21404 miles later....

and I am back in Atlanta. Yesterday morning, I woke up, had a quick breakfast at my hotel in Charlotte, and then packed up and left to drive back home. I had an interesting moment when I turned on my GPS: I realized that, instead of typing in a city or an address, the only button to press was the one that said "Go Home".

And so I did.

I arrived at my house a little after 1pm, to find my friend Nimmi and her boyfriend Ingomar waiting for me on the front porch. My friend Brian came over, too, with a cake he'd made for my homecoming. It was so nice having a welcoming committee; I've been so emotional the past few days, and it made me happy not to have to arrive to a completely empty house.

Anyway, we all went out for lunch and then came back and ate cake. Then I left to watch the Texas-OU football game with my friend Heidi and her husband, David, at a local bar. (Texas lost.) Then last night, because I felt weird being in my house, I went back out with Nimmi to a movie. And then I fell into bed, completely spent, at midnight.

I still haven't processed everything from the past week: the end of the trip, the return to Atlanta, the reality of re-entering my job, the comfort of my own home. I have such mixed emotions right now. But it was a really nice welcome-home day, and it allowed me to have a day in Atlanta that seemed like a natural extension of the trip: a beautiful day, spent in the company of good friends. I couldn't have asked for more.

Our Nation's Capital

I had originally planned, after leaving NYC, to travel down the eastern seaboard, and to especially see the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Unfortunately, a tropical storm decided to visit the Carolina coast, as well. So instead of the Carolinas, I diverted my trip and went to Washington, DC, instead.

I arrived on Wednesday afternoon after a grueling 6 1/2 hour drive (the normal trip would be about 4 1/2 hours). However, I relaxed after I arrived at my hotel, one of the nicest of my entire trip (Thank you, Priceline!). That evening, I met up with Jake, a friend of mine from Dallas who's working in DC. We went to the National Mall and walked from the Lincoln Memorial, past the reflecting pool, to the Washington Monument, and then all the way to the Capitol Building. I hadn't been to the mall and all of its monuments since I was a little girl, and it was interesting being back. The Lincoln Memorial is really quite beautiful, and I found out that Lincoln's statue is 19 feet high.

I also liked seeing the Washington Monument reflected in the pool....it was a beautiful night, with an odd reddish sky that morphed into purple, and the obelisk looked stunning against it. Unfortunately, my pictures didn't turn out so well there; I couldn't capture the colors with my little snapshot camera. Oh, well.

We went to a fabulous Indian restaurant that night for dinner, called Rasika. Jake is a foodie like I am, and we partook in the 6-course Chef's tasting menu (with wine, of course). Everything was amazing, but the most surprising was the flash-fried spinach which was our first course -- I loved it! After taking one crunchy bite, the spinach disappeared in my mouth, reminding me of cotton candy, in a weird (but super-tasty) way. Everything was fantastic, including the wine pairings and our unusual cocktails which we'd had before we were seated for dinner. It was a really great night. Luckily, after all that wine, neither of us had to drive -- thank goodness for taxicabs.

The next day, after a late start, I caught the subway to the Capitol area (I just love public transportation!). I wandered past the Library of Congress, and then I went to the Capitol Building itself for a tour. It was interesting; I hadn't been there in years, and it's changed from what I'd remembered. It also was funny because I'd just read The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, and much of the book takes place within the Capitol, so I was looking at the decor with those recent memories in my head. In the Crypt (no one is buried there), there are statues of men from each of the original 13 colonies. Since I live in Georgia, the tour guide pointed out the statue from Georgia: it was Dr. Crawford W. Long, the inventor of ether for surgical anesthesia. I almost fell over with surprise: One of the Emory hospitals is Crawford Long Hospital! I had no idea, really, that he'd be located in the National Statuary Collection.

Anyway, after I left the Capitol Building, I went to the Supreme Court Building. Unfortunately, it was getting ready to close for the day, and so all I really saw was the courtroom itself, which is very, very regal and beautiful. I'd hoped to take a tour, but missed the last tour of the day. Oh, well. So then I decided to walk to the National Botanical Gardens, which are on the other side of the Capitol. Unfortunately, with the tropical storm, it rained off and on all day -- and it started pouring as I left the Supreme Court. So I aborted my Botanical Garden mission, and instead went back to my hotel to relax for a bit before dinner.

