Hurry up and wait - the too much at once version

Spent the weekend on the road, with firm intentions of spending most of that time in Twisp. Twisp, east of the mountains. Right off of Rt. 20 and accessible by either 20 or 2, depending on the weather. The weather, as in other parts of our great nation, has been erratic. A few details: snow storm in the North Cascades closed 20 this weekend, followed by a rockslide closing I-90 both ways just a day or two later.

Five of us went, in two cars. Laura and I spent two hours at the spa before meeting up with Lee, Tricia and Laurie at noon. When it came time to vote - 2 or 20, we all chose 20 & off we went. DOT site suggested that 20 was clear, but neglected to mention the planned avalanche control closure that would start, ironically enough, just as we arrived at the turn onto 20. So, at 3pm, we retraced our steps to 2. I was a bit fussy, but game to keep going. When Tricia suggested we stop at the Bavarian Village themed town of Leavenworth for the night - I was able to drop the fuss.

My photos from the trip aren't up yet. I'll admit that in Leavenworth I took photos of the hotel pool - to my amusement, it was in a bubble and heated. The usual fodder for photos of that lovely spot are more mountainous and bavarian. I was able to get some photos of the taxidermied deer & bear in the local Twisp grocery store too, but my batteries were drained by the time we got to the cabin. So no aspen and snowfall, no beaver dam or playing in the snow...

With the night's stay at Leavenworth, it took us a nice, round 24 hours to reach the cabin. We had a blast over the weekend - I brought my canvases for this week's show opening & got up to the usual hijinks with the girls. 'Course, time to go came too soon & after leaving at noon on Sunday, Laura and I were pleased that we got to the pass so quickly. That pleasure was shortlived tho... the final tally for this (typically 4.5hr) trip came to a rousing 7 hrs. The best was that when we got home, I didn't have the right keys to get into the house.

J was at the last of the Earshot Jazz shows & I missed him since our trip home took so long. Laura left a message on his cell phone for me - mine was in the house. I was so pent up from spending too much time idling & so I turned down Laura's offer to come with her to her place. I could get into the garage & I was sure that something would shake loose & I'd be able to enjoy the evening. That said, I did ask her to ask J to come on home, the sooner the better.

I was fussy now, but determined to ride out the night. I started unpacking the many boxes in the garage (which I could get into), noticing that J busted butt this weekend. I stubbornly tried to move my flatfiles on my own, earning myself a sore hip & shoulder this morning. I swept the patio free of leaves, which I deposited on the lawn (couldn't find any bags in the garage). I manhandled the catdoor and tried anything I could find to get me in the house.

Time passed.

I sat on the front porch, debated painting in my non-painting clothes and waited.

A little more time passed.

Ok, really, a lot of time passed. J came home at 11:30 and parked behind me. I don't think he was expecting to see me pop up in front of him. Talk about a sight for sore eyeballs. I was really pleased to see him. He got through the stories of the night, with my story tumbling out at the same time & we walked around inside the house - with him showing me what he'd done.

Nothing is quite as sweet as knowing that at some point, you'll be clean and cozy and wrapped up in quilts after being cold-ish, alone (even when you want that) and locked out. We talked and talked, catching up on the weekend and the grind that is coming for us in this week. Then, I got to sleep.

There's an astrological configuration right now that is all about hurry up and wait & it'll be in effect through the 5th of Dec. In fact, things are likely to get more confusing and less clear in just the next week, through the end of the month. For everyone, no kidding.

The funny thing about this weekend is that, with all of the blocked bits, I only barely got a sense of the frustration J's been dealing with lately. I can't even think of the rest of the folks I know. Haven't asked anyone, but I'll wager I'm not the only one thinking things could go a bit smoother.

Well, I should wrap up now. I'm in an internet cafe, our wireless is out at the house. Of course, we could make that a priority - but, um, that's so far down on our list it's not funny. So the periodic entries will be sparse-ish.

This week'll be a complete bear. I wish y'all luck if you'd do me the same courtesy.