Focus on the backseat

 

          OKLAHOMA CITY, Ok. – Maggie (she’s our dog) and I rolled into this city today without much trouble and even less fanfare. I expected a marching band to lead us into town, but that might have snarled the highway worse than it was.

          Amy’s plane left Albuquerque at 6:15 this morning and she got to Ohio safely, despite the sudden blare of the emergency signal in the Atlanta airport during her layover there. It seems someone allowed a flame to get too high in one of the many, many kitchens at the airport (or something like that) and the result was the jarring announcement that there was an emergency. A few moments later there was an all-clear announcement, so it was kind of like the fire drills Amy worked through so many times as a teacher.

          After a return to the hotel from the airport for a brief attempt to doze off, I loaded the car and headed out.

          I really like the drive out of Albuquerque. The rare combination of mountains, boulders, greenery and desert sands is a joy to see. The trip took us through Amarillo, Texas and then into Oklahoma. No mountains here!

          This trip was supposed to be a fun, sentimental journey for Amy and I. We imagined ourselves cruising across America, heading for our new home. Amy brought a movie trivia book/game and we expected to listen to music, play the game and chat our way through four time zones (Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern).

          But instead of my beautiful, loving wife next to me in the front seat, I’m stuck with a dog and a plant in the back. I’ve never driven a dog across 2,500 miles of country, let alone a plant.

Coolidge, The Green Sphinx of the Backseat.

          My companions don’t talk much, let me tell you. Have you seen the commercial where two children sit in the backseat of a car and have a contest to see who can be silent the longest? Well, that was Maggie and the plant today. No noise from either.

          I stopped twice during the drive to let Maggie out of the car for exercise and the occasional bodily function, but the plant has adopted an attitude and wouldn’t get out of the car for any reason. I had to forcefully carry the plant into the hotel room after we arrived. I set the thing down on a table here in the room and you’d think it has taken root or something. I’ll have to carry it back to the car in the morning, I’m sure.

          This from an organism that lives in dirt!

          For the duration of the trip, I’ve decided to name the plant ‘Coolidge,’ after Calvin Coolidge, the 30^th president of the United States. President Coolidge’s nicknames included ‘Silent Cal,’ and my very favorite presidential moniker, ‘The Sphinx of the Potomac.’

          The perfect name for a plant with an attitude.

          The Focus achieved 37-plus miles per gallon today. That’s really very good, considering the 75-mph speed limit and the mountain climbs during the first few hours. I backed away from 75 mph a few times during the steeper climbs and, as the morning temperature was very comfortable, I didn’t use the air conditioner until the middle of the second hour of the drive. These things helped the mpg, no doubt.

          Tomorrow, Maggie, Coolidge and I head for St. Louis. Sunday we are scheduled to arrive home.

 

          Thanks for reading.