12 Days and Counting

12 days.  That is how long I have been a resident of Denver, Colorado.

23,097 days.  Approximately how long I was a resident of Iowa.

As you can see I have a lot of growth to do before I can believe I am actually a resident of somewhere else.  As I was adjusting to the idea of moving to Colorado, ( yes, even tho' I had thought about it since 1974 when one of my good friends moved to Pudre Canyon), I thought, if I don't like Colorado, I can always move back to Iowa....if I can never afford a house in Colorado (which is a lot different than Tama, Iowa), I can always move back to Iowa.

Now I know... this is not true.

I can never do this "moving thing" again.  Well maybe I can move across town or to a town close by...but not so far that I need to sell so many things and then try to figure out what I do have, what I really need, what I want, and what I can really live without.

In this short time, 12 days, we have unpacked eighty boxes, repacked five.  Many of them essential, some of them not.  I have at least 6 boxes that have no purpose...memorabilia and inherited...stuff.  I have many pictures that have not found wall space. Many things that have not found storage.  And many things that have not been found. One of those not found is the TV remote....where can that be?

 We have become good friends of IKEA and Target.  I have learned my way around the West and South West sides of Denver rather easily.

In the 12 days we have discovered several new "neighborhoods" with cute shops and restaurants.  Actually our check out person at IKEA lived in our zipcode and told us about one little gem which we are going to tomorrow night to celebrate Mox's birthday.  We have actually found a new restaurant at least 8 times, since it is taking awhile to get into the kitchen cooking scene after 3 months.






In the 12 days we have seen our grandsons many times and rescued their parents a couple of times.  Leo  really didn't know our house in Tama and he loves our house here that includes Thomas Train.  Mox and Keller haven't been down the mountain to our new house since we have moved into it, but I am sure it will feel comfortable to them when they find some of their favorite things.

In the 12 days we have registered to vote, we have gone to the debate party, (where I kept yelling at Obama to counter Romney, but he didn't listen), and we went to the Obama Rally, where the gates opened at 7:30, where we walked over a mile to the park 4 blocks from Anna's house (security), where we stood in line going through security for 2 hours, where he spoke for 20 minutes, but where he redeemed himself.  On the way out his motor cade passed by the street we were on... bonus.





In the 12 days we have a TV room, Living room, Kitchen, Bedroom, and SPARE bedroom mostly finished.  We have a dining room table without chairs.  We still need storage for some of my dishes, as you know I love cooking and serving so I couldn't part with much of my cookware.  I have a cupboard picked out at a nearby import shop but need to see it again before I decide.

After the 12 days, Mox and I are still getting along and making decisions together...which is amazing. Tomorrow is his birthday and tonight he went to a class on bicycle maintenance at REI.  This is one advantage of living in a city that we hope to take advantage of....classes.  Tomorrow Brooke and Charlie and Anna and Chris are joining us to celebrate at a cute little sports bar that smokes it own meat.

After 12 days it is starting to sink in that we have really moved.  We are now residents of University Park.  We are now residents of Colorado.

In the next 12 days, we have to establish proof....a bank account....a drivers license....license plates....CO insurance.

After 12 days we still have a lot to learn.

We are moving FORWARD.

A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME

Now it is a whole new ball game.

My life is much like the NFL... if you are a football fan you will understand.  Mox and I are living with a new set of rules.  Well, not a completely new set of rules, but a new set of referees.  If you happened to watch a game lately, (and I watch very few), it is noticeable that the "real" refs are out on strike and the "amateur" refs are now in charge. They are trying their hardest to control the game. The rules are not different, but compromised.

My new set of rules refers to renting.  I am now the leasee, which in fact sounds better than leasor, which could be interpreted as leas than, but ironically means more than. 

I assume, that by what you, my friends, are posting and your well wishes, you often think that we are on top of the world, fancy free, free adventurers, and that "this is the life to be envied."

Nevertheless, in my life I view most things on a continuum and this is the continuum of the last few days.

TOP OF THE WORLD..........................................................................................LIFE IN REALITY

When we loaded the trucks to move, it was not only a lot of work, it was a lot of feelings of finality,  a lot of anxiety about getting it done.  Unlike Nike, it was not just about doing it!  We did not get everything into one truck and had to decide how to get our "not very important" possessions of life to Colorado.  We ended up pulling a UHAUL trailer behind our UHAUL truck, (the biggest UHAUL) had available.  That meant that Charlie, Mox, and I all had to drive separately, and that we left at 3 o'clock in the afternoon rather than 11 or 12.  LIFE IN REALITY.

