Home in San Antonio

I arrived home this afternoon as weary as I've ever been!  Jan had left a yummy orzo dish in the fridge and met me as I was taking only the bare essentials out of the car.  Then, within minutes, Bonnie delivered a delicious loaf of pumpkin bread.  What a welcome home!  

I fell asleep within minutes, and just woke up, Luci thinking she's going to get her nightly walk--but, alas, I don't have it in me.

The days IN Georgia and Virginia couldn't have been better--and the drives TO each of those places were good, too--but the 1500 miles from Falls Church to San Antonio were the notes of my swan song as a long-distance road traveler.  In the space since doing it before, I've developed a wheel gripping fear of big bridges and no longer enjoy driving at night.  Since the days have gotten shorter, it took me five days to get home--with several long traffic blocks and last night's inability to find a place to sleep until way after dark. 

Carlene says it's important to know when it's time to give up some of the things we used to do.  And in my case, that means flying the long leaps between places and renting a car to poke around while there.  I needed to prove to myself I could still do it before admitting that--as some wise person once said--"Just because we can doesn't mean we have to." 

In former days, I'd have stopped often, chatted with people longer, and meandered down any road that looked interesting.  I did, however, spend a happy hour in Jonesboro, Tennessee, home of the National Storytelling Conference.   Tennessee Quilts was an amazing store with two floors of luscious fabric, cutting tools, samples of quilts, and offers of classes and retreats. 

This quilt, called Crosswords, was so beautiful it almost made me consider making a quilt.   What I did instead was to buy a few fat quarters to turn into book cloth for book covers. 

In former days, I'd have gotten out and taken pictures of old barns, hay bales, houses, and rusty old vehicles. On this trip, I took a few pictures without getting out of the car--just enough to jog my memory about the countryside at the two book-end Golden Hours of the day.  From the windows on interstate, all exits look pretty much the same  but if you go off the main highways,  you get to see some of what makes each little hamlet or farm its own unique self.

Itinerary Modifications

 I woke up Friday morning 30 miles east of Nashville, hoping to include Parnassas Books and a paper store before heading due west.  But I was too early and decided not to spend two hours waiting for either to open at ten. I pondered: how to do it better next time and I came up with a very conventional travel plan.  Fly to the place you want to be, rent a car, and stay put for enough days to get to know the place and the people better.  

But, of course, that's never been my style.  I've always preferred wandering and encountering whatever shows up.  It's not a traveling style enjoyed by many others.  Day tells me she's too "destination oriented."  I could not bear the thought of traveling from Point A to Point B on interstates.

Most of my former traveling companions have, understandably, opted out of traveling random.  A couple of the ones I enjoyed road-tripping with are, sadly, no longer in my orbit.  But Carlene--the one with whom I've traveled most and who was a far trustier navigator than GPS--remembers these roads as well as I do and rides along with me by phone, suggesting routes and recalling places we had meals along the way.  I admire the way she is able to give up the things she can no longer do with ease.  I love the way she adapts to changing stages of life!  But still, I miss the way we improvised together on the road and collected stories we still find pleasure in remembering.

I woke up Saturday morning in Meridien, Mississippi, working out a plan to go to visit both Oxford and Natchez--two of my favorites--and to drive at least a part of Natchez Trace.  The problem with my plan was that Oxford at one point was three hours north and Natchez only a couple hours south, so I had to choose.  

For old times' sake, I walked around Natchez--but only for an hour until my feet gave up.  In earlier years, Natchez would have been a 2 to 3 hour walk.  But the weather was perfect and Luci waddled along happily, glad to be out of the car.  I figured I'd drive two more hours before dark.  But my GPS routed me along farm roads and small towns, no accommodations anywhere.  

As dark fell, I became anxious.  These are hours when you wish for the convenient cluster of eateries and La Quinta signs.  I was so road weary that I considered a couple of local motels, but they were shabby with hard mattresses, and I soldiered on.

It was way past dark when the road I was on intersected with I10 just a few miles from Lake Charles.  When I saw the huge looming bridge, I panicked, no way no way at night! Luci and I shared a burger in the car and finally settled on a Howard Johnson for the night--my only option unless I headed back east toward Lafayette. 

