travel journal keywords on the fly for later detailing:

crop circles. red rocks. cookie cutter vegas housing tracts: is my attitude of mild repulsion towards the idea of living in vegas analogous to some others' mild repulsion towards the idea of living in L.A.?

one armed bandits and caesar salad with avocado. but no actual prickly pear presence on menu.

usefulness of earplugs. i heart ginger ale. great sand dunes.

increased frequency of cutoff-Tshirts on men. ability to see stars at night from the freeway. country-looking roads. lots and lots of tall and leafy trees all crowded together.

a perfectly beautiful sunny summer day not too hot with a breeze. brought some ideal california weather with me. wide meadows and forest patches in valley forge park. passport to my national parks. no deer, deer hiding. lots of cyclists, walkers, strollers, sunbathers, general tourists. but not so many as to overwhelm, lots of room for all.

family picnic. outdoor deck in the sun and shade, increasingly sun. video games with cousins in cooler basement. homecooked burgers and hot dogs for dinner. family stories recounted with some spirit. slobbery friendly dog as automatic patrolling vacuum cleaner.

FIREFLIES. Living moving randomly unpredictable suddenly simultaneous christmas tree lights floating in the cool evening air.

a guestroom computer with DSL.

contents of purple tricycle are copyright 2004 carrie lynn king unless otherwise noted.