A month and 5000 miles on the road

We just had the best part. Nicholas’s smile is more beautiful to me than all the mountains and rivers and oceans we have experienced. I know, overload of mush, but also true. I’m glad we had so long. It took a while to get comfortable and just feel like us. Once Nicholas saw our accommodations of the last month, he decided we would be okay just hanging out in his small apartment, even if he didn’t have a dining table and sofa. And that’s when you’re really family, not in restaurants or bars or even parks. And I got lots of hugs from both. (At one point, Nicholas complained lightly that it was a little hard to breathe. :-) I just can’t express how satisfying it has been to have time with my son. Even though it was hard to leave, I just felt so good to have been there and had the time. It’s kind of like how my children are always accusing me of being morbid about the way I talk about being ready to die. I’m still totally enjoying my life and want as much as I am given. But I am also aware of how rich I have been and would try not to be greedy.

Kerry and I got to catch up with Game of Thrones which ended with that terribly violent scene, which was also guiltily so satisfying. Lydia also hooked me on Fear of the Walking Dead, which is unfortunately on HBO so it will be a while before I give in to that one, having to wait until it comes on Netflix. Nicholas and Lydia are addicted to some Pokemon kind of game cards which I’ve already forgotten but which looks pretty cool and I can see how it would be fun to play… if I had more of a functional brain.

So now we are on Interstate 5 headed for more beautiful mountains. These volcanic in nature, hopefully without the activity of Mount St. Helen which erupted and was caught so beautifully by the photographer who knew it would be his last act of life. But if it does, wow, it’s been a great life!

We stay in southern Oregon for the next few nights, close to the Crater Lake National Park, and the Lessen National Park (which is closed due to snow so we probably will have to wait on that one). We spend our next three nights in Northern California in another series of volcanic mountains before heading to four nights around Lake Tahoe which will probably be covered in tourists (like us) but hopefully be beautiful enough to overcome that. Then SHOSHA! She will be in Toronto while we are doing the mountains of Oregon and California. Otherwise, our journey there would be less winding. We are looking forward to relaxing time with Matt and her and making friends with Olive. Our dogs are ready to fall in love having discovered how much fun it is to be with cousin dogs. We plan to take all the dogs on adventures while Shosha and Matt have to work and then to fix them wonderful Kerry suppers. ( I, of course, use that we thing metaphorically. My job is the after the meal clean up.) They have been having a heat wave there though, so it may be really important to hand around water.

What a wonderful journey we have had and are looking forward to every minute we still have to go. I love this old man I am traveling with. I love how we are getting to live the dream of enjoying the never ending Saturday that has been our retirement. I’ve even decided to quit feeling guilty for having so much and just spend every minute being grateful.