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Hazel With the Green Shoes: Roadtripping With A Raindrop Moment #1

June 20, 2013 by Gayle Harper 12 Comments

Note: This is the first installment of the Series “Roadtripping With a Raindrop,” highlighting moments from my travels along the Mississippi River, right through the heart of America. Many of these are from the “raindrop journey,” a 90-day road trip keeping pace with a raindrop as it traverses the nearly 2,500 miles of Mississippi River from the headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. Some will be included in the upcoming book of tales and photographs from that adventure and some will only be shared right here. I’ll introduce you to some of the amazing people I met, take you inside some unique cultures and lifestyles and share some crazy, serendipitous adventures as well as some of the life lessons that the River offers. Don’t miss a single Moment – If you haven’t already done so, you can sign up to be notified when a new post appears in the box below. Off we go!

Moment #1 – Hazel With the Green Shoes

The acclaimed Guthrie Theater in downtown Minneapolis has a crazy snout protruding from its back – the “Endless Bridge.” It’s a 178-foot cantilevered lobby that, along its length, frames some of the historic mill district’s most renowned views.

Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The real treat, however, is at the end, where an open-air deck overlooks a broad panorama of the Mississippi River as it rolls over St. Anthony Falls and under the iconic Stone Arch Bridge.

Stone Arch Bridge across the Mississippi River at Minneapolis

The reflective surfaces make it a photographer’s playground – and if you are lucky enough to catch an eye-popping blue sky with marshmallow clouds, it’s a good time to be thankful for the extravagance that digital photography allows. (If I had to pay for all that film and processing….yeeesh!) I play with abandon, sandwiching the views between the sky above and its twin image below. There’s music on the breeze and in the mall area below, I see canopy tops and shoppers at the Mill City Farmer’s Market, and I know that is my next stop.

The historic mill district of downtown Minneapolis and the Mill City Farmers Market

If I had a kitchen, I’d be filling my arms with gorgeous produce. Since my trendy downtown loft didn’t come with cooking facilities, I content myself with people-watching and accumulating nominations for my lunch. Winning out over the Tibetan dumplings and the walleye sandwich is the intriguing sweet potato taco. I take my prize and settle on a top step, with a primo view of the colorful parade of people.

A half-dozen steps below me, a little strawberry-blonde cutie in a red dress spins around to look at me, then waves and beams up a whole-body smile. When I smile and wave back, she springs to her feet, marches up the stairs and plops down beside me. Feeling no need for preliminaries, she pokes out a tiny foot and says, “See – I didn’t wear my sandals today because I wanted to wear my green shoes.” Her Mom, who looked startled at first, is now watching us with amusement as we talk about today’s choice of shoes.

“My name is Hazel,” says my new little friend with a decisive nod, then she carefully unfolds two fingers and holds them up, “and, I am two years old!” Then, just in case I don’t quite get it, she holds up two fingers on the other hand and says emphatically, “Two!”

Hazel with the Green Shoes

With that established, she scoots a little closer to me and we chat about the sweet
potato tacos, which she and her Mom have just finished sharing. Then, satisfied
that we have taken care of business, she gives me a serene little Buddha-smile
and quietly turns her attention to the procession of shoppers below us. And there we sit, just inches apart, sharing a sunny and companionable silence until her Mom calls up that it is time to go.

Moments like these are like luminous pearls that shine forever in the heart of every traveler, reminding us that innocence and open-heartedness sees no boundaries.

Shine on, little Hazel!

Love, Gayle

Roadtripping With a Raindrop

June 14, 2013 by Gayle Harper 2 Comments

An email came in a few days ago from Gary Lindberg. No bells were rung at first by his name, but he reminded me that we had met beneath the 3^rd Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis while I was on my raindrop journey following the Mississippi River. It took just a minute of trolling through my memories to come up with the sparkly blue Saturday afternoon in September that we met. It was Day 19 of the 90-day journey (90 days because that is how long it takes a single drop of water to make the trip) – and I had spent the morning strolling through a Farmer’s Market and touring downtown Minneapolis on a Segway (great fun!).

Segwaying in downtown Minneapolis

I had just missed the finish of the Blubber Run, a 5K family fun run in which participants are encouraged to wear their craziest costumes and the rest stops feature beer, root beer and optional water. I passed a couple of jolly swashbucklers
on their way to make merry at the BBQ and brews tent who were downright jubilant when I asked them to pose for a photo.

