PUSHING SOUTH FOR HOME

Jim drove a long stretch that brought us to Springfield, Oregon. The weather was beautiful, and warm.  We set up in a barren Moose Club parking lot. After lunch, Jim took a long nap after partying with the Eagles the previous night until 9:00. We're boring after 7:00 p.m. Didn't do anything but read and I finished a really gripping book, Stones From The River, by Ursula Heigi.


I was rummaging through some pictures this morning and remembered seeing this spinner. It is a triple. Up close it is just a flat burgundy color but when all three parts flash in the wind, it becomes a thing of beauty.


They are kind of magical the way they reveal hidden colors and constantly move. I have no real needs in my life other than enough to eat and a steady supply of books, but if I ran into one of these, I'd buy it. It is called the Hummingbird.


The middle section spins a single...

...to a double heart, over and over again.  The bottom heart has hearts.

Kind of silly, but I stared at it and took pictures until I caught the movement at its best display.
The camper told me he bought a motor for it so it spins constantly. He too is mesmerized by the spinner. He bought it from a guy in the park who made them. The guy  has since moved on. Dang.

I'm cooking Mexican rice tonight, it is an earthy food, simmering in the pot. It sustains whole countries as their basic food. So here then look at rice through the eyes of poet Mary Oliver:

I don't want you just to sit at the table.
I don't want you just to eat, and be content.
I want you to walk into the fields where the water is shining, and the rice has risen.
I want you to stand far from the white tablecloth.
I want you to fill your hands with mud like a blessing.

We move to Rogue River State Park today as we push relentlessly for home.

LIFE IS BUSY, DUTY CALLS.

LIFE IS BUSY, DUTY CALLS.

April 6, 2014

Since I’ve been absent these pages, Jim thinks I should let people know what is going on in my life.
There is before taxes and now, after, taxes. Pre-trip details to ready. Also working on a new computer, and a new printer. The printer had to be shipped back. It weighs 45 pounds!!
I’ve been taking pictures of items I’ve purchased to place with receipts because my insurance will not cover them without receipts, should something happen. One of those things a person should do as you go, but I didn’t.
Also fielding the progress and problems with building a new place in Oregon.
Getting ready to leave for my trip to Turkey, means my housemate must be ready to take care of things while I’m gone. Jim will move on after I leave.
I’m also intent upon scanning pictures from my trip to Africa and Portugal and Spain and getting those old trips ready to blog. (Haven’t started yet.)  Some of the pictures, and experiences were pretty fantastic.  I think the accident made me realize how short life is and if you really want to do something, better get at it.
Now you know.

THE BEST BOOK STORE.

The Book Barn in Niantic, Connecticut, looks like a garden when you drive up. That’s because it IS a garden, and a quaint place where book lovers hang out, trade and buy books. And, yes, there is a barn, and many other sheds and shacks and benches and…well it is different by all accounts. So follow me for an abbreviated look.

Your first stop is a buy and sell counter with the above sign. You grab a number if you have books loaded in your car. When the counter is clear of book sorting, and your number is called, you can unload your books on the counter. If you have bags full you can carry in one hand, you don’t need a number. That was us, we turned in about 30 books.

Now its time to go shopping. You have to choose from roughly 350,000 volumes, mostly paper back. I chuckle at their designations. Perhaps you like books that bite?

Or maybe chick lit? A little building I love to browse. In one mystery barn, the alphabet stopped at G and was continued on over to another barn. Despite the widespread collections, everything is pretty easy to find with good signage and able helpers.

I have no clue what Paranormal Romance is but others must. I was after books by a new for me author, Iris Johansen. I found one in the latest arrivals kiosk, right out front at the entrance. Is she mystery or adventure thriller?  Hard to tell, maybe a little of both.

I followed the garden path.

Beauty in bloom.

A gargoyle overlooks a quiet pond. A person could easily spend a quiet day here in the garden reading.

And, they make it easy to shop with children. Besides the Peanut Butter Shanty, there are rideable and pushable toys at various wide sections of walkway, wagons to sit in and places to read for kids.  A penned goat to pet and many cats.

Then there are the graveyards.

Hey, fell victim to a dangling participle. What a hoot.

And cookbook Ken whose love of food did him in. You may have to double-click the photos to read the inscriptions.

