I feel so far away, and yet I am right here. "Right here" is Oregon. Did I mention we were going over the river and through the woods? And now we are with Grandma and Grampa in their coastal woods, with the misty mist and fog. On our way we saw elk, raccoons, stellar blue jays, redwoods, a myrtle wood factory, the Benbow Inn, Paul Bunyan, Babe and the Trees of Mystery. We've been biking and hiking. Hiking is just walking. We almost adopted two kittens, but common sense intervened. Too bad. I might have named them Squanto and Pilgrim. We had bad barbecue in SLO. Not horrible, but simply disappointing. We ate 3 boxes of Cuties California Clementines; go buy a box now. They are delicious.
It's a very long drive to go from there to here, but somehow we made it. L.A. traffic was typical; slow, then fast, then slow again. We saw lots of fall color and the wine country was romantically aglow with fading grapevines and a jeweled blue sky. The waning moon has been following us north, but every day we see less and less of the sun. Last night Geoff and the boys were asking about bed and sleep, but it was only 6:00 p.m. We stopped at the nature center in the Avenue of Giants; we learned about the giant redwoods, floods on the Elk River and a man who could sing bird songs... can't think of his name. Stopping makes a long trip manageable. Of course driving is what brings a long trip to an end.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We have a lot to be thankful for. Actually I feel gratitude everyday. I can't help but frequently feel really, really fortunate. We made it to my Mommy's home, where we are welcome with warmth and happiness. We will see more amazing vistas on our way home. We will enjoy a home cooked meal, prepared with love and thoughtfulness. We have gloves, hats and quilts, and propane, so we stay warm. We have a laptop and DVDs, so on the road, we stay sane. We have eachother, so we have laughter and stories, encouragement, company.
I know we are not all enjoying a bountiful harvest. I know that not all of us can be with our family, and we cannot be with all of our family... maybe like me, you are missing brothers and sisters, cousins or aunts. There are some special people I am especially keeping in my thoughts and prayers right now, and everyday. I pray they find a peaceful place, kindness, comfort, hope.
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