As to dinner: several years ago, I started doing volunteer work providing pro bono medical evaluations for clients who were seeking political asylum in the USA. I've evaluated several people at this point, and I've assisted all of them in successfully gaining asylum. One of my clients was a man from Eritrea; he'd stowed away on an American ship, and was taken into detention upon arriving in the USA. We (the US government) kept him in detention for two years while he awaited his hearings. Three years ago, he successfully gained asylum. We've kept in touch inconsistently, and I knew he was in Washington, so I called him, and we met for dinner last night.

It was wonderful to see him! We had time to catch up, and Abraham is doing very well. He's gained 12 pounds from when he was in detention, and he looks healthy and happy. His English is excellent now. He's working as a taxi driver because he's starting school, and his previous job didn't offer him as much flexibility. He works hard, too, driving his taxi for 12-14 hours per day, 6 days per week, with Sundays off to go to church. I'm not quite sure when he'll find the time to study and go to school, but he assures me he'll just work "a little bit less". It is always really amazing for me to talk to him: he works so hard, and needs so little, and is so happy to be a free man in the USA.

It truly warms me to see him; I feel so fortunate have played a small role in his life. I wish I remembered more often the lessons that he has to teach: that life throws each of us difficult challenges. That it's the way we see the world which allows us to succeed or fail. That, unlike in some countries, each person in the USA has the freedom to achieve whatever he wants. That, if you keep walking one step at a time, you eventually travel very far from where you started. That we sometimes must sacrifice in the short-term to achieve our long-term goals. That no person or thing can provide us with happiness; only we can make ourselves happy. And conversely, that no one makes us unhappy; we do that to ourselves.

Anyway, it was an extraordinary evening. And then today, I packed up my car and left DC. Washington was my last stop on this journey. Right now, I'm in Charlotte, North Carolina, far away from the flooded coastline. And then tomorrow, it's back to Atlanta.

NEW! YORK! CITY!

What a week it has been....I spent a week in NYC, which is the longest I've visited since I moved away in 2003.

I arrived in Great Neck (Long Island) on Monday, and stayed the night with Arthur and Eileen, my cousins there. They're always so fun for me. They're like the Woody Allen version of my family -- we're clearly related, but they're fast-talking, witty, and neurotic. I've always felt a little bit more New York than my own Texan branch of the family, and seeing Arthur and Eileen is always a revelation that way. Anyway, I spent Monday night with them, and then went into New York City on Tuesday.

I had one of my favorite New York experiences right from the get-go: I took the train from Great Neck into Penn Station, then had to transfer to the subway to get to my friend's apartment in Brooklyn. I had packed my gear for the week into one suitcase, and it was heavy and awkward. I had to carry it up a decently large flight of stairs as I arrived at Penn Station. I had just started up the stairs, walking against a sea of NYC humanity coming down the same staircase. Suddenly, a man left the downward group, took two steps to reach my side, grabbed my suitcase, and gruffed, "Follow me". He literally ran up the stairs with my suitcase, me trying hard to keep up with him. When I reached the top, I thanked him profusely in some insanely overdone Southern way: "Ohmigosh, thank you SO much....that was SO nice of you....(blahblahblah)." He responded with a quick "No problem, Sweetheart", and then he was gone down the stairs once again. I laughed when I remembered how differently polite New Yorkers can be compared to what I'm used to in the South. New Yorkers are incredibly helpful, but they don't offer their help; they just provide it. Quickly. And then they move on to the next item on their agenda. I love New Yorkers for that.

Immediately afterward, I had another "I love NYC" experience, because I absolutely love the subway. I love how, for $2.25, anyone can get absolutely anywhere within the city easily and quickly. I love the diversity of people on the train. I love listening to the various languages spoken by all of the immigrants. And I love that crazy people, tourists, businessmen, and locals all collide in that one arena. It fascinates me.

