The Cascades

We left our little oasis at The Sun Mountain Lodge early this morning, around 6 am, to drive into Seattle.  They were kind enough to pack us a breakfast-to-go and fill our coffee mugs, and off we went.

My friend Maria, from Philadelphia, had told me about the North Cascades National Park and how we should drive through it on our way to Seattle.  Gorgeous, she said, and no one there.  Well, she was absolutely right!! 

Our first views were spectacular!  The clouds, the snow, the jagged peaks.  We saw dozens of mule deer by the side of the road.  But not a single car.  For two hours!

We stopped for breakfast at Diablo Lake ... it is beautiful.  There was a small pavilion with some seats and wonderful views.

The temperature was about 41 degrees, so I was bundled up in three sweaters, eating (the world's most delicious granola) through chattering teeth.



We continued on our way and were amazed at the rapidly shifting weather.  Clouds and sun, blue sky and misty rain that with just a slight drop would have been snow flakes.

Not a lot of talking during the four hour trip into Seattle.  Mostly we just stared in wonder, in awe.  It felt so remote, and so rugged.  Such beauty.  

And if you're like us, and prefer to feel as if you might be the only person there - rather than trucking along in the middle of a long line of rubber-neckers at Yellowstone, then do like Maria said ... and go see The Cascades.

From There To Here

When we began planning our trip we were focused on things we’d like to see, places we’d like to go, and where we could find the coolest summer weather.  We threw around ideas like Quebec, Mackinac Island,  Banff.  We  enjoy State and National Parks, pleasant walks in downtown parks and along rivers, we like history and places that we’ve read about in books.  We like going back to places where we’ve been - if the food is good, and the beds were comfortable.We knew we had about eight weeks to play with, probably being on the road for about four.  It seemed like a reasonable plan.

Then, through a series of events around us we found ourselves with some new parameters:  a funeral in May, a graduation in June and a conference in July.  The “bad” thing was they were in Pennsylvania, Seattle and San Antonio.  Our trip was doomed!  Our plans were scotched!  Our budget was blown!  We’d be flying all over creation rather than having a lovely little vacation.

Or maybe....?

Joe began thinking of a way to do this, and before long we had a new plan. Plan B was “Do It All.”  (Isn’t that always Plan B?)  Leave Florida in late May and head up the east coast, turning left at Philadelphia and then driving to Seattle for the graduation.  Then left again, down to San Francisco (how about an opera?) and over the Sierra Nevadas in to San Antonio July 1 ... and then home! 

It began to seem doable and so we set off.  One of the very nicest developments was the addition of family to our itinerary.  We met up in Washington DC (Joe was in NYC and I took the Auto Train) and luckily my sister and her husband moved there recently.  They joined us for an evening out in Cambridge, MD on the Chesapeake bay where we sampled Crab Cakes and cool breezes as the sun went down.  We sat in large rockers, watching the sky turn pink and purple and the water darken.  The gulls circled slowly in the sky and  even though it wasn’t cold, we could have had a nice bonfire (especially after Laurie and I had seen the S’mores kits at the concierge desk).  We exhibited great restraint and did NOT buy the kits to eat without fire.

From there we drove to Philadelphia where I got to visit some landmark historical sites and a good friend! We stayed near Logan Square and had some wonderful city walks as well as fabulous dinners.  And then we headed west, across the Allegheny Mountains into Sharon, PA.  Joe was born here many moons ago, as was his father before him.  Joe’s dad, also named Joe, was a pilot in the Army during WWII and died in a crash in September 1944, just three months before his son was born.  The funeral we would attend was that of his aunt, the oldest sibling of his dad.

We were welcomed with open arms by cousins, aunts, uncles, friends and other relatives.  There were tables laden with food - most of it traditional Slovak dishes - and coolers of cold soda, pots of coffee and a large tent with tables and chairs on the grass.  After a lovely Mass in honor of Aunt Aggie, we all went back to the house to reminisce, to tell stories, to listen, to laugh, to hug.  There were some emotional encounters with family members. A chance to listen to the elders who were, back then, the youngers. We felt connected to the Wellers, Mihalcins, Zreliaks...and others. 

