30 Days on the road

Post by Ella.

“It was too short, wasn’t it?”. That’s what Grubb and I always remark to each other at the end of a trip. Somehow, it always is too short. Because I can never see everything or get the total measure of the nature of a place. 

We’ve made our almost final hop. From Providence to Studio City to celebrate my mom’s 102nd birthday. Quite a feat. And she is still playing bridge twice a week. 

But I am missing the chilly weather on the East coast. There is a heat wave going on here in L.A. 87°!  Next Monday we will head back to Albuquerque.

When we planned this trip, I had colors and cousins on my mind. Looking forward to family reconnections and basking in saturated fall colors. The reds oranges, every shade of gold and yellow as the leaves complete their life cycle; the blues and grays of the water, oh so much water, ponds that are lakes, rivers, brooks, the Atlantic Ocean; the forests of moss green, silvery lichen, whites, yellows, reds of the fungi.

Surprise (although it shouldn’t have been), traveling New England is also a refresher in American history. Every small town lines the roads with American flags as if to say “hey, we had a part in getting this country started”. Historical preservation societies abound, even in the tiniest town. I have to confess that I barely passed American History in High School (okay, a D isn’t passing but i didn’t have to repeat). Now seeing the places, hearing the stories, immersed in the history, I wondered at my 16 year old self and her complete lack of interest in the subject.

So colors, cousins, history, lobster, maple everything, cheese. Hiking up trails, stumbling over rocks and gnarled roots, AirBnBs with out-of-this-world views, the ruggedness of Maine, the rocky White Mountains of New Hampshire,  the pastoral, picture postcard hills and Green Mountains of Vermont,  the sophistication and funk of the Cape, the energy of Boston, mom’s Connecticut homeland.

So that’s it. We saw a lot, drove a lot, ate a lot, hiked a lot, saw some art, and had long, fun conversations with cousins. Thumbs up on this trip.