Anyway, I finally made it out to Brooklyn, schlepped my suitcase for a couple of blocks, and then got to Yarden and Micah's apartment. Yarden is an old friend of mine from college, and unfortunately, he and his wife and their daughter Neve were away in Israel for a wedding. But they offered me their apartment for the week, which was incredibly kind of them. So I got settled into the apartment and relaxed a while, and then I took the subway into Manhattan to meet up with Rob, my cousin and Arthur and Eileen's son. We went for dinner that night to a cool Lebanese restaurant in West Midtown, and had some great conversation. Rob is always fun to hang out with, and this visit was no exception.

The next day, I stopped in to the corner market to buy some groceries for the week (yet another thing I love about New York is the accessibility of the markets), and then I wandered around Brooklyn for a while, since I don't know the area very well. I went to the Brooklyn Public Library and to the Brooklyn Museum. I also wandered around Prospect Park for a bit. And that night I went back to Manhattan and met up with David and Christie, two old friends of mine from high school. They've lived in New York for years and years, literally since graduating from college, and they're my idols in that respect. David is an entertainment lawyer who works exclusively with theater clients, and Christie works for the NFL. We met up at a restaurant near one of the theaters, and had drinks and dinner and caught up. As we left, we met a woman whom Christie knows, and turns out, she's worked with David before, too, because she's in the theater industry. Anyway, I listened to them talk shop for just a moment or too, but it reminded me how interesting people's careers are in New York, compared with the rest of the US, and I admit I felt a pang of jealousy while listening to them.

I felt another pang when I saw David's apartment. He has a new place in Hell's Kitchen, and it's really nice -- but the most spectacular part of it is his rooftop terrace, which overlooks midtown Manhattan, with its skyscrapers and lights. It was so amazing, and I was reminded of why I'd wanted to live in New York in the first place. We hung out at David's, chatting and looking over the city, until 1 am (not such a big deal for me, but late for David and Christie, who both had to be at work in the morning!).

On Thursday, I took Christie's recommendation and went to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. It's very cool. Basically, it's an apartment building from 1863 that had been condemned and vacant since 1935. The city donated it for a museum in the 198os. I took part in two separate tours while I was there. The first was a Garment Workers' tour; it looked into the lives of two separate families who worked in the garment industry. The first apartment, especially, was amazing -- the family also used the apartment as a clothing factory. So imagine: a 300 square foot apartment (bedroom, kitchen, and parlor room -- no bathroom, by the way) in which 8 people lived and 4 people worked EVERY DAY. The clothing factory produced 100 dresses per week. Since the factory operated 6 days per week, that means they produced between 16 and 17 handmade dresses every single day, or more than one per hour (work days were 12-14 hours long). It was unbelieveable. And the stove was heated with coal, so the dresses were constantly needing to be cleaned, as well, because of the soot produced in the apartment. And the wife had children in the apartment, as well -- all while the clothing workers were sewing like madmen.

The second tour dealt with families living through economic depressions: one family who was German Jewish, and another who was Italian. The first family was the more interesting to me, primarily because the husband disappeared at some point (no one knows what happened to him) and the wife ran the family. She must have been an amazing woman. She educated herself as a seamstress so that she could provide for her children after her husband disappeared, and made a decent living, apparently. She also found out that her husband's father had died, and left a small inheritance ($600) to his son. She initiated a campaign to find her husband, but when he was unable to be found, she then lobbied successfully to obtain the inheritance herself for her and her children. The money was equivalent to five years' rent. Instead of continuing to rent, she moved with the children to Brooklyn. When she died, she left her children $1000 inheritance. She must have been one tough cookie....

On Friday, I spent the day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was a beautiful day, and I enjoyed the walk up Fifth Avenue to the museum. I wandered through many areas of the museum, but made sure to spend time in my favorite section, the Modern Art collection. After I left the museum, I sat in Central Park for a couple of hours and read. I also stopped to eat a street hot dog, one of my favorite NYC food items. That night, I was supposed to meet my friend Michelle for dinner in Brooklyn, but she had to cancel at the last minute. So instead, I ordered Thai food and watched The Big Lebowski. Not "fabulous", maybe, but a pretty great night, nonetheless.

