May 10, 2016

so, ... I am still in Salt Lake. It is still raining here. Every day. It is snowing in Washington State and all across the northern part of route I want to take on my trip. In Bismarck and south of there they are have severe weather with flooding and Tornado's live on TV !! I had hail yesterday. And we had 70-90 mile per hour wind gusts that took out trees and tipped over semi tricks in I-25 by Ogden, and up in to Tremonton.

Springtime in the Rocky's. The storms move through one after the other. The West coast gets hammered, then us. Denver has had feet of snow. The Midwest is slammed, Texas is flooding, the South East is a mess and the East coast has high winds and rain blowing things down.

 I am better off at home. I am packing, re packing. Talking to friends, Refining my list of cities. I am glad I did not push it and get stuck out some where.

By staying home I had Mother's Day, Dinner with a Grandson after his finals, before he left for the summer and time for dinner with friends.

Now it is time to read the news paper and relax for awhile. The sun is out, cross your fingers ......

April 25,2016

I have been getting things done this month so I can go on a Road trip in May. The weather has not been real good. We have been getting a lot of rain and it is cold today. The weather where I want to travel has been wet and windy and cold. I hope by the time I get ready to go the Spring weather will have calmed down. I need to get the inspection, emissions and new tags put on my license plates to show I paid my taxes on my car. April has been a busy month for me at the auto repair shop. They fixed the switches in the drivers side door that control the windows and the door locks. The panic alarm has been going off at all hours. They have found corroded wires by the hood lock, and replaced them. We put a new motor in the windshield washer. The alarm has not gone off for two days, the washers are wonderful, all the windows go up and down and the locks work ! So I guess  I will keep the car !! When this all first started I remembered a experience with an older Lincoln. The repair bills went into the $1000.00's before I traded it in. So this time I was out looking. !! But these bills have been low and only cost me four days.

I talked to my travel agent about where I want to go, what states, city's , how many days in each city and the route I want to take. She will scope out the hotels and advise me on the time it will take. She thinks it will take about two weeks from Salt Lake to Seattle. I am not doing a lot of miles or hours each day. Some city's call for 2-4 days.

Right well I thought it was going to stop raining, but no, so I better get some other stuff done.

NEW TRIP MAY 2016

I am leaving on an Auto trip.

I am going to California, north on the costal Highway all the way to Seattle, Washington. This will take two weeks. I will see a Brother-in-Law in Eugene, Oregon, and a Nephew in Seattle.

I will not hurry. From Seattle I will drive East to the Dakotas, then south to Missouri. I will visit friends there and then west to Denver and home. I think I will be gone three weeks. I will be where I have never been and where I have not been in 20 years. So I will take my tome and see the sights.

I am looking forward to seeing the coast of California and the Forest's of Oregon and Washington. I do not remember the Dakotas and south of there will be new to me.

My son bought me a GPS and I have state maps so I will not get lost.

Some one will watch my house and park in my drive way. I am a lucky lady.

Wish me well.

End of October

I missed Halloween at Home this year. I put the pumpkins and gourds I bought in Palisade, Colorado, in the planter on the front porch and cut some tall ornamental grass from the yard to go with it, to dress it up. Looks nice.

10-27, Drove to Cedar city spent 2 days with niece Corrie. She is coming along fine after surgery. Drove to Las Vegas, had 3 days and Halloween with my Daughter, Son in Law, Grandson and Granddaughter. What a treat, and a wild time. Vegas and Halloween, Wow ! Then I drove back to St George and had two days with a friend who is beating cancer for the 3rd time. We celebrate every chance we get.

Now it is November and Winter has arrived. The Ski areas are open and the snow levels are rising, in Utah and in Colorado. The last few storms to move through here and across the country have been good for some and  destructive for others. It is cold, got my heavy coats out, and put away the light weight jackets.

I want to drive to Colorado, Springs and have Thanks giving with my Son and his Lady Diane and her family, next week. I am at the mercy of the weather. I can drive on Interstates all the way to Denver and then South to the Springs. But the elevations are high and the hills can get slippery. The semi trucks have a hard time and can make a mess of things. I have driven past them as they slide down hill and you are in the center of the road, going up hill. The Highway Patrol Guys are escorting them down, trying to keep them on the road.  I have driven these roads a lot, in the winter. I will try to miss the worse spots. I25 south to the Springs can be bad, and I do not know how to get around it. It is the only way to get there. Hope the weather breaks for the last week and the first week of December.. I will stay in Palisade coming and going and one day in Denver at The Art Hotel, before I start back.

