Month: September 2021

Road Trip Day 2 – Austin to Springtown to OK (and cats)

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If I were an animal, I would definitely want to be some sort of cat. Today, I got to visit my son and his wife and their multiple beautiful felines. They live out in the country in a geodesic dome home built in the 70’s, and perfect location to enjoy nature and cats.

It was rainy when I left Austin, but before long the sky cleared and it was another beautiful, hot, day. I decided to take highway 183 which runs parallel to the interstate heading up to Fort Worth. I enjoyed the hillier, more picturesque route through the small towns along the route. Did you know there is a place called Fairy, Texas? It was uneventful, I saw a lot of cows, and wished I could take pictures while I was driving. Springtown is a small town to the west of Fort Worth, and I timed my arrival to coincide with lunch. Smart, right?

My son was putting the finishing touches on some Texas sized egg/mushroom/pepper/cheese burritos, and they were delicious and filling.

Filling for the yummy burritos

The rest of the afternoon was spent catching up and playing with and petting the cats.

These are four of the ten or so cats they currently have. The black and white’s name is Moo, and he’s the boss!

I enjoyed the afternoon, and David packed me another burrito for my supper. They don’t have guest quarters, so I drove another 100 miles north to get a head start on tomorrow, and am spending the night in Ardmore, Oklahoma.

Me and my son David
Me with David and his wife Roni

Next stop: TBD.

Road Trip Day 1 – Houston to Austin

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Smog hung heavy over Houston as I headed west out of the city. It was 80 degrees at 8 am, with the promise of heat and humidity. Mile after mile of flat grassland flashed past as I drove the familiar route down 290. I was super happy to be on the road again.

Can’t really take decent pictures when you’re driving

I always love it when I get to Washington County, known for being “the birthplace of Texas”. It’s like a magical change. The landscape morphs to rolling hills, with long white painted fences edging the roads, cows grazing on lush green grass, remnants of summer flowers still blooming. The sky, by this time, was blue with ever changing white clouds, and the sun was shining.

Not really a picture of rolling hills, but definitely prettier

I decided to stop in Brenham, at the Bluebell Creamery. It was only 9:30 in the morning, but I couldn’t pass by without getting a generous scoop of ice cream for only a dollar! I chose Millennium Crunch, an all time favorite. In case you didn’t know it, Bluebell ice cream is famous in Texas, and I was raised believing it was the best ice cream in the world. I guess I still think it is.

I enjoyed the rest of the ride to Austin, arriving at my daughter’s apartment just in time for her to fix me a delicious lunch sandwich. She is vegan and I am vegetarian, and we enjoyed lightly sauteed tempeh with avocado, lettuce, and tomato on rye bread, with plantain chips. I forgot to take a picture.

We just had the one afternoon, and really just wanted to hang out together. Since it was so hot (in the 90’s by then), we decided to stay in and watch a movie. We chose The Out of Towners with Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis, and it didn’t disappoint. I’m going to have to check out the remake with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn.

We wanted to go out and take a walk in one of the wilderness areas, but decided to wait til the sun was down. It was time to think about food again, and this time I was treated to a bowl of batter fried tofu, rice, and sauteed veggies. Again, deliciious and satisfying.

yum

After that we took a short walk through a forested area nearby.

Me and my daughter Gillian

I’ve been to Austin dozens of times in the 12 years since she moved here to go to college. Usually we and siblings who have been along go to restaurants, shops, events. It’s different now, and not just because of the pandemic. This time it was about just being with this one special person, and for me, experiencing anew the gratefulness I have for this human’s presence in my life.

Ch-ch-ch-change

Sara Moser2 Comments

When it comes to life, we spin our own yarn, and where we end up is really, in fact, where we always intended to be. –Julia Glass, Three Junes

The past year and a half has been challenging for the entire world. Yet, I am my own world. I have always had a tendency to do things differently than “the standard”, and this period of time , this pandemic time (which isn’t over!) is no exception.

I am an acute care RN case manager, which means that I work in hospitals, but don’t have direct patient care. I have seen the front line workers, what they do, their dedication and exhaustion. I am pro mask wearing and pro vaccination. I didn’t, however find myself as one of so many who isolated themselves at home. I couldn’t, if I wanted to keep working in my profession.

What am I getting at, you may be wondering if you’ve read this far? Well, I am the kind of person who likes change. In my youth, I wrestled with this, but now, at the edge of the “golden years” I embrace it. Thus the title of this blog. So, I found a way to have change and adventure by taking on a couple of travel gigs. Just as my husband was returning from a year + position in a city 4 hours away, I decided to work away from home.

So, in 2021, I spent two months in Chattanooga, TN, a city I fell in love with, and plan to return to. I came home for a bit, then spent the summer in Carson City, NV, and although I had some great experiences exploring parts of Lake Tahoe and going to California, I never want to return there. Again, I am home, and am returning to work locally, grateful for the adventure and perspective gained.

I am going to take a solo road trip before I settle down again. I want to write about it, thus my reappearance on this blog. I will make a circular route, taking my time, visiting family and maybe a few friends along the way. I know my approximate route, but am making no advance reservations. I’m looking forward to the adventure of uncertainty.

If you want to come along, follow me.

PEACE

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When you are fully present 

and people around you manifest unconscious behavior, you won’t feel the need to react 

to it, so you don’t give it any reality. Your 

PEACE

is so vast and deep that anything that is not peace disappears into it as if it had never existed. 

This breaks the karmic cycle of action and reaction.

 — Eckhart Tolle