Today was a day of rest and contemplation.
Darren rang in his 21st year with very little fanfare. He had no interest in going and getting a drink of any kind, nor did he really want to make a big deal of it. But really, he’s always been that way about his birthday. Give him a donut and a lazy day and he’s pretty content.
I must say, I do like staying in one spot for more than a night. It is nice to not hitch and go in the morning and instead to just go slow with coffee and getting dressed and all that. In fact, we didn’t really go anywhere until lunch time and we went to a place named one of the 10 best restaurants in Nebraska. It’s called the Emporium and, to be honest, it’s a little surprising to find it here. The decor is very upscale and the menu is every bit “big city”. Very nice crab cake brioche sandwich for me. Darren and Samantha had BLT salads that they both reported were yummy.
After that, I did some Dory housekeeping. I needed to replace a bolt that seems to have fallen off the bike rack and there are little odds and ends, like hanging shoes and the shower head better, that I’ve been meaning to get to. I also unpacked and shook out the awning that hasn’t been unpacked since the rally. Good to air that out. Also did the same for the tent that Darren has not been using. Oh well. At least I want it packed up nicely cause it kind of got shoved in when we were miserable and humid.
Rick and SanDee came out around 6 and got a tour of Dory. We then headed up with my mom’s ashes to the bluff. I can’t get over how beautiful it is up there. The sandstone has such a distinctive color and the erosion patterns make these crags and gullies that jump out from the vast expanse of green. We found a beautiful spot, overlooking the whole plain to the west. This is undeveloped country so the view is all peace. All nature. And it faces the sunset every day. Beautiful.
Dinner was Chinese food at Rick and SanDee’s house. It is all of a two block walk from where Dory is at the RV park. They have (and always have had, it must be said) quite the menagerie of pets. 
Their dog Yankee is more of a small horse than any kind of dog I’ve ever seen. But it’s the Pomeranian who rules the house over him and their cats. Entertainment is watching a lion bodied Golden-doodle bark helplessly as a tiny Pomeranian chews his bone right in front of him.
Tomorrow we hitch and go. We’ve all decided we want to make a more or less straight shot toward home. It’s not that anyone is miserable (or at least no one is saying that), but I know I’m ready to head back. I miss Richard already and he misses Dory (and me, I assume) terribly. The kids seem to be enjoying themselves, but sleeping is hard enough for a young adult and quarters are close for sure. Best not to push this I figure. I don’t think it’s time to buy Depends and drive through the night yet, so at a reasonable pace, we should have three more sleeps after tonight before we get home. Friday.
