20 Jun 21

Well, it is finally time to head up to the boat again. There is no indication yet that the Canadian border will open at all this summer, but we remain optimistic for a 21 July opening. Time will tell. Dan, Emily, Hank and baby Joyce, along with nephew Jake, gave me a rousing send off last night. So, my head was a bit sore this morning.

We were both up at the crack of dawn, well, 08:30, anyway. I finally got underway about 10:30. The drive to Lubbock was unremarkable, although long, and I arrived in town at 18:30. About an hour out, I finally received a reply from our old family friend Ann S., so I stopped by her house for a drink and a long chat, followed by dinner at a local Mexican food restaurant. It was great to see her again after all these years; she was my mom’s best bud. Lubbock does not seem to have changed much; still flat as a pancake. One of the benefits of that is that you can see a long ways in any direction from anywhere; on the way to the hotel after dropping Ann off at home, I could see a beautiful sunset and two good thunderheads developing off in the distance: one way to the north and and one off to the west. The weather may change frequently out here on the Llano Estacado, but it cannot sneak up on you. The Admiral had to tarry in Houston to take care of essential medical issues; she will fly up to Albuquerque to catch up with me on Tuesday.

Log = 513 miles; Sum = 513 miles