One of the stops on our road trip was Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. The last time we visited was when Elizabeth was in fifth grade. That was in 1988. Space Camp was founded six years prior in 1982 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville. It was created by museum director Edward …
Mom’s Birthplace
The most northern part of our trip was Smiths Grove, Kentucky. That’s where my mom was born. This was my fourth, and perhaps final, visit. When Ruth and I stopped in 2019 there wasn’t anyone home, and this time was no different. Elizabeth knocked on the door, but no one answered. I did a …
Epic
Elizabeth and I wrapped up our road trip when we got back to The Villages last night. I expected “epic,” and that’s exactly what it was. The thing about “epic” is it’s not always perfect. There were definitely a few moments I could have done without. If you look it up, epic can mean both …
Let’s Roll
Elizabeth and I are leaving The Villages this morning right after I hit the post button. We’ve got four days of travel sandwiched around three nights on the road. I can’t say why we’re going, only that we are. What I can say is that we’re on a mission. If all goes as planned, you’ll …
ROAD TRIP!!!
I’m not sure if you’ve ever been on a road trip, but I have, and I’ve written about several over the years. My first real adventure, not counting trips with my parents, happened the weekend I turned eighteen. I went on an overnight trip with Bruce Henderlight, a coworker from the grocery store where we …
September
September’s a tough month. Back when Ruth and I were teaching, she hated September because she hated going back to school. She was good at her job, but she didn’t love it. She liked the kid part but not the paper part. The longer she taught, the more paper there was. One year, about two-thirds …
More Chautauqua
A Story of Two Neighbors: MAGA and Woke Rob lived on the east side of the lake, in a tidy yellow house with a flagpole out front. His neighbor, Maya, lived on the west side, in a cottage with a rainbow welcome mat and a small garden sign that read “Justice Grows Here.” They waved …
My Chautauqua
I went to Chautauqua, New York last week with Road Scholars to study gathering. Barbara and I lead a group of gatherers twice a week called Singles New Beginnings. She’s been to Chautauqua twice before, serving as the week’s minister twenty and twenty-five years ago. I’m a newbie. It’s not something I would have chosen …
Chapters or Sequels
I came across one of those short videos on my smartphone the other day. It showed a woman walking along the beach, talking about losing her first husband and finding a new partner. She mentioned that some people call finding love again after losing a spouse a “new chapter,” but she saw it differently. She …
Now Look What You Did
I have a friend named Mike in my memoir writing group. He’s from Oswego, New York and goes back there every summer. He’s probably there now. When he’s in Florida, we sit near each other in class and share a similar outlook on life. He’s ten years younger than me but, like me, is a …