It was a long trip. But a glorious one. Dana and I just sat in our own kitchen (we made it safely home with Charlie and Phoenix) and reminisced about the trip. Highlights, lowlights (struggled with this category) and ideas for future adventures. The trip was outright awesome. It captured both Dana’s and my visions of the trip. It completed our objectives. And it made us realize that so much fun can be had if you pursue an idea (Dana’s idea).
We left Petaluma on October 1st. As I looked around my garage tonight, I noticed a layer of ash on the hood of our car. We left the fires of Sonoma County and ventured East. We drove through smoke until Wyoming, the fires of California placing a visible mark on the Western US. Or was it a country on fire? In need of unity, decency and peace?
We reflected tonight on the drive east. We stopped and saw friends and family. We stopped and saw the largest rocking chair in the world. We surfed the St. Claire River. We saw many communities, many political signs, much division. The election race was in full force. Michigan. Pennsylvania. Georgia (we didn’t drive through this state). We left home not knowing what we’d come home to.
Dana and I are family people. We are fortunate. We come from strong families with history. I like to claim my family has a story. It does. But Dana’s family book is much, much thicker. And it started and continues in Portland, Maine. It was very special to arrive and spend so much time in Maine. Wow, so much history.
This is a blog. I have just been reprimanded to not write a history text book. I will reflect on my experience of spending 6 weeks in Maine. I saw a house built in 1817 while riding my bike. You can see the fortifications from World War I and II throughout Casco Bay. And you can see the new construction emerging within downtown Portland, carrying the architecture and design from the past. As a Californian, I will never cease to be amazed by the beauty of New England architecture.
Outside of the scenic aspects of Portland, Maine, we had time to spend with Dana’s family. This was by far the best aspect of the trip. Dana left Maine to go to UC Berkeley. Her father Doug said, “you’ll meet a California boy and never come home”. She came home on this trip. And we took every opportunity to spend it with family.
The most special time was spent with our son Luke. Luke has spent a glorious 4 months living in a beach community south of Portland. We saw Luke’s home, we met his roommates and we walked the beautiful beach steps from his porch. Luke joined us frequently during our time there, visiting him was the foundation of our adventure.
When we first arrived, with the potential of Covid, Margie (Dana’s mom) and her husband Peter welcomed us with a quarantined basement. A negative Covid test had us enjoying the full capacity of the most beautiful home on the South Portland coastline. Thank you Margie and Peter for your splendid hospitality. It is always magical.
We also immediately spent time with Doug (Dana’s father) and Nancy. Golf was the main attraction and we hit the course often. The Woodlands Golf Club is a gorgeous, yet plenty challenging 18 holes. My game was up and down. I had 5 birdies over 3 rounds. But the highlight was playing with Doug and again with Margie and Peter. Thank you so very much for the time on your course.
Dana and I also spent much time with Dana’s brother Mark and his lovely wife Marine. And let’s not forget Adele. Glorious times. I lose sight sometimes of how lucky I am to live so close to my sister (and family) and parents. To spend so much time with Dana’s brother and family made the long drive seem short. We caught up. We learned more about each other. And we agreed on the potential Adele has at conquering the world.
And we spent time with Dana’s double cousin Tod and his wife Lorie. So many laughs. So many ideas. So many plans for the future.
We left Maine after the election. We had/have hope. We didn’t see as many political signs on our drive home, but there were still a few. Most of them Trump signs, left by those still clinging to the conspiracy theories. I am saddened that over 70 million Americans believed that another 4 years of Trump was the right direction for this country. I am thrilled to see Joe Biden start his Presidency off with ambition, clarity and diversity.
Dana, Phoenix and I covered 3,500 miles in four (4) days. We picked up our youngest son in Bozeman, MT. It was a slog. But we were coming home to our home. We were coming back to more family and friends. The ash was still on the car but we have a new President Elect. And we have there (3) promising vaccines to set us free. We have hope. And we see a bright future for this country.
This was a long blog post. If you made it all the way through, thank you for reading. But in reality, this is a sliver of what Dana and I learned and experienced over the past 2 months. To boil it all down, we live in an amazing country. We should not be divided. We should relish in the resources, the beauty and the possibilities of this country.
We will always have family and friends, regardless of where they reside. Spending time with them all is the best part of the adventure. Thank you.
Dana, when’s our next EmptyNestAdventure?
Jeff (and Dana)
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