When we finally unloaded our things in Denver and I went to Estes to see Mox and Keller for the first time in weeks, it was fantastic.  The hugs and kisses were worth traveling through the night...sleeping in the car at a truck stop between the big UHAUL and a BIG DOG (semi),  and not brushing my teeth for longer than I care to think.  TOP OF THE WORLD

When unpacking and I figure out I don't have enough cupboard space for my dishes; when my living room stuff does not seem to fit; when the boxes that need to be unpack are 5xs the ones unpacked and there is no more room; when I find out my Leasor bought 5 rooms of new curtains in Ivory when the walls are white and carpets beige; AND when after I asked if we could exchange the colors and found out she traveled to 5 Wall Marts to get them all alike and on SALE and I had looked them up at full price they were $12.99 a panel...LIFE IN REALITY.

When going to IKEA today to find a bed frame, hearing my husband being way too excited about a $39.00 coffee table (scary), loosing our cart after only a 10 minute abandonment while flying down the isles on a big cart, standing in line for what seemed like purgatory, because the 9 month pregnant woman in front of us could save money by becoming a member using the internet on her phone...LIFE IN REALITY.

When we were the last in a closed line and met the check out person who found out we had just moved to her zip code...80210 and when she went on to tell us what a great neighborhood we moved into and when she gave us several tips about where to go and what to do....TOP OF THE WORLD.  When loading up our purchases, we happened to be by the same pregnant woman struggling with her purchases (serendipity) and when I thought we should stay and help load (as I can remember the day), and when she couldn't find her car and then discovered she was on the wrong level, and when we continued to help her load.....TOP OF THE WORLD.

Back at 1930 Milwaukee St. with our Leasor who cares alot about her property and who has printed out a 5 page lease agreement which I didn't totally agree with and when at one point I agree that I am not in charge of the place I live in and I know it has 9 windows with the same  ivory drapes from Wall Mart, when there is nothing I can to about it....LIFE IN REALITY.

Luckily after all that, when I could come over to Chris and Anna's home, see my grandson, run circles around us on the kitchen floor shouting "run around my family", eat pasta,  be reminded of all the good ahead, when I could have the moving experience normalize by those who have moved several times, and when, of course, I could have a martini,  I could feel on ...TOP OF THE WORLD.

PS:  I never cared much about the NFL
PPS:  Strong life experiences usually surprise me.
PPPS:  I guess that is why I need to keep having experiences.
PPPPS:  I hate surprises.
PPPPPS:  Go Figure.

Riding the range

Tuesday will mark the two month anniversary since we first left Iowa headed for Colorado in July.

Iowa

Nebraska

Colorado

Wyoming

Montana

Idaho

Washington

Oregon

Caliifforrnnnia (it is a very long state)

Nevada

Utah

Colorado

Nebraska

Iowa 

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Michigan

Ontario

Quebec

New York

Vermont

New Hampshire

Massachusetts

Rhode Island

Connecticut 

New York

So far if I am counting right that is 21 states (not repeating) and two provinces.  

We are targeted to leave NYC on Tuesday and make our way back to Iowa.  We have not plotted our final course.  At times it seems like we should linger in several more states and try to burn a couple more bridges,  At the same time, it seems like it is about time to settle down.  Fall is almost here and we know what season follows.

We also have a day to load the truck and move our possessions, whatever they may be, to our new home in Colorado.  We are moving our things at the same time that Brooke and Charlie are moving their things.  It is time to reunite the family and start a new life.

The days of riding the range are just about over.  It is time to get off the horse and and into a house.

MOX: Yurt to York

We live in an amazing time and place. In just a matter of a couple of hours we can transport ourselves into completely different environments. Transitions that would have been unthinkable to our recent ancestors. Two days ago Pam and I were living in a 12' diameter yurt among the scrub oak forest in Shawme Forest in Cape Cod, Mass. With the turn of the ignition key and a little gas we found ourselves only a few hours later turning the key to a walk-up apt in Brooklyn, in the midst of one of the largest cities in the world.
Cape Cod: What comes to mind? I had imagined row after row of zillion dollar homes tucked into gated communities unlocked only with a 1% card. What we found was a beautiful stretch of unusual geography that includes, thanks largely to JFK authorization, the National Seashore reserved for the common people - like me and you. I do not know if this country has "set aside" too little or too much of our shared natural resourses  for public use, such as national parks, forests, seashores etc. I do know that I appreciate seeing them and using them. They are a good thing and a reflection on the values of our society. The Cape does have several small communities such as Provincetown at the NE end and Sandwich and Chatam and Hyannis along the coast. Provincetown was perhaps our least favorite as it is the most tourist-oriented with shops etc. Hyannis was our favorite with a busy marina (connections by ferry to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket) and the legacy of the Kennedy clan. Speaking of JFK, we did visit the JFK Library in Boston as we drove down from New Hampshire. It is very well done with a nice balance of architecture, media, and artifacts. You know that you are no longer "young" when you watch a graining black and white video of Walter Cronkite choking up as he announces the fact that "President Kennedy is dead" and remembering all too well when you saw it the first time live on CBS. (Available at this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K8Q3cqGs7I )

