Geo: 36.7402, -119.786Today we visited Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The day was supposed to be another scorcher, which I found difficult to believe, since we were going to be in an immense forest. And fortunately, I was right. We enjoyed a pleasant 70-72 degrees all day long, while it was 99 degrees on the outside of the parks. We left the hotel at 7:45 and began the one hour drive through miles of orange groves and olive groves and vineyards.Lake Kaweah filled the valley that was crowned by yellow hillsides peppered with dark green trees and mountains rising in the distance, in the early morning haze. And the many trucks parked at the boat launch gave evidence that Sunday morning was a way for the locals to get away from it all and enjoy ... read more

Geo: 36.0262, -112.136My, my. What to say about today. I am speechless, and that almost never happens, as you all know. There are no words to describe the incredible beauty that is the Grand Canyon. This entry will be more about photos than words.We left the hotel this morning at 8:15 and headed north. We were on our way after stopping at the Safe Way for supplies to make sandwiches. I know from past experience, it is better to bring your own food when visiting the parks, as restaurants are few and sometimes inconvenient. The trip out of town took us down the main street in Williams, which is right out of the 50's. It is restaurants and motels, many with signs that have not been modernized in 60 years. It is quaint and it is ... read more

Geo: 34.9386, -104.682We left Oklahoma City at 7:45 this morning, still alive and not having experienced any tornados. I had heard on the news that things were brewing up for another round on Tuesday and that made me nervous, but it didn't happen. Phew. It rained hard during the night and there was thunder and lightning, but no tornados. We were on the top floor and it woke us up around 4 AM. And it was still raining hard when we took to the road. I had planned to look for tornado damage heading out of town, but the rain obscured the view. About half an hour down the road, the rain let up and we were able to see evidence of the storms from last Friday. First we saw a lot of debris by the ... read more

Geo: 35.0114, -90.7862I was looking forward to this day because Arkansas was in our sights. Back in 1998-1999 I lived in Little Rock for 7 months, working for the State of Arkansas on a project to bring their Child Support Enforcement computer systems into federal compliance. I had not looked forward to moving there, but I discovered that my uneducated perceptions of Arkansas were all wrong. It is a wonderful place and the people who live there are first rate. Where else do you find people who will let you into backed-up, rush-hour traffic on the interstate, just to be nice. I can tell you it isn't in Boston. Sorry, Scott. In Little Rock, I made some good friends whom I will always remember and with whom I hope to always stay in touch. We left ... read more

Geo: 32.7766, -79.9309And off we go, at 6:45 AM we hit the road, headed for Charleston, SC for an evening with Max, our grandson. Both houses buttoned up, we will not be sleeping in our own beds for a month. A new bed every night and many of you know what a challenge that is for me. But onward we go, complaints in my back pocket. And if the bed is too hard, there is always a way to deal with that…a lot of wine and maybe something to help me relax a bit more. Lindsay is attending a wedding in Charleston this weekend and we will be taking care of Max, since children are not invited. Scott was not able to be here, due to a pressing business matter in Boston. We are delighted to ... read more