From Sharon we drove to Columbus, OH.  What a great college town.  We met up with Joe’s cousin (on his mom’s side this time) for dinner at a neat little restaurant and had a chance to reminisce again, over a time not quite as long gone by... and to catch up with our families and children and pets and travels. 

From Columbus it was on to Urbana, IL (another cousin on his mom’s side) and another wonderful dinner with grown kids, sad stories of loss and passionate discussions of earthquakes and oil spills. We had the pleasure of congratulating a couple of recent college grads (a BS and a PhD) and again the feeling of family and connection was both heartwarming and convivial.

Moving through the midwest we headed north toward Minneapolis and met up with Joe’s sister and her husband for a delightful pizza dinner.  Even though it was the last week of school (she is a teacher) and she was feeling ill, Barbara and Alan were wonderful hosts and it was such a pleasure to have a simple dinner, catching up and laughing and enjoying each other’s company.  Their daughter lives in California, and their son is in active duty with the US Navy in the Middle East.  I was quite moved by the Active Duty star on her collar.  He should be home August 15 - which just happens to be her daughter’s birthday.  How cool is that?

We headed west then ... toward Seattle.  Our middle daughter will graduate from college on June 13.  What a blessing!  What a day!  But between Minneapolis and Seattle we have a lot to see, a lot to explore.  Fargo, The Badlands, Helena, MT,  Whitefish and Glacier, and then Idaho. Some repeats from our trip last year, some new spots which are now favorites!

Today we have stopped for a full day.  No driving.  We are in the Methow Valley, just east of the Cascades...in fact, we can see them from our balcony.  The rugged, immense peaks covered in snow.  Yet our little high-desert mountain is sunny, warm and breezy.  Birds galore!  I’ve seen a Varied Thrush, and a Purple Finch!  Two new species for me.   This particular mountain is criss-crossed with trails and we have taken numerous walks, amazed at the vistas.  The air is dry, the landscapes are gorgeous.  We are but 3 hours from Seattle.

Where we head tomorrow.  Into the city.  Graduation! Laundry! Celebration! Parking Hassles! Life in all its glory will present yet another face.  And tomorrow we will have made quite a journey - from the Chesapeake Bay to Puget Sound.  Much of it dotted with pearls of family connection, treasures for the memory.  Nothing extraordinary, just blessedly, humanly ordinary.

And then another turn.

Slowing Down

I've often felt, when flying to far-off locales, that I arrived and left bodily before my mind and heart even got there.  So I was operating under a kind of out-of-body experience.  Yes, I was there.  Sort of.  But it wasn't until after I got home - and had been home - that I finally felt the experience sink in.

I blamed it on the mode of travel.  Air travel gives this illusion that I can, and should, move very fast.  Except for the mess TSA has made of airports, the basic idea is that I should be able to pick myself up out of my southern, suburban environs and land in Budapest or Prague or Berlin in about 8 hours .... refreshed from a nice nap on the plane and ready to dive into another culture and all that it offers.

Whoa!  I love traveling, and have been luckier than most to have been all over the world.  But it never quite worked like that!  And, I felt like I was always running to catch up with "everyone else" who was.

Now that we're doing our traveling by car I've felt a little more present in the bodily experience.  I actually enjoy the transitions from one place to another.  I feel myself moving from one place to another, along a trajectory that is somewhat more logical and do-able.  And while I can't always identify what is actually growing in the field outside my window, I do recognize that it is something different from the last place.  Or not (I do have to say they grow a freaking LOT of corn in Illinois!).

And yet.

I have been traveling for two weeks now.  Awhile back, I left home and went to a conference in Ocala, which is about 3 hours south of where I live.  From there (or near there) I took the Auto-Train to Lortin, VA.  That was great ... train travel may not be fancy or exotic, but it is fun and it felt very efficient for me to be sleeping all night while my car and I were moved along I-95.

Joe met me at the train station and my car was off-loaded after about 30 minutes.  Much quicker than I had thought, and we were on our way.  We drove through the Chesapeake area over to Cambridge, MD where we spent an evening with my sister and her husband who recently moved to the area.

And thus began our Summer Trip.  A mixture of driving, talking, music, family, walking and sampling small town America.  Well, we went from Cambridge to Philadelphia, so it's not all small towns.  But we stay off of Interstates for the most part and stop when something interesting or funny or delicious catches our eye.