Saturday I had plans with Nimmi and a couple of her friends out on the North Fork of Long Island. I got up very early and took the subway and then the train out to Long Island. I met Nimmi and her friends Regina and Anne Marie there. I had originally thought the day was to visit the North Fork and go to the wineries up there; I also assumed we'd see the coast, which I heard is beautiful on the North Fork. The day did turn out to be nice, but it was not what I expected: Anne Marie has two little kids, and so we spent the first part of the day going to a petting zoo/pumpkin patch, which was cute. After we left there, we went to a vineyard for a tasting; and then we went to another place for lunch and to listen to music. Then we went back to Anne Marie's house to put the kids down for a nap, and Regina and I went to do a little outlet shopping. Finally, that night we went to Southampton for dinner at a local pub, and then to a club for a drink and some people watching (but not in a good way).

On Sunday, I went back into the city. Yarden and Micah had arrived back in New York early that morning, and so they were essentially napping when I got to their apartment around 11am. I quickly changed clothes and left again, to meet David back on the west side for brunch with Trent, a friend of his and Christie's (she was unable to join us). We had a fabulous Middle Eastern brunch at a restaurant called Taboon. Later that afternoon, I went to the Upper East Side to see my friend and former med school classmate Chap, along with his wife Elizabeth, and their two children, Nathaniel and Jandi (Alexandra). We had so much fun! His kids are super-cute and funny. I stayed for dinner, and it was wonderful catching up with Chap and Elizabeth....I'd always really liked Chap, and this visit was no exception. There was only one big surprise: after years and years of living in New York City, they are finally seeking a yard, a bigger home, and a smaller mortgage in Westchester. Unbelieveable. Oh, how the mighty have fallen!....

After an early dinner, I went back to Brooklyn, hoping to see Yarden and Micah -- unfortunately, they had gone back to bed before I got to see them, and so I headed out once more. This time, I stayed in Brooklyn, and I went to visit Karen, another friend from that seminar in Tucson last year. Karen is so fabulous -- she's an artist and waitress in New York, super-creative and just generally amazing to talk to. She also lives right now in a coop, with 8 other people. I think I met most of them....they were all really nice. I arrived at 9pm, and Karen and I got to talking....I didn't leave until after 2am. It was a great day.

Monday, the weather was lousy, rainy and windy. I got to see Yarden and Micah when they got up for work around 7:30 (ugh, after my super-late night), and I finally got to meet Neve, as well! After they went to work, I got dressed and spend the day in Brooklyn. I got a pedicure (desperately needed, after all of my traveling and hiking), had a nice long lunch, read at a coffee shop, and wandered around during the few episodes between rainstorms. I also played with Neve in the afternoon. Then that evening, I finally was able to catch up with Yarden and Micah, which was really nice.

On Tuesday, I left the city the way I'd arrived: subway to Penn Station, and then train to Great Neck. Arthur picked me up at the train station, and I spend the afternoon repacking all of my gear into my car, and getting ready to head out the following day. That night, Arthur and Eileen took me to a piano concert at the local high school....the school had a 1928 Steinway which they'd had restored, and so several professional musicians came to celebrate its "rebirth". It was a nice evening, actually. After the concert, I had a long conversation with Eileen, before we all finally fell into bed, and it was really nice -- she is very supportive of my cutting back at work, having more of a routine, and trying to incorporate more "extracurricular" activities into my life. It was great. I felt like she truly heard me.

Anyway, yesterday morning, I took Arthur out to breakfast, and then I headed out of town. It was an interesting trip to New York. I'd expected to eat at some of my favorite places (Lupa, Tomoe, Le Pain Quotidien, and lots of places on the Lower East Side), but didn't. I'd expected to watch the sunset over Central Park from the rooftop garden at the Met, but didn't. I'd also expected to visit my favorite doorman from when I lived in Gramercy, to troll through the West Village, to visit the hospital where I'd worked, to see a Broadway show...but I didn't do any of these things.

