Home at Last

From Tucson, we made pretty much a bee-line for home, stopping overnight only in northern San Diego and in southern Los Angeles, homes of our daughter Laurie and son Tanner, respectively.

We camped for 2 nights at San Elijo State Beach (San Diego County), a favorite location on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  From the rear window of the Casita, we could watch the western sky and listen to rhythmic ocean waves all night long.  One evening Laurie, Scott, 8-year-old Landon, and 5-year-old Owen joined us just before sunset to explore tide pools during an exceptionally low tide.  That adventure was followed by a picnic cook-out and toasted marshmallows.

The next evening was shared with Tanner, 6-year-old Grace, her mother, grandfather, and other family friends.  We all enjoyed home-made chicken pot pies, pumpkin pies, abundant wine, and good conversation.  Our drive home the next day was long but uneventful.

We finally arrived home in Royal Oaks about 6pm on Tuesday, November 29, exactly 5 months after our departure.  We were warmly greeted by daughter Cheryl, her husband Jason, and our 4-year-old granddaughter Ava, all of whom have been living in our house during our absence.  Without their expert management of our home affairs, including care and feeding of 3 cats, our extended absence would not have been practical.  We are grateful for their service, and look forward to living together under one roof for the foreseeable future.

Our camping odyssey took us through 36 states, as well as 3 provinces of Canada and several regions of England and Scotland.  We drove a total of 16,245 miles (not counting our car rental in the UK).  Fulfilling the original purpose of this trip, we were able to visit 25 of our 32 first cousins, as well as our brothers, sister, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, and a large number of other relatives by blood or marriage.  We also saw well over 100 other friends along the way, sharing memories and renewing relationships.

Straight lines connect overnight stops; dashed lines are airline flights

People often asked us "What was your favorite aspect of the trip?" or "your favorite destination?" or "most memorable event?"  All of these well-meaning questions are impossible to answer in a simple way.  So many vistas and event-stones and encounters occurred along the way that they now rest together in interconnected layers within our memories.  Our lives have been enriched in many ways, our eyes opened, our minds challenged, our bodies still strong, our spirits renewed.  And yes, after 5 months of togetherness, Dave and Jane are more in love than ever before.

New Mexico & Arizona

Slowly making our way back to the Pacific coast, we spent 4 days in New Mexico and 5 in Arizona.  In New Mexico, we visited 4 Navy friends with whom we served, all retired cryptologic officers:  Scott and Fran in Las Cruces and Mike and Jeremie in Placitas (near Albuquerque).  There were many common memories to share, as well as catching up on our individual lives since our last encounters in 2005.

Breakfast with Mike & Jeremie

Fran & Scott at their home in Las Cruces

In Peoria, AZ (a suburb of Phoenix), we connected with Dave’s cousin Nate, his wife Terri, and 3 of their 5 children.  In some ways, this last “cousin encounter” was similar to the first one in Portland, in that we had never before met as adults.  Nate is now the executive director at a Lutheran school and Terri manages sales for a large hospice corporation.  It was a joy to become acquainted again and to bring Nate up to date on the lives of other first cousins whom we had previously visited on this trip.

From left:  Carter, Terri, Davis, Nate

In Tucson we linked up with our immediate family, camping at the home of son Mike and his wife Stacey, and sharing Thanksgiving there.  We were joined by daughter Cheryl and family, who have been living in our house in Monterey, taking care of our cats, and managing our home affairs in our absence.  We also connected with daughter Laurie from San Diego and son Tanner from Los Angeles and their families, who traditionally come to Tucson to spend Thanksgiving with their paternal grandfather and other members of his clan.

Thanksgiving reunion with the whole family!

Feeding giraffes at the Tucson zoo

Brushing a friendly rhino at the Tucson zoo

Sad demise of the Skybox

In Arizona we needed a jump start at a highway rest stop when the Jeep battery refused to turn over one more time.  We replaced the battery the next day, as well as a badly worn tire on the Casita.  We have come to expect such mechanical failures on a journey of this length, and consider ourselves fortunate to find automotive services without undue difficulty or delay.  Less predictably, the bottom half of the Yakima Skybox suddenly developed long cracks and started shedding chunks of plastic.  We had to dispose of this auxiliary luggage compartment in Tucson and move its remaining contents into the car and trailer. We are confident that our rig will get us home within the next week.  California, here we come!

