Back to Nebraska

We started packing up today to head on up to Nebraska, to revisit a great camp we only spent one night at before. We figured Ben and Abi would both like this place, and since Abi is about to head back to school, she could use a little excitement. Or at least as much as Nebraska has to offer.

We hustled around and packed everything up, and I sat down and started up the RV.

Well, I turned the key in the ignition.

Nothing.

Sigh.

We had an ex-battery.

Now, this has happened before, and that time we had to wait for AAA or the Good Sam guy or whoever it was to show up and boost us. Which is a serious buzzkill when you are just heading out.

So, I'd bought an extra truck battery, and I've been keeping it stowed below, fully charged. A quick swap of the batteries, and we went roaring down the driveway. Nobody came out to wave goodbye, but Ben gave 'em a blast of the old train whistle anyway.

We journeyed on down the road, through rainstorms and Abi telling us old Greek myths which we misheard and reinterpreted in our own way. Then we decided we needed to use our field names - these are the names we bestow on research associates in the field. It's an initiation ritual. Since Abi and Ben have been in the field before, they had already been named Lucy and Scooter. Isn't Scooter a great name for Ben? Ya.

I'm not sure how Abi got the name Lucy (or is it Luci?). I think she just liked it. Or maybe it's her Australopithecine side showing through.

Anne decided she needed a PG name for a family site, (you should see her original field name!) so we pronounced her "Chuck" in honor of her Chuck Norris like ability to snatch hummingbirds out of the air with her bare hands. Seriously, I've never seen anything like it. Didn't bend a feather.

My name, of course is "Zephyr: Wind of the Prairie," but you already probably figured that out.

Chuck spent most of the trip digging ticks out of the dog's fur and crushing them, putting them in a cup of water.(not the dogs) The water slowly darkened with each bloated tick's interior contents. After about thirty ticks (Charlie had THREE on his penis alone) she finally slowed down.

By the time we got to the camp, the glass of water swirled darkly with tick juice and shattered bits of bug bodies. Truly disgusting to behold.

So we made the kids drink it.