A big, Pacific Northwest greeting to you, dear reader! Jinx the cat and I made our way from east to west covering approximately 3,200 miles last week. We saw some beautiful landscapes and the trip had its stressful moments. I started these cross-country drives in 2014 and they've taken different forms and various routes. As long as I have a daughter on the west coast, I will make the trip, however I'm not sure how the journey might evolve. At the very least, you know I will p

Hello, dear Reader! I'm "hanging out" at the KIA dealership while my car gets ready for my cross country drive from east to west. I was full of ideas of what I wanted to write as I drove here this morning. I also was thinking how the point of these essays is to share some of my hard-earned wisdom. At the same time, it helps to remind me of life's lessons. The word prepare comes directly from the Latin word praeparare, meaning "to make ready beforehand" -- direct and straight