter than planned -- maybe it really was pie-in-the-sky, Mom -- we still spent two very full months on the road. We got tired, I'll admit it, and maybe a little over-saturated too. At some point it gets hard to take in any more sights and experiences and really appreciate them, no matter how cool.

One down side of returning early is that we're without Internet access until the middle of next week, when they can reconnect our DSL. That's why we've been out of touch since returning. (I'm writing now from the library up the street.)

Thanks to all for following along, for hosting or meeting us along the route and for sharing in our fun adventure.

Here are a couple of pics from the drive home, beginning with the nice Rocky Mountain view from Renee's neighborhood. We drove north to Wyoming, stopped in beautiful downtown Laramie for lunch, then cut west into Utah, up to Idaho, through a slice of Eastern Oregon, where there was still snow on the ground, then into Eastern Washington and across the Snoqualmie Pass to Seattle, viewed above from a freeway underpass and below from the West Seattle Bridge to our house.

Behind the green glass door

Allison had us all scratching our heads and guessing wildly this afternoon with a riddle she picked up at camp.

Behind the green glass door there is green but no blue. Behind the green glass door there is sleep but no bed. Behind the green glass door there is Michelle but no Mark. There's a bathroom but no toilet. Coffee but no Starbucks. And so on.

Why are the things behind the green glass door there, and why aren't the things that aren't?

We about went crazy trying to figure it out. Alex wasn't pleased that his sister Allison was behind the green glass door but he wasn't.

It's a fun game. In true Allison fashion, I'll let you figure it out for yourself.

Behind the green glass door there are guesses but no easy answers.

We're not in Kansas anymore

... but it took a while. That's a wide state and -- sorry, Dorothy, Bob Dole and other famous Kansans -- it's boring as hell. It took all day Sunday to drive from Kansas City, where we stopped after leaving Janice's house in Louisville, across Kansas and then through a smidge of Colorado to Michelle's sister Renee's place in suburban Denver.

We've had a great day-plus here, playing softball and going swimming with Allison and Alex (Renee and James' kids), going out to eat and then, tonight, all watching "School of Rock" on the AppleTV. Fun. That's Allison with Michelle, above.

As cool as this trip has been, Michelle and I are both getting a little horse-to-barn syndrome. After seven-plus weeks on the road, and at 30 states and counting, we're thinking now of amending our earlier plans of returning to Vegas and heading instead directly back toward Seattle. Pretty much blown the poker bankroll anyway.

Here are a few pics from the past couple of days.

Janice and Michelle in front of Janice and Andy's awesome old Victorian house:

Janice took Friday afternoon off and took us to what she calls "the oval office" -- the famous Churchill Downs -- where we bet a few races and managed almost uniformly to pick the losers. Michelle and Janice even put down a bet on Saturday's Belmont Stakes, pairing the sure-thing winner, Big Brown, with a couple other leading contenders in a "boxed Exacta" bet. Free money! Except Big Brown came in last place.

Then, on Friday night, we took in a minor league game between the Louisville Bats (the famous Louisville Slugger bats are made in this town ) against the Toledo Mud Hens at the retro cool Slugger Field.

After Louisville, though, as I said, it's a long slog between points of civilization. At one point in Kansas we checked the Garmin for the nearest cup of coffee. The options were all miles behind us:


Pretty sunset heading into Colorado:


Michelle's nephew, Alex, who is 8 years old, makes a mean hot air balloon out of paper. Kid's got skills.

Michelle and Renee at the local pool:


We're not sure of our exact route from here, but our tentative plan is to get up in the morning and then head north to Wyoming and Montana and then turn west toward Seattle. Probably a few more days on the road. Maybe more posts and pics to come.

Louisville!

After beginning yesterday at Niagara Falls, we arrived late last night in Louisville, Kentucky, visiting the awesome house of Janice and her husband Andy in a cool old Victorian neighborhood in this pretty city.

Janice is planning to take the afternoon off, and then maybe we'll go to the horse races at Churchill Downs or catch a minor league baseball game -- the famous Louisville Slugger bats are made here and the team shares the name.

It's great to see Janice and Andy again. We'll have pictures later.