Magpie and Muttonfly

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For the love . . .

road tripping

A high desert Autumnal hello

5 November, 2012 by moi

Our wee trip was quite lovely, thank you. When it comes to travel this time of year, things have a tendency to get touchy. You never know when the snow will fall, making the passes persnickety at best. And I’ll tell you now, you do not want to tangle with a persnickety pass. No cause for worry this year, however; the weather was fabulous! I caught up with my cousins, discovered {much to my chagrin} both of my cousins {once removed} have surpassed me in height, and met my foster cousins {once removed}. We hung out and chatted, we celebrated and laughed.

We also toured my uncle’s remodeled liquor store. From the outside, it looks much the same as it has for the last however many years, but inside—! We were like children in a candy store. I’m not a big drinker, mind you—but oh, the variety. And I’m not sure if it was the wide selection or the good lighting, but I never imagined a liquor store to be such a designer’s paradise. Seriously. I’m pretty sure my family got tired of hearing me, “Ooh, look at the colors!” . . . “Gah! can you stand this label?!” . . . “Look at this bottle!” . . . “GASP! It’s designed to look like moonshine—are you kidding me?!” So, chances are good you probably won’t get quite as excited as I, but if you like a good libation every now and again, and you happen to be in Burns/Hines, Oregon, do stop in.

Needless to say, as I sit here sipping my first eggnog latte of the season and perusing pictures from the weekend, I can’t imagine a better way to start a month of thankfulness.

So yes, I’m thankful for family members I’d also pick as friends . . . for warm autumn days . . . for a good something to toast . . . for RJ’s takeout . . . for sugar cookies and haystacks and peanut butter yums . . . for rooting for our team—together . . . for watching our mothers cheer—and laughing until we cry. I’m even thankful for cell phone pictures and those taken through dirty windows, on the road, at 65 miles per hour {I hope you don’t get motion sick} . . .

burns6

Posted in: Miscellany Tagged: family, road tripping, snapshots

Notes from a reunion crasher

14 August, 2012 by moi

Ah, road trips—what could be better? Grab some Twizzlers and a cool beverage, put on your shades and turn up the music, and you’re set—so long as fellow vehicles, semis, logging trucks, and milk tankers behave themselves . . .

Which, I’m happy to report, they did. As a matter of fact, we came upon one slow vehicle on the highway—one, people! And get this—they pulled to the side so we could pass, easily. A truly open road in this day and age? Why, it’s practically unheard of! It was a road trip miracle . . .

Want to know another anomaly? Greenery amid the high desert, in the middle of August . . .

That’s just crazy talk. But we’ll take it, because it totally helped us arrive in fine fashion . . .

Did I write? Um, no, no, I did not—I wrote nary a word. Instead, I totally crashed the party (seriously, how cute is my mum?) . . .

Of course, I also had to snap a photo or two of stray dogs—such as this brave fellow . . .

His back legs were paralyzed, so he walked on his front legs. I loved him to bits—almost as much as I loved meeting the Burns High class of 1972. What fun to meet the people, long heard about in stories!

At the dinner on Saturday the wife of one of the classmates came over to me: I just wanted to thank you for coming—just looking at you . . . that’s how we still feel on the inside. You’re such a good reminder. Funny thing, the more time spent with them, the more I saw them that way as well.: jocks and cheerleaders, party animals and bookworms. They’ve traveled, learned, and experienced a lot in the last 40 years. Through good times and bad, they’ve become the people they are today—a lot like they were in high school, only better.

And from the sound of things, they don’t intend to stop while they’re ahead. They keep planning and dreaming—those plans and dreams just happen to include a few more grandchildren.

In that, they serve as a good reminder . . .

In life, as on the road, grand adventure awaits–you’ve just got to keep moving forward . . .

Posted in: Miscellany Tagged: road tripping, snapshots

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Magpie & Muttonfly is the place where I write about all the things that make our stories grand. Emphasis on me, myself, and I. Any review or recommendation posted on this site is solely my own {unless otherwise noted}. Occasionally you will find a link to Amazon.com. An eternal window shopper, I only list items that strike my fancy. Any time you click the link and proceed to make a purchase, I get a wee referral fee. You will not be charged more--but once or twice a year I earn enough to purchase a tin of my favorite tea. So I do thank you for that!

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