Road Trip

Grand Lake

The summer travel season is upon us, and so we spent the past week on the road. Five states in slightly less than a week means I'm exhausted! We planned a reunion with my daughter's adoption travel group over a year ago, and then Jerry combined a business trip with our social adventure. As we publicized our itinerary relatives along the way invited us to stay, so we ended up with quite the odyssey! Unfortunately, the friend I wrote about in my Visiting the Past post died exactly one week after I rushed home to see him, just as the doctor predicted. The funeral wasn't held for over a week, though, so I missed it because we were away. We had already paid a couple hundred dollars in deposit, so we couldn't cancel. I feel at peace with it as much as I can. I saw him and said goodbye, and two of my sisters attended the service and sang for him, so we were well-represented. My friend was so well-known and loved the funeral lasted four and a half hours, because everyone wanted to pay a tribute!

 

I feel like we are almost obligated to visit our daughter's fellow orphans. We would stay in touch with them anyway, because we love those people. Even if we didn't though, the girls refer to one another as "cousins". They are from the same tiny village and spent their infancy in the same room at the orphanage. These are the closest to biological relatives my daughter will ever have, and I'm very happy we remain part of each other's lives.

 

Jerry had business in downtown Cincinnati, so we headed there first, with stops in Tennessee and Kentucky on the way. As a girl I could rattle off all the famous race horses and their descendants, so I was happy to share horse country with my own girl. We viewed a photo of a famous Tennessee Walker and I was able to show her the breed we owned when I was girl and the patient type of horse who tutored my early equestrian endeavors. Then we stopped at the Kentucky Horse Park, my childhood idea of Paradise. After our reunion we visited relatives across Ohio. I was able to see Grand Lake again, and it didn't disappoint, despite the storm clouds you can see blowing across the water in the picture. 

 

Gorgeous mountain views near Flat Top, West Virginia

The ride home through mountains and farmland afforded gorgeous views. I took a lot of photos in hopes of someday getting back to painting again. I wish I'd thought to photograph the fields of chicory blooming amid the dry grass outside Dayton, Ohio. The blue and gold color combination was sublime. I am trying to keep it in my mind. We arrived home to pouring rain, of course, and have had rain and storms every day since we arrived. We were excited to see tiny sprouts in the dragonfruit and lychee pots we planted and recounted in previous posts. I was dismayed, however, to find the house sitter over-watered my rosemary tree until it's now half dead. I drained it out and am hoping for a recovery.

 

A chicory-blue night sky

We've been home for a day and about a quarter now and I'm still working on all the laundry. My protein smoothie diet isn't working yet in terms of weight loss just yet, but I do think it's healthier, because my fingernails have gotten very long and strong. I have to add fish to any diet, of course.

 

I was reminded in St. Mary's, Ohio that it's time to get to work on my cold crop. I saw a nursery advertising their cold crop transplants were all ready to put out and thought I'd better get on it, since I haven't even started my seeds yet. Luckily we have some extra time to start those here! I'm sure I will have lots of gardening posts for you in the coming weeks.

 

I went out to walk last night once the rain mostly stopped and I was reminded we can always find beauty in this world when we take the time to seek it. The sunset and night sky were beautiful. Was your sky as lovely as this last night? I'm thankful I can share these lovely scenes with you, since we can't view them together.

 

A glorious sunset