Travel – 365 Days of 60

Lindsey

On this day, 35 years ago, a beautiful baby girl was born. She was ‘knitted together in her mother’s womb and fearfully and wonderfully made’. I am certain that the song of her heart would include more verses from this 139th chapter of Psalm, which state:

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me. Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

The name Lindsey is derived from Old English meaning the linden tree. I have written previously about that name being so right for our Lindsey. She is a lovely slender tree that moves and bends in the gentle breeze yet has the strength of deep roots to withstand mighty winds.

I fully believe that she was created to marry my son, Andrew. And he for her.

On this birthday she is celebrating across the ocean in a little French town named Colmar. It is in the Grand Est region of northeastern France, near the border with Germany. Colmar is nestled among vineyards and is known for its amazing cuisine, charming accommodations, and bakeries full of croissants and pain au chocolat. Someone once described the town as “so pretty that it doesn’t feel real. Cobblestone streets run next to canals lined with half-timbered houses in shades of rose, sky blue, lemon, peppermint, and apricot.”

In communication with Lindsey and Andrew today, they said they expected Belle to be singing in one of the windows. It is picturesque perfect.

Happy Birthday to our dear Lindsey. What a gift you are.

Hawaii Deals

The headline of an article in USA TODAY read “Don’t let volcanoes or other irrational fears, ruin your summer vacation”.

I have never felt a draw to Hawaii, for several reasons. First, it is a heck of a long way to go. I do not love flying. I will do it when necessary, but I rarely choose it. Second, I am not a tropical vacationer. I despise humidity. I will not even apologize for the use of that strong word. I truly despise humidity.

The last two days here in my city have been pure heaven; 75 degrees, sunny, clear, cool. Perfection. My son, Christopher tells me that if I love this weather, I should live in San Diego. My husband tells me if I love this weather I should live in Phoenix, in the winter. Well, I am fortunately or unfortunately in Cincinnati, so I will simply relish these lovely days when they make their appearances.

Hawaii’s Big Island is open for tourism, according to residents and officials. While it is true that Kilauea has consumed more than 50 homes in the Leilani Estates subdivision and thousands of residents have evacuated the area, allegedly the fireworks show is happening far away from the touristy hotspots (no pun intended).

Bill Baker, a marketing manager for a minor league baseball team in Geneva, Illinois, has plans to visit the Big Island with his family in mid-June. He has rented a home near Kona and continually monitors the U.S. Geological Survey reports. He states that he has “never had a single moment of hesitation” about going.

“Mauna Loa stands between us and the activity and about 80 miles separates us from anything serious”, Baker went on to say. Sounds to me like he is trying to convince himself, but whatever.

According to Ben Edwards, a volcano expert and professor of Earth sciences at Dickinson College, for now, the only visitors who should rethink their plans are those with respiratory problems. “They need to keep track of sulfur dioxide levels around the island in case there are days where the air quality diminishes” he says. Well, that sounds like a hoot, wearing a gas mask to the beach.

The only people who should be panicking at this time are those in the Hawaiian tourism industry. There are reports of widespread cancellations from people seeing images of a mountainside aglow with hot lava. Talk about a vacation to remember.

The article went on to state that perhaps it is an opportune time to book that trip to Hawaii, as the deals are good and likely to get better.

Tempting. But I think I’ll stick around the midwest for now. We don’t have too many volcano eruptions. However, Ohio is considered to be in the New Madrid Fault zone.

I’ll take my chances.

Madrid, Por Favor

My Yale graduate son, Andrew, is in Spain. As part of his graduation celebration, the school footed the bill for a group of students from the Institute of Sacred Music division of the Divinity School to tour Madrid and surrounding towns for two weeks. Nice.

He actually wasn’t totally thrilled with going. He is job searching and he and his newlywed wife are contemplating making a move across the country, from New Haven, Connecticut to Seattle, Washington. He has much on his mind and much to do. However, as it turned out, it was much more expensive to NOT go on the trip than go. So, off he went, somewhat reluctantly, but eager to make the most of the adventure.

I have been receiving photos of such beauty in Spain; churches and monasteries and cozy alleys between homes.

And the food sounds wonderful; fresh baguettes and cheeses and olives and pastries and strong coffee in small glass cups.

This afternoon around 3:00, Andrew called to say hello. His voice was clear and the connection was perfect. It was as if he were in the house next door, rather than across the Atlantic, 3,200 miles away.

