Our vacation sucked

Not to say Mom and Dad weren't great hosts. It wasn't that. It was EVERYTHING else. The stomach flu was just the start. Every time we thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. Then the baby just stopped sleeping. Ok, she slept a bit but it wasn't enough. We went to Sunday brunch in Durango, Colorado for Mom's 70th birthday and a monster storm came in and bout blew us off the patio. Then we ran inside and it hailed. We waited about an hour inside the restaurant for it to stop. (They broke out buckets all over the place because their roof leaked.)

Then Monday Simon attempted to go mountain biking and I was driving him up the mountain and forgot that the bike was on the roof rack when we arrived and I almost scraped off the bike in some low hanging trees. We then  decided almost 6 sleepless nights were enough for us and headed back home Wednesday morning.

We were between Kayenta, AZ and Tuba City, AZ driving across the rez in yet another storm. (Unbeknownst to us there were tornado warnings for all of Northern Arizona.) A huge gust of wind hit us and the front bike tire secured to the bike rack rolled right off the car. Simon saw it in the rear view mirror bounce away, barely missing the car behind us. There was some serious spazzing that ensued, as if our lives depended on us retrieving that bike tire. There was a quick turn around followed by pulling off the side of the road onto no shoulder at all. Followed by a quick run across the highway in the rain to look for the tire. While I was running back to the car (where we had left both kids) I thought to myself, "what are we risking our kid's lives for?" A damn bike tire, that's what. Luckily it began to hail and Simon ran back to the car. He hadn't found the tire. I had him slow the car and Philip and I strained our eyes to look for it on the side of the road. Hail stung our faces while we looked , but damn if we could see that tire anywhere. It was long gone.

We stopped at the Elephant's Feet a little further down the road and fed the baby and everyone got out to stretch their legs. We had just pulled back on the road and Simon realized his cell phone was missing. We went back to the Elephant's Feet, but no cell. Seriously? A freakin bike tire and a cell phone lost within minutes of one another. I said out loud, "I am pretty sure it just has to get better." It did for awhile. We missed the 4 tornadoes that had touched down earlier that day in Flagstaff. We still had both kids with us. We hadn't lost either one of them. We stopped for lunch in Flagstaff. (Things are so much better with a tummy full of yummy chili beans and cornbread.)

Heading towards Phoenix on I-17 we stopped for caffeine and a snack at a rest area. (It was my turn to drive.) The snack machine malfunctioned and gave us flaming pork rinds. We decided to leave them in the snack tray for the next lucky customer. Philip saw a guy using the snack machine and said he looked like he would love Flaming Pork Rinds. Sure enough, a chubby guy in a t-shirt and cargo shorts had them in his hand with a huge smile on his face. We were so happy Flaming Pork Rinds made someone's day.

The rest of the drive to Tucson was great. Philip jabbering on about science fiction in the front seat and Ellie sleeping quietly in the back seat. We finally get home and walk in the front door and expect our three lonely cats to come running to say hi, but no cats. Philip ran and opened the baby's room and out came our big black cat Mowgli frantically looking for water. He had been locked in the baby's room. He had used the baby's crib for a poop box and the single bed to pee on. Then Philip opened the door to his room and out popped our other two cats. They, thankfully had a glass of water to drink from, so they were spared total dehydration. Philip's leather computer chair had been used as a cat box but our female kitties are considerate and tidy and we haven't found any more surprises in his room. All three cats had been inadvertently locked in the bedrooms by the cat sitter since Sunday night. We arrived home Wednesday night. We are watching our Mowgli closely to see if he has any ill effects from the dehydration. (Apparently severely dehydrated cats can and often do die from liver failure.) I just can't imagine the sheer torture our poor, fat, water-loving kitty endured.

So, we may not EVER go out of the house again after that adventure. We may become recluses and change our names to Hughes as in Howard. (Philip would love the part where he gets to grow his fingernails uber long. We are unsure about peeing in milk bottles, however.) 

Caught Mom mid-laugh.

Sweetness

How great is this retro polyester quilt? Mom said it is 30 years old.

This is the look we all had on our faces when the huge storm hit and interrupted our Sunday brunch on the patio in Durango, Colorado

Hail storm at the Durango train station. (Our view from the restaurant we were stuck at for over an hour waiting out the storm.) 

The deserted restaurant patio during the storm.

Hail looking like snow.

Simon's smile before the bike tire came off the rack.