Here, in Brooklyn, we are very comfortable in a nicely furnished one bedroom apt Pam arranged through AirB&B, only a few blocks away from Joe, Gili, and baby Zevi. A great opportunity for us to enjoy some bonding as we have not seen Zevi in person since she was two weeks old back in February. She is a happy girl with a smile that DOES make you feel young again! An extra bonus: Gili's parents, Susan and Douglas, are up visiting from Florida.

Mox: O Canada

Yesterday we arrived in New Hampshire ("Live free or die"), via Vermont and a top slice of New York. For the prior four days we were in Ontario, mostly in the city of Ottawa. Traveling through the small towns and vast countryside of rural Ontario one has the impression that the good times perhaps rolled right out of town with the sawmills. Pretty much what I had expected - good folks working hard to make a living. 

Coming into Ottawa, however, was a treat. Perhaps due to the luxury of moving from a tent to a hotel room (thanks Hotwire and Anna); perhaps due to the change from poor rural to a relaxed but prosperous national capitol.

We took an impressive tour of the Parliament with its House (elected) and its Senate (appointed) and I could not stop comparing their system to the USA version with its presidential election madness. I understand the major difference in populations etc etc etc, but my, my, our system, with its inherent incivility and legally protected PACs, is not the best way for democracy to manifest. We can do better and we owe it to our red-white-blue hearts to seek out ways to improve it. 

The last night we were in Ottawa we viewed one of the greatest light/sound shows I have ever seen. The two photos above only hint at the show that was projected onto the Parliament building. For thirty minutes Pam, I, and a few hundred gathered on the lawn were held spellbound with a rapid fire surround-sound salute to the diversity, culture, history, and pride of Canada. I tried to imagine such a show being projected onto the side of the US Capitol or the White House but just couldn't do it. 

It reminded me that, although the USA is a great nation with a diversity unmatched, it is not the only country with liberty and justice and pride. As I celebrated with Canadians and visitors I found myself really celebrating the distance that we have come as a human species. Let us collectively vow to never take a step backwards and to help those who yearn for the securities and freedoms that we know are basic to human happiness. Thanks to all those who have come before us with Godly intentions and Godly actions. 

If you have the opportunity, put Ottawa on your bucket list as the show will continue during summers for four more years.

Surprises III

e
 I am rushing through the Western tour.  I think once we got to San Diego and started hanging our with Summer and Drew, Megan and Kevin we were "at home" and we took less pictures and just chilled.  The water was much warmer in the Pacific than I expected as I hadn't been there in late summer for a long time.








We drove from San Diego to Las Vegas, I thing about 5 hours.  We went from 80b degrees to ea117 at Death Valley to around 100 degrees in Las Vegas.  We were at the south end of the strip.  We did a hotwire and stayed at the Luxor.  It was fine, but not the greatest.  We went to New York, New York and MGM also. We loved the piano bar in NY/NY.











 It was short, but fun.









I think the biggest surprise of the trip was
southern Utah.  I was thinking, "Okay, a straight shot from Las Vega to Denver"  a long trip, but we needed to get back to Iowa for a family wedding.  But wait, southern Utah was beautiful.
We were skirting the Grand Canyon and the canyonlands that we drove though were amazing.

On top of the natural beauty we had a storm system that was coming through so part of the sky was sunny and the other part was stormy.  The pictures do not do it justice, it is a place I would like to return to.  Of course, there are signs that say there is no gas (or anything else for the next 110 miles.)

 We got back to Denver in time for the New West Festival in Fort Collins.  We enjoyed it, but not as much as Ayla and Leo.

t

Surprise II

 Salinas Valley California
This is the source of most of our vegetables and strawberries.  The produce was great here where it was picked ripe and sold in the stands along the road.  Avocados were 5 for a dollar, imagine that.