Most importantly, I didn't feel like I instantly needed to move back. I realize that for everything I love about New York (its walkability, its incredible diversity, the subway, the amazing food choices, the architecture and the beauty of all those lights, the theater, the corner markets, and the best of the best of everything imaginable), there are some real issues with living there: ostentatious housing prices, outrageous taxes (including city income taxes), a general dirtiness of the city streets, the lack of natural beauty, and an ER-like frenzy to the pace of life there. New York was the opposite of relaxing for me -- in fact, I felt it stress me out a bit. Now, don't get me wrong -- I still love it there. But I realize now that, on my days off from work, I may very well need something slower and calmer than what I can find in New York. It was eye-opening....and more than a little sad.

Connecticut and Long Island

On Friday, I left Boston and drove a couple of hours to Hartford, Connecticut, where my friend Joao ("John") from residency lives. Funny, but after all the long-distance driving I've been doing, I was surprised when I realized how quickly I could drive between states in New England....Hartford was only 2 hours away from Boston. I arrived before noon.

John and I went to lunch in Hartford at a very cute little bistro, and had quite a bit of time to catch up. He's doing very well, although I'm not surprised by that -- I'm like a crazy neurotic, always a little on edge and wanting things to be better. John, on the other hand, is totally mellow, and has been for as long as I've known him. I don't think things really get to him. So there's problems at work? He doesn't even really think about them. He's very quietly confident in his abilities, and doesn't question himself or the people around him nearly as much as I do. It's always very calming for me to be around him -- although I probably make him crazy. (Maybe not, though -- that's the whole point -- he doesn't get crazy over anything....)

Anyway, after lunch we went back to his house and awaited his wife and daughter (Danica and Annelie). Danica is just as relaxed, mellow, and warm as John is, and we had a really nice evening. They made supper at home, and some of their friends came over and joined us with their two kids, a boy and a girl. Their daughter and Annelie had a princess pageant, and dressed me up for the pageant, as well. I looked totally regal in my feather boa, sparkly barrettes, and magic wand. You should have seen me dancing around with them....too funny....

The next morning, John had to go to work, but I saw him briefly beforehand. Then I had a nice breakfast with Danica and Annelie, and then I headed out to take the ferry from Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Port Jefferson, New York (on Long Island).

I arrived in Port Jefferson that afternoon, and wandered around town for a while....it's really cute there. I stayed overnight in an unremarkable town where I found an inexpensive hotel. The next morning, though, I went all the way out to the east end of Long Island, to the town of Montauk. It was fantastic!

I went first out to the lighthouse area, and did a mini-hike through the dunes next to the beach there and watched the surfers. After a while there, I left and drove to Gin Beach, which is along the northern edge of Montauk. The sand there was really nice, and there weren't too many people along that stretch of beach. I sat there for a long time with a book, and just let the sun warm my skin for a couple of hours. The around 4pm, I checked into my motel. It was nothing fancy, but it WAS right on the beach, and there was a terrace outside my room where I could sit, listening to the waves crashing, and watch the sunset over the water. Pretty fabulous, actually.

I met a couple there that evening. Their names were Joe and Karen, and they have to Springer spaniels who kept coming up to me to "say hi". We started chatting, and I found out that they live in Huntington. They asked me what I do for a living, and when it came out that I do emergency medicine, they told me that they have a friend in Huntington who is an emergency physician at North Shore Hospital. Turns out, their friend is one of my former bosses, Gary Rudolph! Such a small world.

Anyway, I loved Montauk and could definitely have stayed there for a few more nights. But on Monday, I had scheduled to stay overnight with my cousins in Great Neck, on the west end of Long Island, and for their scheduling reasons, I couldn't postpone my visit with them. So I ultimately only had one night in Montauk. But it was beautiful and laid back, and I really, really enjoyed it there. Definitely another place that I know I'll have to visit again someday.

I have to say, I've never lived on the coast before. But the water really strikes me in some primal way. There's something about the waves crashing, about the look of the wave tube as it curls over the surface of the water, about the foam rushing up the sand, about the smell of the breeze, about the light over the water, that I feel like I MUST have in my life. Does that mean I need to move to the coast? Or do I need a little cottage on the water as a second home someday? Or do I just need to take frequent vacations to the water? I'm not sure the answer. And I realize that I had the same sort of primal response to the desert, too -- which obviously has little to no water. Not sure what it means, exactly....but there is something about both the desert and the coast which speaks to me on a level that other places just don't reach.

