Best Laid Plans

Now, isn't that just the cutest little cabin? It's at Babcock State Park above the New River in West Virginia. I had originally planned to pitch a tent at this park but the torrents of rain that just didn't quit talked me into a cabin instead. I sat inside the screened porch and enjoyed my dinner while the showers continued. I played my uke while the showers continued and when I tucked myself in to the bottom double-bed bunk and the showers were still continuing, I let go of the idea that I was a camping wimp.

My rule about camping is: I don't put up a tent unless I'm staying at least two nights. It's too much work. Of course, I only use a tent that I can stand up in and I like a few accoutrements like a cot and a chair and a table. I basically set up house. It's fun, it's comfy. Hence, I did not stay at Babcock State Park for two nights as was listed in my well-planned itinerary and now was a day ahead. A great reason to take back country roads instead of the interstate to get to my next camping destination, which I hoped would be Mammoth Caves Natl Park. Well, 9 hrs later and 100 miles farther than I thought it was, I made it but was completely exhausted.

Why, do you ask, didn't I just find a camping spot sooner? That thought occurred to me in mid-afternoon and I had stopped in London for a wi-fi check-in at the local Starbucks. As I was looking up Kentucky State Parks info, two Forest Service employees came in and I asked them where a good spot might be. They informed me that I had just left the national forest area behind me.They described Kentucky state campsites as a lot of RV's lined up in rows and they said it would be a "social" experience. Yuk. Couldn't I just go back to that little cabin in West Virginia? Well, I drove on, already really tired and decided that I'd get close to Mammoth Caves, stay in a motel and then I could go in early the next day and get a site. My first motel at a freeway interchange - you know what they look like.

9 hours of driving had its toll and the next morning I had the worst lower back pain I've ever experienced and it just got worse... meaning spasms everytime I used the clutch. Kentucky just wasn't working for me. Could I park the car and get a flight to California? Would Missouri be any better? Could someone please point me to a decent restaurant (culinary experiences to come in a later post)? I bit the bullet, got in the car and moved down the road a bit farther. It was Sunday, the roads were quiet and I had been curious about Paducah, KY. Unfortunately, an 18-wheeler flipped somewhere up ahead and stopped traffic cold for well over an hour and I was low on fuel because the last place I stopped for diesel the night before had an over-sized nozzle plus I really needed to pee. Things were not going well. Why would someone drive across the country by herself, anyway? But, I was still one day ahead of my itinerary.

I made it to Paducah following umpteen signs about their historic river district only to miss it and end up in the worst of freeway interchange strip malls. I am in pain, I am hot, I am hungry and all thoughts of a quaint inn along the Ohio River disappear as I check into the Thrifty Inn and then have dinner at a Texas Roadhouse (a rather new entry into the Olive Garden - Red Lobster - Chevy's - Buffalo Wings "upscale" dining experiences available across America). It was not a good meal. Is this post too long?

OK.... a good night's rest, swimming and stretching made me a new girl by the next morning. I only drove 145 miles today and am in yet another motel at an interchange strip mall. This one had a happy hour, however, with 3 free glasses of wine. I really am feeling better. I have crossed the Mississippi and have torn up my itinerary. I have no idea what I am doing tomorrow but I'm pretty sure I am still one day ahead of schedule.

Shelter from the Technology

I tried all day to get the photos from the thunderstorm that I have already uploaded to Google, just like I did all of the others that I have previously put on my slideshow for this blog, but, no.... that particular album just will not appear. If you would like to see the photos go to my Google link (https://picasaweb.google.com/juanitalee49) or checkout my Facebook page.

What is on the slideshow right now is my sailing trip with Bill from two years ago. No thunderstorms occurred. 

Once again I am sucked in, spending way too much time at my computer, but, yes, I will blog the summer sojourn.

A Chesapeake Farewell

This is my 9th summer on the East Coast and I am once again escaping. Yes, you true-blue readers from last year, I am driving across the USA for the second time, departing this Friday morning with camping on my mind. For my final voyage on the Rainbow with Willy until September, I was given a spectacular farewell by Mother Nature in the form of a magnificent thunderstorm. The slideshow tells the story better than I but do let me tell.


We have gotten a lot of sailing in this season and recently enjoyed a 5-day excursion south crossing back and forth from the Choptank to the Patuxent rivers. We had an idyllic respite on a creek off of the Patuxent with swimming, rowing, reading and a bit of painting and sail repair worked in between meals and naps. There was a rainstorm but nothing to cause alarm.