In the field outside Salinas were these larger than life figures depicting the workers in the field.  There were great and one had on an FFA jacket.  Great high school project.





Point Lobos State Reserve
From Salinas we took a couple of day trips along the coast.  One day we went to Monterey and then on to Carmel.  Late in the afternoon we drove into Point Lobos and were informed by at the ranger station that we were too late to enter the park as it was closing in less than an hour.
When we made a u-turn to leave he waved us down again and asked if we were really from Iowa (per our license plate.)  When we confirmed our Iowa roots, he let us go into the park, promising to be out by closing.  He also was from Iowa, an Iowa Stater.  To say the least, we did not have enough time to explore this fantastic park, but did enjoy what we saw.  These amazing rock/sand formations.  This is a must see and explore more fully next time.

Construction
We always marvel at how they make the highways along the cliffs and this day got to experience the precarious feat.  This is not the best photo of the narrow passage the workers had marked off going around the bend on a cliff on Highway 1.  They were on the other side of the right barrier building highway on the drop off side.

Great Pelicans
On the peir at Monterey.  They were great to watch, need I say more.  Oh yes, one more, thorns to the woman who picked one up and carried it around...to prove??

 Hearst Castle
Yes we actually stopped and paid to see it this time. We had stopped here 26 years ago but Mox just could not spring for the admission price for a car load. I thought I might be too overwhelmed by its grandiosity, but I must say it was too grandiose to overwhelm me.  It was more like a fantasy than something a person could actually own.
The inside was great with its art archives and furniture, but of course, my favorite part was the two pools.

The guides said at the end of the summer season they have a party there and get to swim.  I am thinking about this as my next job as I could hardly contain myself.

 Friends
We stopped in Los Angeles to visit Larry LaRose and his wife Nancy, daughters, Tessa and Meagan.  Larry was Mox's freshman college roommate at Iowa.  It was a brief one night visit, but it was like we had seen each other every year rather than 26 years ago!  It was amazing to me what kindred spirits the two of them are.

Their daughter's, twins, are studying at the University of Hawaii and were home for the summer where they work as ocean life guards.  We learned a lot about Hawaii and life guarding.

 Dozer
This 60 pound African Tortoise was one of their pets.  He roams the yard and keeps the grass mowed.

USS Iowa 
We had heard about the USS Iowa becoming a museum before we left Iowa.  Mox had also heard that anyone with an Iowa drivers license could get in free.  That is his kind of tourism place.  It was true we did get special Iowa treatment.

The walls of this battleship are 18" inches of steel.  Built in 1940 she served for over 50 years in WWII, the Korean Conflict, and the Cold War.  She was named the ship of presidents as she has been the host of many presidents.

The Iowa hosted President Franklin Delano Roosevelt across the Atlantic and Back in 1943 so he could attend a secret Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting with Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, and Chaing Kai-shek at the Tehran Conference.

It was a great sunny southern California day and while we still had our Iowa Drivers License we decided to enjoy the tour.

 SanDiego
One of the best surprises of our trip happened while I was in the produce department at Sprouts. Brooke was interviewing for a job in Estes Park and after three hours in we had almost given up on hearing from her.
When she called she announced that she not only interviewed, but was offered the job on the spot.  I was crying amongst the carrots.  People must have thought I had received bad news.
When we got home we celebrated Brooke's new job.

Del Mar Race Track
We met up with our niece Megan, Kevin, and Orrin at Del Mar.  We had gone for a beer festival which wasn't that great, but the track is historic and magnificent.  I had not really been to a horse race and the grandeur and excitement were great fun.
We never did get around to betting so we broke even on the day....except for the price of beer.

SURPRISE

It may be a surprise that I am blogging after a bit of a reprieve as we visit with our family in Grundy Center.  However the surprises that I am thinking of are those unexpected pleasures of our trip.

Ogallala, Nebraska
In my life time I am sure that I have passed by Ogallala around 75 times.  I have seen the sign for Lake McConaughy, but let's face it, there are many signs for attractions along I 80: The pioneer museum, the Great Archway in Kearny, the  Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles, Fort Cody Trading Post, and so on.  Let's face it, I was always in a hurry to get where I was going and I have never stopped when on the ribbon of interstates....until now.  If I would have known that there were white sand beaches in Ogallala, I would have stopped every time and taken a dip. These beaches are on the edge of the great sand dunes and are as wonderful as the white sand beaches of Florida.  They should put that on the sign out there by the interstate.  "Florida in Nebraska".  A great surprise.  (Maybe I will stop at the gateway arches next trip out.)