As we chatted, it was nearing 9:00 p.m. Andrew was wearing a wool sweater and ready to purchase a café con leche. I was guzzling ice water in my non-air-conditioned old house in Ohio, where temps today neared 90 degrees for the third day in a row. We laughed about the differences.

As we were about to end the call, he told me that he thought I had some European tendencies in me and that I would fit in well with the culture of Madrid or Italy or Paris.

I am most certainly willing to give that a try. I may practice by wearing silk scarves wrapped suavely around my neck, 99% humidity or not.

New York, New York

Before we made our way to New Haven, Connecticut this afternoon, we picked up our middle son, Christopher, in Manhattan. He had been staying there for four weeks in an Airbnb.

New York is such a fascinating place for so many reasons. I found myself snapping photos right and left as we drove (slowly) through the city.

In front of Christopher’s apartment building were several cars parked very close together. The blue Mini Cooper was in its spot as snug as a bug in a rug. It wasn’t going anywhere. If the owner came out and wanted to drive it, the only way to do so would be to find four to six strong men and lift it out of its spot.

That is New York existence. There are millions of people walking, working, shopping, living in very close proximity. And as pictured here, if you are lucky enough to own a car in this city, parking is in extreme close proximity also.

The above photo is a snapshot of life in New York. It feels like every inch of space is spoken for and occupied. But It is also a place where people have learned to live small in a huge place. Or perhaps they have learned to live huge in a small place.

Either way, they have adapted and that is the key. If they can make it there, they’ll make it anywhere. Ain’t that right, Frank?

Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’

I read a story in USA TODAY about people who were vacationing on a Carnival cruise ship last week in the South Pacific who had their trip turned upside down, thanks to a series of violent brawls that transformed the ship from a paradise into a fight club.

The Carnival Legend was forced to escort several guests off of the ship and place them on a small boat, prior to the ship’s docking in Australia.

Several fights had broken out over the 10-day cruise, including two that were captured on video, showing guests throwing punches on a pool deck and a ship nightclub.

The second video showed people yelling and crying and a crew member repeatedly kicking a guest on the floor.

Passengers who were interviewed said that members of an extended family started trouble with other guests constantly. Some passengers decided to just stay in their rooms to avoid the group.

One passenger, who was traveling with her husband and three children, told a Melbourne radio station that she was afraid. “Fights had been going on for days,” she said. “We were scared. We were told to watch our backs so we were afraid to go anywhere alone in the ship.”

“We couldn’t wait to get off,” she added.

In a statement to USA TODAY, the cruise line said they are investigating. Duh…ya think?

“Our security team responded in several instances to extremely unruly behavior by guests while the ship was at sea.” They stated.

It is unclear exactly how and why the fights started, but one family member told a reporter that it may have originated because of a misunderstanding after someone stepped on someone else’s flip-flop.

Passengers described the trip as the “cruise from hell.”

The cruise line, however did offer all guests aboard a 25% credit to make up for the issues.

I’m guessing that some of those people will be scarred for life and never again step onto a cruise ship, at least not in flip-flops.

Kohler Hopes

I guess that’s what I get for saying I am fond of winter. It bit me in the butt.

Mike and I had plans to go on a little weekend trip, leaving early tomorrow. It has been a couple of years since we have taken a trip alone. We were headed to Kohler, Wisconsin. Yep, the home city of the Kohler Company, maker of those, oh so lovely faucets, as well as other plumbing products, furniture, cabinetry, engines and generators.

We were headed to the Inn on Woodlake, a super cozy, yet elegant resort in Kohler. A draw to Kohler for Mike has always been that it is the location of Whistling Straits Golf Course, where several PGA tournaments have been held and is the site of 2020 Ryder Cup. Though there was certainly going to be no golfing there quite yet.

Still, he was excited to see it, and the resort associated with it is supposed to be truly lovely. Of course the bathrooms are creme de la creme. They are all equipped with Kohler fixtures and have, as Mike calls it, car wash showers. You get the picture.

About three hours ago, Mike was talking with his mother, who asked him if he had heard about the snowstorm hitting Chicago. He hadn’t. We turned on the weather channel and have been glued to it since, except for the few minutes it took me to call and cancel our reservation at the Inn on Woodlake. The website stated that we would sacrifice our deposit if we cancel under 72 hours. However, when I spoke with the representative, she said that due to weather, we would receive that deposit as a credit, ready to use whenever we can get there. Made made feel a bit better.