Hovering over the graveyards, two skeletons with the sign, Death By Kindle. I expect they are writer’s skeletons.

It was at the haunted book shop building that I found 14 Iris Johansen books I hadn’t read. That’s because I’ve only read one and she’s  written about 40 books. I can see I’m going to have fun for weeks for my fourteen dollars.

Many cats sleep among the shade plants, but this one would be my choice. It was a fun day. The barn has two more stores in town and between the three, they have an average total of 500,000 books. Today, we were supposed to go raspberry and blueberry picking with Jim’s grand-daughter, Jaime, but it is raining and looks to continue for the rest of the day. Iris Johansen will keep me entertained.

LAID BACK IN GALVESTON, TEXAS.

We drove up the coast headed for Galveston. We stopped at a BUC EES, I think that is how you spell it. I saw a  huge billboard advertising genuine Czech Kolaches. Well, as y’all know by now, I’m a foodie. If I haven’t tasted it I gotta try it. They had sausage and jalapena, sausage, sausage and cheese and ham and cheese. Well, guess what a kolache is just a Czech name for a sandwich. These were not even good sandwiches. White, pasty bread, the sausage itself was good, but the cheese was Velveeta or its cousin. People must love them, but I’ve never been a sandwich person and these were  mundane. (They are eaten heated.)


We drove past miles of beautiful beach. Jim commented how nice it is that Texas has many beach exits for people to enter the beach. They didn’t allow private builders to gobble it all up and prevent the public from enjoying the beach like in Florida and many places in California. But it is January and people were swimming out there? I guess I have to try it, because the weather is warm enough.


We waited downtown for about three hours to get permission to park in a very crowded American Legion. We waited happily catching up on our reading, but the trees wanted to scrape the top, the place was busy and narrow. In the end, we moved 15 miles to the mainland  and found this friendly VFW, post 8248.


We had a couple of drinks and had fun visiting with Kathleen and Denise.  Denise told me about a new food to try. The Spanish call it barcoda. I won’t tell you what it is until we find and taste it. Hey, gotta keep up my reputation for trying new foods. Denise is the Commander of an American Legion Post and a member of this VFW. Fun gals. Kathleen is hoping to hit the road some day.

Since this is a short blog, I thought I’d tell you about a Port Aransas wedding. Weddings can be very personal. I once saw a wedding invitation posted on a light pole in downtown Murphys. I’m paraphrasing a bit, but it read, Sandy Bristow has finally gotten Ricky Sanders out of the bars and off the streets of Murphys. Come join us for the event at Murphys Park, etc. etc. with a picture of Sanders  with a lasso around his  neck and his new bride in a cowboy hat and boots. (Not correct names.)

I read about the Port Aransas wedding in the Coastal Bend’s Community Magazine. Because it was Halloween, it was a two day wedding. The setting was a Port Aransas Beach Lodge described as  laid-back and casual, nestled in the sand dunes with a commanding, panoramic view of the Gulf with awesome sunrises.  The day before the wedding,  gaiety started as the sun began to set. Guests donned their Halloween costumes and went off in rented beach carts for a fab dinner at LaPlaya. Afterwards, in full costume, they set off for the Salty Dog where they drank and danced . The next day, they hired a boat and went on a two-hour cruise. Entertaining land locked guests with the beauty of sky, sea and sun with dolphins playfully posing and following the boat enraptured them.  Back at the lodge, the guests enjoyed a scavenger hunt, a white elephant party and a final ceremony at sunset on the wharf. The dinner was a crab boil with champagne.
Sound like fun?  Wow!

FATHER'S DAY

In the park, father’s were celebrating their special day by fishing.

A young daughter not quite sure she could see the point in it, stuck it out with her dad. It only takes one catch to make her a believer.

This dad told me he fishes with worms. He likes trout and trout like worms.  He called worms the “old-fashioned” bait.

Comparing this morning’s walk, with the one we took two days ago, was pretty amazing. Both sides of the river was lined with fishermen. Across from us, every 20  feet or so  sat a fisherman on a rock.

Catching  a rock is a problem.  He seemed unsure about how to get his hook unsnagged.  He needed the help of a dad or permission to get his shoes and pants wet.

How nice for a young boy to be  assisted by his “honorary grandfather.” The boy was excited and thrilled about  learning to fish.

