For her 8th grade civics class, Beth and other students have been invited to put pins in a U.S. map to indicate states they have visited. Thanks to our 2019 road trip — from which we made the map pictured here — Beth can pin 30+ states, plus some from other travel.
"OK," she said, "can you read the states off the map and I'll write them down?"
"Sure," I said. "We'll start in the northwest. Washington. Idaho. Montana...."
She starts writing down names, but also giggling to herself, so after several more I look at the list.
"'Why, O Ming'?" I read. "Wait, you're writing these down wrong?"
"I'm writing them like that Mad Gabs game," she said.
"Oh, good heavens," I said.
But we continued, and in the end, she had this list of states she's visited:
Wash In Ton
I'd Aho
Mon Tan Uh
Why, O Ming?
Soda Kota
Mini Soda
Whisk On Sin
Ill in Oi
In Diana
Mishy Can
Oh, Hi O
Pencils Vain Ya
No Yolk
Ver Mint
New Hamster
Mass of Chew Stats
Connect a Kit
Nudge Erzee
Deli Where?
Mary Land
Virgin Ya
Wuss Virgin Ya
Can't Ucky
Misery
New Brass Kah
Can Sauce
Color a Doe
No Mix Icko
Air a Zone Uh
You Taw!
Or, Again
Call a Four Nya
Nah Vada
Floor I'd Uh
Huh Why E
"Are you just going to give this list to the teacher?" I asked.
"Now that would be funny," she replied.
—
Curious about that 2019 trip? I posted something about almost every day of it:
Eastward: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
Westward: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
And various posts from the FAQ.
