Day 3 - and then...

Some of the things I love about my first born is his creativity and willingness to learn. Yes, he has a sense of justice that just won’t quit and while it is incredibly tiring to be on the other side of the head butting, I admire his persistence. As Evan likes to say about his sales prospects: “It isn’t so much about winning them over as it is about wearing them down.”

So this is what we did: We kind of submitted. Josh did some research and came up with a proposal that would include a 2 hour drive, boondocking (sleeping in a Walmart Parking Lot) and an acceptable drive for the following day. I pitched it to the other family, they couldn’t do it. Hooray! A double win for the parents! Josh learned the importance of research and advanced planning and we kept on track…not that there is that much of a track to keep to.

What turned me around from my position of “not driving out of our way a single iota” to splitting the difference was that on Wednesday night he and his friend had an hour long phone conversation. Afterwards Josh and I had a chat. Another thing I love about Josh is that he is a chatter. I am trying to instill in my boys that chatting is good and to keep doing it. Cool guys chat. Chatty boys get the girls. Chatty boys have more fun.

Josh mentioned how hard it is for guys to stay in touch. He is worried that he will drift away from his friends. So am I. Friends and family are key to a persons happiness. That sense of belonging to a community. Josh is getting older. He is putting together a community of his own that I need to respect and encourage. Get over yourself Wendy….it isn’t about your schedule. And another brilliant point made by My Personal Help Desk (aka Evan) was that this trip is also about showing the kids that we can be flexible and spontaneous.

I am trying to keep up my hour a day of exercise and an hour of writing. Today I took a beautiful bike ride along County Road 31 in East Springfield, NY. Lots of farms. I biked to a state park – Glimmersglass. It was 7:30 when I biked in. Nobody was around. Who would have thought that the oldest covered bridge in the US would be there? 1867. That use to sound old to me, but now that I am an International Snob that sounds like recent history. Give me something from the roman age – now that is old.

We live in an RV. I still don’t believe it. We drive with all our stuff with us, all the time. Simon and I danced in the Big Pig this morning. There was room to do a couple of spins

We had lunch today in a rest area off the highway. Pizza bagels. Noodles. We have a budget of 130 bucks a day. Goes fast. I look at money very differently now that there is nothing coming in. Invite us to dinner and we might steal stuff out of your pantry– this is your warning.

I am now typing away as we are barreling down the New York Turnpike (or is it Thoroughfare? Or thrufare?) on our way to Buffalo and then up we go into Canada to see Niagara Falls. Bruce Springsteen is singing “Keep your eye on the prize, roll on” from his Live in Dublin album, the boys are plugged into an I Touch watching The Simpson’s Movie. Don’t worry, Evan is driving.