Kristie is a cousin I grew up with in LA - we all lived in the South Bay (beach) area - they were in Manhattan Beach. She has 2 sisters (that unfortunately I didn't get to see on this trip), Lorie and Jodie. Kristie and I were trying to figure out exactly what kind of cousins we are - my Mom and her Dad were first cousins; my grandmother and her grandfather were brother and sister. Again, a missed opportunity for a selfie, but below is the family picture of our grandparents, their parents, and all their siblings. There were 16 children; 2 died in infancy and one at age 16 - the other 13 all lived in southwest Kansas, or the Oklahoma or Texas panhandles, and were very close to each other. Kristie's grandfather (my great Uncle Emmett) was top middle with the curly hair. My grandmother (Lona Belle) is standing next to her mother with the cute pigtails.
So Kristie and I spent a lot of time catching up, and sharing family memories. We even got cousin Treva on the phone from Denver to tell more stories of family - and Kristie was able to share some things that Treva didn't know. We went out for Mexican food (I tried as many Mexican restaurants as I could on this trip) - which was delicious! The second night I was there I got to meet her granddaughters (who came to dinner with Mom & Dad), Ellie and Piper and they were adorable! I hope to get back there again and spend more time with them. And did I mention she has a fenced in yard so Lady was beyond happy?
I drove north from Vegas to Salt Lake City where I was asked to work at the OPALS/MediaFlex booth with Julie and Ann (two recently retired librarians) and Harry (owner/CEO) and his daughter, Andrea. Numbers for this year's national AASL (American Association of School Librarians) conference were low - I didn't get numbers but probably 25% - 33% of their usual participants, largely due to the pandemic we're still dealing with. Even so, quite a few interested librarians stopped by the booth to chat. What I learned is the amount of work that vendors have to put in to setting up and taking down their booths! Next time you're at a conference, hope you'll take time to appreciate that! OPALS is the library automation system that we supported at WSWHE BOCES where I retired as the School Library System Director - it's a great system, and the service and support that we get from Harry and Andrea and their staff is phenomenal!
I had planned on boarding Lady during the conference, and put her in the first day but was really distressed at it (cold concrete floors, small spaces, a LOT of loud, barking dogs) so when I found out the hotel I was in was pet-friendly, I sprung her as early as I could the next day. (Did I mention I cried when I was driving away?) She had to stay in her crate in the hotel room while I was gone but I took her for a good walk each morning before leaving, came back for another walk at lunch, another when I got back in the afternoon, and another night walk. Needless to say, I got more exercise than I had planned on - but worth it!
After AASL, I headed south to get on Route 66 (next post). I stayed in a town called Kanab, UT which was so picturesque; in fact, they're known for several western movies shot near there. It had a great park for Lady to walk, and the scenery was beautiful. I'd have to say that, other than the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Utah as a whole had some of the best natural beauty - recommend taking a trip there if you haven't already.
Next up - Route 66.
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