Well, as we had hoped, we drove all night long. At about 4 AM, Debbie awoke from the table bed directly behind Dave's driver's seat, because she heard the ominous sound of Dave slapping his own face to keep himself awake. Its a very slight sound, but like the click that used to preceed the blast of her AM clock radio, it triggers an awake response like nothing else. ( Note from Dave: I was doing that for about 2 hours before she woke up. )
Last night, as we entered Texas, we enjoyed a hot meal...canned beans and store-bought tortillas heated by our very own diesel engine. Solomon laid them all out on the floor, and in just a few miles, they were toasty and ready to eat. Unfortunately, we could not find the can opener. So, Solomon and Ben whipped out their trusty pocket knives (a definate extra benefit from homeschooling, you can carry a pocket knife!), and pried opend the cans of beans.
After dinner, we cleaned up and got the beds made and I am telling you it was warm in Texas! The further south we drove through the night, the more humid it became, a definate sign we were nearing home. I had been telling some of the children with chapped lips that that problem would soon be gone once we got home!
So, at the dawn's early light, Debbie relieved Dave of driving, and we continued on till about San Antonio. Dave navigated that metropolis, and we were Rio Grande Valley bound! Wa-hoo! Dave resumed his sleeping in the snuggly warm back bedroom, and Debbie drove until Giddy-Doo needed a refil. Then Zak took over. He was a little rusty at first, but eventually, he gained confidence and took us just north of Corpus Christi. At that point, Debbie navigated through several towns, in the hopes of finding the westbound state highway that takes us to US 281 and home. Driving slowly through the towns meant less ventilation, so that was not the most enjoyable part of the day.
During Dave's nap, we passed a marquee wishing all fathers a HAPPY FATHERS DAY! Oh no! Happy Father's Day to our Grandpas in California too! Ug! I reminded the kids and they all scrambled to decorate the ceiling of the bus with father's day cards.
As we neared a familiar McDonalds about 2 hours from home, Dave woke and informed us he was taking us to lunch. He took over the driving and didn't notice the ceiling of the bus until we emerged into the McDonald's parking lot. He had forgotten too!
We enjoyed AIR CONDITIONING for a good long time, and the manager treated all the kids to free chocolate chip cookies!
Before too long, we were on the road, counting down the miles and landmarks until we got to our home! Safe and sound, praise the LORD, at about 6 PM.
We found everything secure and neater than we remembered leaving it. We proceeded to figure out the procedure for unloading and laundry and all that. The house is still just starting to cool down after not having the air conditioner on for so long.
Our current plan is to postpone the Mexico portion of our trip until July 1. During that trip, it is likely that blogging will be alot less frequent, but we will see.
We thank you for following the blog, and if you have any comments, feel free to eem us at daveanddebklein@yahoo.com!
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