We're listening to a course from The Teaching Company called "America Before 1776" which has been fascinating and fun.

We've had Maryland Crab Cakes and Philly Cheesesteaks (about which, I learned, you don't use the word Philly).  We've seen Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.  We ate at one of the best restaurants in our whole lives - The Fountain Room - overlooking Logan Square.

We spent Memorial Day Weekend in the tiny hamlet of Hermitage, PA where we attended a Memorial Mass for Joe's aunt who had passed away in January.  They interred her ashes in the same cemetery, and right next to, the plot where his dad is buried.  It was quite moving to be among relatives who knew his dad, and who were so grateful to meet Joe ... and could see his dad in him.  Sitting under a tent, in the back yard of a small house, sharing home-made food and listening to octogenarians share their memories and tales of the war, life and death has had a profound effect on us both.

Slowing down is good.  Good for the soul.  Good for the body. 

My blog is still about a week behind ... this fast paced world of the Internet is zipping along at lightning speed, connecting me and my kids and friends and continues to provide me the opportunity to know too much about too many things. 

After just a week of meandering through the Midwest, visiting with family we don't see very often, and sampling the home-made delights of various good cooks, I feel a palpable relief from the pressures and calls of information, disaster, frenzy and "necessity."

Slowing down feels possible.  And, I wonder if by the end of the trip my body, mind, soul and blog will all be in the same place, on the same day.

We'll see.

Ebbs and Flows

Life is full of ebbs and flows ... periods of insane busyness and hurry ... followed by a time of peace.

These days have been rather busy ... the planning, packing, organizing.

Feeling out of the moment.

Trying to plan for and know the unknowable.

Like the weather.

But there is just nothing I can do about that.

I can throw another sweatshirt in the bag...and another pair of shorts, too.

A bathing suit, and something to wear to an opera.

Will it rain? Will it be cold?

Just how hot can it get in San Antonio in July?

The cat has an ear infection.

Better get that foaming liquid in both ears ... and the drops.

And the antibiotic.

Where are the binoculars? Do I have a bird book for Oregon?

Texas?  In July?  Really?

Grass is growing among the flagstones.

The floor is beginning to look like a floor - it is solid.

But organic.

I'm too fat to meet them for lunch in Philly.

Walk the labyrinth.

One more time.

And again.

Breathe.

All will be well.

All is well.

Shuffling the Deck

Never let it be said that my life settles in and sits for a long time doing nothing. However much I may like that in theory, there is no experience of it. At all.

This week I'm planning a workshop for Saturday, and having two presenters in from out of town. They will be staying one night with me, and then the workshop is on Saturday morning. I'm looking forward to it very much - the planning has been simple and straightforward and it look slike we have an enthusiastic 30-50 participants. So that's great!

This week I'm also beginning a Writer's Group. Very small at this point, but we're moving ahead and so the writing will take on a bit more discipline. Thank god. It always sounds so trudging and boring to apply discipline to the creative process but it is never either of those. In fact, when I do apply a disciplined approach my whole creative process gets quite invigorated - so what's the resistance? Who knows. I'm just grateful to have a writer friend willing to start a group and begin the journey with me.

This week I'm also preparing, packing, organizing and planning to leave on Monday for a six week drive-about! We had to change our plans from a July/August trip to a May/June trip and that's been 'exciting' to see just how quickly we could make all the necessary changes and arrangements. I'm feeling very in-the-flow because most of it has worked out beautifully!

So off we toodle - up through Alabama into Kentucky and Indiana, turning left around Chicago and heading into Minneapolis then a serious meander through North and South Dakota and Montana and ending up in Wyoming at the Grand Teton National Park. I have no other set points...and even these are subject to change.

The call of the open road is a new thing for my husband...and so we pack a few things, mostly books and music, and head off with a hazy idea of where we want to go and read local papers and blogs as we move into an area to see what is going on at the time. We have a few family members to visit and we have laptops and phones if necessary. Mostly we read, walk, drive, putter and see what there is to see.

So this week, which is just halfway born today is full of good stuff. Shuffling the deck of my plans and existence to include some pretty good stuff. I'm not as opposed to "change" as I once was and I do find it fascinating that we can operate with some degree of spontaneity!

More blogs to come!