The Largest Cross

I left Amarillo early driving straight into a glorious sunrise...pink clouds streaking across the horizon. Juxtaposed against God's creation was "the largest cross in the northern (or was it western?) hemisphere," which the sign promised would be a spiritual experience. Sorry, but God's sunrise trumped the cross.

After a few hours on the road, the Texas-shaped waffle I had for breakfast had worn off and I left the Interstate in search of "road food"; that is, food that is not mass-produced by McDonalds, Wendy's, KFC, or any other chain. No such luck. Elk City has been taken over by WalMart and the chains; I could find no local diner. The same was true in town after town I drove through today.

I was more fortunate at dinnertime. In downtown Little Rock, down the street from the Clinton Library, I found "The Flying Fish," an unpretentious restaurant with checkered vinyl tablecloths and garage doors opening the restaurant to the street. I stood in line salivating over the thought of fried catfish, while my conscience told me to order the healthier broiled fish or boiled shrimp. I finally compromised with the fried catfish salad. Wonderful!

Sue

Strip motels

Some of the best motels I've ever stayed in were of the ma and pa "strip" motel variety. That is, all rooms at ground level, usually facing a pool or courtyard, where you can park conveniently right by the room. That's where I am tonight. I passed up a nicer Best Western, where all ground floor rooms were being renovated, in favor of this one. I had a choice of "high-end" no smoking/no pets/exceptionally clean rooms, or rooms that allow pets, or rooms (even cheaper) that are closer to the highway. I decided to spring for the exceptionally clean. Though not charming, it is clean.

I stopped at Mom's Cafe in Salina for lunch today since it has been featured on Jane and Michael Stern's "Road Food" reports and my husband is a big Road Food fan. However, I made a big mistake by not ordering one of the things they're famous for (i.e. chicken fried steak) and ordered fish and chips instead. If Jane and Michael had ordered fish and chips, Mom's would never have made it into their report.

I passed up the local cuisine tonight in favor of the meatloaf sandwich I brought from home.

Sue

On the Road (Again)

I love road trips, but it's with mixed feelings that I leave my home for who knows how long. Thankfully, the house and cats are in good hands, but I'll miss them.

I realized this weekend, as I caught myself thinking, "Sue to the rescue," that I'm going into this adventure with my usual control-freak, fix-it mentality. It's a good thing I caught it now because my rational mind knows I cannot fix Mom's cancer. I cannot even fix her depression, which I suspect will come with surgery and disfigurement. Like turning my older teenagers back to God with, "They're you're kids, too; now watch over them..." I must do the same with my parents. I just pray that I may be an instrument of comfort and healing.

I decided not to wear make-up today...I don't want to look too good when I stop for gas at truck stops!

Sue