Blue Lollipop Road

February 2, 2013 In News & Updates, People

pollinating

Some things are shaping up and It’s looking like I might have a house sitting gig in the Northeast this summer through fall. My first New England summer in 17 or so years? Wahoo! You know this Vermont girl loves some green summer breezes and autumn leaves. Doesn’t get much better than that. (Besides a bunch of trips to Upstate NY Finger Lakes wine country of course.)

Not sure why I didn’t start this house sitting gig stuff long ago. Good thing It’s never to late to start anything.

From my favorite book and a woman (friend and author) I admire greatly:

“I am a modern day nomad. I have no permanent address, no possessions except the ones I carry, and I rarely know where I’ll be six months from now. I move through the world without a plan, guided by instinct, connecting through trust, and constantly watching for serendipitous opportunities. People are my passion. Unlike a traditional nomad, when I go somewhere, I settle in with locals long enough to share the minutes of their days, to know the seasons of their lives, and to be trusted with their secrets…

….There has got to be more than one way to do life.

There is.”

I’ve had the good fortune of spending some time with Rita Golden Gelman lately. Lucky me. I have read the preface of her book; Tales Of A Female Nomad, no less than 100 times. Every single time (minus the “on the verge of a divorce” part) I read those specific words I’ve thought- that’s me!

House sitting, house owning, tent camping, car camping, hut sharing, renting, couch surfing, yard, no yard, city, country, beach, mountains, picket fence, no fence, grass, cement – there are no rules, so we all may as well “do” life exactly how we want to.

What are you waiting for?

 

 

 

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January 29, 2013 In Bermuda, Live the life you want to live

airports

I love cars and road trips, you all know that. But I like airports too.

Airports offer that promise of coming through the gate and seeing someone you love standing at the other end, smiling and waiting. They’re places where you can watch anyone from around the world with family, friends, and coworkers. The single where everyone, from everywhere has to go if they want or need to get anywhere. There is no other space forces that.

I’ve just come from a week long trip in Bermuda. My first time there and that makes country 14. So awesome. I’m currently standing at an airport bar writing this during my layover, with a dark- haired quiet business man to my left, and a mom looking type to my right who’s reading feverishly. Our waiter is Indian and the girl behind me sounds like her accent is from a wildly exotic far away warm place.

I’m sitting in Newark, NJ.

This is why I love airports. Different colors all over.

I love airports, I love traveling. I love being around people that are not like me. The ones who have stories, and full lives. I love the broken people, and the ones who have it “all together.” I love indulging in different kinds of foods and drink. I love sharing; stories, seats, space. I love that when you travel- when you’re out of your everyday gerbil wheel and grind. It’s like you’re forced, like it or not- to be a little more flexible, a little more forgiving, a little more open and free.

I think travel makes better humans. Period.

Whether you’re in your own town walking down a different road to find a new walking path for your daily exercise, or flying across the world to sit in a tiki hut to escape winter weather and relax. “Travel” offers a view, and nudges our less of a pain in the ass side. The one that automatically replies “Why not? I’ll try that”- sometimes because you choose to, but sometimes because you have to. Either way, doing any little thing to change the course of your regular day, can change the course of your lifetime. I believe that more than anything.

Here’s to airports, or any “ports”, that become the places you try things you never have before.

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January 20, 2013 In Blue Lollipop Road Memorial Scholarship, Donations

thank you bob harris!

In lieu of gifts for a retirement party I attended this weekend it was suggested that guests make a donation to their favorite charity. My newly retired friend Bob’s wife requested that for my donation, I give to the Blue Lollipop Road Memorial Scholarship fund- which I happily did.

A hundred years ago I dated Bob’s son, Andrew, that’s how we know each other. Andrew might not know this, but he had a huge part in influencing my choice to live the “vagabond” lifestyle, so how perfect that all these years later Bob and his family still support young people reaching their travel goals.

Thanks Bob! I look forward to sharing who becomes the recipient of the 2013 Blue Lollipop Road Memorial Scholarship. Here’s to adventure at any age. You are just getting started!

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January 20, 2013 In News & Updates

take a seat and watch yourself for a while

In the 5 months I’ve been mostly absent from here since our Play It Forward event in Vermont on 8/18/12, I’ve sort of been in an unplanned hiding phase, that I had no idea I needed. I’ve been catching up on sleep, work and bills. Everything the unexpected (to me anyway) exhaustion that 18 years of travel and go, go, go creates. Fall 2012 turned out to be a time to reflect, rest and let go…a lot. If you had told me back on August 18th as I was standing in that single Play It Forward Event day, which filled me with an energy, pride, and momentum for the future- that I was about to spend the following months feeling like my feet were stuck in cement buckets (not the bad kind) coming straight from a Chicago high-rise bustling social, sport, and work life, to living on a farm in Virginia down a dirt road of solitude- I would have told you that you had lost your mind.

And here I sit in complete silence down that dirt road those near 5 month later thankful those cement buckets found me.

I’ve thought about BLR Play It Forward no less than 50 times a day since our August event as I’ve been in “hiding”. I’ve had the families of my lost friends, all the guests of our incredibly powerful event, the places like Taltree Arboretum and Gardens, restaurant @1800 who graciously invited me to spend time with them in 2012, other “road people” I’ve had intentions to write about, new places I’ve visited that I’ve made big promises to share about- and more on my mind. Obviously I have just not written about them all here as I had planned to. BLR my travels, the people, Play It Forward event, the food, my everyday experiences (even the mundane) are so deeply engrained in my soul, none of it could ever leave no matter how much break time there has been on daily writing here, or even if I never wrote again (which clearly is not going to happen:) I live BLR just as much now, if not more than ever before.

So what happened? Nothing really besides allowing myself to fully rest, step back, and let go to watch as a passenger in my life for once. My body is rested, and my mind is clearer than ever. I have had the ultimate and much needed retreat. Now I am ready to get back in the saddle again.

I’m excited to share that Ive been working on an updated site to launch here this spring. That’s right- ALL my posts (Near 1,400) and the thousands of my travel photos will be in one place, on 1 single website! Also I am writing a book! A lifelong goal of mine. It is a lot of work, but I can’t wait for the day I will hold in my hands a book with my name stamped on it.

Now for some Sunday morning coffee and catching up on all this homework I owe myself and you all…

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January 11, 2013 In Photos, Virginia

just beer

No Instagram, no special effects, just my delicious Devils Backbone Brewing Company Vienna Lager during a friends kids’ ski day at Bryce Resort:

Devils Backbone Vienna Lager at Bryce Resort

Yes, this is what non-skiing Vermonters do when they come to ski mountains. (At least that’s what this non-skiing sun and hot temperature loving Vermonter does.) I head to bermuda in 11 days. Waiting for the warm. Until then, a yummy beer with a view, and Friday afternoon laptop time in a scarf and sweatshirt suits me just fine:)

 

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January 7, 2013 In Donations, People, Virginia

thanks for lunch, andrew coast guard

And! Thanks once again to Matt Carter of DPI in Wilmington, NC for branding my bumper nearly 3 years ago. I sure have met a lot of nice and interesting people because of a small gifted piece of vinyl! Awesome.

Andrew:

Here’s to Upstate NY, The Great Alaska Highway, and to writing books. Hopefully we will both get one out in the nick of time- so each of our adventures can continue 🙂

 

 

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