Road Trip

The topic of the month was road trip.  I thought, "where would I like to go", which led me to "where have I been?"

This is my first road trip, back in either summer '79 or '80.  I had never been to the ocean, neither had my best friend Janice.  So, we got out a map and figured out where the closest beach was and went.  

The next summer, we went to the Smoky Mountains, Jan and I, packed into my little red dodge colt.

Years passed, life called for me to get serious.  The next road trip was from San Antonio to St. Louis, to escape.

Then a few good trips:

The man that is my soul mate and I took a trip to Big Bend, 

Then to Maine,

and a few year later, with a two year old Grace and Steven's daughter, Maria we got to go to Alaska.

These days, with two kids and a couple of home businesses and homeschooling, our trips are limited to the beach.  Our trips are satisfying and fun.  We love to watch the waves and play in the sand and do a bit of beach combing.

We have no plans to travel.  Our daughter loves to stay home, and has a busy life here.  We might get in a beach trip this year. Or a trip back to the farm in Illinois. 

 Our son would love to travel, I think, so maybe in a few years we can make longer trips.  

I would love to go to the Grand Canyon, or Glacier State Park or maybe even Scotland.  And I would love to go back to Alaska to visit my sister, Marie (or ***** as I call her).  Those are the do-able trips.  I would love to go to the Galapagos Islands or see the Great Wall of China or even see if we had relatives still in Syria.   

But for now, those road trips are in my mind, in my future, and in my dreams.

In the present, let's ride!

And now, lets hear from others in this wonderful group and where they want to go:

Andes Cruz: http://www.andescruz.wordpress.com

pencilfox www.pencilfox.com

Kathleen Krucoff:  http://kathleenkrucoff.wordpress.com

Catherine Witherell:  http://happydayart.typepad.com

Snow

Where I grew up, we had snow.  Not every winter, but most.  And sometimes a lot, like the year we got two feet.  I was in college and it shut everything down.  First time in the university history they closed down.

That is my '67 plymouth belvedere

But, this morning, I heard William wake and the screen door open and close.  Then I heard him come into our bedroom.  "How deep is it?"  I asked.  "Three inches" he said.  I knew it had not snowed that much by the time I had gone to bed last night and I knew he was exaggerating.  But, while he got his layers on, I went and let Cocoa out, Steven got up and dressed, and we all went out.

There is something about snow out here.  The outdoors in completely quiet.  Its like life holds it breath.  We got freezing rain and a dusting of snow on top, maybe a half inch at the most.

We explored and took a few pictures.  I saw places where the deer had run through.  The little ponds were frozen.  The 70 degrees warmth of two days ago was but a memory.  It was COLD.  25 degrees.  Ice and snow.

We wandered, and then I came indoors to make cocoa.

Resolutions

I have rarely made resolutions, knowing from childhood that they fade away by February or March.  And this year was no different until a few days into the new year, when I heard of a friend with cancer, then another, and another, and then we had some minor health issues in our own family. 

 Which made me think. 

 It was my wake-up call. 

This is a forsythia.  In most places, it blooms in the spring.  Here, it is a middle of the winter bloomer.  A promise of what is to come later. 

 Life in the midst of winter.  

So, this year, I have resolved to LIVE.  Appreciate my family and friends.  Take care of myself.  And see everything through a filter of love and humor.  And so, with this in mind, here is my first "selfie" 

(laugh with me!)

With that said, please visit the other members of this group and read their views:

Andes Cruz: http://www.andescruz.wordpress.com

Kathleen Krucoff: http://kathleenkrucoff.wordpress.com

Catherine Witherell: http://happydayart.typepad.com

Shelagh Blatz: http://designsbyshelagh.com/blog

pencilfox www.pencilfox.com

Traditions

Tradition!  Instantly my mind goes to the song in "Fiddler on the Roof" and the dancing.  In some ways, not too far from my family.  But, also I think of all the Christmas past.....to Christmas present.

The times of our childhoods

to the days of having children of my own.

As a child, we had traditions.  Of opening ONE present on Christmas Eve, then going to Midnight Mass.  Midnight Mass as a child was mysterious and wondrous, having a difficult time staying awake during the sermon, but enjoying all the music.  As I got older, I got to sing in the choir and we sang latin Masses.  One wondrous Christmas Eve, we got out of Midnight mass to find it had snowed.  I remember the amazement we children had, and the concern of our dad about driving home.   The Christmas past was spent opening presents, eating a butter top coffee cake for breakfast and then time at our grandparents.  My favorite memories are those holidays spent at Grandma's house after we had Christmas at home.  The old folk would stay in the kitchen and talk in Arabic and drink Syrian whiskey and black coffee.  The men would watch football in the living room, and  there was lots of food (mostly Syrian).  

Now Christmas is all about the getting of present for my children, but still a joyous and amazing event.  We get a tree, and decorate it, open presents, eat and play.  Of course here in Texas we don't ever expect snow (although my seven year old is ever hopeful). My daughter asked for Baklava for dessert this year.  Maybe that Syrian meal tradition can be carried on.  
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But, although I expected to write about our Christmas, as I started to go through old pictures, I found our lives more than that tradition.  As I looked at the pictures, they WERE the tradition.  They fell into patterns of my childhood.  There, in order, were the Christmas pictures, followed by birthdays (my sister's, then mine, then my brother's).  Easter came next, with us lined up in our newest outfit of the year, awkwardly smiling, growing older each picture.  A few vacations, the zoo or elephant rocks. And then Christmas again. A progression of traditions.  The pictures abruptly stopped when my father died.  I still have the camera, although in this digital age, it sits unused.  

Please read other idea of tradition with:

Andes Cruz: http://www.andescruz.wordpress.com

pencilfox    www.pencilfox.com

Define Perfection

Some may say there is no perfection on this world.  We have to wait for the next one to experience that thing one may imagine as perfection.  I disagree.  I can't define it, but I know it when I feel it. It is not to be put into mere words.  And what I perceive as perfection is not what any other person may see it as.  There are moments of clarity, of extreme sensation, that are snapshots forever in my thoughts that I feel are perfection.  Some are fleeting, flying moments of emotional freedom

One morning, years ago,  driving to work, I was listening to a tape of Native American music.  As I drove down the secluded road, the fog lifted to just the roof of my truck, the sun was shining into the fog and it was as though I was driving in shining golden mist.  Every time I drive that road I remember those few moments of surreal beauty.  That, I think of as a perfect moment in time.  And it is forever a snapshot in my mind.

There are many moments in my life that I think of as perfect.  To the optimist I feel there are many such moments.  Perfection in laughter, in beauty, in melancholy or in peace.  More than words, a deep perception in the soul.

Please join these other members of the blog to experience their thoughts:
 Andes Cruz: http://www.andescruz.wordpress.com

pencilfox: www.pencilfox.com

Catherine Witherell:  http://www.happydayart.typepad.com

Kathleen Krucoff:  http://kathleenkrucoff.wordpress.com/

A heart rock for the day.  Many conversations this day with people I know and like.
Hearing about their family, their concerns, their joys.
Hearing with not just my ears, but with my heart.
Laughing at their stories.
Giving advice when asked.
Most of us are at that age, caring for both children and parents.
And it is both hard and good to be where we are.

My favorite flower from childhood.  So many colors these day.

first post

I lead a simple life.  Not much into the technology.  My children are more into it than I am.  And my friends.  "When are you going to put a shopping cart on your web site?", "Why don't you post more to facebook?", "have you seen the lately 'whatever' on youtube?"  But, here I am, now.  Perhaps a vent or two, perhaps some pictures, perhaps, once in a while a profound thought that catches one.