Maybe it's time for me to reconsider Random!  To embrace the idea of staying in one place and getting a rental car to explore during daylight hours!  Furthermore, if I'm honest, I should put more effort into exploring the kinds of places I'd like to be sure to see--ahead of time.

I'm aspiring to be adaptable, to restore my love of the open road but with some guardrails in place.  To admit to myself that driving back roads after dark is no longer do-able--especially when bridges are looming.  

Traveling solo would be a lot more fun with another solo traveling sort of person! 

The Beginning of the Build

 I had to stay long enough to see the ground broken and gravel laid for Day's studio foundation!  

Yesterday Jackson and Marcus drove up for the day and we all posed to mark the beginning of Day's dream Glass Casita with a Secret Garden. 

Day's appliquéd and embroidered jeans

My daughter the football coach

Last night Tom and I bundled up and went to see the Girls Jaguars play two games of flag football!  I, who have not an athletic bone in my body, found it surprisingly exhilarating to see girls running and intercepting and making home runs!  Day is one of the four coaches and until she married Tom, I never saw athletics in her future, but she's loving it and good at it.  Until the second game last night, her team was undefeated.  

Tom told me that fifty-six languages are spoken in this county!  The team was a beautiful mix of ethnicities and skin colors, all intent on playing good football.  

I drove here on Sunday and Monday and Tuesday in rain and fog and sunshine, thinking to myself, "You've still got the road warrior thing going on, Linda!"  It had been years, but driving cross-country is like, well, riding a bicycle. 

The cold weather and rain reminded me that my suitcase contents are in need of a change.  Packing when it's 100 degrees, it's hard to imagine the need for thick socks and heavy coats.  I have driven Highway 81--and the parallel 11, into Virginia countless times, and it's always a pleasure to see the patchwork of fields and farms, especially in fall colors of golds and reds and oranges.  I couldn't bear the thought of I95. 

Yesterday, after walking the dogs, I spent the morning at Artistic Artifacts, a one of a kind store for mixed media and quilting and Bernina sewing machines.  I left with a bag of papers and stamps and ribbons, inspired to make a book or two while Day is teaching.  I also left with two potential friends, Amy and the owner Judy.  

 ON the previous post, I included some pictures--as I just figured out how to post them again!

We have had and are having a wonderful visit in the month of five of our October birthdays: Bob's on the 7th, Jackson's on the 13th, mine on the 14th, Day's on the 15th, and Jocelyn's on Halloween. 

Will and Bonnie and Elena had a long weekend in Georgia.  Carlene took us all out to dinner the first night and Elena loved and was loved by her Nana and her Uncle Bob and Aunt Jocelyn!  You can see her soaking up Southern accents, stories and sayings for future reference, too.  I love the pictures Bonnie took of the youngest and oldest hands in our family--Elena's at 13, Carlene's at 100!

Jocelyn and I went to a Mexican-Asian fusion patio restaurant to celebrate her birthday a little early.  The food was so good and the staff welcomed Luci with chicken and water.  

Yesterday Luci stayed with her new Georgia pet sitter, Annette, a jeweler.  Annette lives in her half of a tiny duplex in Athens set way back from the road under huge trees.  She's about to have her final chemo therapy, then planning a trip to Cozumel with her friends. 

Yesterday we had breakfast at Starbucks where we saw a woman who works at Presbyterian Village.  She got out of her car to see Carlene and introduce us to her daughter.  "I told her not to tell her brothers and sisters about this," she joked. "With five kids, I can't afford Starbucks, but she told me she had a dream last night of going to Starbucks, so I'm treating her before school starts."  We noticed that the mom hadn't gotten herself a drink, just one for her girl! After they left, Day went inside and bought her a Starbucks gift card from the three of us which we're delivering today.  

Then we three went to a store to poke around and Carlene bought me a jacket and Day a blouse--then to Amici's for white pizza.  We're having an awesome time all around! 

Photos

Carlene in her happy rocker in her happy apartment

Day and Nana at Amici's Italian Restaurant yesterday

 

A Revelation

 Y'all, I have landed in a place where nobody's going to a No Kings Day march, that's for sure.  (BTW, I was happy to see several of you at them yesterday--if only on this computer screen.)

