Postcards from Home

Home is where your people are:
whether that's San Antonio, Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Cape Cod, California, North Carolina, = or New Mexico.

Tonight I am re-reading some of the e-mails from "home"....

Victoria sent me pictures and videos of her sister's hula hoop birthday party--four beautiful hand-made hula hoops all in motion!

Barbel called me to tell me that of all the hundreds of balloonists flying above Albuquerque this weekend, two landed in her very yard, right where my car was parked a week ago!  I just got the photos--quite an exciting event for Barbel in person in her pink robe, and for me, vicariously!  (She signed her note "your ghost-riding passenger girlfriend for ever."

Every few days, Carlene sends me a "glimpse" of a memory from my childhood.  And she's "riding along with me in spirit."  The other day I called her and said, "Why don't you meet me here and let's play?"--to which she said, "No, this one is yours.  We'll take a trip in the spring."  When I told this to Rivka last night, and told her that Carlene was also "too busy" to travel, she said, "Your mother sounds amazing!"  (She is!)

When I asked Charlotte Safir what she wanted me to bring her from this "her favorite place," she said, "A eucalyptus  branch."  When I told that to Rone, she went right out and cut one off the tree for me to take to Charlotte.

Nellie, my friend from high school days and my  Italian traveling companion a few years ago, just sent me a quotation from The Art of Pilgrimage--the very book I brought along to read--along with The Tao of Travel, a birthday gift from Beverly.  I've since picked up a copy of Roads to Quoz--these three are my traveling inspirations!

And now, tonight, I see I have an email from Rone suggesting where to go from here: "Go to Mill Valley, Mt Tam, Bolinas then head up to Inverness and Pt Reyes, there's so much to see over there, and you get to discover the Pacific. "

As I was driving along Route One, Sylvia and Beverly and Mary Locke called to share Sylvia's birthday party by phone--though I was unable to blow out candles or eat cake with them.   (Happy Birthday, Sylvia!)

Linda Kot--whom I met when our families were traveling and stopped to camp at Molas Lake in Colorado, and with whom I've been friends ever since, wrote this:


You know, with your fascination for long trains, I envision all your friends have attached their "cars" to your invisible trailer hitch and we're tooling along behind you!  Hopefully you won't run out of steam with all this excess "baggage" but just remember when you get tired you'll have enough friends behind you to push you up hill if need be!  

"I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I CAN!"  You are the Little Engine that Could! 

I named this blog, Traveling Solo--but the truth is, every one of you is with me on this road--those I've mentioned by name and every one of you who has sent me an email or a text or called!

I've put them all in my Postcards-From-Home file and will say more manana or the next day--when I'm less exhausted from touristing!