A Month Later - Part 2
The broken down RV was quite the issue. It wouldn't start and we tried
everything we could think of to get it going. In the end we got a late
dinner and slept on it. Sunday morning we were up bright and early, and
decided a new battery was what we needed. We GPSed directions to Sears
and proceeded to get lost and redirected several times. We headed all
the way from north Phoenix to Tempe, a good 30 minute drive. However, a
few service repair guys later we hauled off a battery to try to put in
the RV and then the plan was to drive the RV over and have the other 2
batteries replaced. The battery arced, but we weren't sure what
happened, more time wasted. Finally at 4:45pm the RV was towed to Sears
where I spent the night with the animals while Drew and Tasha went to
work that night on the far west side of town. What a night! haha
Listening to any odd sound outside, hoping I was in a decent
neighborhood.
The next morning the repairs were finally made, breakfast was had, and
the RV moved down to Walmart of Buckeye, AZ. Whew! Drew and Tasha were
catching up on sleep most of that week, with a stop to dump RV waste in
the middle. However, somewhere in all that mess I hopped online and
started messaging a fellow on an online dating site I'd been keeping up
during my trip. It culminated in two dates over three days, a new
exotic food - frybread, and some very good times, mixed with a lot of
uncertainty on parting Friday night as I flew out a few hours later on a
Saturday redeye. Dating on the road....not something I'd anticipated,
but an circumstance that certainly made me think about the crazy
logistics as well the goals I have in trying to find a person to spend
my life with. Lots of deep thinking on the subject of romance has
resulted from all of this.
Then there was the flight home, calm and lovely....flying off into the sunrise.
And here I am, back in Roanoke again. I don't feel that my trip is
truly over yet as I'm revisiting my photographs and painting my
memories. I know my traveling won't be over anytime soon. Having been
home almost two weeks I've already been planning more travel. I went to
Maryland this past Saturday with a group of teenagers, saw the Avett
Brothers this past Tuesday night at Virginia Tech, am going to
Charlotte, NC for another concert with my friend Stuart, and then going
to Richmond on this coming Tuesday to spend the Thanksgiving holiday
with my uncle. Then there's a spring break trip in the works as well.
West coast here I come! haha Thus far it seems I'll probably be going
back the Disneyland to use my complimentary day ticket, visiting some
friends there in California, and then going to Arizona for a while,
Phoenix and Tucson perhaps, all depending on which friends I'm able to
see....with baseball games, birding and beaches as possible activities.
In all this there are so many little details I haven't mentioned here,
so many small things that made a difference in my trip. I want to thank
all the friends who helped me along my way these past few months, and
all the ones who support me through the rest of my time too. You all
are such fantastic people, I'm blessed to know you all, Ohioans,
Mexicans (Australians and Canadians!), Oregonians, Californians,
and...Arizonans? (After checking, yes, that is indeed what they're all
called!)
So....home. Virginia for just a little while longer, then who knows
where. Spring will be full of classes here, then off to Maine for the
summer, before fall takes me somewhere new. Thesis work can be taken
anywhere, and I fully plan on that as I forge into new territory. Life
is exciting, genuinely full of hope despite the moments of difficulty as
I wrestle with solving problems in my art and other work. It's all an
adventure, the kind I relish experiencing and love to share with those
around me. The invitation to adventure is there for those who choose to
take the opportunity. What are you waiting for?
everything we could think of to get it going. In the end we got a late
dinner and slept on it. Sunday morning we were up bright and early, and
decided a new battery was what we needed. We GPSed directions to Sears
and proceeded to get lost and redirected several times. We headed all
the way from north Phoenix to Tempe, a good 30 minute drive. However, a
few service repair guys later we hauled off a battery to try to put in
the RV and then the plan was to drive the RV over and have the other 2
batteries replaced. The battery arced, but we weren't sure what
happened, more time wasted. Finally at 4:45pm the RV was towed to Sears
where I spent the night with the animals while Drew and Tasha went to
work that night on the far west side of town. What a night! haha
Listening to any odd sound outside, hoping I was in a decent
neighborhood.
The next morning the repairs were finally made, breakfast was had, and
the RV moved down to Walmart of Buckeye, AZ. Whew! Drew and Tasha were
catching up on sleep most of that week, with a stop to dump RV waste in
the middle. However, somewhere in all that mess I hopped online and
started messaging a fellow on an online dating site I'd been keeping up
during my trip. It culminated in two dates over three days, a new
exotic food - frybread, and some very good times, mixed with a lot of
uncertainty on parting Friday night as I flew out a few hours later on a
Saturday redeye. Dating on the road....not something I'd anticipated,
but an circumstance that certainly made me think about the crazy
logistics as well the goals I have in trying to find a person to spend
my life with. Lots of deep thinking on the subject of romance has
resulted from all of this.
Then there was the flight home, calm and lovely....flying off into the sunrise.
And here I am, back in Roanoke again. I don't feel that my trip is
truly over yet as I'm revisiting my photographs and painting my
memories. I know my traveling won't be over anytime soon. Having been
home almost two weeks I've already been planning more travel. I went to
Maryland this past Saturday with a group of teenagers, saw the Avett
Brothers this past Tuesday night at Virginia Tech, am going to
Charlotte, NC for another concert with my friend Stuart, and then going
to Richmond on this coming Tuesday to spend the Thanksgiving holiday
with my uncle. Then there's a spring break trip in the works as well.
West coast here I come! haha Thus far it seems I'll probably be going
back the Disneyland to use my complimentary day ticket, visiting some
friends there in California, and then going to Arizona for a while,
Phoenix and Tucson perhaps, all depending on which friends I'm able to
see....with baseball games, birding and beaches as possible activities.
In all this there are so many little details I haven't mentioned here,
so many small things that made a difference in my trip. I want to thank
all the friends who helped me along my way these past few months, and
all the ones who support me through the rest of my time too. You all
are such fantastic people, I'm blessed to know you all, Ohioans,
Mexicans (Australians and Canadians!), Oregonians, Californians,
and...Arizonans? (After checking, yes, that is indeed what they're all
called!)
So....home. Virginia for just a little while longer, then who knows
where. Spring will be full of classes here, then off to Maine for the
summer, before fall takes me somewhere new. Thesis work can be taken
anywhere, and I fully plan on that as I forge into new territory. Life
is exciting, genuinely full of hope despite the moments of difficulty as
I wrestle with solving problems in my art and other work. It's all an
adventure, the kind I relish experiencing and love to share with those
around me. The invitation to adventure is there for those who choose to
take the opportunity. What are you waiting for?