Bozeman, Montana

This was our first stop after leaving Denver.  We camped for two nights in a nice private campground.  Bozeman is a city of 37,000 +.  It is the home of Montana State University.  It was beautiful, nestled in the valley.  The downtown was vibrant with old businesses and restaurants.  It is not often we see a vibrant downtown anymore.  This picture is of the great springs spa.  We were lucky to hit the farmer's market with many types of booths, the best granola ever, and the symphony playing outside.  Bozeman has a great spirit.

 Coeur d' Alene, Idaho
I apologize to this city as the picture does not represent the beauty.  This was a surprise pass through town that we wish we would have known about and had the time to spend a day there.  Instead we were captured by it's beauty and had a picnic lunch by the lake.  The town itself was very picturesque with little cafes and businesses.  Next time Coeur d'Alene.






Pat and Jaynece Tekippe
We heard a week or so before we left on our trip that our brother and sister in law were going to be in Wenatchee, Wa.  So instead of going straight to Portland which we had planned we went to Washington.  Their daughter lives in Wenatchee/Levenworth Wa.  Here is a winery we stopped at between the two towns.  It is beautiful in this part of Wa. along the Columbia and Wenatchee Rivers.

Seattle 
O.K.  this wasn't really a surprise, everyone loves Seattle and the fish market.  The colors of the vegetables and flowers were great.  We met up with another friend, Peter Hoekstra, had dinner at the Pink Door, went to a jazz bar, and also bought a great chef's knife.  This is also the home of the Polish Pottery shop, and my confusion about Colorado, Iowa.

 Mount Rainier
The surprise here was that we saw it.  We came in to the park in the southwest corner and headed to the Paradise Visiting Center.  A rather new center in the park.  When my friend, Jeff, was trying to explain the park over the phone, I chose the Paradise option, because....who wouldn't.
Another friend of mine had been to the park earlier and had not seen the peak due to the cloud cover.  I was telling Mox about this and preparing for the same experience because the mountain is often covered in cloud, when we turn the curve and there she was.  This picture was taken through the windshield at that amazing moment.

Redwood National Park
I was 7 years old when I first went to California with my parents and my older brother in a brand new 1956 two toned blue Chevy Bel Aire.  My dad had just landed a "federal" job working for the US Postal Service.  It was post war and a time  of prosperity.  WWII in somewhat of a plot twist lead to tourism.  All the small town and farm guys and gals who went off to fight also learned how big the world was.  Anyway, when I was 7 we drove through a Redwood tree and I wanted to do it again.  The drive through trees are privately owned, so you have to pay a penance for the experience, but it was worth it to recreate my childhood.

The Golden Gate Bridge
Always majestic in my mind.  Another foggy day, but it might not really be San Francisco without the fog.  I had originally hoped to stay in the city a few days with my Aunt, but she was off to Michigan.  She is 91 so I will soon visit this city again.

Mox 4: The Little Guys

Although they don't look like it in this photo overlooking Monterey Bay, these are our "little guys". They are our proxie grandsons and are taking the Tour with us. They are appropriately named "Racecar (Mox)", "Bull (Keller)", and "Dumptruck) Leo". We will have to add another when we finally get to NYC and consult with Zevi. In the meantime, the Little Guys are helping us remember to keep an open mind on our travels and to especially try to see things through their young eyes.
We plan to post up more photos soon and you may see them sneak into some of them.
So far Dumptruck's favorite place has been a section of I-15 in Utah that was under construction. For  Racecar it was revving his engine at the Mazda Racetrack east of Carmel, CA. And for Bull - well, he was just glad to have missed the big Salinas Rodeo and seems pretty content to watch the occasional herds of western cattle  drift by his car window.

Mox 3: living under the cloud

When I was a young boy in northeast Iowa one beautiful crisp winter day I was visiting with my grandmother Anna just over the hill from our farm. It had just snowed the previous night and all was white and fresh and inviting. I recall grabbing a hand full of new snow and taking a delicious mouth full only to hear a rather sharp command from Grandma to "put that down". She went on to explain that the snow was likely contaminated with nuclear "fall out" as the Chinese were doing "tests" - a mere half-globe away. In some small way an innocent bubble was burst and no longer was new snow just new snow. Danger could present itself in any form, at any time.
So what does this have to do with our trip? We are now in the land of "milk 'n honey". The sun burns off the morning fog after a cool night and the waves lap gently at the miles of sandy shoreline. And yet we were reminded at dinner last night of the importance of knowing and adhering to the four S-words: Survive, Sustain, Secure, and Share. Back in Iowa, should a natural disaster strike, such as a tornado or a flood, we would most likely be just fine with two S-words - Survive and Share. That is small-town thinking. Here, where one walks on the ridge of the San Andreas fault line, it is a different story. Danger could present itself in any form, at any time. I wonder if Grandma would have liked to live in California.