So, when July 4th came around we stayed in town until Sunday afternoon knowing that the wind was low and the crowds were high (Hey, so what if it costs $400 to fill the tank - let's party!).  Willy had been suffering from some kind of virus that actually caused him to use a blanket for the first time in weeks and when we hit the docks around 3:00 and he felt the breeze, he was glad to be back on the water.  We knew thunderstorms were in the forecast and that there had a been a big one the night before, but like he says - most of the time it doesn't hit right where you are and it's over before you can put on your slicker. He knows to get the sails down and ride it out and we have done just that a few time before. We headed out with good wind and no plan as to anchoring out or coming back in. On the way to Bloody Point, with excellent wind for that tack, we decided to anchor at Poplar Island for the night. Best decision we made all day.  As we were nearing the entrance from Eastern Bay the weather report racheted up to alarming. Sails went down, motor went up and we hoped we could beat the storm. (Note:  this is the second time that we have run in to Poplar to ride out a storm.)  Fortunately, we had just enough time. The anchor was set, the gray, canvas rain tarp was up and that approaching hulk of a cloud was above us with all the mighty wind that it could produce. The water roiled, the boat rocked, the rain tarp flapped but there was no rain so I stayed in the cockpit and took photos as the tarp sides rose up, straining the bungee cords to their max and lifting the sandbags up above the rim of the boat. It was over soon and calm descended, sunshine through the clouds, all is well.

The rest of the night was filled with fireworks, Mother Nature's and every community on both sides of the bay. I have to say, Mother Nature took first prize in strength, color and variety.  We kept the tarp up but I pulled my sleeping bag out for the fresher air and that's when the storm with the water hit. I was soaked with the first wave.

All was peaceful when we arrived back at the dock on Monday evening. Martinis on the lawn with our live-aboard friends, good music and conversation. We were lucky enough to be driving into DC just as it became a DMZ zone, not the first time that has happened. You get some good views of the national fireworks from up on Bladensburg Road but the stuff happening in the 'hood is where it's at.

I am checking off my travel lists and going all out for three more meals here at home before I head West. Let the blogging begin.

Looking back on the trip for one, brief moment

Two women have told me how much they enjoy going back and reading my summer blog. I have been so busy that I almost forgot it existed. However, tonight I am changing the slide show to the second leg of the trip: Santa Barbara to Eugene. Just putting together the pictures gave me a great feeling and I was back in the California sun. Or fog.... there wasn't much sun on the Northcoast when I was there. The list of old friends that I was able to visit is rich and I wish I had taken more pictures of them.

I have just finished a list of things to do tomorrow, Monday, Oct 4th. It has 4 sub-headings:  Lesson Plans, Two Rivers (the school I work at), Lennon's 70th  and dinner.  It will take me all day. There are other lists but we won't be looking much at them this week so don't come look at my kitchen floor or the front garden. I feel like I am am in third gear - about ready to hit the 35 mph level of activity here in D.C. By the end of October I will be cruising in 6th gear and, if I keep eating well and getting some sleep at night, I will be enjoying myself very much. I hope that I will have been to Brooklyn to see where Katy is living and enjoy the fall foliage in Central Park. I know that I will be attending the Stewart/Colbert rally on the 30th and the National Symphony Children's Concert at the Kennedy Center on the 31st - I believe it is time to resurrect the Mozart costume.



 There is much to be said for travel, for getting out of one's regular routine and comfort zone and I have to admit to already planning my next summer's adventure, but  now I am immersed in real work. I think there are almost 40 kids coming to my house for music lessons every week and I am dreaming about Middle C and the dominant 7th chord. Not to mention that I am trying very hard to keep my own performance goals up front and center. Next edition..... the song that I wrote on my return. If I have time to post.

to Blog or not to Blog

Chihuly Exhibit at Cheekwood Estates, Nashville

My last blog was August 25th, when I was still en route to DC and enjoying my summer vacation. Since then I have descended into a myriad of activities and tasks here at home and keep trying to get back to this blog. Was it just a whim for the summer? Is there nothing left that's interesting for me to write about? But I have so much more to tell just about these recent travels. I have morphed into another life and can't seem to get back.

However, I have managed to post a slide show of the first leg of the trip, Virginia to California, which I was incapable of doing while traveling for reasons beyond explanation. Let's just say I am technically challenged. I have also realized that you can add captions to the photos that you post. Awesome.

The exciting news from the trip is that I got in contact with the photographer from Nashville's Art Crawl that I posed for for his swimsuit calendar at the Art Crawl on July 3rd downtown at The Arcade. I had read about him in the City Paper while I was having breakfast at Marche, Marche (go there when in Nashville). He likes to do some kind of hi-jinks stuff at every Art Crawl and this month he was putting together a swimsuit calendar from anyone who showed up, ready to pose, in their suit. Sounded fun to me. I put on my new, purple suit and grabbed the uke and drove downtown. Parking is tricky but I found a spot over near the capitol building. Walking through there I witnessed a wedding about to take place that looked very chic.

Nashville Statehouse Building, site of wedding witnessed by Janet Lee

So, anyway, I ended up having a photo shoot with this guy and I sang and played while he snapped away and it was totally like being a model and it was really fun. When I walked back, several hours later, the wedding was still going on and there was a great bluegrass band playing right around that statue in the picture. It was charming. This all happened the same day that I visited the Chihuly exhibit at the botanical gardens in East Nashville which was amazing and captivated me for several hours (see first photo). Now I'm trying to talk Bill into going back in October before it closes. Anyone interested in an overnight to Nashville?

