Colder than . . . something.

*** continued from previous post  ***



It was then that I noticed that the nylon bag I had strapped down so well had slipped sideways and was now, to put it delicately, dribbling off the side of the trunk. It was a pathetic sight.

As you know, I am nothing if not tenacious, so after a couple of hours, some blood, some cursing, and a promise to the Elder Gods to finally complete my application to Miskatonic University, (Cthulhu makes a bitchin' mascot! Take that Jersey Devils!), I had managed to put everything in order. Mostly. Which was good, because I was exhausted and our departure tomorrow would dawn bright and early. It was time to get some rest.

In our attention to detail I thought we were prepared for any contingency. HA! The Fates, God, The Universe . . . whomever is pulling the strings on this sideshow we call life just loves that kind of crap. Gives them a target. Bastards. But I'm not bitter. Well . . . yes I am, but it has nothing to do with this trip.

Mostly.



* * *



After a good night's sleep and a hearty pot of coffee, Mom and I, chipper as a cheer-leading squad on ecstasy, stepped out to greet the day and embark on our grand adventure. Oh the excitement! Is there anything more wonderful than starting out on a journey that you've been planning for months and months and months? There probably is, but I'm not going to ruin the moment by speculation. We were giddy, let's leave it at that.

Now as we stepped out the door the first thing we noticed was that it was cold. I mean really cold. Not just 'cold in relation to August', but cold as in . . . well, just cold. It was 51 degrees. Cloudy. Misting. Bone-chilling. Welcome to summer in the Pacific Northwest! As any true native Puget Sounder can tell you, summer begins on July 5th and ends the 8th of August. Then boom! Back again after Labor Day for 2 weeks. I think that those two weeks are strictly to mess with the minds of the kids who've had to go back to school. I remember, as a child, going to class on the first day of the fall semester, wearing my new coat and winter clothes because, "school starts in the fall', and immediately dieing because it was 80 flippin' degrees. Each year I vowed that next year I would do it differently. But, that first day of school would find me once again sporting a parka with sweat stains in the pits and suffering from heat exhaustion. Who needs kidneys anyway? Internal organs, in my opinion, are completely over-rated. Ah, good times . . . good times.


*** the journey continues tomorrow