highlights

and there were some great moments of the trip as well:

We camped in the redwoods one night. The nature program that night was on banana slugs. There were songs. There were musical instruments for the kids in the audience. The rum and cokes we imbibed at the campsite increased the entertainment value of the evening. And now I cannot get the banana slug version of 'twist and shout' out of my head.

A day at climbing across the oregon dunes and swimming in the ocean.

We stayed with F at her aunt's in Coos Bay. The aunt's 14 and 15 year old granddaughters were there as well. They are uber-girls. They tan. They get manicures and pedicures. They talk about calories. We spent a fun hour trying on hideous dresses in the local Ross before watching Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which exceeded my admittedly low expectations.

I lost $2 to the Star Wars slot machine in F's tribe's casino. It was my first casino gambling experience.

And I saw some amazing art in Sacramento courtesy of R.

And after a delayed flight back, I spoke with a giddy giddy E.