Traversing Texas

Along our journey around the United States, we have been reading John Steinbeck’s account of a similar adventure, Travels with Charley in Search of America.  Though we started from opposite coasts and circled the nation in opposite directions, both Steinbeck and we traveled through Texas toward the end of our respective journeys.  We can confirm one of Steinbeck’s observations about this state:  “Once you are in Texas it seems to take forever to get out, and some people never make it.”

We entered Texas on November 12^th and, after driving 1268 miles, finally escaped on the 17^th.  We entered Texas from eastern Oklahoma, headed straight south to Beaumont, then turned west through San Antonio and on to El Paso at the far western tip.  We had imagined Texas to be mostly flat dry plains, but we were surprised by beautiful tree-covered hills along the eastern portion of the state, and the many lakes and rivers near the gulf.

Like Steinbeck, we decided to visit relatives along the way.  Beaumont is the home of Cousin Bob and his lovely wife Pam.  This is the same Bob with whom Dave went fishing in Canada in July, but fishing is more than a seasonal outing for him—it is his passion, as evidenced by the mounted specimens in his trophy room and the fish images on most of his clothing.  Highlights of our visit included an inspirational folk mass at St. Anne’s Church, looking at photos of past family reunions, and consuming a large quantity of gulf shrimp, boiled in a big pot with potatoes, onions, hot sausage, and corn on the cob.

In San Antonio we camped for two nights at Fort Sam Houston and visited much younger cousins who have only vague recollections of those same family reunions.  Cousin Rebecca and A.C. have lovely 13- and 11-year-old daughters, and Cousin Anna and Billy are raising 3 boys and 2 girls, all under the age of 6.  All the children of both families were foster kids, later adopted.  What a commitment of love!  We all enjoyed a wonderfully chaotic meal at a Tex-Mex restaurant that accommodated the whole group at one long table. 

We stayed an extra day in San Antonio to visit the Alamo, another place on Jane’s “bucket list.”  The next day, we stopped in Kerrville to visit Dave’s Uncle Otts and Aunt Arlene, whom we hadn’t seen in 11 years.  We needed one more night of camping along Interstate 10 at Ft. Stockton before reaching the western border of Texas the next afternoon and finally passing into New Mexico. 

Northern Detour

It is November and we have now begun the final month of our camping odyssey, having left home four months ago.  Our general plan was to drift toward home across the southern half of the country, but our relatives are not arrayed in anything like a straight line.  Our main challenge was how to include visits to cousins in Tennessee, Kentucky, Nebraska, Texas, and Arizona.

Part of the solution was to drive from Atlanta to Chicago, where Dave's presence was required for a semiannual board meeting of Wheat Ridge Ministries.  Along the way, we visited Jane's cousin Donna in Nashville, Tennessee, and Dave's cousin Paul near Paducah, Kentucky. 

Dave with Paul in Kentucky

Bill & Donna in Nashville

After the Wheat Ridge meeting, we continued westward to Omaha, Nebraska, to see Jane's cousin Sheri, but missed seeing her other cousin, Stacie.  We then continued to Gothenburg, Nebraska, to visit Sheri's and Stacie's mom and Jane's aunt, Mary Gene.

 

 

Aunt Mary Gene and Jane

Mary-Alice, Jane, and cousin Sheri

Other friends along our path, with whom we shared at least a meal, included Dave's navy shipmate Mike near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Mary-Alice and Mary in Omaha.   

Mary and Jane in Omaha

Though most of our nights were spent parked at the home of friends or relatives, we also enjoyed three nights in nearly deserted campgrounds in southern Illinois, eastern Iowa, and northern Oklahoma.  Other highlights during this segment included educational visits to the Herbert Hoover Museum in West Branch, Iowa, and the Cherokee National Museum in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Our last two nights were spent at the home of Jane's college roommate, Kay, in Cookson, Oklahoma.  This was one long overdue reunion, after about 45 years since being together.

Doug and Kay in Oklahoma

Peace in the woods at Kay's house

We have now turned back south and are following the migrating geese toward Texas.  The weather has been pretty good for camping, other than one day of rain in Illinois and frost in Nebraska.  Fall colors are somewhat past their prime and the wind is beginning to strip the trees bare.  Winter is on its way, but we are hoping to outrun it.

Siblings and Friends

This is October 31^st.  We left our home in California over four months ago.  And chances are good that we will be home in another month, thus ending our Odyssey around the USA and Beyond.

