B-I-N-G-O!

It was suggested that I offer a fun play-along game on my trip. Well, actually, this began as a pool amongst my co-workers deciding how I was likely to perish on my trip. I thought it would be more fun to make it less death-y and more fun, while maintaining it's moderate terribleness.

So I present to you - Barb's Route 66 Bingo. Let me know if you want a card to play along. There are several of these that are definite gimmees, but hopefully some will never come to pass. Particularly those involving snakes, tornadoes and bears. I could live with a night in the slammer *if necessary.

*i just noticed that I put "get arrested" on here twice. Make of that what you will...

That's a lot of miles~

Here is my itinerary - I have places to sleep, which is a good idea. Very little chance of bear attacks...

	Date	LEAVE	MILES	SLEEP
Thursday	630	Beverly, MA	414	Cleveland, OH
Friday	701	Cleveland, OH	371	Owosso, MI
Saturday	702	Owosso, MI	236	Cleveland, OH
Sunday	703	Cleveland, OH	325	Chicago, IL
Monday	704	Chicago, IL	195	Springfield, IL
Tuesday	705	Springfield, IL	120	Saint Louis, MO
Wednesday	706	Saint Louis, MO	239	Springfield, MO
Thursday	707	Springfield, MO	77	Joplin, MO
Friday	708	Joplin, MO	103	Tulsa, OK
Saturday	709	Tulsa, OK	213	Elk City, OK
Sunday	710	Elk City, OK	152	Amarillo, TX
Monday	711	Amarillo, TX	117	Tucumcari, NM
Tuesday	712	Tucumcari, NM	169	Alburqueque, NM
Wednesday	713	Alburqueque, NM	139	Gallup, NM
Thursday	714	Gallup, NM	210	Mund's Park, AZ
Friday	715	Mund's Park	200	Mund's Park, AZ
Saturday	716	Mund's Park	163	Kingman, AZ
Sunday	717	Kingman, AZ	205	Barstow, CA
Monday	718	Barstow, CA	94	San Bernadino, CA
Tuesday	719	San Bernadino, CA	78	Grover Beach, CA
Wednesday	720	Grover Beach	338	Aptos, CA
Thursday	721	Aptos, CA	107	San Geronimo, CA
Friday	722	San Geronimo, CA	0	San Geronimo, CA
Saturday	723	San Geronimo, CA	0	San Geronimo, CA
Sunday	724	San Geronimo, CA	0	San Geronimo, CA
Monday	725	San Geronimo, CA	0	San Geronimo, CA
Tuesday	726	San Geronimo, CA	107	Aptos, CA
Wednesday	727	Aptos, CA	575	Elko, NV
Thursday	728	Elko, NV	384	Salt Lake City, UT
Friday	729	Salt Lake City, UT	493	Estes Park, CO
Saturday	730	Estes Park, CO	0	Estes Park, CO
Sunday	731	Estes Park, CO	516	Lincoln, NE
Monday	801	Lincoln NE	216	Lee's Summit, MO
Tuesday	802	Lee's Summit, MO	471	Crawfordsville, IN
Wednesday	803	Crawfordsville, IN	223	Columbus, OH
Thursday	804	Columbus, OH	396	Rochester, NY
Friday	805	Rochester, NY	414	Beverly, MA
			8060

Kicks-getting Comences Soon

Yes, I am less than one week out from my summer adventure. I will be documenting it here so before I begin, I wanted to post some interesting links that friends and husbands (okay, one friend, one husband...) have sent me that might just have some impact on my travel adventures.

My beloved sent me this one - https://weather.com/travel/commuter-conditions/news/27-strangest-sights-route-66-20140613#/1 from the weather channel. Some very cool looking features here.

My pal Shilpa sent me this one -  http://www.abebooks.com/books/features/route66/  -  she knows me so well!