Pirates of Minneapolis

Then I followed the Oom-pah-pah’s to a park beneath the bridge where dancers were stomping and swirling to a Polka band. After chasing a few of them with my camera, especially this playful woman in her green beer stein glasses, I stood off to the side, smiling at all the high-spirited, animated dancers of all ages.

Polka Dancers

That’s when I met Gary – a traveler himself who has hiked more than 20,000 miles, he knows that the people we meet on our travels are the heart of every journey. We swapped stories, exchanged cards and wished each other happy trails and the encounter joined the hundreds of others that made my 90-day adventure downright magical. The moment might have faded into oblivion, but Gary has followed the blog and reached out the other day just to say hi – and brought it back to life!

That got me thinking…the upcoming book features some of the interesting people, serendipitous experiences, and unforgettable moments of the 90 days, but obviously there are many, many more (or the book would be too hefty to lift). And – as Gary reminded me – they are too good to forget!

So, here’s what we are going to do…next week we will begin a series, “Roadtripping With a Raindrop,” that will bring you a moment, at random, from somewhere in my travels along the Mississippi River. I will introduce some fascinating people, share some things I learned about life along the River and take you to some totally surprising places. So – pack your road snacks! If you haven’t already done so, you can sign up to be notified when a post appears in the column at the right – and please do spread the word to other roadtrippers who would like to join us. I promise this will be fun!

Also – if you are one of the awesome people I met and you would like to remind me of a moment – please do! Just post a comment or send me an email. As always, this is the most fun when you participate.

I’ll see you next week with “Moment #1 – Hazel With the Green Shoes” – don’t miss it!

Happy Friday! Gayle

FOR OUR FATHERS

June 7, 2013 by Gayle Harper 10 Comments

In the midst of all the memories that have crumbled and faded with the years, a few stand like crystals, perfectly preserved and shining like the moment they were created. One of mine is the first time I saw the Mississippi River. I was nine and the oldest of three squirming around the back seat of our blue and white DeSoto. “Sit up, kids, and look out the windows,” said my Dad, “we are about to cross the Mississippi River.” I sat up on my knees as the high iron bridge rumbled beneath us and when I could see that enormous expanse of murky water spreading below, it felt like the world just stopped. When we finally reached the other side and were deposited into a different state, I spun around to watch it go and then exploded into a dozen questions, all trying to be asked at once. Where does it go? Where did it come from? How far is that? Why is it that color? Can we go closer and see it? Dad did his best to answer and then said, “OK, listen carefully and I will teach you to spell its name.”

And so it happened that for the remaining miles of that trip, I chanted endlessly, “M-I-crooked letter-crooked letter-I-crooked letter-crooked letter-I-humpback-humpback-I.” (I thought for years that my clever Dad made that up!) In all the years since then, with every crossing of the great River, I hear that in my head and smile. I lost my Dad 23 years ago when he was just 65, but I treasure this link between Dad and the River.

As Father’s Day approaches, other random memories of Dad have been surfacing and I’d like to share a few…

He loved a good joke – he would latch onto one and tell it until he had completed the rounds of everyone he knew!
April Fools’ Day might have been his favorite holiday. I’m sure he started planning weeks in advance. He got me good many times, but my crowning achievement was when I emptied the sugar bowl and replaced it with salt and he put a couple of big honkin’ spoonsful on his cereal!
There were Daddy-Daughter dances when I got a new dress and he bought me a corsage and I knew he was the handsomest Dad and the best dancer there!
There were countless weekends at the lake learning to water ski and then teaching every other friend interested with Dad patiently circling around to try once more to get that newbie up. The funniest of all was a family friend who tried to learn as an adult and just couldn’t manage to get her butt out of the water. After one especially looong attempt, she yelled so it echoed across the lake, “All Right! I’ve now had a 50-yard douche and I am DONE!” I thought my Dad would fall out of the boat he laughed so hard!
There were family vacations with all of us layered in a pop-up camper and everyone trying to fall asleep before Dad did because he snored like a buzz saw – and no one ever succeeded!
There were the really bumpy times between us when he was a bullheaded German and I was a headstrong 15-year-old, certain that the love of my life was a boy he didn’t like. We were each immovably anchored in our stubbornness and clashed like a couple of mountain goats.
There was the indescribable expression on his face when I placed his first grandchild in his arms. That was as close as I ever came to seeing him cry.
There is the way he adored my mother, always calling her “the most beautiful woman alive” and showing us daily the depth of human love that is possible.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad! You live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved you!

And to all you fathers out there – Happy Father’s Day!

