Safely in San Jose--sans Sombra?

We arrived at my sister's house early in the afternoon. I let Sombra explore the two-story, three bedroom abode while I unloaded the car. Despite being uprooted from her home and being forced to continually shift residences for several days, she seemed to approve her new surroundings, soon got tired of exploring and jumped up on a windowsill to observe the outside world.

That relieved me of my present duties as cat parent, so I went out and explored the vicinity. I tried to find a decent cup of coffee (first things first!). I stumbled upon one coffee shop which looked cozy, but had no air conditioning. So, I headed for the tried and true Starbucks. I did make the mistake of inquiring whether they offered wi-fi and got an earful. Apparently, only T-mobile customers can sign on there (WTF?); however, they eagerly informed me that it was very easy to "steal" the Internet from other users, that they had all done it themselves, and they would be happy to show me how to do so if I had my laptop with me. Meanwhile, a half dozen cops had infiltered the outside eating area in order to confront a group of adolescents who probably were just minding their own business until the guys in black decided to give them a hard time. I grabbed my iced latte and headed back to my sister's where I could legally access the Internet from her computer.

After a relaxing afternoon surfing the web, talking to my fellow designers about politics and sex, and reading my book about monsoons in India, I soon was joined by my sister, neice and nephew. So much for Sombra's peace and quiet. A few moments of pats and hugs from the kids and she was outta the room like lightning. Guess she may have been a teensy bit startled by the remote control 4-wheel drive jeep mowing through the foyer and living room, as well. We did leave her alone when we went tothe kids swimming lessons, my nephew's karate lesson, and a meal at Boston Market, but we came back too quickly for her taste. Before we knew it, she had disappeared. And this time, we had no idea where she had darted off to. While the kids got ready for bed, I looked everywhere for her: behind bookcases, under beds, above shelves, in closets, outside--everywhere, to no avail. Hours later, as I lay in my bed thinking, 'Damn, I drive several days cross country with her so she doesn't get freaked by an airplane ride and now, after all that driving, she decides to disappear. And, to top that off, she is supposed to help the kids get over their beloved cat who wandered off and was never seen again. Great.' I was heartbroken, which doesn't make much sense since I am leaving her here when I go anyway. Still, my poor baby.

Just when I had talked myself into never seeing her again, she scampers from under the bed in which I am lying and hops on top of me! Turns out she had hidden inside the box springs. How in the heck did she get there?! Who cares. She's home. Completely freaked out by her new family. But home, nevertheless. Sweet dreams.

Bakersfield, CA--why here?

I woke up at the crack of dawn and loaded up the car. When my sister and I were about to check out of the room, Sombra got an attitude and hid under the bed. She sure is getting tired of the daily change in residence. After rearranging the furniture a bit, I finally scooped her up, brought her out to the car and got her settled in for the ride. My sister headed south and we headed west.

Today's ride, though twice as long as the ride thus far, was not taxing at all. I beat all the rush hour traffic by leaving at 6:30 am and cruised the I-10 as it cut through the desert brush of Arizona. The biggest challenge was driving sans a decent cup of coffee. La Quinta coffee just isn't on par with fresh roasted beans from Milagro. I intended to stop off for a cup on the way, but before I knew it, I was in the maze of California's 8-lane traffic. I had never driven on these California highways before. Quite different from cruising the open, empty roads of southern New Mexico. From Blythe to Kern--where cars and trucks kern so closely together, they leave not even an n-space between the bumper of one car and the hood of the next--I felt as if the traffic around me was pressing in on and around me, controlling my driving; it was as if I found myself part of some amorphous, amoebic being. The mob pushed forward and thus did I; it slowed and therefore I did as well. Strangely, it wasn't stressful at all; almost meditative once I had determined not to fight the pace and, instead, become part of it.

By the way, when did Palm Springs transform into "The Land of the Windmills?"

In hindsight, I should have planned to stop over in Kern rather than Bakersfield. From what I could observe from the I-5, Kern sits at the bottom of where a few mountains meet, nearby a small lake. Beautiful setting. If I didn't have Sombra with me, I would have changed course, but I wasn't sure I could find a place that would take pets at such late notice.

As soon as I entered the 99 around Bakerfield, everything flattened out--the roads, the surrounding fields. There isn't much to comment about the town. I am thankful that the car came with a trip computer. What a wonderful gadget! Thanks to that, I explored the town a bit and found cheap (well, relatively) gas and a chinese restaurant, AND made it back to the hotel without ever having to ask anyone for directions. I am addicted to that gadget now.

Sombra has finally settled down. Poor girl. Though it is only 7:15 pm, I think I am going to read a book and go to sleep.

A little bit of Tucson

Recommendation: get more than 5 hours sleep before a road trip. Driving from LC to Tuscon was interminable. Sombra, the cat, did better than I. I had to stop about 3 times during the 4 1/2 hour drive to get out and walk around so I wouldn't fall asleep at the wheel. Fortunately, I got upgraded on the rental car and am driving a Toyota Camry. I was able to cram in all the electronics, paintings, cat toys and luggage with room to spare.

I slept extremely well last night on an air mattress. For the first time in 6 months, I slept like a log and woke up after about 10 hours of sleep. Eventually Sombra decided against jumping off the ledge of the upstairs balcony into the living room and settled in as well. In the morning, we headed to Molly G's for breakfast and were treated to cardboard coffee and downhome diner-style green chile eggs and queso with hash browns and sausage. Mmmm, cholesterol. We were thinking of finding a Starbucks after that, but instead stumbled upon a spa. I had the best massage I've had for years. If you ever get to Tucson go to Spa One and ask for Jeff. Hmmmm, fantastic!

We're heading up to Phoenix now where we will check into the glorious La Quinta Airport Hotel for the night. Woot!

3 suitcases and a cat

The shipment's shipped,
The storage's stored,
The car's sold,
The cat's freaked.
The journey begins.