Friday, May 28, 2010

The long drive

It's very, very far to Torrey from Flagstaff. It shouldn't be. Torrey is directly north of Flag but there's this very large national monument between here and there and no matter what you do, it takes 7 hours to get anywhere.
We came because we haven't been here for more than a night in over three years. We used to come monthly--sometimes weekly. I've done some of my best writing here. Julie and I came down in the coldest January when not even the Chuckwagon (a tiny general store) was open. All that's open here from November to March is the Subway. When Erik helped to build the place, he and his uncle ate at Subway twice a day. Erik doesn't eat at Subway anymore. We came down with our best friends when Y2K threatened to disable all our electronics. Since there was no internet then in Torrey anyway, what did we have to lose? We've come down with my mom and sisters and with Erik's cousins. Now, this weekend, Rick's kids are coming down. It's not a big place but as I explained to Cleo the Dog last night, this is the one home that hasn't changed for any of us in the past ten years.

Rick and Zoe just got back from the Chuckwagon with doughnuts. Also cream and milk. I don't think they found the skewers I need to make the kabobs tonight. Cooking in Torrey is always tricky. There's a lack of ingredients, an electric induction stove-top and no Caphalon but somehow I think I'll persevere.

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