Back on the Job

Arlee at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park
(summer of 2015)

         The bad thing about vacations is that they have to end.  But of course if they never ended then they wouldn't be vacations anymore would they?   I'll admit that as our trip was coming to a close I was looking forward to getting back home and back to my usual schedule.  Now that I've had a few weeks back on the job of being at home I'm dreaming about vacation travel again.

          When I was still in school, the end of summer was looked upon with some sadness mixed with the anticipation of entering a new school year.  It was a cycle I came to expect year after year:  Go to school for a few months--with a few nice vacation days during the school year--then be off for the summer.   Things changed once I was in college as I had to work through the summer to pay the rest of the year's schooling.   I still found time to work a lot and have fun nearly every evening.   Who needed sleep back then?   I was in my early 20's and filled with much more energy and stamina than I have now.  

          During a decade of my work years I was fortunate in being able to manage a touring show and be able to have my wife and kids along for the year long tour.  It was a grand life where it was almost like being on vacation and working at the same time.  We were getting paid to travel and had a job that was fun.  This was a dream come true as far as I was concerned.

            Even after I settled down and started a stationary job with somewhat regular work hours, I still was given opportunities to travel.   The travel wasn't like the kind of vacation most people think of, but the trips were treks to visit family.  That's the way it's always been for me.  We try to do a few touristy type of things which makes the trips more vacation-like, but the real mission is to be with our loved ones.

             Maybe one day our circumstance will change.  Perhaps if we lived closer to family we could actually take vacations to destination places rather than going to be with people.  Then again, I don't know whether people we want to spend time with will ever totally be out of the equation.  Relationships are important to maintain if we can manage to do so.

             Did you go on a vacation this past summer?   Are your travel destinations where people you know are or are they more based on place?      What is your dream vacation?

July 4th Maryville Tennessee

Happy July 4th!

The New York City fireworks over the East Village of New York City. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

      It's been two weeks since I left Los Angeles to start out on a prolonged vacation.  Time passes so quickly and I never seem to be getting as much done as I had hoped.   I can use the argument that I'm on vacation, but still there is much to be done while I'm away.

      We had a wonderful trip across the country on our first leg to Houston, Texas.  After getting on the road at 5:30 in the morning of Saturday June 20th, we had smooth sailing throughout the day.   For me a highlight of that first day came about 60 miles before we got to Las Cruces, New Mexico.

        It was about 5:30 PM Mountain Time when I happened to tune into a classical radio station at the moment they started playing the Third Symphony of Camille Saint-Saens which is one of my top three favorite symphonies.  For the next 40 minutes my drive was invigorated by some of the most wonderful music to be found.   This is truly one of the best symphonies ever composed.

       My stay in Houston was very restful as I took many naps throughout the week.  My wife noted that my nighttime sleeping habits had vastly improved.  After that week of personal recharge I was ready for my next adventure--a two day drive by myself to Tennessee.  My wife will be staying in Houston until August 5th.  I'll be on my own visiting my family members while she stays to help her daughter.

       So far I've been in East Tennessee for almost a week.   With my brother and sisters we're still working on settling up my mother's estate.  There's lots of housecleaning and touch-up repairs to get her house ready to put on the market.  We all hate to see the property leave the family, but selling it seems to be the most practical solution since none of us wants to live there--or in my case I don't live in this town.

       I'll be here another week and a half or so before I begin wending my way to New Jersey.   There's still plenty to be done in Tennessee and it's not going to all get done while I'm here, but I'll hopefully help make some progress during my stay.  And then there's trying to make it to see some old friends.  Time will be kind to me I can only hope.

        Have a great 4th or whatever day you read this.   May your every day be the best one yet.

        How do you feel about traveling long distances alone?   What music inspires you most when you are on the road?   What did you do for the holidays?

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Arlee's A to Z Road Trip

 Coming Soon to a Town Near You!

       I just might be near you this summer and I'm going to have some time on my hands at certain points.  What a great opportunity to meet up with some of my blogging friends!   While many of us are taking the virtual Road Trip through the A to Z Challenge list, I'll actually be out on the roads of America.

