Month: October 2019

“The magic thing about home is that it feels good to leave, and it feels even better to come back.”

We said goodbye to Jen, Joe and Jimmy Stewart and made our way to Springboro, OH where my cousin Becca lives with her family. Kent got to lead a toddler around a pumpkin patch a la the old days. Sunsets in the Midwest always take my breath away. We squeezed in a little more sightseeing in downtown Indianapolis with its beautiful Capital and gorgeous rotunda ceiling, library and canal district. Autumn in rural Indiana and Iowa was lovely. We were informed that the biggest truck stop ever is in Iowa, and boy was it!! We visited Kent’s sister and her family in Johnston, IA for a few laughs before heading into Nebraska. I will never tire of the pastoral beauty of farmland. The Stuhr Museum of the Prairie in Nebraska was a highlight of our second to last day on the road. And with that I was back on Colorado, the home of my birth, and where my heart lives. A quick stop at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail was a reminder of the Botanic Gardens in Washington DC where they receive honorable mention. Jen, I am sorry, but THESE are mountains.

My heart and head are full. My sabbatical is over, and I am changed in only good ways.

I kept it. I will wear it whenever it rains.

Pennsylvania is a beautiful state. I spent most of my time in rural townships that were quaint and on country roads with rolling hills that touched my soul. Pennsylvania is where I have friends who gave me respite and allowed me to jump into their lives for a tiny bit. They also took time away from their regular schedules to play with me.

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.” – Gilda Radner

For much of my sabbatical, I stayed with my bff Jen, her husband Joe and their dog Luke. Dogs add so much joy to daily life, and this big, soft, fluffy guy befriended me immediately.

When Kent made plans to join me during the last week of my sabbatical, I realized with delight that he would be able to join me in visiting Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, located in rural Mill Run, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh. It was beautiful.