travels with lucy

Arrived safely and settled in but too tired to write much. All is well here – to be continued.

Today we left Albuquerque New Mexico, drove through Arizona and into Nevada, ending up in Las Vegas. We drove through miles of flat land, but finally saw some mountains and drove past the Hoover Dam. Unfortunately, we can’t stop to do any sightseeing because our poor cats are imprisoned all day in their crates and we feel an obligation to set them free every evening as quickly as we can. The pets have been a surprise; both Vantuil and I assumed that Figaro would be fine on the trip and that Milly would be an unhappy cat. Not true at all – Figaro is miserable, hiding under the bed and meowing to go out every night, while Milly walks out of her crate, climbs up on the bed and only comes down to eat. She seems perfectly content. Lucy is the same old Lucy….
I feel a little silly writing this, since I really don’t have anything much to report. I’m not sure what I imagined would happen on this trip that would be newsworthy. I guess I just wanted to let family members know where we were and that we were okay. Which of course we are, since we fortunately took the southern route cross-country, rather than through the Midwest, which as you know has had terrible weather.
We finished listening to an interesting book today, one that Dave suggested, Caveat Emptor. It’s written by an art forger and, although the author doesn’t have much of a literary style, he tells a pretty amazing story about what happens in the art world.
The only amusing note today concerns the unisex rest room we stopped in in Arizona – between the toilet and the urinal were a number of 75 cent vending machines selling regular condoms, tickler condoms, and extension condoms, as well as a little book of sexual positions. No need for sex education in Arkansas schools!
Tomorrow we drive about 8 hours (that is, Vantuil drives while I sit in the back seat with the cats) and we should arrive in Reno in time to pick up the keys to the rental apartment. We are both looking forward to a nice meal and the prospect of not having to go anywhere for a few days.

Big scare last night….. We couldn’t find Figaro anywhere in the bedroom. Couldn’t imagine how he’d gotten out, but we looked all around the outside of the hotel, calling him. I offered all the young people hanging around the smoking gazebo $100 if anyone found our cat, and Vantuil got in the car to drive around looking for him. Finally we found him, hiding up inside the torn bottom of the bed’s box spring. Poor thing was pretty traumatized.

Long day today with Vantuil driving into and then though Texas and into New Mexico. Not much to report as far as scenery. Happy to have found a Whole Foods in Albuquerque, where we are spending the night. Tomorrow to Las Vegas, and then Reno on Tuesday.

Left at 7 this morning from Tupelo and crossed the Mississippi from Tennessee to Arkansas. Many miles of flat land until we hit the Ozarks. My favorite billboard today said, “Thou shalt not commit adultery. Jesus said I will be ashamed of you and you will be ashamed of me.” Tonight we are in another LaQuinta hotel (they take pets) in Oklahoma City (just a while past Toad Suck Park). Note photos above; we did not go to see the midget strippers, but Vantuil made sure his pants were hitched up before he went to get me a bottle of wine. Pets are okay – Lucy sleeps on the floor of the car all day, Milly sleeps on my lap all day with very few meows, and poor Figaro is so traumatized he hides in his crate all day and under the hotel bed all night. Tomorrow we head for Albuquerque. 2/5 of the trip done!

Day one of the trip began inauspiciously with a 6:45 departure. Cats seemed fine, with only an occasional meow. Somewhere around Waycross, however, Milly’s meows began to become more than occasional, then really distressful, and then the car became permeated with an awful smell. Vantuil couldn’t smell anything, as usual, but I knew that one of two things was happening: either Lucy was farting up a storm in the back seat, or one of the cats had crapped in his/her crate. The latter proved true; poor Milly couldn’t hold it, and so an emergency stop was made to buy paper towels and a clean-up job begun. Lucy and I changed seats, and except for the fact that the whole car smelled like shit, everything proceeded smoothly. Milly worked on her grooming problem, Vantuil still couldn’t smell anything, and I considered having a cigar.
Around noon, we passed from Georgia into Alabama, where a large billboard advertised a fireworks outlet owned by Wanda the Bang Bang Lady.
It rained all through Alabama, where more billboards read, “go to church or the devil will get you” and “America, love it or leave it.”
Arrived in Tupelo, famous as the birthplace of Elvis Presley, around 5:30. Long day but tomorrow’s trip is scheduled for only 9 hours. Cats were good travelers, Lucy slept the whole way. Chinese take-out was the worst ever, so I’m glad I brought Larabars. And scotch. More tomorrow…..

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Vantuil and I are heading out on what could either be a fun trip or a disaster in two days: we are leaving Woodbine, Georgia, for Reno, Nevada. We are driving with Lucy, our dog, and Milly, our 11 year old cat, and Figaro, our two year old tuxedo cat, neither of whom has ever been stuck in a crate for five days, the expected duration of this journey. The alternative to this nuttiness would have been for us to ship the pets out to Reno in an airplane,something we were not prepared to do. Fortunately Erika can ship our clothes, water-pic, espresso maker, and winter clothes to us, so our Prius only has to hold two adults, one dog, two cats and their crates, enough clean underwear for five days and several bottles of scotch.
The excitement begins Friday, when we have a reservation in a hotel in Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis Presley. Photos will follow,

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