       My tentative route is shown below on the map and some planned destinations with approximate dates when I'll be in those areas.  It's short notice I know, but maybe some of you can figure a way to meet up.  Ideally we could set up some group meetings at coffee shops, libraries, or other similar types of places.  Maybe you'd like to even host something at your own home.

       Since I'll be on the road I'd have to leave it up to you to set up meeting arrangements  Just let me know so we can confirm everything first.   Also, if you'd be interested in having me meet with your writing group or some other type of group I'd be willing to consider that as well.  I'd be delighted to offer a presentation on "Blogging for Author Platform" (a presentation which can easily be adapted for other purposes besides writing) or "Why You Should Consider Blogging from A to Z in April."   I can also adapt a program especially to suit your needs.  Let me know if you're interested and if it fits into our mutual schedules we can work something out.

        I'll be plenty busy this summer, but if I can get a chance to meet you I'd like to try to put that into my schedule.   Take a look at my route and schedule and then if you think we can coincide our timing let me know in the comments and we can see what we can come up with.


My Tentative Route

My Approximate Schedule

Houston, TX June 22-28

June 28-July 1 en route to Knoxville, TN (passing through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama--my route is flexible)

July 1 - July 12 Maryville, TN (near Knoxville)

July 12- July 16th traveling to NJ with stops in Charlotte, NC; Danville, VA; Richmond, VA (again my route is flexible)

July 16-August 11 Jersey Shore ( I can travel to points near that area including Philadelphia and NYC)

August 11 -August 16 return to Los Angeles with probable stops in Rapid City, SD and Yellowstone Park, WY.

       Do you see any potential meet-up points?   Will you be going anywhere this summer?   

Travel (Elements of Memoir) #AtoZChallenge

      Travel captures everyone's imagination.  Whether it be stories about wandering off to far-off exotic places or something as commonplace as the typical family vacation, there are fun and fascinating stories to be told about traveling.  Most readers like to dream about the places where they are unlikely to ever go or compare notes about travel to places they've been.  Travel makes for good stories.

       If we look at the wide range of literature we see that the travel story is a common one that depicts metaphors of life as well as real situations that keep a story interesting.  Thinking about your own experiences with going places you probably have a few stories to tell about what happened to you in your adventures.

       The stories about traveling can be funny, frightening, or romantic.  Anything can happen when you're away from home and it usually does.   Isn't that why we travel in the first place.  The unexpected, the unusual, and the entertaining are some of the elements that can be injected into your travel stories.   Don't forget to include the people you meet along the way as well as the places you see.   Be sure to describe the details of the smells, sounds, and everything in the surrounding environment.   And definitely don't forget the food!   Make your reader's mouth water or even cringe if the food was not so good.

         A memoir has an added dimension when travel can be included in the story.   If travel is a big part of the story then you have the big plus of place in addition to people.  Think of some of your own travels and see what stories you can derive from those experiences.

         Have you done much travel in your lifetime?   Do you have any interesting family vacations to tell stories about?    What travel dreams and aspirations do you have right now?

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Heading To Houston

Las Cruces, New Mexico (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

        I've lost track of the number of times my wife and I have made the long drive from Los Angeles to Houston.   Since our daughter moved to Houston several years ago we've made the run many times.  We've got it down to a schedule for the most part.

       On the day that this blog article posts we will be undertaking the first leg of our journey.  We'll shoot for a departure of between 5 to 6 AM.   After grabbing a to go breakfast from McDonald's (it's across the street from where we live), we'll hit the road.   The destination for the first day will be Las Cruces, NM.  This is almost precisely the halfway point between L.A. and Houston and makes for a fairly comfortable twelve hour day including a stop for lunch and a few gas stops.

        The western portion of I-10 traverses hundreds of miles of mostly desert.   From Palm Springs to the Arizona border we'll be crossing the empty expanse of the Mojave Desert.  Not much here other than empty space.  Not bad to look at, but not a place you'd want to break down in the middle of a hot summer day.  We'll try to make it to Arizona before 11 AM.