Finally, I found this some ludicrous place or another - http://www.metv.com/lists/9-delicious-regional-soft-drinks-we-still-crave-to-this-day -   I spent a childhood drinking Vernor's and Faygo. Dr. Brown's was out go-to Thanksgiving beverage and I can get Moxie here. Although why I would want to...blech. I had Sundrop on vacation before and feel deeply in love with Cheerwine in the Outer Banks a couple years ago. This leaves Big Red, Green River and Vess to be tried out. I can't wait!

And yes, I am as concerned as you are that I spent three times as much blog-space on exotic sodas as I did on bookstores and points of interest. I think if I call it a SODA CHALLENGE it will be less concerning. Let's do that, shall we?

Final Scarf

So on Friday I wore the same outfit I were just about every Friday. Jeans, orange shirt, black cardigan and a smile of impending weekend-hood. 

But this week, I added a scarf! It is just jauntily resting atop my shoulders. 

I didn't wear it for the whole day, but I managed to keep it on until my portrait was taken. 

My friend Sue took the pictures on Wednesday and Thursday whilst mildly mocking my "challenge" but on Friday she came into my office saying, "Are you ready for you picture?" She was totally into it by the end of the week. 

The scarf challenge gets everyone all excited!

Tomorrow I will be thinking of another challenge. Vocabulary? Random act of literacy? Hmmmmm... What to do...

Cheese Rodeo Update

 So these finely dressed gentlemen enjoyed their cheese rodeo. Here are the 5 stages of cheese rodeo.

1. Anticipation - Start planning two months ahead. Anytime you are worried or sad, simply remember the cheese rodeo is going to happen and then you won't feel so bad.

2. Lust -It is going to happen soon. Oh my goodness, it is almost here. I can smell the cheese rodeo from here. 

3. Cheese Rodeo - IT IS HAPPENING NOW!!!

4. Regret - Why did we eat three cartons of Boursin in 5 minutes? What kind of animals are we? I will never poop again. Oh the humanity.

5. Repeat.

(And yes, that Jawa wants to make America great again. Jawas is so stoopid!)

And the best part was I was, briefly, allowed to wear the cheese crown!

Cheese Rodeo

My teenaged son is taking part in a cheese rodeo tonight. That is an event where teenagers gather together to eat cheese.

Yes, they are just that weird.

So as a kindness, I offered to make a recipe of Boursin cheese. I learned how to do this over the summer when I was visiting my pal L.L. Lizbeth on Cape Cod. Her parents had us over for dinner and frankly, I have never had better cheese and cocktails in my life!



Anyhoo... you can find recipes all over the internet. Try it! It's delicious.

So here is the funny thing. This morning I told my son that I would make a vat of Boursin for the rodeo.

He said: No thanks.

I said: Why not?

He said: We're going to buy it.

I said: I already bought the ingredients and I can make it so you don't have to pay for it.

He said: It's not the same.

I said: It's exactly the same.

He said: You don't understand. You don't get to open the homemade stuff.

I said:...

He said: It's very gratifying to open the little foil thing.

I said:...

[Now the shouting commences.]

He said: YOU DON'T EVEN LOVE CHEESE!! YOU'RE A POSEUR!!

I was amused by his passion and frankly, I do kind of understand the lure of opening the packaging. I kind of feel like sending a letter to the Boursin company telling them how very powerful their design is for teenage boys.

I am still going to make that vat of Boursin, though. And I am going to eat it my damn self!

Fairest of them all...

I think this is the prettiest of the outfits. I am still wearing an over-sized sweater and black shoes, BUT I am wearing tights. Which almost never happens. AND look at that scarf! I very nearly matches the skirt. And I tied it beautifully.  I am really quite pleased with the outfit. And I sat up straight all day because those were control top tights. They are very unforgiving...
Yes, I made the picture EXTRA LARGE today because that is how pleased I was with the outfit. (As I sit here in today's outfit which is exactly what I wear every Friday with the addition of a scarf. Alas...)