Miscommunication......

Sometimes driving down the road can and does present unexpected challenges....and "discussions". Sometimes it's the "old method" versus the "new technology". And sometimes neither one seems to work right.

When I am in the passenger seat I am the "navigator".....,and I like to look at a paper road map. It's interesting to see what's around the area as we travel the interstate highway system, or a secondary road.....or a gravel lane.

We do have a GPS that talks to us.....and I admit she comes in handy....sometimes. Dave also has an app for his new phone that shows a map of where you are and a little arrow that moves along the road to show you where to go. You simply plug in an address and the GPS "lady" and the phone app guide you. Both systems prepare you for turns and tell you when you've arrived at your location....until they don't.

Two recent examples. Heading for a campsite on Utah Lake in Provo. My map showed had an enlarged section for Provo and it showed exactly where the camp was located......two turns off the interstate and the road dead ended at the camp. But as we exited the ramp the GPS "lady" seemed way off track and the screen she was showing me looked like a bunch of spaghetti.....and the phone wasn't much better. So we ended up going east on the street that we should have been going west on to lead us right into the park. Minor corrections.....only slightly off track. No big deal.

Leaving the park the next day we asked our technology for the closest Great Clips because I needed a haircut. No problem. Address popped up and off we went. Both GPS and phone app lead us to a field where the helpful GPS lady announced "You have arrived at our destination." Nope. We circled around twice.....driver becoming more frustrated with his "navigator" and "navigator" getting a headache looking at the moving arrows.

Until we stopped at a light and I looked out the window and saw the sign....Great Clips. About a mile from where the machines were sending us.

Happily we got lost again a few days later.....I was happy because I was the driver. Male navigator finally decided we should stop,and ask a REAL LIVE PERSON for assistance. So who got out of the car to do that???? The driver.....guys don't ask for directions. They prefer the technology.

I Won't Read.....Don't Make Me!

I love to read.....always have. Grade school meant the then-classics like Charlotte's Web and Gulliver's Travels. Over the years the love-of-reading continued.....an escape for the mind. Imagination, travel to distant places, history, best sellers......book clubs. Before I retired, a good one week vacation meant a four book week while we traveled. Airplane = open book and "get lost" until touching down.

We've been on our road trip for two weeks....and when I am not in the driver's seat I have a book on my lap. But it isn't open. I can't stop looking out the window. I may try to read, but after a few sentences, I close the book and give up....again. Just too many beautiful things to see as we pass by. Two weeks so far......one short book finished. A great trip!

I won't read......I'll look.

Unexpected Connections....

Somehow traveling west reminds me more of our Native American heritage than when we travel east. Maybe it's just because watching the land change as we leave the Midwest and become more rugged and unforgiving it brings to mind those early TV shows we watched. The ones featuring Cowboys and Indians. Sadly, for most of the people I knew, those black and white images formed our perception of a multi-cultural community. Communities all but erased as America pushed west and the "royal we" took over the land.

Out here you are reminded every day that years before the first white settlers came across the horizon, Native American cultures thrived. And had been following a chosen way of life for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

All that is different now. Native American culture sits at the back of the bus.

On this trip I am reading "The Museum of Extraordinary Things" by Alice Hoffman. It's an engrossing read, part history, part love story, part mystery. It is set in New York City in the early 1900's and has nothing to do with the West or with Native Americans. And yet there were a few sentences that made the connection for me. The narrator is talking about a wolf a friend asked him to care for after he died. "Though the horses in the stable below my studio panicked at the sight of him, the wolf ignored them.....I do not know if he had a name, but I called him North.....for it was the name the Dutch called the Hudson River when they first came here, when men set to changing the world in their image, and gave all the wild things their own names."

That's what's happened here. As we stop at historical sites and read the history of each area we are reminded that the native peoples had their own name for landmarks, rivers, places, animals. They had sacred spaces where tourist attractions now stand. They were here before we were.....but white men came, set to change the world.....and gave all the wild things new names.

Not the first time in world history this happened.....and it won't be the last. But still....being here and reading this particular book. It made me stop and think.

Sound of Silence.....

We stopped at a viewpoint in a slot canyon while we explored Capitol Reef National Park recently. To everyone who ever recommended we travel to this area of Utah and explore the parks we thank you. The beauty is surreal. You drive down the scenic roads and the upcoming view surpasses the one you just passed and thought was the most amazing ever!