The Chicago area, including into Wisconsin, is slated to have six to twelve inches of snow dumped on it, beginning tonight and continue through Saturday.

We considered going on, but realized it could be a mistake. We knew there was a possibility we could get stuck in Skokie at a Red Roof Inn.

So, for now we will be home. We may drown our disappointment in large amounts of pizza and if we are really sad, may drive through the car wash with our windows down and sunroof open. Perhaps they use Kohler sprayers.

Sigh.

Monuments

A massive, dark bronze statue sits proudly in the center of Old Campus, a courtyard surrounded by eight to ten brick and stone structures. The courtyard is passable through one of those lovely, Yale iron gates. Lindsey said she imagines this to be a safe place that could be held as a fortress against animals or foes in the late 1700’s when those forces were indeed reality.

The statue is Theodore Dwight Woolsey, former professor of Greek, and the President of Yale from 1846-1871. The sculptor emphasized Woolsey’s academic career by seating him on a Greek Revival klismos chair. The Greek inscription on the back of the chair reads “the most excellent, the most wise, the most just.”

A notable and noticeable aspect of this formidable piece of art is the shiny, gold toe of one shoe. Generations of students have rubbed the protruding foot for good luck.

Every one of us wants good luck. However, we must go back to the inscription; “The most excellent, the most wise, the most just.” Those things do not come along by luck. Thank you, Mr. Woolsey for your wisdom and excellence and justness so that thousands may come along and rub your shoe, hopeful for a little bit of those things, too.

It is Sunday evening. I am thankful to be home safely after traversing five states, a traffic jam in Harrisburg, the fierce rainstorm in Wheeling, steamy creamy coffee, bad radio preaching, unhealthy snack choices at several road stops and the USA Today crossword puzzle.

There is a sadness to leave behind those I cherish. But what a gift it is to leave them in their happiness. The greatest treasure is the twinging of the heart at goodbye; the wish for more.

I indeed did rub the bronze shoe. Though I believe in more than luck, I am certainly not above accepting it with gratitude.

Lux et Veritas

When I was sixteen years old I visited Switzerland. It was exactly what one envisions; chalets with brightly painted window boxes full of lush and lovely flowers, sidewalk cafes with strong coffee and chocolates, cobblestone walks and dusty paths. And the mountains…I have a photo of myself throwing snowballs in June atop a true Swiss alp.

Yale is like Switzerland. It is exactly what can be imagined; arched thresholds hugging doors of massive weight, adorned with metallic matte hingings, iron gates with key holes to be fit with only the large, skeleton type. Tiny, mysterious, dimly lighted windows high above the sidewalk. One certainly ponders the possibility of seeing Hermione Granger flitting around, black cape billowing behind her.

There are ghosts here. Those of Nathan Hale, Sinclair Lewis, George W. Bush, Rory Gilmore. There is youth and exuberance, tragedy and light and wisdom. They prevail.

Yale stands as a beacon on the Long Island Sound.

I likely would never have visited New Haven, Connecticut. I would not have walked through the lovely, tree-lined paths of Yale if Andrew had not been here as a grad student in the Divinity School. I am grateful for those paths that are often chosen for us.

The twists and turns of life bring us to interesting places. The key is leaning in and learning from those paths, whether tree-lined or otherwise.

Saying and Doing

En route to New Haven, we passed through five states, in addition to Ohio. We were like a giant magnet, moving steadily northeast through West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and finally Connecticut. The two faces of our dear ones pressed us on, their ionic pull, lovely and relentless.

At a coffee stop (one of many), we found ourselves in Bedford, PA. On the wall was a running information channel. On one of the loop images was this quote from Henry Ford: “You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” Ideas and thoughts and plans are wonderful, but only if you intend to fulfill them. Only if you do fulfill them. Well, Henry did. I want to be that kind of person, also.

Thereto is exactly why we are crossing the Hudson River on the George Washington bridge and waving to New York City. We told our Andrew and Lindsey that we would visit in October. I remember being a young wife, living in Lexington, Kentucky and how much we looked forward to a visit from family. It is a hunger that can only be satisfied by actually seeing them, physically holding onto them.

The magnet is moving, loves. We will be there soon. Keep the coffee hot.