'04 Oct: A Mitzvah :: Where the Heck is Mom?

October 20

Taking Aiko to see her son in Susanville.

Racing up the I-5 to make it to the Harris Ranch exit in time for this remarkable (and shockingly pano-distorted) sight.

About that rainbow shot, I ask myself and will never know the answer, if I was by myself would I have stood out in the rain those extra some number of minutes to set up the tripod and do a better job with the opportunity? I'll never know.

And if I did and if in say twenty minutes, after fussing about and getting soaked, would it have been too late? Would I have lost patience? Am I basically too lazy to have bothered? I'll never know that either. But I can guess...

Day 1: LA to Manteca

Break time. To give you an idea of the distances between potty stops.

The real I-5. Desert, crops, power lines. All that's missing is the cows.

Mom absolutely HAD to stop here and absolutely HAD to have the all you can eat soup bowl.

Day 2: Manteca to San Ramon to Chico.

Riki put together such a gift for Mom. We got to visit with Phyllis...

...and James and Carolynn, and Jake, and Brad. Thank you all for coming and bringing treats! We ate lunch, snapped a few pics and left before Mom or Phyllis were over the edge. Mom was smiling for hours.

Chico, and evidence of the presence of a University of California.

Day 3: Chico to Susanville.

This drive was our favorite time in the car. Wow. A season. Fall in Lassen National Forest. Very gaspy.

More.

The long and winding road...

Mom really likes to have her picture taken.

So take the index finger of your right hand and point it skyward, then take the index finger of your left hand and point it downward and then with your left hand make a circle around your right index finger. That’s what my sister and I did for the whole trip because it’s Mom Mom all about Mom. Mom is the center of the universe and we all simply rotate in her orbit. Oh yeah, she had fun.

Cute.

Taking a three minute Mommy-break and a walk behind the restaurant.

Everybody with a camera has got to do barns. It's a rule.

Aiko. Thinking about tomorrow and visiting with her only child.

Early the next day...

The High Desert State Prison in Susanville. You do not want to be here.

Day 4: Susanville to Reno.

This reminds me of an old tinted postcard that you might find in the bottom of a drawer at Granny's, not written on but bought and saved because of some unremembered day.

Having recently gone through my stuff I found a few in the bottom of my own drawer!

This was a 'scenic view' turn out. Mom didn't want to get out of the car. 'Don't you want to be in the picture?' 'Oh YES of Course.' And she was out and smiling before we had time to bring the stool around!

Aiko treated us to a Japanese dinner in Reno and I taught Windy how to play video poker. We had us some fun!

Day 5: Reno to Fresno

Rather obviously, I am macro lens impared.

A long-ish driving day. We made the ladies a picnic for dinner, served on the ironing board with towels for a table cloth.

Day 6: Fresno back home.

We just Had'ta have bar-b-que tri-tip sandwiches!

In retrospect, this was Mom's last road trip and she got to have it the way she wanted.

Click HERE and all the pictures in this chapter will get big.