Pahked my cah in Bwoston!

I left Toni and Vermont behind last Tuesday, and I drove down to Boston. It's funny....I've been to Boston lots of times for work, and I've always stayed in the same part of town and explored the same parts of town. So for this trip, I did it differently: I stayed with friends, and I took their suggestions for exploring.

I arrived Tuesday afternoon to the home of Dave and Cara. Dave and I met at the same seminar in Tucson where I met Toni, but I'd never met his wife before. They live in a super-cute apartment on the upper floor of a house in Somerville. We really just hung out that day, mostly, and caught up after not seeing each other for a year. And there was some great news that day -- Cara got a new job! She'd been out of work for a little while, and so it was great, great news. So that night, we went out for a celebration dinner to a great Italian place in their neighborhood, Li'l Vinny's. (I love the name). We had amazing pasta e fagioli to start, and then they each ordered pasta dishes for supper with in-house made fresh pasta, and I ordered the osso bucco -- because I may as well order it at a place that is authentic, right?

The portions came out, and they were laughable -- the pasta was served on a huge platter for each of Dave and Cara. But mine was really obscene. It came out on this enormous plate, and was piled high with meat, tomato sauce, and vegetables. Delicious as it was, I literally ate only 1/8 of it, the portion was so huge. I honestly could never have imagined anything so large -- and for someone who eats out as much as I do, that's saying something....

Anyway, the next day I left Somerville and took the subway to the Boston Commons. I decided to take the Freedom Trail tour, which was pretty cool. I hadn't thought about the American Revolution in many, many years, and it was nice having a little refresher course. Our tour guide was an odd guy, though -- he kept saying insulting things to the folks in our group. I don't think he meant too, really -- I got the impression that he just gives the tour so often that he tries to mix it up and have conversation with everyone in the group. So he'd try to talk about "identifying features" of each place the visitors were from. But often, his comments came out kind of rude. So for the family from Belgium, he said something like: "Hmmm....Belgium. A place that's not known for anything at all." And the family became incensed. They retorted: "What? What about mussels and frites? Chocolate? Beer?" To which the guide said, "All right, I'll give you chocolate...." Just kind of odd.

Anyway, my favorite parts of the tour was the discussion of the Boston Massacre, which didn't occur at all the way it appears in the painting of the massacre. Instead of British soldiers firing on helpless colonists, they lined up while having the colonists threw rocks and other items thrown at them. They were NOT told to fire by their commander, either. But apparently one British private was hit with an object and fell to the ground, and supposedly yelled, "Damn you, fire!" To which the soldiers did, and killed five colonists. And the rest, they say, is history.

I also really enjoyed the Granary Burial Ground, where John Hancock, Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin's parents, and the five who died in the Boston Massacre were buried. It was very interesting. And I learned lots about Paul Revere that I'd never known before, not the least of which was that he never uttered "The British are coming". It makes sense, too, because that statement wouldn't have made sense, since the colonists considered themselves British, too. Instead, he called "The Regulars are Out", by which he meant the soldiers.

That afternoon, after wandering around Faneuil Hall and the Boston Commons, I took the subway back to Somerville, and then drove out to Newton to meet up with Jordan Schwartz, an old friend from college. He's married now and has FOUR children -- quite a change from when I last saw him in 1997! Anyway, it was a fun evening meeting his wife Abby and playing with their kids. And after the kids went to bed, I had a long conversation with Jordan and Abby, which was really nice.

The next morning I was invited to walk to school with Abby and the kids, which was really fun, and then I went back into downtown. Actually, I went first to Harvard Square, wandered around the campus for a while, and then stopped in to the Coop (Harvard Bookstore) for a while. After that, I ate lunch at Cardullo's, a gourmet market in the area. Then I went downtown and wandered around the Public Gardens and up and down Newbury Street, and then finally went back to hang out at the Boston Commons again. It is really a lovely public area there, and so nice to have such a beautiful space for everyone in the city to enjoy.

