Saturday, August 9.

After 32 days on the road with Quincey, we discovered, listened, waited, met, drove and saw things new and old ... all through summers' variant weather patterns that layer the Midwest, North East and Smokies like thick sweet icing.

Not only learning about my 'roots' but finding love in distant family; loving unknown relatives that jump to give a smile because the key is shared; who want to help with out reproach because the key is shared; who open their doors, their homes because the key is shared; pour out histories and hearts; are eager to find kindred; respond to a stranger with a little bit of paperwork and photos and even less knowledge; who know there is an unspoken and unrealized neighborhood in a phantom bond; now spoken and realized...

To heal the unending wound!

To know the love of life long friends who are my 'other' family, ever so close; to spend calm, weighted time; each one offering their own special uniqueness which makes them 'them' and rich of spirit; the variety of their careers, locations and ages; all a grand display of how the spectrum of friends resemble the spokes of a wheel disguised as a rainbow...

So much gratitude, it's all consuming!

Thank you to the cast of DRT (in order of appearance):

Bruce Fadem - My childhood neighbor in Tulsa, OK who met Susan Hartshorn Saxe at a mineral/gas lease meeting in Tulsa, OK

Jackie and Bill Goetz - My step sister and her husband who live in San Antonio

Brad - My nephew, Jackie's son, who lives in Providence, RI

Hailley - My daughter, 2nd born, who lives in Austin

Susan Hartshorn Saxe and Charles Saxe - Susan is my 1st cousin who was a flower girl at my parents wedding in 1948. She was 7.  Charles, Susan's husband, a retired Veterinarian and sweet as honey suckle.  They live in Houston

Norma Trent - My cousin who was also a flower girl at my parents' wedding in 1948.  She lives in McKinney, TX

Donna - Norma's daughter who also lives in McKinney, TX

Nancy Griggs - A long time friend who I first met in Steamboat Springs, 1987 during the Club Majks era.  She lives in Plano, TX and Claire, her daughter lives in Nova Scotia and Jordan, her son, lives in Cabo San Lucas, MX

Deb Swan - A long time friend from Tulsa, OK.  Friends from Elementary School, Middle School, High School.

Susan Murphy - Jeanne Ruddy's Mom who I've known since 1971.  I look at her as a Mother figure and I feel I'm another one of her daughters.  She lives in Henderson, NC

David Wood - Fellow spirit who I first met while performing at The Lost Colony 1972 (?).  David now is the director of The Lost Colony and has his magnificent theater in Raleigh, NC, Theatre In the Park

Ashely Wood - David's beautiful and gracious wife, mother to Thomas... age 2-ish.

Jeanne Ruddy - My BFF from NCSA.  We've gone through so much life together that we can pick up after years of 'life' getting in the way!  Jeanne went on to be a principal dancer with Martha Graham then created her own dance company, JR Dance in Philadelphia.  An avid dedicator to all things regarding the body, she's able to religiously do a pilates class daily on the deck of her home.  Jeanne shares her time between Philadelphia, Cape May, NJ and NYC.

Victor Keen - Jeanne's husband.  Vic's a semi retired corporate tax lawyer which finds his spare time dedicated to art, museums, art collecting, theater, sponsoring emerging talent, travel and property investment.  A very busy guy who also dedicatedly rides his bike 30 miles/day.  Victor is between Philly, Cape May, NYC and other locations.

Linda and Jay Sussman - OLD friends in the the best sense of 'old'.  I've known Linda since Hailley was a newborn.  This makes it 28 years. She was my neighbor while living on Hudson and Leroy in NYC.  We bonded like sisters while living in Colorado and endured extreme circumstances.  She now lives in Somers, NY and Ft. Lauderdale, FL.  Jay has one of the best laughs in the universe!  Explosive and booming and is freshly retired after selling his last piece of property.

Matt West - Long standing friend who has been a confidant since we were doing the National tour of A Chorus Line.  Matt has the AMAZING skill to just find the right words and the right way to make anything, be it a divorce or the previews of a show, full of humor, light and side side splitting laughter.

Janet Solesky and Ken Ricci - Arts ed pals who've been steadfast through thick and thin.  They've lived together for decades and last year decided to tie the knot.  I'm sure it will last!  They live in NYC.

Karin Kawamoto - A fellow dancer who 'got really, really smart'! I met Karin in a Luigi class in NYC and she hauled my ass off to other classes that are iconic in nature as far as the content as well as the master teachers. I love her continuing passion for dance, even if she did just land VP of Technology for Morgan Stanley!

Bob and Adele Eley - My step brother and his wife who live in Pittsburgh, PA

Diana Lee Bixler - A childhood friend from Tulsa.  Cheerleaders together in middle school and she's now an Intellectual Property Lawyer living between Chicago and Palm Desert, CA

Treyson Ptak - My son, 1st born.  Time well spent healing and showering in love.

Patricia Murman - Trey's girlfriend who's just been accepted for her PhD

Patty Rebohz - A former classmate at NCSA.  We reconnected several years ago and spent valuable experiences in Ecuador

Dawn Nelson - I met Dawn while living in Ecuador.  We went on hikes in the Amazonian jungle as well as time on the coast.  A fellow spirit of life and exploration!  She lives in Lakewood, CO

Kristina Siebert - Kristina is a new friend who lives in Palm Desert during the winter and Colorado Springs in the summer.  She has a great, effervescent energy that's boundless and alive.  Being around her is like being tapped into electricity!

