Sleepy Hollow

Ah me! it was my childhood's thought
If he should make my web a blot
On life's fair picture of delight
My heart's content would find it right.

On the back of Mary Moody Emerson's headstone. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

On Walking About

I returned home from my walkabout. I am still processing my experiences and will at some point write about them. What a great experience. I took off with the intention of healing my heart and putting disappointment behind me. I found you cannot control your journey and you cannot expect to find exactly what you're looking for.

I carried my sister's spirit with me and I continue to search for meaning in all that happened in the last year.

I did find some extraordinary scenery, connected with old friends, contemplated on those who came before me and found at times I had to be on my own. I met many beautiful people and also found joy and heartache.

Heading Home

Enjoying a Blizzard in Oklahoma. On our way to Route 66. 

June 23, 2010 -- The journey begins

My journey begins. I couldn’t sleep. The heat, the excitement, the anticipation of what was ahead. Showered, packed up the car and took one look around wondering what it would feel like when I returned. I looked up at the stars in the sky, got in the car and drove west. 

I stopped for gas, as I cleaned the windows the song “I remember you,” I’m not sure that is the title, but those were the words playing over the loudspeaker and I thought of my sister Virginia. I drove off into the darkness with tears in my eyes thinking of how I missed her.

 The sunrise over the farmland in western Pennsylvania was a welcome sight. The fields seemed to glow with the more sunlight as the fog laid just on top of the earth. I drove through West Virginia into Ohio. I followed the Covered Bridge Scenic Byway, which wasn’t very scenic. I stayed in a cabin that night a few miles from the Hocking Hills State Park. Ohio is beautiful, hot and humid, the bugs are voracious, but it is a beautiful place nonetheless. 

As I sat on the porch of my cabin a bird came to sit in the plant just above my head singing a beautiful song. He is brown with a reddish-orange chest, and rather small like a finch, although I don’t know much about birds. 

June 21, 2010

Summer Solstice is here. This is the longest day of the year. "True summer is 85* at 2 pm, fireflies at night" (the best part of summer in my opinion) "and the mosquitos become bothersome" according to Thoreau. It appears not much has changed in the last 150 years when it comes to insects....and hot summer days.

City Lights

While sitting in this cozy Charleston cafe I came across this in one of the books on the shelf:

On Thoreau..."he seemed stubborn and implacable; always manly and wise, but rarely sweet. One would say that, as Webster could never speak without and antagonist, so Henry does not feel himself except in opposition. He wants fallacy to expose, a blunder to pillory, requires little sense of victory, a roll of the drums, to call his powers into full exercise." {1853} Emerson

On nature and reading

12/8/09

There is something magical, perhaps ethereal about an autumn leaf floating down and landing in the middle of reading Thoreau's Journal sitting in the park watching the Bean play and explore her world.