Trip Out West

Okay, so I’ve been home from vacation for almost a week and a half and I have not posted a blog.  I’m the worst, I know.

Vacation was a lot of fun and had a lot of ups and downs.  It’s the same trip I took a couple of years ago at Christmas. 

I’ve never liked the desert.  I know that this doesn’t surprise you.  I don’t like it simply because I am a creature of the forest and I die without it.  I can, however, appreciate the desert.  I appreciate the beauty of the colors throughout the day. 

I respect the desert in the way that one respects the ocean; it is unpredictable and wild, and when you are in the desert, you mind your manners and respect what is around you, and understand that you are temporarily there, and you will be moving along, or else you will perish.  You are on borrowed time in the desert, just the same as you are when in the ocean.  Of course, I’m talking about the actual desert; not the cities, or the areas around water, but the actual desert. 

Like the ocean, it’s something to be admired from afar, visited briefly, and left how you found it.  To me, the desert reeks of ancient and unfounded history; the people who inhabit it are like early American pioneers; tough and a bit wily, just like the land.

I’ll preface this next part by saying that I am not the person who is usually trying to make conversation with folks in public. 

On the flight out, when boarding the plane, the guys in front of me were talking about their bows, because they could see them being loaded onto the plane.  So, of course, I had to ask them about it.  They said they were on their way to Utah to hunt for wild cats.  Which is a good thing, because I heard that they are running low on those :: insert heavy sarcasm. ::

All I have to say to that is Ew.

I was knocked out the first few hours of the flight, since it was a 7 AM flight, but I was awake the last hour or so.  When I woke up, we were approaching the desert.  I always have a window seat, so I had been looking out the window for a while, when the very tall Asian man sitting next to me leaned over and said, “What is that??”  I said, “It’s the desert.”  He said, “I don’t understand… why are there no trees or anything?!”  He could not comprehend. 

I got to talking to him for a while, and it turns out that he is on some sort of bucket-list quest (I didn’t press for details.)  He is from China, and he said he was on his way to the desert to ride ATVs through the desert.  He would see out of the window a few scattered trailers, and he asked what they were.  

When I tried to explain that people lived there, he could not wrap his mind around it.  “Why would they live in the middle of nowhere?  There are no trees – no life!”  I told him I didn’t understand it either, but some people just like that sort of thing.  Anyway, it was nice to talk to someone who was experiencing such things for the first time.  I hope he had a good time.

I flew into Vegas, and my darlingest preciousness dearest friend picked me up from the airport.  We then proceeded directly to In-N-Out Burger, as first order of business.

I want to take a minute to just express how very sad I am for you folks whom have never been to an In-N-Out Burger.  Frankly, I don’t know how you get by in life.  It’s a staple in the lives of everyone west of the Rockies.  It’s a block in the path of my life’s journey – a fond memory all through my childhood. 

Anyway, then we went to The Celine Store in Caesar’s Palace, to browse and otherwise pay our respects to The Queen.

Then I got my rental car and was on my way.

I spent a few wonderful days with my sister.  We went fishing and shopping and sheeping.

Feeshing

Sheeping

The lambs were just running back and forth, so cute!!

And, of course, the ol' family videos came out.

Me and my sister at Disney World 1k years ago.

My sister is one of the funniest people I know.  (It’s a family trait.)   For example, we were in the shopping mall in Laughlin, and I innocently proposed the idea of stopping by to visit a store which had several varieties of candy apples on display – caramel apples, snickers covered apples, M&Ms covered apples, rocky road apples – you name it, they had it.  We did our shopping first, and then stopped in the store on our way out.  Listen, we simply could not agree on an apple to split.  I don’t really like nuts in my food, and she only wanted the kinds that had nuts.  So, I kind of mentioned that we don’t really NEED one, we can just leave the store…  So we leave. 

We’re walking through the mall, and all of a sudden, I notice that my sister had been saying stuff under her breath for a while.  I take a listen, and I hear, very quiet, and very slow, “asssssssssssssshhhhooollllllllllee….”  

GASP!  How long had she been saying that?!   I kindly asked her if she was trying to say something.  She exploded, “I was just trying to have some FRUIT!  I was just trying to have some of my daily nutritional value, serving of fruits & veggies, and you ruined EVERYTHING! Assssshooooollllllee…”  

And this continued, the entire way back to the truck.  And then in the truck.  And then she called her wife and told on me.  I didn’t know what to say; I never had a justification.  

I later told my sister's wife, “We Miglins are very funny people!”  She said, without skipping a beat and without looking up, “That’s because you are all crazy people, and you can’t help yourselves.”   Touché.

So, the apple situation came up again about every 15-20 minutes for the rest of my trip.  I can still hear it at night whilst I slumber… “Assssssshoooolllllllle.”

Anyway, then I decided to bring the snow as I departed, and I brought the snow all the way to California. 

My sister said I am a snow fairy, and when I got back to the office, my colleagues were relentless in the Ice Queen jokes.  I can’t even deny it anymore. 

I got to L.A. to my other sister’s house, and we went out for New Year’s Eve to The Ivy in L.A..  

It was a very lovely meal, and I had never been there, so it was very nice.  Also it was fun to see all the cars worth twice as much $$ as my house costs roll up to the restaurant.  

I love that scene.  Given some sleep and night cream, and proper makeup and hair, I could really work that scene.

We went to the Rose Parade the next morning, and even though it was chilly, it was really so much fun. 

Then I hopped in the car and went to visit my niece in Long Beach overnight, followed by a very lovely brunch.  Afterwards, I went back to L.A. to meet my mother and stepdad at the Warner Brother’s studios, and did a tour, which included the Friends Central Perk set and a Harry Potter exhibit.

 So, that was my trip out West.  I don’t know what other vacations I will be planning this year.  What kind of journeys will you be making this year?