Today also marks a stay with the last of our siblings.  First we visited Dave’s brother, Mark, in Indiana (see Indiana blog). Then Jane’s sister, Fran, in Tennessee, Jane's brother, Jay, in Florida, and lastly, Dave’s brother, Chuck, in Georgia.

Lake house in Tennessee

Our weekend at Fran and Bill’s lake house in Tennessee provided a peaceful interlude, the pleasure of cruising on the water, and a joyful reunion with high school friends.  We also had the pleasure of meeting Jessie, the newest addition to niece Jill's growing family. 

 

Sunrise over Lake Loudon

Jessica Nell on Nana's shoulder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jay & Julie near Miami

Sunrise in Cutler Bay, FL

Jay and Julie provided a quiet rest for us at their lovely house as well, while our Jeep was in the shop yet one more time. 

And it is always nice to visit Chuck and Evelyn and getting to see niece, Erica, (home from college) was an added bonus.  We went hiking, played games, celebrated the Reformation, and welcomed trick-or-treaters.  Evelyn gave Dave a much needed haircut and beard trim, so he wouldn't scare the little children.

 

Evelyn & Chuck near Atlanta

Along the way, we met friends from our Tennessee, Virginia, and Scotland days whom we had not seen in years.  Steve and Ruth West gave us a memorable yacht ride on the Tennessee River.  Parks and Ann stopped by Fran's house for drinks.  Brad and Phyllis came to dinner at Cousin Jimmy’s house in Simpsonville, South Carolina.  Dianne and Tom welcomed us warmly in Aiken, South Carolina.  And we spent a fun evening catching up with Linda and Bob in St. Marys, Georgia.

Dianne & Tom

Bob & Linda

Later we got a rainy, but happy, welcome from Dave’s cousin, Jon, and Ellen in Bradenton, Florida, where we ate fresh Atlantic salmon for dinner and omelets for breakfast.  Delicious!

Cousin Jon & Ellen

PS. I (Jane) had a heck of a time with the formatting of this particular blog.  But, as always, just click on a picture to enlarge it.  Enjoy.

Carolina Cousins

Half of Jane's first cousins still live in the Carolinas, so we spent the last week or so zig-zagging across these two states.  We were also fortunate to have a chance to visit with two aunts, a nephew and his young family, and assorted other relatives on her side of the family.  Jane felt really fortunate to have the chance to hook up with so many of her cousins since we live so far from them.  Below are captioned photos of these blessed encounters.

Cousin Ginny & Jack in Hot Springs

Cousin Jimmy & Sandy in Simpsonville

 

 

Cousin Robert & Kathy in Columbia

Glennis & Stephanie in Charlotte (missing Mike)

Cousin Steve in Charlotte

Aunt Mary Lou & Cousin Mike in Garden City

Stepmother Dean in Charlotte

Nephew David & Kelsey with Averie in Charlotte

Nora, Palmer & Marion in Columbia

Back in the USA

We're back!  After a delightful month in Britain, we are learning again how to drive on the right side of the road.  Our current location is Knoxville, Tennessee, at the lovely lake home of Jane's sister Fran and husband Bill.  We have enjoyed a few days of much-needed rest here and are now ready to continue our camping odyssey.

Our UK route outlined in red

We were in the UK exactly one month.  Half our our time was on a coach tour of southern England, organized by Marriage Encounter friends David & Jean.  Twenty-two couples, including Dave's cousin Kathy and husband Greg from Wisconsin and several other long time friends, signed up for this "Waters of England" private excursion.  The trip was well balanced between group activities and opportunities to explore on our own.  Starting in London and ending in Cambridge, we visited so many cathedrals, castles, museums, stately homes, and beautiful gardens that our lasting mental images have tended to run together.

For the other half of the UK trip, we rented a mini-sized Fiat Punto and visited folks that we first met while living in Scotland in the mid-1980s.  We stayed two days with friends in each of six locations, three in England (Bury St. Edmunds, Southend on Sea, and Grantham) and three in Scotland (Perth, Letham, and Brechin).  Each reunion was very special in its own way.

We had hoped to catch a military hop back to the USA from RAF Mildenhall, but the flight schedules and available seats did not match up with our needs.  Therefore, we exercised plan B, using frequent flier miles to return from London Heathrow to Washington DC.  We stayed two nights at Curt and Cindy's ranch, where our travel trailer was stored during our absence, catching up on our sleep and laundry and beginning to plan our southern route back to California.