I love to travel. I am glad I am able to do it. I plan on Christmas in Montrose, Colorado with my Daughter.

Very little decorating this year !! Well,  there will be some ..... I love the Holidays and I have sooooo much to put out for Christmas. so I just won't put up a tree, .. maybe.

October

Fall ! It is still so warm Fall has had a hard time convincing us to put away our white pants and cotton blouses. The sandals still sneak out for a walk on a warm day.

I want to take some Train rides. So, to find out if the cost of a sleeping room was worth it, I went to San Francisco.  The train was 4-5 hours late leaving SLC and Emeryville ! But once you get going it is great !! The sleeper was worth it. You have your own room, with a door, lock, sink, shower, toilet and a couch, chair and closet. The couch makes into a double bed. The service is great and the good food is included. The observation cars and club cars are a good way to meet people. Amtrak sent me a map of the US. I am going to plan some trips. My only problem is I have slow mountains to get over to go anywhere !

I drove to Denver Sept. 6 th. I read about The Art Hotel. Only 3 months old downtown next door to The Denver Art Museum. Wow what a hotel. Wonderful original art in all the lobby's, rooms, hallways, and public areas, ie. convention and meeting rooms. My room was really special. the hotel car took me shopping, one day, and to dinner another. I saw family for a few hours over the weekend. I attended an exhibit at the museum over two days. It was good to see what has been done with the museum. It is more then double the size it was when I left in 1974.  The staff of the hotel was wonderful. They went out of their way for me and greeted me as Mrs. Cope. The maids work in the rooms with the doors shut, so you never see them in the halls. It is part of the  Preferred Hotel chain.

I staid in Palisade, Colorado overnight coming and going, in the Wine Country Inn. I cannot drive all the way in one day any more !! Nice hotel surrounded by vineyards. Good food and people. Great wine.

Now I am going to get ready for Halloween !!

June 2015 Update

May was a good month. The last week I drove over to Montrose Colorado and spent my birth day with my daughter Kalena.  Attended the first concert of spring season in on the golf course, where she and her husband played with their band "The Blue Gators" . Then we went to a bar for a CD release party . Bought a CD and a Tee shirt. Long fun day.  

June has been busy. The flower business is steady  at Unity Salon. Other businesses come and go. Right now I am not going after any new ones. I want to travel this summer and I cannot get too many things covered when I am out of town.  I am going out on Friday the 31st of July and coming back the 2nd of august. That is easy because I take flowers Monday and Tuesday, so I am home. The 1st of August is The Olatha Sweet Corn Festival, in Colorado. The Blue Gators are playing. It will be a real good time. All the sweet corn you can eat and good music all day.

I had a funny thought about being put in boxes, or groups.
  I have fought being put in groups all my life. In High School kids would come up behind you and turn your collar down, too see if you had the right label in your clothes. I cut all the labels out of my sweaters.
  Now my Dentist tells me I have to be in a box. Smoker, non smoker. He is a dentist, is he passing out Salem's ?
  Male, Female, can't you tell ?
  What color are you ? Did your Great-Great-Great come over on a big ship or a raft or swim ?

In the 50's and 60's, when I was in Los Angles, our views of the different races was easier than it is now. When a group of black and white couples found a restaurant that would seat us but not serve us, we went back as African Royalty, and were served. An entertainer on Alvaro Street billed himself as the President of TWA.

At 73 + you think you have seen it all, but just wait. New things every day. That is why I want to go and do while I still know my name and yours and can walk un aided.

May 2015

April was a very wet month and May has been too.

My flower business is doing well. Unity Salon takes a bouquet every week. Salon NV decided not to take anything for awhile.

I have flowers in the English Bakery and The Spectacle on spec to see if they like them. I take them in for two to three weeks and if they decide they want to continue we sign a contract. The Bakery changed from a bouquet to bud vases for her tables. She did Poinsettia's at Christmas but quit after that. Right now my roses are beautiful.

I am not looking for any more right now. I have to depend on someone else to cover me when I travel, so I have to be realistic.

more later