Disconnected

I have been - from  my computer - for the last 24 hours or more, although I've been checking email by phone.

Yesterday was very busy; I had two job interviews (I think I did well, but we shall see) and then we drove up to my mom's time-share on the Olympic Peninsula. My mom, my girls and me. This serves the dual purpose of giving us some Girls' Time Away, and giving hubby some Alone Time. And I'm still obeying the Rules of Unemployment ("You must be physically able to work, available for work, and actively seeking suitable work."); I am reachable by phone and email, and I could make it to the other side of Puget Sound in an hour or two if need be. There is wireless internet here, at the office and "coffee room", a small condo that was formerly the dwelling of the office manager. It doesn't reach as far as our condo though, so we go to the coffee room for connectivity. We can sit in the playground and be connected too, but it's kind of wet out there today, although the sun is out.

Because the trip to the condo involves an hour-and-a-half or so of driving (not including the trip from my mom's to my second interview and waiting at a local indoor play space for my interview to be done) and a ferry ride, Lizzy was a wreck when we got here; she was so tired she could hardly see straight, but insisting she wasn't. Thank goodness the staff of Jalisco Fiesta Port Hadlock really mean it when they say "family dining". And there is much spoon-droppage today on her part. And a little on mine (but I'm blaming mine on the sofa-bed on which I spent the night). Abby's not doing a whole lot better, frankly, but she's at least basically reasonable, if somewhat loud.

There is a pool and hot tub, a game room and tennis courts. This wet rainy May is not the best time to enjoy these however; although it is nice right now, it has been iffy all week. This place is right on the Sound, so it's windy and chilly, and they "shocked" the pool earlier this week and the sunlight was insufficient to get the extra chlorine out as quickly as they'd like. I do love it here though - it reminds me of my childhood, and it's soothing. Cheap vacation too; just ferry fare and a cleaning fee.

A couple truly-hilarious things from the trip over. Lizzy screaming at the top of her lungs, "I think we need moh LOUDNESS in heyah!" in the car. But my favorite trick of the trip so far was when Abby spotted a NOAA First Responder in uniform on the ferry, and asked him if she could say the Pledge of Allegiance to "his arm" (by which she meant the American Flag patch on his uniform sleeve). And then she did it. He said it was definitely a first for him. Schoolchildren and Scouts... who knows what they'll do next?

My mom had recently come back from a trip to North Carolina and she brought the girls each a Magic T-shirt from Asheville (they oonly come in kids' sizes where she got them). Lizzy got this one, and Abby this other one. These are amazing. They don't require direct sunlight - any natural light will do - but the brighter the light the brighter the colors.

Good trip so far, tired children (and women) notwithstanding. Tomorrow we go home (this is essentially a mid-week weekend for us), but this has been a refreshing change.