Middle America's Civilization

We have reached civilization.  Not that we have been in the woods for long, but it is amazing how accustomed I had become to the conveniences of life prior to my homeless venture.  Sleeping in a tent has been comfortable, warm, and dry.  We have not had any inclement weather and we have only been a short walk to the bathrooms that have always had showers.  Mind you several were coin operated and the last one seemed to be $.25 for 10 seconds although it was advertised as 40 seconds.  I had only two quarters and it took at least 30 seconds for slightly warm water to rain down.

Complain, Complain.

It isn't that I am completely spoiled, for the first 3 or 4 years of my life we didn't have a bathroom in our house. In spite of that fact, we had a bath every Saturday night whether we needed it or not. My mom, a Nebraska farm girl who grew up during the depression, boiled the water on the stove and poured it into a tin bathtub that she had brought into the kitchen.  I was youngest so I got my bath first.  Then my mom would bathe in my water.  She would then change the water and the start the same process for my brother and my father.... thankful as I, that I didn't have little sisters.

The memories of my childhood reinforce my knowledge of how basic a person can live...how to make do.  They are also a reminder that tent camping with facilities is better than many people live.

When living with more basic elements, it also becomes apparent that no one cares what you look like.  So you go to the public bathroom dressed in leggings, athletic socks, slippers, night gown, shirt, down vest, or hair askew, fellow campers accept this as the norm.  You may look like a homeless person with several mixed matched layers while you are standing in  your outdoor kitchen cooking breakfast, but that is the norm. YOU ARE CAMPING!  ROUGHING IT!  The more surprising fact is that WE HAVE CHOSEN TO LIVE THIS WAY.  Again a reminder that many people living in this world have not chosen such a plight.  Without fault they have little means to clean themselves, wash their clothes, cook a good meal, have shelves to store things, a dresser, a closet, a refrigerator....you get the point.

Tonight we have reached civilization.  We have access to civilization as we baby boomers in middle America know it.  We are at my cousins house in Salinas California.  She is on vacation in Michigan.  Although we wish we could see her, it did dawn on me that we have not really had a house to ourselves since May 15th. We are sitting on the couch watching the Olympics.  We have running water, two bathrooms, a very big memory foam bed, running water, dishes, a refrigerator, a stove, running water, you get the idea.  A mansion in the midst of California.  Something we often take for granted ever day, until of course we tent camp.

We should go explore the coast tomorrow, but we might just stay in.

Mox #2: Hold my hand big tree

Life lessons can be learned anywhere. Sometimes, it takes a couple of images to make a connection. Yesterday, at Pairie Creek State Park, north of Eureka, CA, I was bicycling on a silent serene forest trail immersed in the soft damp beauty of conifers on both sides just drifting by. Then, as I turned a corner in the trail, I met a giant redwood on the right with a diameter of at least 20 ft. It's height only a guess as it disappeared into the canopy. On my left were four more that had cloned perhaps before my great grandfather arrived from Germany. Together they formed a wooden cloudscraper. I, of course, stopped instantly in awe and in respect. What did these manificent plants have to teach me? That beauty can be huge? I already knew that. I pedaled back to camp.

A short while later I was sitting at the picnic table and on the road that curves past our tentsite I watched a grandmother walking rather briskly with her grandson returning from a visit to the bathhouse. The grandson had only recently discovered walking and he was so small that it was a stretch for his little hand to make it up to his grandma's. She was moving at her adult destnation-driven pace and his body was being helped along. He was in a different world, a separate zone, and was oblivious to where in the universe or the nation or the day he was. As long as he had his grandmother's hand and was connected he was free to think, to fantasize, to create, to breathe. So, as a young-old adult, I was reminded by this child and this tree that big solid for-sure things, be they a towering redwood or an anchoring grandma,are not only important, but actually vital to enable us to be who we are and who we wish to be.

WATCH OUT WHEN INVITING US IN

When we were selling our home, in a time warp that seems to have been eons ago, friends and family kept asking us what we were going to do. "Where are you going?" Althought we had thought about moving, talked about moving, and fantasized about moving, we didn't have a clear plan about moving nor an understanding about the impact of moving. Really, I don't think we believed we would ever move.