But something very interesting happened when we stopped to stretch our legs, walk around a bit and photograph more of the towering cliff walls surrounding us. Dave went off with his camera. I took Fenway for a walk down an unpaved dirt road. We only went the equivalent of a few city blocks. I was looking at the colors in the stone, noticing a few hardy wildflowers blooming, keeping an eye on the dog less he discover a snake or scorpion. Thinking about the day and plans for the next. Remembering a few things I need to get next time we pass a grocery store.

But slowly something began to almost physically "press down" on me....that's the only way to describe it. I stopped and looked around....nothing. No cars passing, no one hiking by, no jets high overhead. No breeze to move the trees. I became aware that I was listening to complete and utter silence. The absolute absense of any noise at all. Dave was off far in the distance, Fenway and I standing still.

I don't remember ever experiencing anything quite like this. I purposely quieted my mind, and my breathing.....and just listened to the sound of silence. The silence almost seemed to push from the cliff on one side of me across to the one on the other side of the canyon. I have to saw it was a slice of time in my life that I will remember forever.

And then, suddenly, there was the sound of one solitary bird singing. Perfect.

Westward Ribbon.......

When we are lucky enough to take our little RV out to explore new territory we get to see America's aging infrastructure up close and personal.

As the miles tick away and we roll on down the highway it's evident that some stretches of our interstate highway system are sadly in need of repair. Never mind the pot holes and frost heaves left over from a difficult winter, the road seems to improve or worsen as we cross state or even county lines.

The regular concrete that I associate with highways seems to be put down in about ten foot sections. You get used to the rhythmic thwap, thwap of the front and rear tires as they run across the dividing lines between each section. And then most of these breaks have been "repaired" with black asphalt so you get a bigger thump across these improvements.

As we drive along things in our little home-on-wheels begin to shake, creak, rattle and squeek. I put more padding between dishes, re-tighten the screws on the metal cover for the heater and stuff rags between cabinet doors. The "music" continues.

The pavement changes as we go westward. Smooth asphalt.....yea! Different colors of pavement....some grey, some goldish-brown and some almost pink. Dave says the color depends on the aggregate mixed into the concrete.

After five states I vote for pink......the smoothest ride so far!

Three Fresh Starts…..

In the past few years we've attended three special weddings. One for our nephew in Chicago, two others for nieces who live in New Hampshire. All of the celebrations were happy, personal and very individual.

The first was for our niece and she and her groom chose to be married on the beach in Maine. Her aunt conducted the service. The day was perfect, the guests all so happy to be there to help launch this newly married couple. The reception was a terrific party for all.

The second wedding was in Chicago at a much more formal setting. The celebration reflected the young couple and their love for each other. The dresses, the flowers, the reception….all were just perfect. And again, the ceremony itself was conducted by our nephew's godfather so he had a very personal history with the groom andn it was reflected in his remarks.

Then, most recently, we celebrated with family at a farm house in Maine. Country setting, beautiful weather, unique celebration that reflected this young couple's love perfectly. Here, again that personal touch, the groom's aunt pronounced them man and wife.

Weddings have changed in the 45+ years since Dave and I walked down the aisle. From what we've seen I loved the "new" way of doing things. The more personal touches, the confidence with which the bride and groom plan their special days. They are a bit more mature than we were when we married (we were still in college) and maybe that helps them make decisions and selections that reflect their personalities and their individuality.

Whatever…..we were happy to be included in the gatherings that sent these three off onto this adventure called marriage. There will be ups and downs…..but we welcome them all to the ride!

The Past…..

Sometimes the past comes knocking on the door when you least expect it. A memory, a letter, a telephone call….an email.

Tonight I got an unexpected email from a high school friend. We were really close for most of our high school years, we were in the same home room.  And we saw each other a few times during college vacations and perhaps once or twice after we were each married and starting independent lives. But I don't think I've seen this high school buddy for more than forty years. Annual Christmas cards were our only connection.

Tonight there was a sudden email saying she and her husband were headed to Milwaukee for a wedding - would we be free to meet for dinner? Sadly, the timing didn't work for us…..but her email sent my mind flying "backwards" to the years spent in high school. For many reasons, those years were  not the happiest for me.

And then, later in the evening I was reading in bed. Engrossed in Alice Hoffman's novel The Museum of Extraordinary Things. I've enjoyed other work by this author and find this novel very intriguing. Page 139 brought me up short. Here a few sentences spoke to me: " Hochman had been right, the past was what we carried with us, threaded to the future, and we decided whether to keep it close or let it go. Fate was both what we were given and what we made for ourselves."

The past….sometimes it comes and smacks you in the today….and makes you think about your tomorrows. Carry the memories and sadnesses….or let them go.