And to the great Mississippi River that the Native people of the Ojibwe tribe named Misi-ziibi, which is often translated as “Father of Waters,” – happy Father’s Day to you too!

I would LOVE it if you would take a minute and think about your Dad or your own experience of being a Dad, or the father of your children or the Father of Waters or anything else this stirs in you and share it with us. This blog is at its best when it is a conversation between us all! Thanks! Gayle

Wesley Edwin Freyer
1924 – 1990
My Dad

IN THE PATH OF DISASTER

June 5, 2013 by Gayle Harper Leave a Comment

Today’s headlines are filled with stories of floodwaters inundating homes and businesses near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, of evacuations, sandbagging, lock closings and barge traffic halted due to high water and debris. More rain is predicted across the Midwest and dire warnings of major flooding are being issued, as those farther downstream watch warily. It’s not that such stories are uncommon at this time of year, in fact, those who live and work near the great rivers know to expect the unexpected, especially in the spring. Still, one can’t help but notice how drastic and rapid the extremes have been in recent years.

It was just six months ago that 80% of the country’s farmland was in the worst drought since the dust bowl era of 1934. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers scrambled to keep the Mississippi navigable as water levels receded to near-record lows. Counties in 29 states were declared disaster areas as farmers helplessly watched their crops crumble onto cracked, parched land.

The previous May, seven states along the Mississippi River experienced a flood considered to be one of the worst of the past century. The photo below was taken at that time – the curve between the trees is the normal course of the River. You can see more and read my stories of that flood here http://bit.ly/harper2012flood

Extreme and devastating weather events of all sorts that were once considered hundred-year occurrences now headline our national news with alarming regularity. Besides floods and droughts, the news is filled with heart-wrenching stories of massive tornadoes and hurricanes, wildfires and blizzards. Like nearly everyone else, I have my opinions about the likelihood that at least some of this tumult is related to careless human disregard for the health of our planet. But, I am no scientist and if you think otherwise, I’m not the expert that can change your mind.

The undeniable fact is that many thousands of people are suffering heartbreaking losses due to our volatile weather. If it occurs to you to help in some way, whether that is with labor, donations, prayers or any large or small thing that might ease someone’s pain, do it! As my grandmother often said (long before it was a popular song), “What goes around…comes around.” And – if you’d like to share your story about giving or receiving help, I’d love to hear it! Peace, Gayle

May, 2011 Flood near the Missouri “Bootheel”

5 GOOD REASONS TO SEE THE MOVIE “MUD” THIS WEEK

May 30, 2013 by Gayle Harper 3 Comments

Don’t miss it on the BIG screen. It’s filmed along the Mississippi River in a wild, swampy region of southern Arkansas where there are few roads anywhere near the big river. The photography at almost river level is so intimate with this massive force of nature that you can not just feel it but almost smell it.
The casting is perfect and the acting is superb. Writer/Director Jeff Nichols wrote the role of the main character, Mud, with Matthew McConaughey in mind and it had to be him! His sexy mix of bad boy and innocence is irresistible, but there is much more to this role than that. He is at home in the wild, wily, resourceful and wise; he will tell you any version of the truth that serves the moment and yet you feel his innate integrity and genuineness. The fierce, blind love he feels for Juniper, played by Reese Witherspoon, has not faltered since they were kids in spite of her fickle ways. Tye Sheridan gives a jaw-dropping performance as 14-year-old Ellis, one of the two river kids who discover Mud living on an island in the Mississippi and become his friends. The range of emotions behind his often stoic young face leaves you knowing how it feels to be raised in a barebones houseboat, to passionately want to believe in true love and to watch all that is familiar be dismantled board by board. Finally, Sam Shepard as Mud’s gritty, mysterious sharpshooter father figure is truly masterful.
It is a visceral experience of a vanishing culture that most of us never knew existed. “River Rats,” as they often call themselves, live with the great river, sustained by its gifts and accepting it’s wild and constantly changing nature without reservation. Changes in laws, water quality and fish populations as well as drainage, industrial development and channelization are all bringing an end to this way of life. On my 90-day road trip alongside the full length of the Mississippi River, I met Tommy Groves, a river rat who grew up near Osceola, Arkansas, just 150 or so miles north of where Mud was filmed. Tommy grew up in a little cypress shotgun house on stilts where the Mississippi River came and went and the family survived on its bounty. Tommy’s a successful city dweller now, but he goes to the river every day and he knows he was blessed to grow up there. You can read the rest of his story on my blog post at http://bit.ly/harperriverrat if you like. Happily, the movie treated this ebbing river culture with respect, without even subtle hints at condescension.
It’s 2 hours and 10 minutes of timelessness. The Mississippi River has been doing just what it does today since long before humans were around to notice. When Director Jeff Nichols wanted Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland, who plays Ellis’ best buddy, Neckbone, to feel the River’s timelessness, he handed them Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. “Just reading about the kids on the river in the late 1800s and then being able to go out and enjoy that same river, every day, was amazing,” said Sheridan according to Entertainment Weekly. As for McConaughey, he was quoted by contactmusic.com as saying, “The stage was the Mississippi river. To live there for a while, to camp out there, you quickly get the rhythm and the sense of smell and taste and humidity and weight, and how time trickles along like that river.” No matter how much agenda you walk in with, it is forgotten with the opening scene of Mud and swept away as absolutely as if you were sitting on the bank of the Mississippi.
It’s about love – first love, idealized love, irredeemable love, unconditional love, unrequited love and fatherly love – without ever taking a step toward schmaltzy. And how can you not love that?

