Spring Break Excursion-Venturing into Gallop

I know that I have mentioned several times that my life is pretty nice, but simple. I go to school, work with amazing people and students, go home, walk the dogs,  go see Torturous Dave at the gym, ride my bike..repeat. It's a very nice life actually.

Vacations haven't happened in my life since I've been out of the bubble. Mostly because being on your own equals watching carefully what you spend equals the fact I'm in education-that should explain everything you need to know why

And that's ok, really.

However, the time-space continuum once again rotated and aligned to change this. David decided that it would be fun for us to go on a road trip to Sedona. In terms of time, David has less time than I do. Way less. (That's another story for another time) But in terms of need, he needed a vacation WAY more than I even did.  So I very happily accepted, holding my breath and not getting my hopes up too much just in case the time-space continuum took a negative twist, and something would happen to prevent this time from occurring.

But off we went.

First of all, there was the issue of clothes packing anxiety.  If you are a woman at all (and perhaps if you are a  man) you know what I mean. You have to pack enough to make sure that you are prepared for every event and situation. I mean, what if you go someplace that is cold? Or hot? Or what do you do if you go to a nice place? So my basic theory is to prepare for all of the above. And of course, basic hair care is vital..so your hair dryer and flat iron have to take the trip as well. I mean, after all, it takes work to make me look even normal.  I wouldn't want David to go off fleeing into the deserts of Sedona in shock..although he has seen me with a red face and mascara streaming down my face..so perhaps, on second thought, I didn't need to worry about that. :)

So I packed numerous shirts, tops, jeans, dresses, sandals, tennis shoes (and no, there was not a kitchen sink in there) threw some books in there (relaxation time was supposed to be built in, after all) and took myself and my suitcase to David's house, where we left early on Thursday to head off. He didn't laugh too much when he saw my HUGE suitcase, especially in comparison to his small and efficient  one

Hey, it's not that mine is so big..his was just very small, I might add.

Our first stop was in Gallup. David owns a lighting company, and like any smart business man, takes advantage of the opportunities that come his way. And since we were driving through there, why not stop and drop off some of his flyers to give him even more work to do..and to be busier than he already is? (This is just an observation, and once again, another story for another time.) My only experience with Gallup (and my apologizes to anyone who may live there) was when Whitney went there for a basketball tournament, and the people there were...well, less than friendly. In fact, they were a tad bit hostile. David assured me that he would save me (if necessary) from the evil meanies of Gallup, and in fact informed me that Gallup had millionaires living there as well. Why this would be, I will never know.

Somehow I just can't see this as a home for millionaires..but since I'm not one, what do I know?

One thing that I must mention is that there were several things that I learned about the world of lighting on this trip. Well, there have actually been many things that I have learned about the world of lighting since I met David, but there were two in particular that I learned on this trip:

1. A lot of architects have their offices in their houses. Please note these houses are not easy to find, even with my little Mapquest App.
2. The economy has not been kind to architects..or to businesses in general. Of course a lot of you may know this already, but it was news to me. 

We spent a while trying to locate architects that had addresses that didn't seem to exist. I tell you, the people who name roads and use directional thingys like "SW and NE" are evil. Totally evil. Or else they have not consulted with the mapping people, who don't seem to know that these directions exist, and you end up in Timbuckoo or some scary location. After leaving a couple of packets at some doors, David took me to a Gallup institution. It was the El Rancho Restaurant and Hotel.

 It seems as if once upon a time, when the movie industry made lots of westerns, a lot of movie stars made movies in Gallup. I mean after all, it is very westerny. There were western types of furniture, and tons of pictures of all kinds of movie stars such as John Wayne, Doris Day, even Jane Fonda. Why Jane Fonda would be there, I am not sure..but her picture was there. She doesn't seem like the kind of actress that would make a western movie.

Me inside the hotel 

David (with his great smile) in front of the hotel

We left Gallup (with no harm to self or others)  and stopped for lunch in Winslow, Arizona. I am not sure what one does in Winslow, Arizona, for once again there were a lot of businesses that didn't seem to be in business. We circled the downtown area several times looking for a place to eat, and after finally parking by a playground in which David thought I'd enjoy because it would remind me of school (he's so funny) we ate at a Vietnamese restaurant which had western type table covers, and lots of oriental ornamentation about the place.  After that, we piled back into his truck...and headed off to Flagstaff.