Monday, July 25, 2011

things to do on a long car ride........

we just got home from a five day event including a long road trip from southern california to central california and back again for the sake of watching our daughter swim in a big meet.
you might be thinking - what's the big deal you traveled from a southern point of your state only to the middle of that state and back again.
 first let me point out the state of california is very long, freakishly long - it really ought to be 3 states stacked one atop another.  i bet it is farther from our tip to middle than the entire vertical or even diagonal measurement of your state/country/ranch/chinese wall.   i know, i know you are saying "but it's california, it's beautiful, don't you appreciate it's natural beauty? "
well, of course i do, but, to be clear let me just say.....
unless you are really hankering to see/visit the raisin capitol of the world or maybe just miles of pure flat, dusty dried land dotted with the occasional strawberry/melon/tomato/walnut/citrus/artichoke stand, and restrooms that are called outhouses anywhere else in the world, unless you want to see that, then let me suggest the scenic coastal route for you.  dear gawd.
i marvel at how flat the interior of our state is - especially compared to the coast which is where we live.
 i marveled and marveled and marveled, woke up from a 5 hour nap and was still marveling - man, there just isn't much to see inland.  i now know why the missions of california are all located along the coast... it's because the early missionaries who tried to settle and build missions in the state's interior died an early and anguishing death of boredom.  boredom.

so what we did to make the drive a little more bearable was   1.) took turns driving 2.) took turns sleeping  (but not while driving if we could help it) 3.) sang - all three of us - to 1960's, then 1970's songs then disco songs at the top of our lungs.  (yeah, we are those people), 4.) played slap one another if you are first to spot a prius.  rules:  you get 2 slaps back if you are mistaken.  3 slaps if you are mistaken and its really a tractor.
after that we 5.)  read to each other from our cellphones/text messaging/navigation system/car repair manual/maps of different states/ingredients of snacks bought at the last outhouse, and miscellaneous papers found at the bottom of my purse.   maybe even chew some old gum.   finders keepers anyway.

but we did it and conquered it and are so proud of one another.  oh and rosie swam her events - one event a day - for 5 days.  she did well, thanks for asking.  but man-o -man was it hot - torturously hot.  i ended up with that "reverse raccoon" phenomenon.  reverse raccoon is a condition found in humans who wear sunglasses for days in the blistering heat but then at night in sync other nocturnals -- find their way by using their natural white eyepatches where eyeballs used to be.  they work kinda like headlights.  could potentially be dangerous if real headlights are encountered.

anyway, after 5 days of bleacher sitting, my husband and i now suffer from weird grill lines on our butts. "bleacher butt" is what its called.
finally at the end, rosie got a tshirt that said she was a sectional swimmer with her name highlighted among other swimmers names.  she wears it with honor.  she was pretty satisfied with her swim times.  sorta.

i got a tshirt too.  mine simply says "iwatch" with my own scribble at the bottom  "and ipay".

the best news is (note sarcasm here)- we do it all again in august - yes this august.  in a few weeks, august.  can't wait.
at least now we know our routine.  and i am sure i know a pruis from a tractor.  damn it.  thanks for the gratuitous slaps.

4 comments:

KimG said...

Laughing so hard my coffee's coming out my nose!

Susan Bainbridge said...

Lisa, I guess you're spoiled by the beauty of Italy....but I envy the way your family has figured out how to make the dull trip fun! You are blessed that your Rosie doesn't just withdraw into her iPod and texting. Have fun in August!

Susan Bainbridge said...

Lisa, I guess you're spoiled by the beauty of Italy....but I envy the way your family has figured out how to make the dull trip fun! You are blessed that your Rosie doesn't just withdraw into her iPod and texting. Can't wait to hear what you do in August!

Joy Logan said...

A very long state and oh so far away from me....

Search This Blog