Here in DC we are enjoying cooler, fall weather. Out West the seasons were all backed up and wacky, but here I think they have been uncommonly wonderful and right on time. Winter was awesome, spring was perfect and summer was blazing but, I wasn't around was I? Now I set my sights on apples, squash, turning leaves and John Lennon's 70th birthday - October 9th. I'm dusting off all of the choir arrangements I wrote in Eugene and am inviting Maggies' choir to come do a read through and help me celebrate as a Lennonite expatriate while they do it up back in Eugene. Anyone interested in singing Beatles' arrangements?

Ta ta for now. I am so glad I finally was able to sit down and do this. Perhaps next time I'll post my to-do lists.

Milwaukee

I had the whirlwind car tour of Milwaukee yesterday with my DC neighbor's sister. She covered a lot of ground with just a few stops, but the Milwaukee Art Museum was one of them. It is a stunning building right on Lake Michigan that is meant to resemble a ship at sail. Colleen thinks that the inside space is what heaven would look like. Incredible light and a huge, open space with a Calder at the entrance. I was quite impressed.

Jan and Pat Reed are the next door neighbors you would request in the closing documents if you could. Bill and I consider ourselves quite fortunate. Over the past 5 years, we have come to know their family, most of whom live in Milwaukee, and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting them in their homes and going out to dinner at Jan's favorite pizza place, Balistreri's plus having custard creme at Leon's. Ron and Nancy, Jan's parents live in the quietest neighborhood ever and I slept like a baby. Naturally, I wish that I could stay longer. I am developing a list of places that I need to return to. This was just reconnaissance.

I am tempted to drive into Chicago today, a city I have never visited except for its airport. However, I would like to see Katy before bedtime, so I will get my cash ready for the toll roads and go around. Illinois and Indiana are two more states to add to my list, which may total to 23 or more when I get home. I am going to count DC as a state, folks! My license plate, which reads "No taxation without representation", is good for conversation starters at rest stops.

Speaking of rest stops, I had a really nice visit with a groundskeeper at the Blue Ocean Eastbound Rest Station in Minnesota, just west of Rochester. Lou owns a farm nearby but his sons are running it now so they told him to go get himself a job. He works at the rest station 12 hours a week. After he gave me a peek at the engine of his John Deere, he regaled about farming, weather, nearby cities and more. We briefly touched on Sarah Palin but I was pretty sure he saw her a little differently than I so we moved on to his neighbor's farm.

I have to admit to not listening to the news at all during this trip. I have a vague awareness of what's going on: floods, muslim monuments, Padres ahead of the Giants. I know that I'll get completely filled in on the political spectrum when I get into the car with Mr. Gilmore. I'll start reading the NY Times and listening to NPR. I'll go out for Mexican food with Jan and Pat and their "blue" friends. I'll read Garrett Epp's (Eugene friend now living in DC) informative and erudite postings in The Atlantic and the Register Guard and I'll invite him over for dinner.

OK. I have been at a VW dealer while the Jetta got its 10,000 mile check up. Everything is good to go and I am back on the road, folks.

Leaving the West

I had a faint hint of humidity last night in Mitchell, South Dakota (home of the Corn Palace). I am about to cross that invisible line and dip back into Eastern weather. My friends have all been talking about how hot it's been from Oregon to Montana and I'm , like, well, it feels pretty damn good to me. Today I hope to make another 8+ hour drive and make it to Milwaukee. I did it yesterday from Dayton, WY where I stayed with the oldest, dearest friends Bill and I share together. David McDougall basically introduced us in 1972. Dave has recently moved to Wyoming because he became an avid fly fisherman and fell in love with the Big Horns. His main avocation, however, has always been as an artist and I was fortunate to be able to see a show of his at a local museum. As you can see from this photo, his frames are as interesting as his paintings. Here is a link to the museum - http://www.bradfordbrintonmemorial.com/Images/Mcdougall/Mcdougall.html

The day before, I spent most of my time in Broadus gleaning information about my family and actually found the old homestead, which is a working ranch that has been owned by the same family since my great uncle sold it many years ago. I was awed to stand on the same land as my father must have every summer when he came out to work for Uncle Bud. Besides herding sheep, Dad helped Bud out in the general store he owned in Broadus. The family name is Serruys (Belgian) and I helped correct the spelling with the curator at the museum. I met all the retired men who gather at the local cafe every Friday morning (The Liar's Club) and visited with a retired vet on his ranch, near the old homestead. I learned about the town from the motel clerk and the people at the museum and came away feeling that I had been in a very rich place for history and for community. I would like to take my sister there.
Driving from Wyoming and then through South Dakota on a very hot, windy day I went through dry hills and then flat farmland where there were a lot of sunflower fields, some wheat and corn and lots of very small towns with terrible grocery stores (I just can't find the crackers that I like) and the same cafes serving the same steaks and hamburgers. The beer on tap is Bud Light, period. Better fare in Milwaukee? I think so.
Bill is meeting me in Columbus, where Katy is just packing up to move to NYC. He's going to drive me home on Friday. I've started imagining that I'm in my own bed and that I don't have to haul the frickin' bags in and out and try to keep some clothes wearable and keep the cooler in ice and not use my cell phone until 9:00 pm so I don't go over my minutes. I'm pretty sure I'll be sailing over the weekend. There are not many things about this trip I would go back and change. It's been wonderful but home is starting to look real good.