Our itinerary from here is rather complicated, with hopes to see relatives and friends in North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.  We have hard dates to be in Chicago (Nov. 3-5) and Tucson (for Thanksgiving), but are flexible in between, adjusting our travel to match the availability of our hosts.  We'll see how it all unfolds...

Remembering 9/11/2001

 

Two days before the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we visited the memorial at the Pentagon, where Dave was stationed from 1989 to 1992.



Jane knew of only one person who died that day: a retired Army master sergeant named Max Beilke, with whom she had once served on a joint DoD committee on military benefits.  Max was the Army representative to that committee, and Jane represented the Office of the Actuary.
 

Coincidentally, we met a woman sitting in a wheelchair at Max's memorial bench.  We introduced ourselves and learned that this woman is Max's widow.  Her daughter explained that her mother had had a stroke and now had difficulty with verbal communications.  However, Jane certainly made an emotional connection as she told how much she enjoyed working with Max.

 P.S.  Max was the last soldier to leave the U.S. embassy in Saigon the day that Vietnam fell.  It is ironic that he survived the last day of that distant war, only to be a victim on the first day of another war.

A Blitz of Reunions

The past two weeks have been intensely enjoyably.  As we approached our former home in Vienna, Virginia, dormant friendships have blossomed again.  It’s amazing how years of absence between us and our East Coast friends seem to melt away within minutes of our meeting.  No one seems very much changed.  Sure, we’re all older and some are struggling with physical challenges.  Some are still working full-time, but most of the folks our age have turned their energies toward volunteer service, part-time employment, travel, and personal enrichment.  Our friends seem to us wiser, more confident, grateful, generous, and joyful than when they were all earning a living, raising children, and finding their place in the world.  Or maybe it’s we that have become more perceptive of these qualities that they possessed all along.

We are grateful for the kindness and hospitality of many people in the past two weeks.  We were so glad to connect with Janet in PA for lunch. We parked our trailer at the homes of Mike & Jane in New Jersey and Jim & Jeanne in Maryland, broke bread with these families, and talked again with their grown children.  Curt and Cindy hosted us at their Annapolis farm and allowed us to park our travel trailer (for a month) between their horse trailer and chicken coop while we travel to the UK. 

 

We drove our Jeep unencumbered to Virginia Beach, staying one day with nephew Mike & Stephanie and their 3 young children.  Thanks for the homemade waffles, card games with Liam, Home Depot building project, pizza night out, and walk on the beach boardwalk.

Jim & June hosted us next in Chesapeake, invited mutual friends Tom & Ina for dinner, and gave us all putting lessons on their back lawn.  Hope your garden survived the recent tidal flood.

On our way back north, Dick and Lorraine took us to lunch and on a walking tour in Colonial Williamsburg. 

   

Lin welcomed us at her log cabin in the woods near Spotsylvania and surprised Dave with a birthday cake.   

Raleigh & Marilyn opened their Warrenton home to us, hosted a Scottish meal with mutual friends Tom & Lena, and took us wine tasting the following day.

Back in Vienna, Tom & June allowed us to occupy their basement “man cave” for 3 nights, took us to their boat, and arranged a meeting with mutual friends, George & Beth.   Another planned reunion was foiled by 6 inches of rain in 2 hours.

Current and former DoD actuaries and personnel policy experts enjoyed a bountiful lunch at Clyde's in Alexandria.  Thanks to Jane's former boss, Ben, for arranging this gathering.

Our former neighbor and realtor, Linde, invited us to dinner in Alexandria to meet her fiancé, Frank, just two days before the wedding.  (We heartily approve!)

Curt, Cindy, Marilyn, Raleigh, Lena, Tom

Gigi, Pam and Ike

 After an emotional reunion with many friends at Emmanuel Lutheran Church on Sunday, we scurried back to Curt and Cindy’s for a memorable crab and brisket feast with Edzell, Scotland shipmates (Ike & Gigi, Larry & Pam, Bruce, Tom & Lena, Raleigh & Marilyn) some of whom we had not seen in years.

Marilyn, Raleigh and Lena

Bruce, Pam and Larry

We leave today for England but we take with us the rich memories of the fellowship we have shared in the past 11 weeks with family and friends. 

Note: Remember that to see any of the pictures "large" just click on it.