These two anglers propped their poles in a V crotch so they didn’t have to hold them.  They looked a bit half-hearted about it. But, who am I to judge?

Now this guy is an entertainer. I think he entertained the fish right onto his line. He said, “Oh, if I’m gonna get my picture taken, I better take off my sunglasses.”  Which he did.

Within seconds he had his fish, and as I took more photos, he said:  “Okay, do I get royalties for my picture?  How about 60% for me and 40% for you since I did all the work?”  I told him absolutely a deal, because 60% of nothing is zero, just like 40% of nothing is zero.

He laughed and offered to give me his fish.  And, I would have taken it, too, but I had “clean out the refrigerator” soup and salad on the menu in  preparation for my returning home.  Jim has many talents but cooking isn’t one of them.

Enjoying the day was what it was all about, even if you are fishing with your sister who went back to camp for something. Dad was sleeping in.

“I’m waiting for my wife.  She is finishing a book she is reading. I come here every year.”

We enjoyed the stroll.  I had a fishing pole in the motor home and hadn’t used it in two years. Jim talked me into donating it to the VFW yard sale back in Ajo.  It has been hot but we are plugged in and have air conditioning.  My time has been spent organizing  stuff to go home. My Navajo horse blanket and Shaman Stick will have to wait for the motor home to make a stop in Murphys next year. And, I read two wonderful books over this week.  Sarah’s Quilt by Nancy Turner, which has been compared to Lonesome Dove. And A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Housseini who also wrote Kite Runner. This book is better. I hope fathers everywhere enjoyed their special day.

FINDING HARMONY, PEACE AND JOY

 Several months ago, I picked up the book Blue Highways, by William Least Heat-Moon. He calls himself a half-breed. Part Indian, his father called himself Heat Moon, and his oldest son Little Heat Moon, thus, born last, William became Least Heat Moon. Least Heat Moon set out in a home-made camper van and traveled on "small roads", across the U.S. from Missouri headed east to the coast then back through the Carolinas, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Utah, Nevada;  north to Oregon; east across the top part of the U.S., through the Great Lakes, up to Maine and then back to Missouri. An epic journey of trails and travails in fascinating prose. What made it special to me is the many places he passed through that I have passed through these last three years, with Jim, at the helm of a motor home. Least Heat Moon  reminded me of other RVers, (particularly our friend Randy Vining,) who take the path less traveled, and adopt philosophies of a simplified life. Emerson, Thoreau, poets, Walt Whitman, and other historic figures like Muir, who relate to nature and the simpler things in life. People shed their possessions and find harmony, peace and joy. On the road, we meet people who profess to want that, few find it. Be inspired by this book.  Here is a link to Least Heat Moon:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Least_Heat-Moon

Jim ordered 68 books from the Book Barn in Connecticut, at $1.00 each. He finds an author he likes, and they ship him the used books. He is set to put in another order, and I've ordered two more "journey" books by Least Heat Moon and a Walk In The Woods by Dryson. What a treat, what a deal.

Yesterday was a quiet day of letter writing, swimming  and reading. The weather remained cool, but dry with a weak sun. Enough sun for Jim to get out and put new battery cables on the Bronco while I swam. At the pool, I met three kids from Tennessee with their grandfather. None of them knew how to swim. I had fun with the youngest, seven year old, teaching him the basic rules of learning to blow bubbles, getting used to having his face in the water, and holding onto the edge and kicking. All benefit of watching my own grandkids take swimming lessons a few summers back. The boy was pleased with himself. I was taught the old, regrettable way, as a kid, when my dad pushed me off a stump and said, "swim." 

A SUITABLE BOY, A SUITABLE BOOK

One of the advantages of living on the road is less housework, no yard work and more time to read. And, I love it!  Even so, deciding to read a book like A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, takes a commitment.

 
 Its physically bigger than a normal novel in size; thicker, as well, at slightly over two inches. And, the print is smaller than a regular novel with a whopping 1474 pages. (Compared below.) 

Its the only book I've ever read that has the table of contents in poetic form. Also, his tribute and thank you is a delightful poem and I'm going to reprint it here.