I guess I'm still a work in progress. That's sort of encouraging….to think that we never stop changing, growing, healing.

Nothing in the Air......

I guess the swallow extravaganza was a one-day event. I've been peeking out of windows all day. Looking up when Fenway and I take our walks. Zip, zero, nada. No swooping birds to be seen overhead.

How lucky that we happened to be home for the show yesterday!

Something in the Air…..

When I walked the dog this morning I noticed dozens of swallows swooping and soaring on the east side of our building. Zipping through the air in seeming random fashion. Later in the morning, during our second walk I noticed even more flying around above the bike path. Back inside and sitting at my desk by the window on the third floor I can continue to watch them zoom back and forth at eye level.

There must be something hatching and the swallows are making every effort to catch each and every whatever-it-is. They have been outside all day without let up. The low grey clouds make them quite visible….but they move so quickly it's hard for me to begin to capture the dance. If you look closely you will see a dozen in my poor attempt at photography.

Gliding, turning, wheeling and floating through the sky….eating on the fly.

I wonder if they will be back tomorrow?

An Honest Mistake……

We spent last weekend in New Hampshire celebrating a family wedding. A quick trip but lots of fun. On Friday evening we were changing our clothes. Getting ready to head over to spend time with the wedding party and family after the rehearsal. A relaxed gathering but still…..we wanted to look "fresh". So Dave changed to his good slacks while I got ready and then he started looking for his belt. He could not find it.

Now we were in a nice motel suite….but the space wasn't that big. And he said he'd just taken the belt off in order to change. We looked under the furniture, under the bed, in the closet, tossed all the bedding to see if it was hiding under a blanket. No belt.

This is the kind of thing that drives Dave crazy! We checked in the bathroom. I looked again in the closet and my belt was hanging there, but not Dave's. We looked in the trash. We checked the suitcase and our tote bag. We tossed the bedding a second time and then just decided to head on out. After all, his golf shirt wasn't tucked in, so who would know he had no belt?

Several hours later we returned to the room to get ready for bed. And we found the belt.

I was wearing it. Hmmmmmm……well, they did look a lot alike!

It's Out There Somewhere……I Think…..

Woke to a grey world today. I'm positive Lake Michigan is still out there….but you could not prove it with the view from our little deck.

Oh well….every day is different. Maybe tomorrow!

Do You See What I See?

Sunday morning, after walking the dog, I crawled back into bed to read for a while. It was only 7:30 in the morning and Boys in the Boat is a fascinating read. After about 45 minutes I heard continuing conversation drifting up from the bike path and into the open bedroom window. The voices prompted me to get out of bed and open the shade. Down below was a group of people….all peering up into the trees with their binoculars. Bird watchers who obviously knew what they were doing.

They slowly moved on down the path, and I went back to my book. Later in the morning, on Fenway's second walk, I met the group as they came back to town. We chatted for a few minutes and I explained that I wasn't very good at bird watching…..trying to determine the kind of bird, if it was male or female, or a youngster with slightly different plumage…..or winter coloring compared to summer finery as they flitted through the trees. This group, from Milwaukee, was searching for warblers, moving through Wisconsin on their migration north, and counted a number of them.  Just before I walked away, one woman told me they'd also spotted an adult owl with two fledglings being harrassed by crows. All I had to do was walk up the path to the second bench and look toward the pine trees across the stream. The owls were big and easy to spot.

Well….not so much for me. All I saw was a tangle of trees and limbs and no crows harrassing anything.

Later in the day Dave and I decided to walk down the path again. This time carrying the binoculars and  his camera. We looked and looked. Nothing. So I began to walk back home, glancing from the path and then back into the confusion of trees. Suddenly I noticed a brown "thing" sort of jump from one branch to another and move up the trunk of a tree. Then I saw another brown" thing" spread it's wings and sort of fly/jump from one branch down to another ten feet below.

Dave snapped the shot and we stood and watched through the binoculars. Two fledgling great horned owl babies practicing their flying technique. They have a way to go yet and we never did see their mom. But we'll go look again in the next day or so and see if they are still around.

What fun! Maybe I can become a bird watcher…..untamed nature right outside my condo door.

Finally Forsythia…….

Spring has been a long time coming in this part of Wisconsin. In fact the windy days at the end of April reminded me of March "coming in like a lion"! We began to wonder if we'd ever have warmer days where we would not need to put on a jacket in order to enjoy a walk outdoors.

Well maybe now spring is here along the lakefront. I see buds on the trees, grass is greener and the forsythia are in bloom. A few dandelions and daffodils too. So…..sweet spring to enjoy! :-)