My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
Flowers from Christine and Cody on my dad’s casket
I dropped off both Monica and Sheree and was home by 8 pm last night. It was a good trip with lots of car time that offer good conversation time. We left early Tuesday morning and had a wonderful family gathering on Tuesday evening with lots of sharing of memories with cousins. We had dad’s Celebration of Life on Wednesday morning at the gravesite where we had warm sunshine, more sharing and our shared tears mixed with laughter. I would like to thank everyone for all your thoughts and prayers you may have offered up for my family.
Finals were this past week and graduations were going on most of the week and weekend. So this weekend was time for students to pack and head home for the Christmas break. There were large buses at the transit center both Saturday and Sunday taking students to the airport. So we saw a lot of scenes like this one at the coffee shop.
I arrived home Sunday afternoon about 2:30 pm. We had mechanical problems on the flight out to Phoenix on Wednesday and needed to return to the gate. That delayed us by an hour and a half. The trip back was smooth except for turbulence coming into Denver.
I enjoyed my visit with my dad, my sister and brother-in-law. I ate more sweets than I have in a while and have no one to blame but me. I felt my pants had shrunk by the time I got back on the plane. But my wise father suggested it was due to altitude changes, having nothing to due with eating two pieces of my sisters Lemon Meringue pie, or a piece of chocolate cream pie, or two sugar cookies each with a quarter inch of frosting, not to mention the turkey, ham, beef brisket or any of the other trimmings …..
Today is a rest day. I like this photo of my dad as he has that mischievous look.
“In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between, there are doors.”
William Blake
The sun has melted the morning frost. There is still a thin layer of ice on the pond. And we never got above 40 degrees today. Gray skies now dominate so it both looks and feels cold.
In reference to Blake’s quote, I believe that each day does offer us doors to open or close. Today I both closed and opened doors. Due to exposure yesterday to Covid I changed my travel plans to spend an early Thanksgiving this week with my dad, my two sisters and brother-in-law and instead will celebrate his 94th birthday with him in January. There is no need to put my dad in any danger at his age. I feel a sadness. I want to be with my family.
I understand we cannot totally isolate ourselves from covid or any other virus or anyone who is indifferent to another’s safety. Nor can we protect others from any danger. I’m aware people are gathering again in large groups as if things are okay or they will be okay. I’ve heard there is now a cruise ship in Australia with almost 800 cases of COVID detected. And, I have moved back into the coffee shop routine. Aware that I am taking a risk for exposure, or worse yet, exposing someone. Yes, we have doors to choose, to open or close. I’m rethinking my stance on all this and may open fewer coffee shop doors and close a few. Just thinking out loud.
This was taken north of Rock Springs, Wyoming along US Highway 191 on my trip to West Yellowstone last month. A lot of open sagebrush, no trees and almost endless blue sky. You can see for miles and the sagebrush dominates the landscape. You may look at this and think of it as a barren and desolate place, especially if you’re from anywhere east of the Mississippi where trees abound. And when you stop to take in this view you won’t believe the silence that surrounds you. But, even though it is a rugged and harsh environment what you see is a complex of ecosystem. These sagebrush ecosystems provide important food and cover for mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and especially winter habitat for big game species and other wildlife. So probably somewhere in this image is a Black-footed Ferret, Great Basin Gopher Snake, White-tailed Prairie Dog, Greater Short-horned Lizard, Red-tailed hawk or Sage Thrasher. And trust me, somewhere in there is an ant or two or three…
I got back yesterday evening around 6:30 pm after a long day on the road, almost 12 hours. I drove back through Yellowstone National Park which required me to stop several times for photographs. I enjoyed this trip immensely. I camped two nights a Fremont Lake which gave me plenty of alone time except for the couple hours at the coffee shop writing my last post. I so needed that alone time. The time with Duane and Jan was also exactly what I needed. They kept me busy with things to see and do. I already miss them. I will post images from the trip over the next few days rather than one post with too many photos and words.
My original plans did not have me drive home through the park. Nor, did I expect to drive by Oxbow Bend. Last time I was in this area was 19 years ago. As I reflect on that I realize that was too long ago.
Sunset at Fremont Lake near Pinedale, Wyoming – July 2003
Gonna make a short road trip to a place just outside of West Yellowstone where my friends Duane and Jan are working in an RV park. Leaving this morning and be back on Tuesday evening. Planning on staying a couple nights at Fremont Lake near Pinedale, Wyoming then head to Montana Saturday morning. Last time I was there was 2003 shooting with my new Nikon D100. It was part of a trip I made up to Seattle to visit my sister and brother-in-law. Expecting to be offline for a few days. Hold down the fort!
We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
There are moments throughout my day where I do not feel like it is a precious moment. It feels like a struggle to face the next moment, let alone the one I’m presently in. Yet I find taking a deep breath, saying some form of prayer, even a simple word such as thanks or help, and I can walk through the moment. Even then it may not feel like a precious moment but I believe I lived within the parentheses. How about you?
My sister and I returned last night about 11:00 pm. The drive home took us about 15 and half hours due to lots and lots of road construction and some nasty weather. We encountered rain/snow mix just south of Colorado Springs until we reached home. It actually got pretty intense for awhile. A major stretch between Colorado Springs and Denver was driven in the dark with rain/snow and slush. Probably had an inch of snow when we arrived. The image above is what we were driving into and was taken just south of Colorado Springs on I-25.
My sister, Sheree, and I feel we got done what we needed in helping my parents make this move. Her and I came home with some stuff, some of it is pure treasure. Good things happened yesterday as we made our way home. My parents home went on the market yesterday afternoon. They also found out yesterday their move in date will most likely be on May 19th. My sister, Marcee and her husband John, will be involved in making that final move happen. They will be living about 2 miles from my parents. So it is all working out nicely.
My ride in 2004 was a BMW R1150RT Sport Touring bike. From a trip to Washington
My dream for quite some time has been to have a Class B van, one I could spend several weeks on the road with, even living in it and have that feeling like I’m right at home. I had the Class A on the Radar for a short period of time but quickly realized that was more than I wanted to deal with.
I have also dreamed of getting a roof top tent for my Forester and traveling a bit more on the rustic side without a toilet, shower or running water on board. The romantic in me whispers life would be perfect with either of these, right? But I’m wise enough to know that external stuff and dreams will not bring me lasting joy or happiness. It would not make life perfect. However, I do believe it would be an adventure. So, these ideas and dreams have been stewing for quite some time. There is a financial price that will need to be made for either a van or roof top camping. Nothings cheap while there is a major price difference between the two options.
I’ve been looking at two options for Class B vans. Onewould be nice setup with on board water, shower, and toilet such as the Roadtrek SS Agile or even a step up to the Class C Leisure Travel Vans Unity. The other option would be an adventure style van which really appeals to me. It is a Class B but setup more for dispersed camping without a toilet and shower such as the Winnebago Revel. And there are also some very nice custom shops that will convert a van for you.
The other option is the roof top tent which has interested me for several years. One option that appeals to me the Autohome Columbus Variant. This idea was spawned by David duChemin and Jesse which he wrote about back in 2011. Another option would be the Thule Tepui. These are slick to setup and take down which really appeals to me.
I’m throwing these out there because these options and their marketing teams have perked my interest enough to keep me awake at night and brought up thoughts of selling off my kids, grandkids, my home or even your home. In a later post I’ll talk more to the reality of what I want with travel, is it feasible for me at this stage of my life and what fits my budget.