You get two choices on the radio here--I kid you not.  SIX are extremely conservative religious stations, one is the radio version of Fox News.   I'd been listening all day yesterday to excellent podcasts (more on some of those another day) and when I got in the car for my coke run, phone not yet attached, some preacher was saying, "America is great because America is good--thanks to our pulpits all across the nation...."But within a minute he was ranting about how bad we are.  "We are number one in the world in abortions--ripping babies out of their mama's wombs and harvesting their parts before throwing the babies in the garbage."

These charlatans literally make things up to scare their gullible audiences. In five minutes of listening to that (sermon? rally speech?), I queued up enough NPR podcasts to get me another 450 miles before I sleep again: Krista Tippet, This American Life, The Moth, Hidden Brain, 1A, and so many others. 

At breakfast Fox News was blaring. George Santos was the guest, talking about how his three months in prison were so terrible that he couldn't even get a Bible.  (Poor George, I'm sure that's what he wanted most!) But since he's been there he's turned back to God and he's at peace--and "Jesus is King, he's your f-----ing savior."  

"What about paying back the people?" one of the Fox News hosts asked him, and he said, "I don't have to pay anything back thanks to the grace of President Trump who believes in second chances." (What about the people you ripped off, Georgie? someone should have asked.) 

Profanity has taken on a whole new meaning for me this morning. It's not using certain choice words, it's lie upon lie upon lie. 

After telling the two people at the desk what a beautiful remodel they'd done here, I told them I had one big complaint--Fox News. 

The young woman strongly agreed (I first thought we were on the same page), but then went on to say, "I get my news on Tik Tok cause in all the others they just say anything they want."  

The man said they only played it on weekends.

The people who clean the rooms, make the meals and check guests in are kind people.  But clearly they are not deep thinkers.  I just got a taste of the ridiculous propaganda they hear on their dials and in their churches.  No wonder they are terrified of those of us who do the outrageous things they are told we do.  

The news I'm hearing sounds like church, and the churches sound like MAGA rallies.  In one clip, a teary Trump was giving what almost sounded like a sermon in praise of Charlie Kirk, tears in his voice! The Presidential Medal of Honor he bestowed had a cross engraved on the back--which the preacher proudly announced was the first time a religious symbol had ever been engraved on one of those medals. 

I've increased my monthly contribution to NPR--and hope that everyone fortunate enough to have it will do the same, even more so now that Federal funding has stopped.  If it ever goes away we will be immeasurably impoverished. 

I could write a few more pages on this, but you get the picture!  I'm going to take a shower, don my Rock and Roll shirt, and rock and roll on down the road--cause if I scratch my head any longer it's gonna start bleeding.  

  

Day 2

I drove all the way from Houston to Ocean Springs--normally one of my favorite stops.  But arriving on a weekend at 3 in the afternoon was less than ideal.  We popped into one shop, then drove down the coastline from OS to Biloxi, Gulfport to Pass Christian.  I had promised Luci a long walk on the beach, but there were signs everywhere, NO DOGS ON THE BEACH.

With an insane rule like that I figure we're solidly in Trump country!

Having driven over 700 miles, we decided to spend the night here in Gulfport and sleep late in the morning!

Trip Notes Day One

We're back in the saddle again, Luci and I.  These are our kinds of days!

Today we went out of our way a little to visit my favorite store in Smithville--Mosaic Arts, one of the few stores that sells David Marsh furniture and other artsy items with that vibe.  Then we went next door to Panama Rose, a store with lots of venders and pretty things.  We were met with a hug by the musician Sara Hickman and bought a couple of gifts in her shop upstairs, The Twig.  She must adhere to Jon Batiste's oft-spoken line: "I love you even if I don't know you." 

The sky was blue with blankets and mounds of white clouds,  and I actually turned around to take a picture--something I haven't done in way too long.  The photos were unremarkable, but the taking of them--that and the big sky expanded my heart! 

We got as far as the other side of Houston where we found a pet-friendly place to spend the night--and I'm about to begin that part of the adventure so we can get an early start on Day 2.