So – do yourself a favor, give yourself a break from all that’s going on and don’t miss this one! Here’s the trailer…

Progress Report

May 29, 2013 by Gayle Harper Leave a Comment

Hi there!

When I told you recently that I had finished the writing of the 90 day journey, I said I felt a bit like a little gopher poking my head up into a vast and unknown landscape. So much has happened since then, it has sent this gopher-head spinning at times! I have learned a lot about this next phase of the project – enough to know that I have uncovered the tip of something huge!

Fortunately, I have learned this one thing along the way – we can only take one step at a time, so just pay attention to this one, do the best I can with it, then let go of it and see what comes next. There is no point in trying to guess what will happen ten steps from now – that’s just conjecture anyway!

So, here’s where we are…

My friend John Stoeckley, an enormously talented artist who specializes in pen and ink drawings is working on the map for the front of the book. It shows the entire graceful, looping course of the River from top to bottom with raindrops marking the towns that correspond to the stories that follow. It will be lovely!
My friend Tim Buchanan is working with me to create a complete set of perfectly-tweaked photographs on his mega-printer to serve as match prints for the publisher. God bless his patience and talent!!
Heather Caldwell is my new intern. She’s an accomplished young woman about to earn her Masters in Communications and she will help with social media, marketing and promotion, which is actually all pretty fun and exciting!
We are creating a new Author Facebook page and will soon be inviting you to follow it. I’ll post updates there and can receive your input and suggestions as we go.
One of the first things we’ll be doing is having you help to name this “baby.” As perfect as “Surrendering to Serendipity” is for the blog, it won’t work as a book title. We are gathering tips now for what makes a killer title and will share that soon. So, stay tuned – we will soon announce a contest to spice things up a bit and gather your ideas!

Those are some of the first priority irons in the fire. Possibilities, opportunities, ideas and helpers are popping like popcorn for things that may happen down the road and while they are exciting to contemplate, I’ll wait to tell you about them as we get closer. Thanks for being with me – who knew that this phase of the adventure could be so much fun?!

For now – we are compiling a database of those who have asked to be notified when the book is available, so if you haven’t already done so, complete the form below to add any person, organization or business you think might be interested.

I’ll be back with more soon, but until then, here’s a Mississippi River sunrise to slow you down and smooth you out for a moment. Enjoy! Love, Gayle

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Happy Spring?

May 3, 2013 by Gayle Harper 2 Comments

It’s snowing here in the Missouri Ozarks and crazy cold for May 3rd. (And, yes, I can hear my friends up north sneering that this is nothing compared to the 10 inches of new snow they are slogging through!)

Spring Snow

The dogwood blossoms are drooping like wet toilet paper and the already heavy wisteria blooms are reaching for the ground. “It’s not normal!” people say – which makes me think about “normal.”

When I made my 90-day road trip following the Mississippi River from the headwaters to the Gulf, the River levels were described as “normal,” meaning they were neither in flood stage nor drought. The following spring, the River sprawled over so much surrounding land that it was deemed one of the worst floods of the last century. Nine months later the worst drought conditions in 50 years threatened to bring the entire barge industry to a standstill. Now, many of our River friends are again dealing with or bracing for floodwaters. The real definition of normal is constant change.

Heraclitus, a 5th century Greek philosopher, once said, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.” We humans can be a bit arrogant – we decide on parameters and expect Nature will stay within them. She smiles at us and goes her own way.

