Days 18 and 19 in South Bend

Walks by the river, meals and conversation in our friend's lovely upstairs screened porch that feels like a tree house.

We went to the Tiffany glass exhibit at the history museum.

https://visitsouthbend.com/tiffany-exhibit-shines-history-museum/

Day 17 in South Bend

 

Big Bobby here. This is one of my favorite places. Mrs. D. and I visit here almost every summer, and this time Eloise is here, too.

We get to go for walks a lot here. Around the neighborhood, along the river. I never want to leave.

Day 16: South Bend, Indiana

What was supposed to be another easy day of driving into South Bend was derailed by some kind of awful accident, or perhaps two of them, causing a freeway closure and re-routing us through Illinois farmland as night came on.

We arrive late and tired.

Day 15: Marion, Illinois

An easy day driving north east, through country that keeps getting greener, trees that keep getting higher.

We crossed the Mississippi near Cairo, a place name from Huckleberry Finn. I'm reminded of a fact about that story that you must know history and geography to understand; Huck and Jim are traveling on the river where it separates the states of Missouri and Illinois. Jim is a runaway slave from Missouri, a slave state; his obvious goal is to get over the river to Illinois, and yet he spends weeks on the river with Huck, apparently to look after him--something Huck's viewpoint doesn't share with us, but which Mark Twain probably intended us to understand.

Day 14: Little Rock, Arkasas

My sister got in very late, after a flight was canceled due to thunderstorms. Then a long day's drive from Houston to Little Rock, through flat, lush green country.

We are into bug country. At a rest stop, we both got stinging bites from something tiny. Fortunately the dogs had their flea and tick medication. I even got the pill down Bobby by coating in cream cheese back in Cleveland.

Day 13: Houston Hobby

Checked in to wait for my sister's arrival from New England later tonight.

An interesting new development:

Miss Eloise has figured out how to wriggle out of her harness. As in, wait, I have the leash, where is Eloise? OMG there she is romping around at the other end of the ... mercifully the hotel corridor and not the parking lot.

I remember the Steinbeck book Travels with Charley. Well, I remember the title, mostly, the rest of it only very dimly, but I don't have the impression that Charley was very much trouble on these travels.

This is travels with two moppets at that intelligence level comparable to a human toddler's--smart enough to figure out how to make something happen, but not nearly smart enough to see why it might be a bad idea.

Day 12: still near Cleveland, TX

Rain and heat, a climate like a sauna.

A lot of food, the Far East comes to Texas, with good results if you know where to look:

umamigrillandsushi.com

Tomorrow, my sister flies from New England to Houston to join us for the next leg of the trip. Making room for everything in the car will be a challenge.