6 Days and Counting

Can't wait to go and can't believe I'll get it together to go. So excited about it and so overwhelmed with all the last minute work things that spilled in Friday afternoon. As my dear friend and business partner Mary would say, what the what????? I think 6 RFPs landed in my inbox Friday afternoon. No way to deal with all that and leave in 6 days.

Plans have come together beautifully. A few changes to the itinerary and still sketchy about whether David will join me in LA or Albuquerque (which is a word I just don't know if I can keep having to type) and therefore what, exactly the LA to Marfa, Texas route will be. But it's good to have some mystery.

Have added a visit with another Whitman alum -- Richard Gold has kindly offered to put us up in Columbus for the night. Looking forward to seeing that party animal. That makes 6 (seems to be today's magic number) confirmed Whitman connections for this trip -- Richard, Frank Popplewell, Jim Nicholson, Doug Henry, Jim Monday, and Lisa Howorth.


The car's been in for a major servicing and is good to go. Suitcase is picked out, packing list is, er, still in my head at the moment, and taking care of the house in my absence is pretty well under control. This week I'll tie up loose ends and I guess come Saturday whatever's not tied up is just going to be left loose!

Less Than Three Weeks To Go!!!

Wow, time sure flies! When I started this blog I had triple digit days to go. Now departure is right around the corner. Looks like the route is pretty much settled (maybe you can see the string on the map?) and has fallen into place with a couple of modifications:

Monica will be going with me from Rockville to Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Debra then joins me from Minnesota to North Dakota (just setting foot there to say I've been there), South Dakota, Wyoming and Utah.
Bonnie picks up in Utah, then on to Arizona and California.
I'll be solo from California to Albuquerque and then David will join me for New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia and home. Well, he may not make the whole trip back with me -- negotiations continue.


Meanwhile I snuck off to the beach to bid adieu to east coast for a bit.

Thanks to Monica for the brilliant suggestion to take photographs of the "welcome to" signs along the way. Should make a nice montage AND remind me where I've breezed through! Thanks Andrea for the suggestion to download podcasts. If only I could figure out how!! And thanks to my seatmate on my flight to LA a couple of weeks ago who suggested bringing some provisions to be able to picnic occasionally and not be wholly at the mercy of restaurant food for five weeks.

Do you have a suggestion?