In which vacation, like all good things, comes to an end.

We left Laramie and went back to Boulder, taking I-25 this time since the highway we’d taken up was an eternally long strip mall. We went to BearMountain’s house to get Truck, but his luggage was all up at Ron’s. Mr B bitched and moaned about it, but drove back up so Truck could get his luggage.

We stayed in a Super 8 in Nebraska that night because by 8 pm Mr B had been driving for twelve hours and was fucking done with it. The motel allowed dogs in for $5 per night each – I simply adore hotels and motels that take dogs! Mr B and I enjoyed the spa and the pool briefly while Truck lounged in his room, then the three of us went across the street to a Mexican restaurant and sat in the entirely leather bar for dinner and drinks. (The table tops were leather, the chairs were leather. It was bizarre. It was Hannibal Lecter bizarre. It may have been the bizarrest thing I’ve ever seen. I’d have taken pictures but I didn’t have my camera and my phone was dead.) After our meal, we couldn’t resist the tavern just up the street with the martini glass-shaped sign so we waddled up there. The women’s restroom in that bar was the tidiest, nicest, neatest restroom I’ve ever seen in a bar: there were rugs on the floor, the walls were tiled, it was spotless, and on the back of the commode were three fresh rolls of paper and a container of antiseptic wipes. On the counter near the sink was a tray containing lotion, matches, and a can of hairspray. Trust me, it was strange.

The next morning we rolled out a smidge before noon.

We arrived home Sunday around six. The Amazon Blonde came out to collect Truck. I unpacked, made sandwiches, ate, and went to bed. I’d have gone immediately to sleep too, but Mr B nagged me until I ravished him. When he wanted to cuddle I snarled, “If you wake me up one more time, I will poison your meatloaf!” He chuckled and rolled away until only our feet were touching. “Will that do?” he asked. “Yes. Now stop twitching, for God’s sake, I startle awake every time you move,” I said, and was asleep within 45 seconds.

Truck was coming down with something on the drive home, and by Sunday had almost no voice. I spoke with him on the phone today, and he’s got pneumonia. No shit.

In other news, I went to Farmer’s Telephone today to pay my landline bill, and learned I can now actually get 256k line-sharing DSL at my house! For $30 per month. (And a $115 modem and a $60 setup fee.) Yes, that’s outrageously expensive. Yes, I’m totally thinking about it. I mean, 256k is 200k faster than the 56k dial-up I’m on now.

In other other news, on my vacation I bought the coolest sunglasses ever and a pair of new moccasins.