          Lunch will be on the southeast side of Phoenix.  It was after several trips that we discovered that Chandler Blvd. was a good place to find restaurants.  We've now honed our usual choices between a couple of barbecue restaurants--Rudy's and Can't Stop Smokin'.  We alternate between these two most of the time.  Since there are no really good barbecue restaurants near where we live, eating at these is a treat for us.

           After a satisfying lunch break we hit the road again.  Passing through Tucson is not my favorite part of this trip, but once on the other side of that city we know we've got lots more open road ahead with maybe one more gas stop.  We'll pass though towns like Benson and Wilcox.   There's one mountain stretch that passes through a wild array of rock formations.   Or how about the tourist trap gas station/Dairy Queen that for miles advertises "The Thing?"   We've never stopped for that one, but I've been tempted.   My wife says, "Keep going" and I know she's right.

          Shortly past the eastern Arizona border we pass the odd little ghost town of Stein's.  It looks like an interesting place to visit in it's scenic setting, but I never want to take the time.  Someday I'll pull off to see what's there, but not today.   We've got a couple more hours and if we're on schedule it's now about 5 PM. No rush hour to worry about out here, but dinner and our motel room are beckoning us.

          The Springhill Suites has become like home to us we've stayed here so many times.  Before we get our room we'll stop first to have a light dinner at Applebee's.   My wife will probably have a frozen margarita while I'll cool off and relax with a tall schooner of draft beer.  

          In the room I'll grab my laptop to check on emails and this blog to see if I got any comments.  So if you read this post be sure to comment so I see it.   Once I'm wound down after a long day's drive, it's hopefully a good night's sleep before another early start and another twelve hour day to our Houston destination.

          Road trips are fun.  I've got a lot of road time to put in over the next few weeks.   Maybe I should think about selling our house and living on the road in an RV.   Might not be too bad of a life.

           Have you considered giving up the settled life for a life on the road?   Do you enjoy traveling through the desert?     Do you have a special place like a lodging or restaurant that you visit every time you pass through a certain town?

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Summertime Travelling

Photo taken of the south face of Picacho Peak, Arizona, United States (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

         Will you be doing any travelling this summer?  Some of us in the northern hemisphere might be hitting the road.   A few with greater financial wherewithal might even be flying to far off places or hitting the seas in cruise ships.  Travel options are many.

        High gas prices and tough economic situations for some of us might curtail travel and cause more than a few to opt for staying at home if any vacation time is to be had.  Or maybe some of you work through the summer.  Since my wife is a teacher and I'm essentially retired we have a couple of free months in the summer.   Travel is on the current agenda.  If everything goes as planned we'll be packing up our Chrysler Town and Country van and visiting family scattered about the U.S. far from where we live.  If we don't go to visit them, odds are we are unlikely to see any of them during the year.  I'm not fond of scattered families, but life sometimes takes those turns as we all pursue the dreams that the economy sometimes dictates.

         In weeks to come you might find me in Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, and New Jersey and many points in between.  The trek from Los Angeles to all of those places means a lot of time and many miles on the highways.  No telling where you might find me in the weeks ahead.   I'll be pre-scheduling my posts before I depart so I'll be writing about generalities.  A bit of the past and some guesstimates of where I might be in general at the time when the post goes up.

           If you aren't travelling yourself you can join me in my travels.  In a sense that is.   I'll try to give you a feel for things that we might encounter.  We've made this trip a number of times so even with my bad memory I'm sure I'll pull up a few highlights that we've experienced on past trips that most likely we'll experience again.

           Hope you don't mind if I take the easy blogging route and reminisce about the road.   Maybe we share some memories between us and maybe I'll share some that are new to you.   I hope we all have a happy safe summer.

           See you next Saturday on the first leg of the journey.

            What are your plans for the summer?    Do you hit the roads during the summer months?   What is your favorite travel destinations and activities?

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