Today class, we're going to engage in a little chapter review. August 5th marked one month on the road so far and the half-way point on this journey, much in the same way the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, New Mexico, the restaurant where I very indulgently ordered a piece of coconut cream pie yesterday, is the exact geographic middle of Route 66. Ever tardy, I realize that I have been remiss in providing details on the road map ahead and the checkered, pothole-laden … [Read more...]
Nothing is Random, or, Seeing God in Maggie Edens
August 6, 2011 By
Thank you all who snatched me back from the slippery soap scum of fear and loathing in the shower. Normally I just have that reaction because I can't see my toes without bending. Kidding. (not so much...) Tonight, I'm in Graford, Texas, about 60 miles west/northwest of Ft. Worth, staying at my cousin's house, whom I have not seen in about 46 years. He and his wife's log cabin, which they've have built and customized in an unbelievably amazing fashion, complete with a … [Read more...]
Shower Moment
August 4, 2011 By
You didn't really know this, but I promised to be completely honest with you on this trip. It can't just be la-la-la-la Chicken Soup for the Highway, Tales of Inspiration and Joy From the Construction Zone Across America. Shit's rough sometimes. Now, I hesitate to bring this up, because, let's face it, I did this on my own volition. It makes it that much harder to face feeling like a fool. This was a conscious decision, a "moral imperative" said I, so pointedly in my … [Read more...]
Carolina Comfort
August 2, 2011 By
Before I roll into Texas and the history palooza this immersion will undoubtedly prompt, I'd just like to tell you why I love North Carolina. I guarandamntee you I will choke up writing this. (Now that we've clearly detected a pattern here....) It's because it took care of me. North Carolina took care of me and my children, time and time and time again. A brief history: I moved to NC in February of 1992, the trailing spouse of husband #2, whom I'll call Rick. He was … [Read more...]
True Grit
August 2, 2011 By
I called his number, a little nervous. It had been nineteen years since I'd see my former brother-in-law, Pat. I'm thinking,"why in the hell would he want to see me?"; the former sister-in-law, the outlaw, the one who'd asked for the divorce from his little brother. Into every life, a little guilt must fall. But it was in fact my first ex, the high school sweetheart ex, my favorite ex, who encouraged me to call his big brother, Pat, the retired Navy captain. I was only … [Read more...]
They Don’t Cotton To Takin’ Pitchers of the Barn
July 30, 2011 By
It's Day 24 of our little trek, and I'm in Douglasville, Georgia, just south of Atlanta, staying with my niece and her family. Libby's getting another dose of country living, with her southern canine cousins, both females. There were a few raised hackles at first, reminded me of the woman who pulled up behind me at the Hope Mills General Store, in appropriately named, Hope Mills, VA. By the time that brief stopover was through, I was hoping to get out of there alive. … [Read more...]
We Tried to Make ’em Go to Rehab
July 27, 2011 By
I've needed to talk about this for a long time, my brother Garrett. Even though the death of my brother Don eleven months ago weighs fresh on my heart, I lost another brother back in 2002. I still miss him very much. I'd intended to tell you about Garrett on what would have been his 60th birthday, on June 27th. Wow, 60. That's as hard to imagine as JFK being old, you know? Anyway, June 27th, was supposed to be my last day on the job and I had this great tribute to … [Read more...]
Zen and the Art of Canine Maintenance
July 26, 2011 By
I figure now is just as good a time as any, to talk about what's it like to travel with a big, yeller dog, seeing how three weeks ago today we rolled out of St. Louie. Being prompt is not my forte. It's taken me this long to get into a routine. There are so many different considerations -- who eats first, who poops first, how far I have to go for coffee, how far I have to go to find a blade of grass for her to be inclined to pee on, how hot it is, how safe it is, how … [Read more...]
Fuel for the Journey! Thank you IAMS !!!!!!
July 25, 2011 By
Today is day 21 on my coast-to-coast road trip with my dog. So far, I've stopped in: Springfield, (IL) Chicago, Holy Toledo!; Youngstown, OH; Philadelphia; NYC; Washington, DC; Waynesboro and Culpeper, VA; and tonight, I'm in Winston-Salem, a lovely little city in the Piedmont area of North Carolina, which places it conveniently about an hour and a half to the mountains, four hours to the blessed Carolina coast. Yes, this is a real photo below. I genuinely love it … [Read more...]
Get Another Dog
July 24, 2011 By
So one of my readers, Alysa from France inspired me this morning. Merci. I have never set eyes on this young woman who is undoubtedly young enough to be my daughter, who encourages me all the way from Europe, some days, when I need it more than you can imagine. As much as this may seem like a lark, (I know, nobody put a gun to my head) it's lonely on the road. I get down. I get homesick. I get fearful of getting sick, losing Libby, getting a flat tire or the trots. It's … [Read more...]
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