While we were somewhat apprehensive about the whole idea, others were over joyed. While we were dazed and confused, others thought we had been planning this and were "right on" with the concept. While we often thought we were crazy to think about our homeless adventure, others thought we were adventuresome. When we uttered our lack of clarity; when we uttered our lack of a plan (we had no clue as to where we were going to live); when we uttered out any hint at confusion; almost everyone responded enthusiastically, "Come stay with us, we have lots of room." "Stay as long as you like, we love company." 


Now it is true that most of the responders did have room. Like us they were empty nesters who still had extra bedrooms. Others were young and hadn't filled up their bedrooms yet. This generosity got us to thinking. We started jokingly fantasizing about how long we could go without a house. After all, we once before went without a television for 6 whole months until the Olympics came on and we caved. We started mentally plotting our friends and family on map to see where our travels would take us if we took advantage of all our friendly responders as well as freedom from responsibility. We could stay with friends and family until THEY COULD NO LONGER STAND US. (Remindful of National Lampoons vacation series.)(Which many of you know we tried to emulate when we went to Europe.) 


As a side note this concept had occurred to us once before. In 1986 with 4 children in tow, we went to visit Mox's brother in California. While we were lounging in the pool, and you know how I love pools, I suggested to Mox that we could be the relatives that came to visit and never left. Luckily for them, our Iowa values kicked in and we left as scheduled. 


 However, now we are older, more forgetful and braver. We are also, at least temporarily, on a "fixed income." Just maybe we won't leave. This brought us to the concept of burning bridges, which most of our lives we have tried hard not to do. Now, tongue in cheek, we decided to take a Burning The Bridges Together Tour 2012. Take everyone up on their generosity!


Watch out when inviting us in.

 P.S. (Can you have a P.S. in a blog?) Ironically the Olympics are starting again. Can we survive them without a house?  and P.P.S. we really aren't missing our home.

Mox #1: pajamas

When it comes to technology, as much as I hate to admit it to the world, I am some distance behind Pam. So bear with me. I am used to journaling and I have been doing that for at least the past twenty years. But "blogging" is not the same, at least for me. When I journal it is written for ME and maybe some yet to be born great grand child who stumbles upon some discarded box full of barely legible books dating back to the 2oth century. But putting out a blog for anyone to read is like hosting company in your pajamas - it may take a bit of getting used to. So here we go. Yesterday Pam and I took a 10 hour drive from Denver to Bozeman and stopped along the way once to take in matters at the Little Big Horn. You remember the Little Big Horn - where George Armstrong Custer and the 7th Calvery did some miscalulations and paid a collective ultimate price for the intrusions and injustices of so many that preceeded them. The park rangers did a fine job of balanced explanations of the facts leading up to and including the last stand on the bluffs overlooking a serene river valley. I found myself asking in reflection what did we learn from this event? Could it have been prevented? Some say that history just "unfolds" and things happen as they must, perhaps even according to some grand divine plan. I do not subscribe to that journal and I think the violence that shocked the USA on that June in 1876, while Centenial celebrations were in play through out the eastern cities, could and should have been avoided. It was the result of greed. Greed for gold, greed for land. Some really interesting books for a perspective on this red-white historial relationship are : Black Elk Speaks, Lame Deer: Seeking of Visions, and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown. Enough serious stuff. We are now in our Bozeman tent waiting on a Montana storm to blow through before we venture into town for the local farmers market. Had a great day today taking in the Bozeman Hot Springs (I love WARM water)after an hour bike ride. More soon. Mox

ZIPCODES

I realize that I mostly joke about being homeless, but it is interesting to get a glimpse into some of the issues that confront the homeless.  I am finding zipcodes are one of those issues.

I am struck when several times a day, I am asked for my zipcode.  In an effort to buy gas yesterday, I had to put my zipcode in the pump.  I have had so many lately, I turned around a couple of numbers and Oops, the pump refused to turn on.  I spent an extra 10 minutes going into the station where I had to pre pay for the gas.

As you know, for 33 years my zipcode was 52339.  Now I really don't have a zipcode so when asked, I often make the same choice as I do when someone asks for my birthday, I make one up.

When did zipcodes gain such importance? I was born before zipcodes and got along fine for many years without one.  As the song goes, "Got along without you before I met you going to get along without your now."

This week I lived at
60538
52144
68845
80204
80511.

