Oh. Well, that's all right then.

"But his smile when he turned it on you was quite remarkable.  it seemed to be composed of all the worst things that life can do to you, but which when he briefly reassembled them in that particular order on his face made you suddenly feel "Oh.  Well, that's all right then."" (from Young Zaphod Plays It Safe  by Douglas Adams)

I think smiles are made of awesome.  It's one of those things you can give away for nothing, and get so much in return.  I have found, especially during the upcoming holiday shopping season, that smiling at those who are working can really make an amazing difference ~ in their day & mine too.

I've been following a couple of blogs that make me smile...well, one of them makes me laugh out loud, a lot.  Let me tell you a bit about them.

The first is Secret Agent L, All Around Swell Chick Specializing in Anonymous Acts of Kindness and Day-Brightening (http://secretagentlinpgh.blogspot.com/).  Secret Agent L & her affiliated agents do things like leaving a note card, a Secret Agent L business card, and often a small giftie, in unexpected places.  Sometimes on car windshields, others on park or bus benches, sometimes in the workplace.  The cards are addressed to "You, yes you!".  One of the first of the missions that I read about was done in an airport.  The affliated agent left their gift on a computer keyboard.  The person who found & opened it was an airport security guard, who went online & left a comment with S.A.L., that he had been having a horrible day & that surprise turned it all around for him.  The creativity & ingenuity of the missions often astound me.  Be Kind. No Exceptions.

If want to laugh, it's time for you to go see Allie Brosh's Hyperbole and a Half.  (http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/)  I thank Jim MacQ everytime I read her posts, for pointing me in her direction.  You might not want to read it at work, or at the library, or in class.  And definitely not when you are drinking any sort of liquid.  Not unless you don't mind others looking at you like you have completely lost your mind because you are laughing so hard the aforementioned liquid is coiming out of places it shouldn't have been in the first place.  When you go to Allie's blog, look for the Alot.  I love him Alot.

Go, smile, laugh...and share those with everyone you see.

The Girlfriend Tour (part 1)

The Girlfriend Tour began in April of 2007.  I had 2 weeks to visit 3 of my girlfriends, Elizabeth in Texas, Sara in Missouri, and Robin in Idaho.  I drove on my own, and spent about 8 - 9 hours driving each day.

My first stop was in Sun City, AZ (Dad's place).  Spring in the Arizona desert was absolutely beautiful!  The Palo Verde trees were all in bloom, their bright yellow blossoms lining Interstate 10.





When I left Sun City, I drove for around 2 hours, and stopped at Picacho Peak & visited the Arizona Nuthouse - how could I pass that up?  They had a nice gift shop with Arizona-made crafts, plenty of nuts, candy and ice cream too.

Barrel Cactus at the AZ Nuthouse

Picacho Peak

I think that this may have been my longest driving day of the whole trip.  It was a great day, and taking pictures with my little Nikon Coolpix worked out pretty good.   Many of them taken through the car windows while on the road...shhhhhhh.....

 

I loved the piles of boulders at the rest area.  Doesn't this one look like a big lizard?

I never did see any snakes.  I think that was a good thing.

Not much traffic.  A nice change from the daily commute.

 

 

Almost to New Mexico.

This really reminds me of all those Westerns I watched when I was a kid.



I stopped at the first "Welcome Center" I came to in New Mexico.  While I was inside, one of the other travelers was talking to the woman behind the counter & I heard her (the tourist) telling the story of this sign.  It seems that her father designed & built these signs for New Mexico.  After having been at the state borders for many years, it was decided that they weren't big enough to be safe & would be replaced.  Lucky for me, they moved at least this one to the Welcome Center, instead of just trashing it.



I didn't run into any dust storms in New Mexico.  It was clear & calm all the way across the state.



I actually took this picture to show my friend who's husband works for a company that hauls giant loads like this  - they moved the Spruce Goose - and was happily surprised to see the Continental Divide sign!



I loved this metal sculpture at one of the rest areas!



  Just the Roadrunner, no coyote. 

I ended the day, after driving from Sun City, AZ & all the way across New Mexico,

in El Paso, Texas.