Author Archives: Sparky
Excruciating waiting
My company still has not given me an answer on my request to work remotely this winter. I think it is a 50/50 proposition, so I have been spending some time thinking about Plan B. Just retiring is one option, but it would be financially painful. Finding another job would be feasible but difficult. Putting … Continue reading
A year of Patience
It was one year ago today that I began my 3-month leave-of-absence from work. We had, of course, been spending a lot of time in Patience before then, but had a home to live in until the start of September, 2012. Jett was full-time from that day, but I lived for a week as a … Continue reading
QTE Hop 6: Lorton, VA, to Littleton, MA
2 day, 534 miles via I-95, I-495, US 29, I-70, I-695 (near Baltimore), I-83, US 30, US 222, I-78, US 22, PA 33, US 209, I-84, I-90, I-290 (near Worcester), I-495 (near Boston) amd MA 2A. This was a grueling weekend, primarily due to the fatigue from the previous weeks, the complicated route to our … Continue reading
QTE Hop 5: Georgetown, KY, to Lorton, VA
2 days, 569 miles via I-75, I-64, I-77, I-79. I-68 and, near DC, I-270, I-495 and I-95. Day 1: Georgetown, KY, to Sutton, WV The only things that made this day difficult were the terrain – very hilly – and the rain – intermittent with occasional downpours. I was also pretty weary after the work … Continue reading
GTE Hop 4: Branson, MO, to Georgetown, KY
2 days, 633 miles, mostly via I-44. I-64. I-57 and I-75 Day 1: Branson, MO, to Benton, IL This was the longest day of the GTE – 359 miles, almost 6 hours of driving. With a refueling stop lunch break and a nasty construction delay in Illinois, we were on the road for over 7.5 … Continue reading
Branson, MO
How to describe Branson? Las Vegas for the geriatric? Times Square on downers? A town whose existence can’t be explained? It is a small town far removed from any major metropolis (Springfield, not exactly a metropolis, is an hour away), with no major roads and no major scenic attractions which nevertheless has attracted a very … Continue reading
QTE Hop 3: Oklahoma City, OK, to Branson, MO
1 day, 300 miles via I-44, US 412 and US 65. This was a 1-day hop that compensated for the previous 3-day hop. Both I-44 from Oklahoma City to Tulsa and US 412 from Tulsa into Arkansas were very hilly – lots of up-and-downs, the result being very poor mileage. Most of the route was … Continue reading
The Cowboy Museum and Braum’s
We didn’t do much while we were in Oklahoma City, thanks to me working all day, every day. But there are two things about Oklahoma City that are worthy of note: Braum’s Ice Cream shops and the National Cowboy Museum. After our third straight day of travel, Jett was in no mood to cook dinner … Continue reading
QTE Hop 2: Williams, AZ, to Oklahoma City, OK
3 days, 905 miles via I-40 and I-44. I really wasn’t looking forward to this hop. Three long days on the road, almost all on I-40. There would be some scenery, but it would be dusty scenery and we were getting pretty fed up with wind and dust. We left Williams with a fine layer … Continue reading
QTE post-mortem
The QTE was our first attempt at traveling long distances while I continued to work. The strategy was to travel only on weekends and for me to find a good internet connection during the week. So how did that work out for us? I think if I had to choose one adjective to describe the … Continue reading »