How I spent my Christmas vacation

School got out on Thursday, and by Friday morning at 7am, I was on my way.  I am learning to be myself, and these solo trips are helping immensely. Well, I can't say solo, exactly, since Frank The Dog was there with me.  I feel uncomfortable leaving him in a kennel because of his disability.  We started from Tucson, heading first for Bakersfield, then Susanville, then Bakersfield again. My goal was to visit my 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and to get at least one door fixed on my poor sad car.

The ride to Bakersfield was uneventful.  I went up the 10 to the 5, and I was surprised at how little traffic there was.  Driving through Phoenix and Los Angeles, I was once again reminded of how much I have grown.  Twenty years ago when my husband died, I was afraid to drive for any length of time, and I was terrified of large cities and their traffic.  Now I relish it.

I arrived at Bakersfield and within the hour was at my grandson Daniel's birthday party.  Seeing my son Jeremy and daughter-in-law Michelle was great, though I was sad that Jeremy was still sick.  Amber and Daniel, though, were happy and full of fun.  However, I was too tired and soon left for my friend's home and her comfy bed.

Over the weekend, I had time to visit my son Val and his family, but all too soon it was Monday, and I hurried off to Susanville to visit my daughter and her family, as well as my son David.  Luckily for me (but unluckily for California), there was no snow and so no need for chains.  My granddaughter Thalia came with me.  I had forgotten what it was like to have a young teen with me.  Thalia is like me--very quiet.  She came with me, but stayed pretty absorbed in her phone the whole way up.

Emily and David recently moved.  They used to live in Greenville, a sweet little town in the middle of the forest, and to get there you go through an amazing canyon with spectacular views throughout.  Susanville is about an hour away from Greenville, but it is a whole different world, since it's high desert--the back of the mountain.  It was a different drive, but still pretty.  Another thing that I'm learning about myself is that I am attracted to desert--the starkness attracts me.

We stayed in Susanville through Christmas week, coming home on Sunday.  I was sad that Matthew, the youngest, had forgotten me, but that just tells me to be sure and speak with him more on Facetime.  I will see him again--I have a whole lifetime.  It was great to see how Michael has grown and what a creative young man he is growing up to be.

Coming back to Bakersfield, I had more chance to visit with Jeremy and Val and their families, as well as to sample some of the new restaurants.  Downtown Bakersfield is changing, and there are nice restaurants and night spots springing up.  I hope that this continues, since Bakersfield had really fallen on hard times with the recession.

After another week (and with my same poor door--the fix hadn't worked!), I came home through Tehachapi.  By avoiding traffic in this way, I was settling for desert nearly the whole way home.  But "settling" isn't a good word.  I was amazed at the beauty of it.  The Joshua Trees and other cacti were fascinating.  As I neared home, I was once again impressed with the Hand of the Master.  He painted the world in so many different ways, but each one is distinctly beautiful, each in its own way.

Now that I'm home, I'm looking at school and lessons and clubs again, but I have summer to look forward to with a trip to Chicago and another to South Carolina.  I have a plan and time to save up for it.  Onward!