        A WORD OF THANKS
     To these I owe a debt past telling;
     My several muses, harsh and kind;
     My folks, who stood my sulks and yelling,
    And (in the long run) did not mind;
     Dead legislators, whose orations
     I've filched to mix my own potations;
     Indeed, all those whose brains I've pressed,
     Unmerciful, because obsessed;
     My own dumb soul, which on a pittance
     Survived to weave this fictive spell;
     And, gentle reader, you as well,
     The fountainhead of all remittance.
     Buy me before good sense insists
     You'll strain your purse and sprain your wrists.

I said commitment because even in the motor home where I can easily read a book or two a week, this wonderful story is not a light read. Its a novel surrounding four families, Hindi and Muslim. But more than a novel, it is history, imbued with real people we know. It is set during the 1950's when India is experiencing Independence from British rule. You experience this book, the clash of generations, from the traditional ways to new ideas; both exciting and painful, exhilarating and difficult. It deals with the politics, religions, social hierarchy, and fascinating traditions of India with its biases, superstitions, varied religious beliefs, death, marriage, mixed marriage, money, laws, agriculture, food, clothing, manners, family relations, work, business, politics...in detail with great warmth and affection. Its a saga that is educational and exciting as you wonder who Lata will marry; the man she loves? Or the man her mother has chosen for her? Will India ever overcome the caste system? Will Muslim and Hindu live peaceably side by side in acceptance?  There is so much of the normal upper and middle class here that we never hear about. Its always the teeming slums of Calcutta, or the famous pacifist Mahatma Gandhi that we hear about.
I plan to visit India and I'm so glad I read this book first. Try it, to enhance your understanding and provide you with calamities, gossip, spectacles and excitement that will linger in the mind. Then watch The Slumdog Millionaire, which we did, last night.

LAZY DAY WITH A GREAT NEW WRITER

There is nothing quite like the anticipation of going to a favorite book store, The Book Barn at Niantic, in this case, which took up most of our morning yesterday. We rarely buy hardcovers because the lack of room in the motor home makes it impractical.

I returned with 16 new-to-me books. Since I've just discovered Ann Patchett, what joy to find two I hadn't  read. At one time I followed every book written by Mary Higgins Clark, then quit for awhile. But, there they were, staring at me, so I thought I'd get reacquainted.
 One of my favorite writers, Anita Shreve had several hardcovers I've yet to read, and it took great effort to pass them by.
Then I went through my recommended list, those I've read reviews about. I usually make a list of these and this time I remembered to bring it. Found one from my list, The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran DeSal.
I picked up a couple other reliable good writers I've tried, Maeve Binchy, Sandra Brown, Stephen King, Dean Koontz. I like a sprinkling of different genres along with some "chick lit". Then, after that, I look at serious books I'd like to own and keep, but, in the motor home, I know I have to pass them by, so I skipped the temptation. I always look forward to browsing for awhile, tasting, hoping to pick up a couple unknowns, unheard ofs, to try. Its an adventure, hoping to discover another great.

Anne Siddons, and Leif Enger were my choices. Enger, his first book and Siddons has a slew. I started with Enger, and found a new wonder. A heroic, rich adventure that kept me turning pages through three quarters of the book until Jaime enticed me into a bike ride.

The day before,  I took the lead and we rode to town and back, barely able to pump the hills. This time she took the lead. I couldn't wait to get back to Enger's, Peace Like A River. I can already recommend it. You don't have to eat the whole pie to know its great. It has great characters, joy, tragedy and magic. What more can you ask for?

PICNIC AND A BARN LOAD OF BOOKS

Yesterday, the weather was beautiful, Eric The Man had two ball games in a tournament, so everyone gathered at Groton Park for a bit of rest, fun and food between games. Joceylyn Jaillet used the time to burrow into a book. She kind of reminds me of myself at age 15.

And, on the subject of books, how do you peruse 350,000 books? Niantic, Connecticut has a famous book store, that has turned into three stores.
The main barn is not the whole story. Building after building has been added around the spacious garden grounds filled with every imaginable book.  Friendly benches, a children's play area, several friendly cats, tables, coffee, cookies, flowers, settees invite you to linger and relax. Things are wonderfully organized in cozies, new items, old items; political or photography; children's or teen's. you might find one copy filed in fiction and the same book filed in poetry if it has both.