That night, I went back to Jordan and Abby's, and had another fun evening playing with the kids (their son Caleb is almost as ticklish as I am), and another evening of good conversation. Then the following morning, I walked with the kids to school again before I headed out of town.

It was a great few days. I was so grateful to once again have time to catch up with old friends, and to meet their families and see their lives now. I was especially surprised by seeing Jordan, in the same way I was surprised by seeing Dax and Amethyst last spring in Colorado Springs, and Martha in Seattle. I hadn't seen Jordan in 13 years -- and yet, we seemed to be able to catch up in an hour or so, and then it was like we'd never been apart, in a way.

It's one of the blessings of this trip for me, to know that people who were special to me once are still special to me now, and to know that my true friends never really leave, no matter the time or distance between us. I've been so preoccupied with my life over the past few years, between work and career-building, and I never would have guessed that catching up would have been so simple. It's amazing to know how much space I have for love and friendship, when I only allow myself to have the space....when I allow myself to be present, and not obsess about the work I have to do, the obligations I have to fill, the people I try not to disappoint, and what the future holds.

Almost Lost

I left Acadia and Maine on Sunday, and I drove to the small town of Bethel, Vermont, where my friend Toni lives. She and I were roommates at a seminar we went to last October outside of Tucson, and I hadn't seen her since then. She's in a graduate law program at Vermont Law School now. Anyway, I arrived Sunday afternoon and we went for a walk around her neighborhood, and then just had dinner that night at her place. I got to cook dinner again for the first time in a while, and it felt good to be in a kitchen again.

The next day, we went to Stowe to do some hiking and to take the Ben and Jerry's factory tour. We hiked Hogback Mountain to the summit. It was a very cool hike, all wooded until we got to the very top. The weather was fantastic, and we sat at the top for a long time. In fact, we sat there so long that we completely missed the Ben and Jerry's tour. I didn't really mind, though, because it was such a great day. Until we missed our trail coming down the mountain, and got lost.

Our first clue that we were lost was a GIANT rock pile. We thought that we might have just missed noticing it on the way up. But then we saw another. And another. And then a tepee. We didn't know what to do....we were on a trail, just not the right one, and it was getting dark. We had only one bottle water, and absolutely no other equipment -- after all, it was meant to be a short hike! After debating our options, we decided to continue on our new trail, and hope to end up in civilization somewhere. After walking for a while in semi-anxious silence, we eventually heard some music in the distance. We followed it until we got to a house where some guys were having band practice. I was going to ask them to give us a ride to our car, but suddenly Toni's iPhone GPS updated, and we realized where we were....1.5 miles from our car. We finally made it back to the car, just as it got dark. Thank goodness. From now on, I will do no hiking without my flashlight, compass, first-aid kit, and extra water....

Anyway, we ate dinner at a Thai restaurant in Stowe (which is a cute town, by the way), and then we finally got back to Bethel around 11pm. It was a great day, but after the nervousness of the hike, I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow.

Maine Coast

There have been a few states that I was really excited to see on this trip: Utah, with all its national parks; Montana, with its wide-open spaces; and Maine, with its rocky coastline. After almost 5 months on the road, I've finally reached the third of those destinations.

I arrived in Maine after leaving New Brunswick on September 9. I had a relatively difficult border crossing, actually; apparently, being on the road for several months and driving multiple times between the USA and Canada made me appear suspicious at first. The border agent asked me how many states I'd been to; I told him I'd have to count. He eventually let me through, with a quick "Welcome back."

Anyway, I stopped in the town of Machias, Maine, for a quick meeting with Patty, because there was a Dunkin Donuts there, and I knew I'd have wifi capability there. After my meeting, I asked around about some sights to see in the area, and I was recommended to see Jasper Beach in Machiasport, Maine. It was beautiful! It's an all-rock beach. The rocks are all different colored jaspers. Down near the water, the rocks were small, but they became larger and larger the further the stones were from the water. Every time a wave would recede back from the shore, you could hear the rattling of the stones on one another...like a rain stick, only much louder. It was very, very cool, and I smiled every time.