That’s something the River has to teach us that can ripple down to the really small things in life – like the fact that my plans for the weekend have changed. My husband is thrilled that it’s not window-washing weather – although it’s not really bike-riding weather either. By foiling our plans, we are offered a gift of humility and an opportunity to pick up our feet and go with the flow of life.

Anyone know of any good movies?

She’s Still At It!

April 18, 2013 by Gayle Harper 11 Comments

If you’ve been traveling with me and our little raindrop, nicknamed Serendipity, for a while, you know very well the kind of crazy, magical “coincidences” she is capable of creating. On our 90-day road trip, my job was always to show up and then stay out of her way and, you’ll be happy to know, nothing has changed!

First, some background – if you were near the Mississippi River in the years between 1995 and 2008, you might have been fortunate enough to see the magnificent American Queen. She is the largest river steamboat ever constructed with a capacity for 436 overnight guests. She and her smaller sister, the Delta Queen, took passengers on multiple-day cruises and it was a thrill even to catch them passing by. I was never among the fortunate ones onboard for a cruise, but it was always on my bucket list.

When the economy tanked in 2008, both ships were taken out of service. Several smaller paddlewheelers continued to work from various ports offering day trips, but, sadly, it was no longer possible to travel overnight on a steamship on the Mississippi. The Delta Queen was converted to a floating hotel and the American Queen was dry-docked. I missed them – I missed their graceful, romantic presence on the River and all that they represented. So, I was thrilled when I heard the news that the American Queen had acquired new owners, was being refurbished and would be re-launched in 2012. I drooled over the photos of the elegant high-ceilinged interiors, the stunning grand staircase and the sunlit white dining room. I ordered a brochure and filed it away under “someday” – I was completely engrossed in writing for the upcoming book.

A little later, still in the thick of writing, I realized that the American Queen has onboard presenters and lecturers for their guests – “Aha,” thought I, “that certainly seems like a good fit.” I mentioned it to my husband and said, “It’s not the time yet, but when the book is finished and the slide show ready, I will get in touch with them – and (not being cocky, but just sharing one of those feelings), I will be on that boat!” He smiled at me as he does and I went back to writing.

So, here’s the crazy, serendipitous part. Picture this – I’m writing about Day 89, nearing the end but knowing it is essential that I stay right here on this day and nowhere else. I’m head down at the computer and an email comes in from a River friend that I haven’t heard from since the journey. Missy Falbaum O’Neill and I met over breakfast at the lovely Cottage Plantation B&B in St. Francisville, Louisiana. (Here’s a link to that part of the journey http://gayleharper.wordpress.com/2010/11/15/80-and-onward/ ) Missy and I had hit it off swimmingly, had a great conversation and she had even helped me by sharing some of her down-River contacts.

Now, this is what she has to say in her email, “I have just moved to Memphis and I have taken the best job ever, as the Manager of Product Development for the American Queen Steamboat Company. I would love to talk to you about cruising with us and lecturing to our passengers.”

Seriously?? Amazing, Serendipity – downright, flat-out amazing!

So, just in case I need any additional motivation to keep working to bring all this together into a finished book, there is that shining gem among the possibilities ahead – that I will share Serendipity’s tales with a boatload of River-loving people aboard the sumptuous American Queen.

American Queen Steamboat

Have a look for yourself at americanqueensteamboatcompany.com

I’ve got work to do! Gayle

NEWS!!!

April 6, 2013 by Gayle Harper 13 Comments

Hello friends!!

Whohooo! I have now finished the writing and photo editing for the book about the 90-day road trip! If you’ve been with me since the start, you know that I was following the entire course of the Mississippi River from the headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico – and you know that it was 90-days because that’s how long it takes a single drop of water to make that journey. So, I followed my imaginary raindrop, nicknamed Serendipity, and met more amazing people and had more once-in-a-lifetime experiences that I could ever have hoped for. In case you are just now joining us – and want to see the blog version of the trip, it is still available. Here is a link to the start of it http://gayleharper.wordpress.com/2010/08/25/blessing-of-the-journey/.

So, for many months this blog has been silent as all of my energy went into writing the book and editing the thousands of photos – and now it is done!!! Interestingly, people have said things like, “It took tremendous discipline to stay with it as you have.” Thankfully, it didn’t. I’ve never been especially good at making myself do things because I thought I should. This was always what I wanted to be doing – and, to my surprise, it was nearly (but not quite) as much fun as was the traveling!