I found a copy of my newest favorite book, Bel Canto, so now I can return the one loaned to me by a friend. That, and a bagful of others. If your bag gets heavy, staff provides a cubby to hold your books while you continue your search. Jim needed help to lug his big box of books out to the Bronco. Oh, such hidden pleasure in those pages

Helpful, plentiful staff, and if you get tired of looking, you can always rest your eyes and throw a few balls into the basketball hoop in one of the courtyards, or stop for a game of chess or checkers.

Folks here have a great sense of humor. Every sign has at least one funny line. This place is such a treasure. The hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Open every day of the year except Christmas and Thanksgiving.

GREG GUIRARD, A CAJUN ACTIVIST

All of us would undo the damage past generations have done to the environment if we could. Greg Guirard, teacher, writer, speaker, fisherman, woodsman, historian, activist skips the "if" and is doing something about it, one tree at a time. That is, 40,000 of them in his own sphere of control. He planted them himself, over a 30 year span, converting cane fields to trees.

He was working on this crawfish trap when we drove up to his house. Its made from plastic coated chicken wire. "Not good this year," he said. He is working with the Atchafalaya BASINKEEPER, an organization dedicated to saving the River Of Trees, and saving a way of swamp life for man, fish and birds. They have a website: www.basinkeeper.org.

While  building a new house out of  replaned cypress wood, he remembered seeing some discarded cypress full of holes from a fungus. Replaned, it made a beautiful cover for this wall. His cupboards, walls, ceilings and some furniture are made of cypress. Only the floors are oak.

 Next to a cypress plank,  framing stained glass, stands a broom, unsupported by the wall. It stands by itself. Greg is hoping to reach a record time. This one has been standing in the corner for five months now. 
Cypress wood deteriorates slowly. Years ago, the cypress was completely logged off. Logs sunk into the muddy waters. When the water gets low, woodworkers remove the "sinkers", replane them and find new uses for this beautiful wood. A form of recycling and preservation.
 Greg not only preserves wood, he has preserved the stories of old time Cajun Fishermen and women in his books, Cajun Families of the Atchafalaya.   Psycho Therapy For Cajuns is a humorous take on Cajun Culture surviving in a crazy world. He wrote the fiction story, taken from real life, The Land of Dead Giants. His latest book, in conjunction with C.Ray Brassieur is a broader look at the past and future of the Atchafalaya Basin, and the folklife of the people who lived there, entitled Inherit The Atchafalaya.
Unique views of a way of living fading into obscurity and which few could write about with the insight and clarity as the Cajun, Greg Guirard.
Meet Wilmer Blanchard who typifies Cajun fishermen: "I have eleven children, three boys. I would take my boys in the woods as soon as they could walk enough..."
 Women fished to, and when Yolande Bonin had a stroke, her husband, Cezaire, carried her into the boat each day. Her contribution to fishing was limited to opening the right can as she saw a gar, a catfish, or whatever come out of the net. Cezaire says, "When I raise them nets, you ought to see her smile when they got fish in 'em."
Myrtle Bigler claimed, "All kind of work gets me tired. But I'm not sick..." This when she was in her eighties. She and her husband, Harold,  lived off the swamp all their married lives. He died at age 90, and she died at 95.
Alcee Seritte went blind in his seventies. He continued to take his boat from Atchafalaya Station to Catahoula and back, a distance of 8 miles one way. He'd run into the bank and just turn away and keep going.
The lessons of simplicity are there for all of us to learn from, as are Greg's books.
To contact Greg Guirard: Paroona9@yahoo.com or phone him at 337-394-4631. ATT is supposed to fix his website which is not currently working at www.gregguirard.com.

A sure sign of a real Cajun is this outboard motor hanging from an oak tree in Greg's driveway. He gave a slide show for Elder Hostel and his photographs of the basin and people are superb.

We spent the rest of the day with Michele, our erstwhile "guide."  She took us to see the legendary wedding bower of the Pre-Civil War sugar plantation Durand. Durand imported spiders into a young planting of pine, magnolia and oak trees lining his quarter mile driveway. The day of the wedding, the spider webs were sprinkled with the glitter of gold and silver dust. The bower is now know as Pine Alley and is all that remains of the once successful plantation.

Evening closed with friends and family "hanging out" around the bonfire and eating Michele's great jambalaya washed down with good beer. Life is good.