Saturday 27 September 1997

We had a very good trip down to Wichita... Lacee slept most of the way. Karen had brought her portable CD player along, but she couldn't get it to work. She thought the batteries were dead, but when she checked they were simply gone. We do have a CD player in the van, but it has been on the blink for a couple-three months. The power keeps going off and on, and now it's mostly off.

The speed limit on the Kansas turnpike is 70 MPH, and we cruised along at 67. It was kinda nice, we didn't have to worry about cops or anything. We sure did get passed a lot though. I don't believe that I passed anyone when I was driving, and I don't think that Karen did either. One of the main reasons that I hate cruise control is you have to get off of it so frequently when someone in front of you slows down. But it is really nice when you're the slowest vehicle on the road. Really relaxing, watching the people go by with their radar detectors, trying to get in a few extra MPH, save a few minutes going wherever they're going, worrying about where the next cop might show up.

We had an excellent meal at Debbie & Rics', Deb made lasagna and steamed broccoli; in case I haven't mentioned it before, Deb is an excellent cook. Deb and Karens' mom Betty was there too, it was nice seeing her.

After supper, Ric and Karen and I took Betty home and loaded up the bed for mom. I was worried about it being too heavy and too long to fit in the van, but it worked out pretty good. I had to turn the back captains chairs sideways, but other than that it wasn't a problem. The bed is adjustable, with a massager and stuff, and I thought it would be very heavy, but it was only about 70 pounds probably.

Back at Ric and Debs, we had Ice Cream and Brownies. Then it was off to bed for me, and Karen followed shortly after; Lacee slept in Jeff's lower bunk, and she slept all night. She did get up fairly early, though, and woke us up.

We had a nice leisurely breakfast and sat around and talked for quite a while... we didn't leave until probably 11:00.

The ride to Enid was OK too, about two-and-a-half hours. Once again, I stayed below the speed limit. I think that I have found the secret for relaxed driving.

We stopped at the Conestoga restaurant at the junction of highway 60 and I-35. It's one of my favorite places on that road, they have breakfast all day; good greasy stuff too. Lacee was being a pill by this time, not wanting to do anything that we wanted her to do, including eating.

Once we got to Enid, we sat around and talked for quite a while, then we unloaded the bed. By the time we got that done, I was exhausted and sweaty. Karen and mom thought I was having a heart attack, of course, and they needed some reassuring. I'm just not in very good shape, and it doesn't take much to wear me out. That is gonna change. I have resolved to lose about 30 pounds and start exercising regularly. It is embarrassing to work a little and feel and act like a man twenty years older that I am...

We did meet two very delightful people... my mothers' twin cousins, Rita and Cleeta. I had met Rita about ten years or so ago, but it has been thirty since I saw Cleeta. They are still very similar in appearance, and, just having met them together for the first time, I would have a hard time telling them apart. Rita has slightly lighter hair. They are about 62 years old, and they look like they are in their early fifties. And they were taken by Lacee. They both have scads of grandkids of their own, but Lacee impressed them anyway, and they impressed her. She spent a bunch of time showing them everything that we had brought along, all of the pictures first. After she ran out of pictures, she had to show them her clothes, then everything in her quot;hair bag".

Shortly before Rita and Cleeta got there, Lacee had got her first (and only) spanking on the trip. She was twirling around on a swivel chair, and Karen told her to quit. (I was in the bathroom while this was going on, so this is all hearsay) Lacee decided to be defiant, and Karen had had enough. As Karen was getting out of the recliner, it pinched her on her right biceps (more shades of serendipity... she has a bruise in exactly the same place that Kim and I do!) and she was even madder, so Lacee got swatted pretty good. She did not test Karen any further this weekend, needless to say.

After the twins left, we put a mattress at the foot of the bed that we were going to be sleeping in, and Lacee was pretty contented there. She wanted Karen to tell her a ghost story, so Karen did. Then Lacee wanted to tell the story, and she did. Then she let out this cackling witch laugh, then "Happy hallo-WEEN!" and another cackling laugh. Karen and I couldn't help but crack up, and we shouldn't've. Lacee cackled for the next fifteen minutes. But when Karen finally told her to shut up and go to sleep, she went.

And so did Karen and I.