Next week I will leave 80204 and go to
98801
98101
and
97086.

I'm not sure what zipcodes I will reside at before reaching 92101.
I am glad that I am homeless by choice and that I know it isn't a permanent state.
My zipcode in September will be 80210.

THE REALITY IS....

I am overdue to write.  The reality is we are now on the road and we haven't established a road routine yet.  It is easy to put off writing, mostly because I am a moody writer.  Which means I have to be in the mood and the mood usually comes with some solitude.

Before leaving on our trip we moved the rest our things out of our temporary home in Grundy into storage.  We also brought a few things to Colorado, including the pick up truck.  It is now with our friends in Estes Park.  

Today we visited the house we are going to rent in Denver.  We will not move in until September so the reality is....We, are homeless. 

 But as luck has it, we do have a car.  

If you need to reach us write to us 

% of the blue Subaru 

on the highway 

somewhere between Denver and Wenatchee, Wa.

Reality Keeps Creeping In

Although I continue to distract myself with "things I need to do before my big road trip"  reality keeps knocking at my door.

For instance, today I came home and there were two BIG BOXES on my bed.
I know that inside of one is a CAMP STOVE.
I know inside of the other one is a CAMP SKILLET.
Did I really sell my good dishes and pack away my pots and pans for a CAMP STOVE and SKILLET???

What was I thinking?

Is there some kind of new crisis that has been added to the baby boomer generation in order to accentuate the 10 years that have been added to our life span? Some new crisis that will help keep us from ignoring our good fortune?

Fortune??  Going through the mid life crisis at 40 and again at 60 +!

Our generation went through the Viet Nam Crisis, the Kent State crisis, the consciences objector crisis and the women's lib crisis, marching, burning the draft cards, and of course, bras. We went through the natural childbirth era and reinstated breast feeding.  We could not be woman enough.  We have enjoyed viable careers and been treated more equally than any previous generation.  Naturally this lead so some internal struggle of work vs. family...the identity
 crisis.

I suppose, if I'm lucky enough to have an extra 10 years added to my life span it is only fair to struggle with a new crisis.  A what to do with it crisis.  Camp stove or no camp stove, skillet or no skillet, it must be a crisis of fortune.

But what shall I call it?
A  3/4 life crisis.  
The waning moon crisis.  
The adventures of the waning moon.  

You can chime in anytime.  What do you think?

That's What Is Keeping Me Up At Night

That's What Is Keeping Me Up at Night.

In the wee hours of morning my brain is purusing my resume for experience.  Sure, after 40 years in the field of social work and 30 years of Master work and further training, my resume looks solid....for work.  But wait, I am trying to formulate a new resume, a resume for moving, retirement, and slowing down.  A resume, I find, that doesn't look so solid and one that shows very little experience.  My qualifications are shaky at best.

Oh sure, I have had brief periods of not working over the last 40 years.  They were periods filled with chaos, hormones, and adaption.  In other words, maternity leave.  Not necessarily relaxing or slow.  And yes, I have practiced change at times by changing jobs, but always in a 25 mile radius of my home.  Even when I went to graduate school 30+ years and 2 children ago, I drove in some type of "Walter Mitty" fog, from my safe haven in Tama to the U of I.  No ma'am, I have not in the last 33 years, moved.  And honey, that is a long time.

Sure, we have talked about retirement the last few years. We talked about moving somewhere new.  Nevertheless, I didn't believe it.  On my two trips to Colorado this spring, I have looked out at the mountains and the city lights and thought, "OMG, I really am going to live here!"  I've gotten a rather tingly almost giddy sensation.  After a few days, I have gone back to Iowa and quickly regained my sense of comfort with the ease of life there.  The giddiness dissipated and once again moving and change didn't seem imminent.

The last two and a half months, in an effort to stay grounded, I have marked my life by the tasks needed to be done before I move, retire, and slow down in a "one step at a time" philosophy. 

 sell house
 have everyone home to say goodbye,
 liquidate belongs
 close on house
 move to Brooke's
 Brooke's graduation
 Anna's graduation
 go to Chicago
 Brooke's garage sale
and next week, HOLY CRAP, QUIT WORK!

Am I really leaving Iowa?  Am I moving to Colorado? Have I actually reduced my material worth down to less than one storage unit?  Can I survive an extended road trip?  And really, what is life like without a pay check?

Do the words that describe me include crazy, poor, homeless, vagabond or are they more like adventuresome, brave, free, and fun loving?  

That my dear friends....
That's what is keeping me up at night.  P