Now, the tale is told in a series of vignettes. Each one is like a short story, complete with its photos, and each is unique in its mood, personality and focus. I never knew where it would go when I began – some are about a person I met, or an experience, or some unique bit of history or something that was stirred in me by any of those things. They are as free-flowing as the journey itself.

So what next, you ask? Good question! For the writing to be truly alive, it meant that my attention needed to stay fully on the day being written about and not gawking around or looking ahead. The result of that is that, right now, I feel like a little gopher just sticking my head up from my hole and looking around at an entirely unfamiliar landscape. Although, at the moment, I haven’t a clue which way to head first, I do know, happily, that whatever my next step is will be made clear when it’s time to take it. I feel incredibly fortunate that there are some good options before me in terms of publishing and, because there is so much that I don’t know at this point, I will try to learn before I leap.

Now that I am open to them, it seems that ideas and possibilities are blossoming like the spring and it’s pretty exhilarating! There are a gazillion decisions to be made and steps to be taken before there is an actual book in anyone’s hands, but for now I want to share this news of our progress. I will keep you informed of the process and I may ask for your input on a few decisions as we go. This project has, from the beginning, been a shared experience and as always, I thank you for being part of it!

For now, this is, I believe, the image that will appear on the cover.

With love, Gayle and Serendipity

Where We Are…

April 24, 2012 by Gayle Harper 10 Comments

Hello River Friends!

It’s been a while since “Surrendering to Serendipity” appeared in your mailbox. It’s time to give you a progress report!

Occasionally there is a moment in life that on the surface seems ordinary, but beneath that is the feeling that every cell in your body has come to full attention because something really extraordinary is actually going on. I had one of those moments when I first learned that it would take 90 days for a single drop of water to travel the entire Mississippi River from the headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. Before I had taken another breath, I knew I would be embarking on the road trip of a lifetime alongside America’s greatest River, keeping pace with an imaginary raindrop.

From that moment onward, this project has created itself and I have simply participated – and felt like the luckiest person I know to be doing so. I watched as plans for the 90-day journey effortlessly (magically, really) came together. Emails were sent to Chambers of Commence in River communities announcing the journey and before I knew it I had more invitations and offers of lodging than I had available nights. I plotted my stays to keep pace with our raindrop, loaded my car and left in August of 2010. For the next 3 months I wandered the Mississippi Great River Road and a gazillion side roads all around it. Nothing was planned except my lodging and every day – every moment really, I was wide open to whatever Serendipity had in store – and it was amazing! Many of you traveled with me every step and read about the people I met who opened their hearts and shared their lives with us and about the days filled with experiences that one could never plan. The Mississippi is America’s River and this was a journey through the heart of America in every way.

Since I came home, the magic has continued. Life seems to have organized itself so that I can spend most of my time writing the book and selecting the photographs and the perfect people to help with this part of the project have shown up at the perfect time. The way it is being written is in a series of individual vignettes – each one is somewhat self-contained and tells the story in words and photos of an experience, a day, a place or a person. Each vignette is unique, almost like a short story, and they string together to tell the whole story. My job seems to be just to show up at the computer and see what wants to be said – I never know where it is going until it takes me there.

What has astounded me about this is just how much fun it is! The details and feelings of every day come so fully alive as I write, it is honestly almost as much fun as the traveling was. My friends watch in disbelief at how content I am to stay home and keep working on this. They had gotten so accustomed to me traveling that the most usual question wasn’t “How are you?” but rather “Where are you off to next?”

It feels as if there is a muse sitting atop my computer monitor who simply waits. She isn’t impatient or critical, but neither can she be influenced or persuaded to fudge even a teeny bit. If there remains one awkward phrase or weary adjective, she just waits. Finally, when every last tweak has been accomplished and she is satisfied, I get a great big “YES!” I usually have a big belly laugh at that point, then share it with a couple of “readers” and that vignette is wrapped up!

So, I am really happy to tell you that I have just passed the 2/3^rd mark!! I just finished writing about Day 60!! That puts me having just left New Madrid, Missouri and rolling next into Tiptonville, Tennessee. The changes in geography, cultures, lifestyles, accents and foods have already been enormous. “Northern” was left behind long ago and “Midwestern” has now given way to “Southern” – and there is so much more to come!

So I’ll get back to work now. I wanted you to know how it’s coming and to thank you again for being a part of it. It has always been a shared experience and even if nothing else ever came of it, the connections and friendships that have been made in the process are a treasure! I’ll keep you informed as we move along!

As a River friend taught me to say, “See you downriver!”

Love, Gayle

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