I sat there for a long time, and then I finally left and continued my drive to Trenton, Maine, just across the bridge from Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. I went to a lobster pound that night, and ate a lobster roll, because I was too chicken to admit that I don't really know how to crack and eat a lobster. The roll was good, but watching everyone dig into their crustaceans made me determined to eat a lobster before I left the area.

The next morning, I went to Acadia. It's actually a pretty busy park, with lots to do and to see. The first thing I did was to drive to Sand Beach, which is one of the few sand beaches in New England. It was allright, I suppose, but nothing spectacular. But from there, I took the Ocean Trail along the shoreline to Otter Point. And it was a beautiful hike. It started at the beach, then climbed up to the roadside, and then wound along the cliffs along the shore. I stopped countless times to wander around the cliffs and just watch the waves pound the shore. Halfway through the hike I stopped at Thunder Hole, where the crashing waves created a huge noise, apparently, when there's a storm. No storm the day I visited, so no thunder. But it was really cool to just look around there....the area is basically a small inlet, and the water would change by many feet between a wave coming in and a wave going out. As the tide came in (the thunder is heard best at high tide), the water would swell higher and higher; when the water ran out after each wave, whirlpools in the deep-blue water would form. The water looked frigid, and smelled tangy. It was outstanding.

The rest of the hike was excellent, too. As I got closer to Otter Point, the cliffs became higher and more jagged, and again, I'd just stop and look around. When I finally reached Otter Point, there was a couple standing there, as well. They were looking around, but obviously did NOT see the otter which was playing off to the side and bobbing his head up and down. I tried to point him out to them, but by the time they came over to where I was standing, he had disappeared. I waited 15 minutes for him to return, but he never did. I consider him my personal, private otter, and thought he might be sending me a message.

Since then, I've looked up the symbolic meanings of the otter. Basically, the otter represents female energy and playfulness. Supposedly, the highest quality of otter "medicine" is to recognize that the world is a joyful place where all can play without fear of harm or loss, and about finding time to play, not just to work. Otter is also the native American zodiac sign for January 20-February 18, which encompasses my birthday (January 22). My personal, private otter, indeed.

After I finished my hike (which took most of the day, given my stopping and looking around), I went to the Jordan Pond House for popovers and tea (and lobster stew, since I hadn't eaten lunch). It was delicious! The popovers with butter and strawberry jam were to die for...definitely have to learn how to make them when I return to Atlanta.

After lunch (it was 4pm by this time), my feet were really hurting me, and the weather turned foggy and it started to rain. I drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain, but couldn't see anything, and so I went back to my B&B and read that evening. It was a nice, relaxing evening, and I went to bed early.

The next morning, I drove back to Cadillac Mountain and took lots of pictures from the top. It's not very tall, only 1500 feet, but it is the tallest mountain on the northeastern seaboard, and it provides spectacular views of Frenchman Bay and Bar Harbor. But there were a zillion people up there, so I didn't stay long. Instead, I went back to my car and drove to the west side of Mt. Desert Island (one of the parts of Acadia), and hiked to Beech Mountain. The hike was short but really beautiful, and I had an amazing view from the top. After that hike, then I drove down to Southwest Harbor and had lunch at a cute harborside seafood restaurant, which was really good. Then I continued driving down the west side of the island. I decided to do another hike along the Ship's Harbor Trail, and I'm so glad I did! It started along an inlet where the water was really, really calm and still. But then the hike took me out to the coast, and with just a bit of scrambling in and out of the rocks (which wasn't very hard), I ended up on the rocks onto which the waves were crashing. It was spectacular. I sat out there for two hours, it was that amazing.

That night, with my hair still smelling of salt air from my hike, I went back to the Lobster Pound and ordered a lobster. I had the same waitress I'd had two nights before, and she was pretty great, coaching me through how to disassemble, crack, and eat a lobster. And I have to say, it was truly outstanding. The meat was sweet and delicate, and I thought it was fun, taking it all apart!

I had such a great time in Maine, even though I didn't see much of it. The coastline and waves were so amazing that I was tempted to drop everything and move there! The only thing that stopped me was the fact that everyone I asked told me that living there is "great in the summer, gorgeous in the fall, and really, really cold the rest of the year". Maybe a vacation home, then?