Memorial Day

Day 2 was spent in Massachusetts. There is an old cemetery by my mother-in-law's house that dates back to 1665. I like to visit it and read the names on the old grave markers. Take, for example, Lt. Daniel Kimball, died in 1800 at 53 years old. Probably a Revolutionary War soldier. And his relative (?) Lt. Benjamin Kimball, died in 1830. Most like a war of 1812 veteran. It's good to remember the old soldiers on this day, too.

Day 1

We are off! We made it out of Silver Spring at the crack of 10am Sunday morning, despite the overflowing washing machine, the lure of a beautiful day of deck sitting, and thought that we have all the time in the world. Ms. Pepe lounged surprisingly unaware of the upcoming adventure and was scooped up by Lisa on her way out the door. We bid goodbye to our favorite neighbor Sue, and burned rubber out onto Georgia Ave.

At first, Pepe thought she'd like to take a trip:





Then she realized this was going to be a long trip:

465 miles and 8 hours and 10 minutes later, we arrived at the door of Maureen. The traffic up 95, through MD, DE, NJ, NY, CT, and MA was uneventful, unless you counted the 15 roadkills we spotted. Several raccoons, a deer, a few birds and an ugly lot of unidentified animals were scattered along the Eastern corridor.

We're spending some time visting friends and family here in New England, then we head out west. We'll keep you posted on what's next.

Deals on the Road

You may not be driving as far as we are this summer, but you may still want to look at Budget Travel Online's Deals for Drivers. Some places around the country are offering $50 gas cards and discounts for staying with them.

Last Day at Work Horoscopes

I'm not a firm believer in these things, but sometimes the stars do seem to line up. Of course, it is a long holiday weekend, too, so this would fit a lot of people today!

Aries

Daily extended (by Astrology.com) It is logical that the more effort you put in, the more rewards you reap. You've been working hard, so right now you deserve a break. It's not that you're tired and need a rest -- more likely, you need space and time to gain perspective on all you've done. You deserve a big pat on the back, and the realization that you are capable of truly amazing things. Rack up some leisure time -- you can appreciate your success without focusing exclusively on it.

5 places we won't be visiting this summer

1. Supermax Prison in Colorado (unless something goes horribly wrong)
   
2. Battle Mountain, NV
   
3. Dollywood
4. The Gerald Ford Presidential Library
   
5. The Maryland DMV
   

5 Things I want to do on vacation

1. Surf on the Pacific Ocean
   
2. Look over the rim of a volcano
   
3. Yell down a canyon and hear the echo
   
4. Sleep under the stars
   
5. Get my picture with someone famous
   

5 things I promise

I promise to do these things everyday that I am on vacation:

1. Wake up with a smile and give thanks for being on vacation
2. Talk to someone I don't know
   
3. Look at everything with an open mind and eyes of wonder
4. Put on a clean shirt
5. Do some exercise, be it hiking, biking, kayaking, roller blading, running, swimming or yoga.
   

Small Wonder

I will never ask for directions again.

Travel Deals

Yahoo! has some pretty nifty travel tools. I've used the Travel Guides before but check out the new FareChase and Trip Planner (thanks, Ann!).

Itchy?

Lisa and I went for a walk on Saturday. We decided we weren't sure what poison ivy looks like, so I found this picture.

Details, details

For those of you interested in what's going on at chez McAllister right now, we have started packing! In just two weeks we set out on what is now known as The Trip. We set up the tent to make sure we'd fit (we do) and knew how to assemble and dissassemble it (Tim does). Lisa is organizing the crap into proper bins, bags, boxes, and piles for later stowage into and onto the RAV. We've tested our lantern, flashlights, found fuel for the grill, washed all the plastic picnic things, and stuffed the sleeping bags into sacks.

New Book!

I got a new book today, I needed something to read. I've been waitng for - and I'm sure you have too - the new Nathaniel Philbrick book, "Mayflower," about the Pilgrims and the Native Americans who met them as they stepped off the sea. Add into that massive leap of faith the action and drama of King Philips' War and you have a potential for a page turner extrodinaire!

A fitting book to start our adventure, our leap of faith, our journey. I may not be able to keep it for the trip, though.

Dreams can be scary, but good!

I've come across two blogs in two days that have touched a chord in me right now, humming a tune of adventure and belief and faith in myself. They've made me think about what I am doing, why I am doing this, and what is possible in life. I'd label these "Big Ideas" if I had categories on this blog (curses Blogger!). They are big ideas, though, and they should be ideas we continuously come back to and re-evaluate within our lives.

Creating Passionate Users talks about Eleanor Roosevelt's famous quote, "Do one thing every day that scares you." I know that taking this sabbatical, this cross-country trek, this adventure into America scares me a little bit. But I'm excited it is happening and I can't wait to find out who I am at the far end of this road. (hmmm, sounds like Tim's having an identity crisis here online for all to see, but really I think I am having an identity epiphany. . . again)

Life 2.0 has a thought provoking post about Dreaming Big and quotes Alice,

"There is no use trying", said Alice. "One can't believe impossible things."

"I dare say you haven't had much practise", said the Queen.

"When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast"

-- Lewis Carroll

Dream your dream, and then do it. That's what IT is all about, isn't it?

I am (trying!).

Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam
Originally uploaded by Mr The Tim.

This is us on the Hoover Dam. See that country out there behind us? That's where we are headed.