Dreams of Productivity

We had noble dreams

of productivity today.

Hours of internet

followed by an excursion 

for protein -

a fabulous lunch

hours of TV

and fudge.

Maybe tomorrow...

ETA: managed to fill in some past blog entries;

productivity after all.

The Exhaustion of the Unfamiliar

Day after day

working out the details

how to set up the trailer

where do we sleep tonight

how to put away the bed

puppies!

too late to register and the gate's locked

how to work the Jetboil

where's the rain poncho?

why is the food out of reach

the bandaids are buried too deep

where's my toothbrush

no signal here

where do we go next

what's for lunch

oo, shiny!

eyes dazzled with cave treasures

textured landscapes

wind rain thunder

tired now

naming it -

The Exhaustion of the Unfamiliar -

helps some

In Search of Coolth

Today I installed two new ceiling fans for KJ, 

replacing the old tired ones. 

Air moves!

We took the three hellhounds 

to the dog park.

Now one of them is sick

all over the floor.

*sigh*

Tomorrow we depart to claim the trailer!

3am, 4am, 5am Bark

These three dogs

raising cain in a stunted chorus

at the smell of garbage

next door

Ancient Alice Walker Hound in tenor bay

the deep bass thunder

of doe-eyed Dinah, the yellow labasaurus

against whom the alto wiggle and whine of Bess

contend in vain

only missing 

the yapping soprano of a rabid lapdog

nipping at my ribs

no, I do not miss her

Home

Apparently I miss owning a home. So I am about to buy a tiny trailer.

From Alite

A really tiny trailer. The size of a queen-size bed, on wheels. With storage. And a skylight. I'm picking it up later this week, so it isn't quite real, but I have been observed to randomly hop up and down, squealing. 

This may shorten the trip by the amount of money it cost, but it opens up more options of where to sleep. Certain big box stores allow overnight parking for RVs, which gives us a way to sleep free in cities, not just in backcountry National Park sites. And we can feel a bit more secure in bear country.

Alaska or bust!

Three Weeks After The Sprain

By dint of ignoring

the habit of limping

I squeezed the swelling

from the bottom of my foot

to the top

Now I can walk

stride across the swamps and deserts -

I missed my foot

(Crossing the mountains on crutches

would have been a pain)

though 

I would have crawled naked

over broken glass

to make this journey

had it been required

of me

Five states in one day, Part 4: Mississippi

thrills of the day:

a tulip tree in bloom
at the welcome center
green everywhere
little purple flowers in the grass
bugs on the headlights and windscreen
my first mosquito bites
(this thrill will wear off soon...)

the rest areas say
24 hr Security Provided
or
No Security Provided
I've never seen this
up North.

a few hours in Jackson
with my cousin

her funky bottle tree

and her menagerie:

Mocha

Fuzzy

Grace the demon cat

Cocoa

and on to Baton Rouge

Five states in one day, Part 3: Tennessee

Friendly pups and bamboo

in Fuller St. Park near Memphis
2 silent hounds with
liquid eyes
warm tongues
wagging butts
wreathing around our legs
as we dig lunch out of the bin
swathed in blue tarp
and camo tie-downs.
Some rethinking needed here.

Things we still need or need to move:
Sanitizer in glove box (for bare feet in car)
Pillbox for digestive enzymes in belt pouch
Umbrellas
Maglite (old one leaked)
Knob for monopod
Iron on patch for vest
Sm paint brushes
Acrylic retarder
Water bottles
Rubber/leather mallet

Five states in one day, Part 2: Missouri

The bridge from Illinois into Missouri
pale blue turquoise
graceful crossed arches and braces
a temple, a gateway
soaring above
offering benediction.

no photo, alas;
it came upon us by surprise
and I don't shoot and drive

Lurid green
covers the fields
like spilled paint

Trees broken and flattened by recent wind
In moments of sun between the cloudbursts
We bask, lizards in the front seat.
Gusts play with the car
It begins to seem real.

We trade stories of long ago,
Childhood memories of Stuckey’s
On trips to visit the grandparents
In Indiana
Hauling a car over the mountains in this Jeep,
How I met KJ, whom we will see soon in San Antonio.

Five states in one day, Part 1: Illinois

Unwinding the spiral.

I rolled over my first car

in Rockford 19 years ago -

just passing through now.

homeless hitchhikers along the highway

already

couldn't give them a ride

even if I wanted to

(which I don't)

I removed the backseat

to make more room for stuff

too much stuff

It's not real yet

too many trips between 

Mpls and Mequon lately.

this feels like just one more.

Random city names

Coffeeville

Rend Lake

Lick Creek

Ina

Yazoo City

The strains of 

Once More with Feeling

Into the Woods

and my dance playlist

keep us awake

this sterile white cell

of a Motel 6 in Marion IL

cinder block walls

stark shiny paint

even on the ceiling

no art, but there are beds, 

though not the cleanest, 

and we can be flat.