Trip Update 2 - "Travels With Pooter & Petunia Tour - 2008"

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Trip Update #2 - "Travels With Pooter & Petunia Tour - 2008"


Hey y'all -

So I’ve now typed a couple of individual updates to some folks, and I’ve edited them together into this one. To those of you I emailed directly, forgive my being redundantly redundant ...

I’ve been tracking the lousy media reports on Wachovia - I told a former work associate that it’s sad to see that the “I” in “Integrity” (one of the company’s core values) has, if not been lost, been reduced to lower case. See, I leave and the place falls apart … . All I know is that I’m glad I’m not there to have to deal with the onslaught of customer complaints and try to apologize and make right what’s so wrong. Sad indeed.

All’s well with me and the kids - we were in Austin TX for nearly 7 weeks staying at my nephew’s home while the new trailer was on order, with 12 days in Charlotte, and now have moved on to Sun City where we’re visiting Mom. Boy howdy (oops, too long in Texas I guess) the sun shines WAY brightly in this place. I’ve often said this area looks like the bottom of a dried up aquarium - lots of scraggly scrub brush and rocks. I keep expecting to come across a dried up sea monkey … I’ve had to buy a pair of those little old people wrap-around sunglasses because every time I walk outside I get blinded by the sun reflecting off the trailer. Good Lord the sun is hot here. They say “Yes, but it’s a dry heat”. I say “Yes, but so’s an oven.” It takes me 15 minutes to leave the trailer ‘cuz first I have to slather on SPF 10-gazillion sun block or risk turning into charcoal dust before I can get the truck door open. Do you know these sweet little old “q-tips” (my term for the thin little old ladies who have “puffs” of white hair that barely stick up above the airbags on the steering wheels of their Buick Park Avenues ...) carry oven mitts to wear when they open their car doors and fasten their seat belts? No kidding. And they put Astroturf liners on their dashboards to keep them from melting and splitting open in the sun. Hmmm, one would think this was the desert or somethin’ … Oh, that’s right, IT IS.

Mom’s doing very well, and it’s amazing to me that it was just 8 months ago that she was at death’s door. Her attitude is great and she seems happy. I do know thru chats with her that if she goes thru another major health trauma she won’t want us to go to the level that we did last year - she says she’s led a wonderful life and is ready to go when her time comes and doesn’t want to put us or herself thru another traumatic event. My sisters and I are all 100% supportive of her position so we’ll enjoy having her around for as long as that might be and let her go when it’s time. There’s a great sense of relief and ease in knowing that.

We went to see Baxter Black perform in Mesa AZ and had a chance to chat with him and his wife Cindy Lou. I think I mentioned that Baxter was my brother-in-law’s best man at my sister’s and his wedding last year. Butch was the last of the “Gang of 7 Cowboys” to get hitched so it was a big deal - heck, Baxter and another cowboy walked Butch down the aisle. It was a hoot. We’ll be here for another week or so then head west for a few weeks to see the southern rim of the Canyon, Tahoe area and Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks in CA before I fly back to finish prepping the house for listing. Although I’d meant to get it on the market before I left Charlotte a few weeks ago I flat ran out of time trying to get things “fluffed up” before the new trailer came in, and didn’t want to let it sit in the dusty winds of south Austin. On that note, we’re loving the new Airstream. You’ve probably heard of the zeal that Corvette and Harley owners exude - well, I’m finding that it’s similar with Airstreams. I met one man who knew exactly how many rivets hold his trailer together because he counted them, and likes to compare notes on that with other Airstreamers … Since I haven’t yet done my own personal inventory I guess I’m still a rookie. The trailer tows like a dream - heavier than the little Tylenol pill, but smooth as silk and perfectly flat around road curves (mind you, not that I’m into playing Dale Earnhardt while towing a big silver cigar tube …). Plus it’s way classy-looking with its dual axels, shiny aluminum wheels, shiny aluminum hull and big windows. My model is a “Signature Series” International 23’ and was specially designed by a famous-to-some-people designer who’s done major office buildings, museums and art galleries. Every light in the trailer is halogen (NO FLUORESCENTS!), the cabinetry is dark oak, with stainless steel, chrome and black accents, and shiny aluminum interior “skin”. I left the tv on the other night when I walked Petunia and when we came within sight of it, there were all kinds of bright colored streaks of light shining out of the windows from the tv screen reflecting off the interior. At first I thought maybe the world’s biggest nu-q-lar (Shrub’s pronunciation) plant nearby had sprung a leak and irradiated the valley … I swear it looks like a trendy New York studio apartment on wheels - a very suitable portable domicile for the fashionable Ms Petunia and fat cat Mr Pooter. I spent a couple of weeks outfitting it with storage stuff from Container Store, Target and Bed Bath & Beyond (I was faster this time since I knew everything they carry from having done it for the Tylenol pill) so we’re efficiently packed and stored. I think it’d be a safe wager to bet I won’t be buying another trailer for awhile. Well, then again I think I remember saying that the FIRST time …

So, we’re set to continue our journey for the next ? months, seeing the sights and assessing locales for addition to the “future home base” list. I’m journaling and will be sending out another update eventually. I would have had one out sooner but the time in Austin felt like we were on hold rather than on tour so I didn’t have much material to work with. Austin is definitely not on the list of potential future home bases - too hot and too deep in the heart of Texas ...

Oh! Did I say that I can stand up in the trailer?! I can stand up in the trailer!!! Tee-hee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, it’s 5:10p here and they’re rolling up the sidewalks and I need to get to the 2-fer soft food dinner special at Luby’s … Got to have me some of that, uh-huh!

Smooches - JL & the 2 P's

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