It's been far too long since I last blogged. We headed North early in May so that I could present a program based on my book, Woven a Bauhaus Memoir a Weaving History Conference in Clayton, NY. We packed up our gear and our dog crate behind the front seat for PWD puppy, Kizi, put the top down on our Saab convertible and the journey began.
Being back on the water is great. We're living aboard our Catalina 36 ft sailboat for the summer until mid-September when we head back south to Savannah.
We've been spending lots of time on little projects to make our old sailboat more shipshape. We're getting closer and have even enjoyed 3 lovely afternoon cruises playing with the wind on beautiful Lake Champlain. We are a bit frustrated by the weather, however and I'm sure I'll never get my hubbie to come North before June in the future. Savannah was just settling into beautiful weather and we left. It's been quite cold and rainy... not too much fun on board.
Before one stretch of rainy, cold weather a couple weeks ago I woke up and said... "Why don't we go visit your father?" Sounds innocent enough, but my 92 year old father-in-law lives in Salt Lake, Utah -- a mere 2500 miles from upstate NY! We washed clothes and took off that afternoon on May 26th, staying the night with our daughter, Kristin and her family near Albany, NY.
150 miles down and 2350 to go! Howe, Indiana first night... then Lincoln, Nebraska and Rawlins, Wyoming along I80 and four days later we drove through the mountain pass into Salt Lake City Saturday afternoon, May 30.
We enjoyed the Tetons, Yellowstone, Bighorn and the Badlands on the way home staying with our daughter's friend, Sam Bixby over the mountain pass from Jackson Hole in Victor, Idaho one night and Gillette, Wyoming and Jackson, Minnesota and South Bend, Indiana on the way back taking I90 a good part of the way. Twelve states and 5156 miles later we are back floatin' on our boat! How great it is to be retired and to be able to do this!
It was fantastic seeing father-in-law Hok doing so well. Brother-in-law Bill and his family are really doing a great job caring for him! We were able to stay in the retirement apartment, Parklane, and how the folk who lived there loved Kizi. What a trooper she was! She road beautifully in the backseat when the top was up, and snuggled on the floor by my feet when we had the top down. Every now and then she took a flying leap into my lap when I wasn’t paying attention.
I took along a knitting project: my Salt Lake City or bust blue toe-up socks. I started shortly after we began the journey and finished shortly after we made it back to New York State. I'll add photos below.
We both return with a heightened sense of the majesty of this amazing country we are blessed to call home. From purple mountains to waves of Spring green grain, to wind turbines creating peaceful power, to craggy layers of rock and snowy peaks, and friendly cowboys and folk we'll never see again, and fabulous family and friends -- INCREDIBLE!!! And to quote my lovely and well-missed late mother-in-law, "So vast!"
ps. photo is one of my favorites - Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park - June 2, 2009
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