Quincey - My puppy dog of 2 years. I adopted him from Thousand Palms Animal Campus and he's 3.  He did such a great job of being a companion and love magnet!  He's a Service Dog, so he was allowed in restaurants, hotels, beaches, theaters, etc.  Each environment proved his calm, alert manner was worthy of accolades from the gallery.  :)

Now, the task is to write the details and send to... me.

Thanks for reading and taking the journey with us!

One tired puppy and a very happy one to be on Mommy's bed!

xxo

Friday!  Home!

not

Getting into the car this morning, a not so funny light came on:

REALLY?

And we were all packed and ready to go home and snuggle!

But, instead, the tow truck was on its way to deliver a car from Phoenix to Aguila, AZ... Seems SO simple, however, the memo from a few days ago that I was not returning today was, ah..... awol.  

At 9:30am when we were leaving, I saw the light to 'not drive'.  I was only 50' from Patty's house so, Q and I turned around and bounded back in her door.  She was happily playing a computer game and thought we forgot something.  

After talking with Hertz folks and their team, another (#4) car was en route to Aguila and should be here in 2 hours.  Patty said, 'oh, they'll be here by noon!'.  I said, 'maybe by 2'.  Well, at 2:45 or so, I called Hertz and it was cancelled as the memo didn't get to them that the car was due back on Saturday, so they cancelled it.  Really??? No one called me!  Jeeeez.... luckily we weren't somewhere on Route 60 in the middle of the AZ desert and close to no where with 100 temps!  

I called Hertz at least a dozen times though out the day and everyone had a different answer to my situation. It was all I could do to not have steam blast out of my ears.  So, I just stopped.  Stopped.  Stopped. 

How lucky are we to be getting to hang with Patty for one more day?  I just wish her doggies were here, too!  So, all afternoon, while waiting for the new car, we played Quiddlar, watched some TV, talked, played with Q... then, had a glass of wine and decided to just, stop and leave tomorrow.

At 5pm I called Hertz again and got the tow company's info.  They said in 2 hours.  God.

So, after at least 8 games of Quiddlar, Patty needs to water her outdoor plants, we decide to have tacos, and while watering the plants, she runs in the house... THEY'RE HERE!  

It was about 7:30

How did they get through the gate with no code?

The delivery guys seriously didn't know what to think when they pulled up onto Patty's Arizona Retreat!  Here are two broads, laughing with cameras, a little woozy from vino, wanting them to pose while we shared the last 10 hours of our waiting game.  

The one 'main guy' had his stories, too.  He said he was called to the Grand Canyon for a mini van that had a hatch which wouldn't shut.  5 1/2 hours he drove one way, to deliver a new mini van. He got to the family (which was mad as hell) and he flicked a button and the hatch came down.  argh. really?  lololol!

He was a good natured fella!

And so were we!

We decided to make a ceremonial passing of the keys, all to everyone's delight.

:))

Then, as quickly as they came... THEY WERE GONE!

What a friggin' day!

Ah, traveling. 

Home, tomorrow!

xx

Thursday, August 7.

A day at Patty and Mark's spectacular desert home or as Patty says, Small Arizona Resort.  The intention was to do NOTHING.  That is very difficult for me to do but, between the 'doing' being walking Q, swimming, eating, napping, watching TV (which I never do), we found ourselves fairly entertained!  Mark, however, was on a mission in Mississippi where he trains pilots.

Although I first met Patty at North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem as a dance student, she took off as a visual artist.  Her home is a full out display of her many talents.  All the murals, paintings and tile work are her handicraft.  She did have an assistant/helper, Jose who helps her keep everything looking bright.  With the heat and sun, the painted walls fade, so there's intense upkeep, but as seen here, so worth the end product!

Front 'gate'

Back entrance

One of the side entrances

Front entrance

Mark is a retired pilot so they live on an airpark, complete with private hangers that house a myriad of planes.  

What a lovely end of trip day!  

Tomorrow we head back to Palm Springs about a 2 hour drive.  

xx

Wednesday, August 6.

Another gorgeous day of driving and now heading through the South West.  There were a couple of routes to take so we decided on the one that provided experiential options but didn't take us TOO far out of the way.

On the way to the Petrified Forest, we passed by Shiprock in New Mexico.  It's ginormous and just looms in the flat, barren desert.

Continuing south into the Navajo Reservation

Then crossing back into Arizona.  I can almost see home....

The last stop before landing in Aguila, AZ was the Petrified Forest where we drove the Painted Desert and stopping for lunch at the park.

At the 'Tee Pees'

Q's foot was so much better, thanks to Charles' remedy!  Walking without a limp and not chewing on it!  

All's good with the world.

xx

After good byes with Kristina, we headed towards Pagosa Springs, CO where we had lunch at Kips which is right on Main Street and en route to Durango.

The drive was SPECTACULAR!  Each turn provided breathtaking photo ops:

Looking closely, the perspective is in play:

Chimney Rock

The day was brilliant and as spectacular as a summer Colorado day could be.  Perhaps because we were driving on a Tuesday, there was very little driving traffic and we were able to make super strides

on the highway.

We got to Durango and stopped at the Statler Hotel, a landmarked building which provides an old time-y vaudeville review complete with villain, hero, damsel and encouraged hisses and hoorays! as well as comfy cocktail room or bawdy cowboy bar.  We took a little break there and Q was welcomed and behaved like the champ he is!

We roamed around for an hour and caught the 5:00 Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge RR arriving at the station.  Now we have the tourists!  But, what fun it was to see how excited everyone was and happy to experience the ride.  We thought about taking it to Silverton and spending the night there OR spending the night at the Statler... but then, reason returned and we headed to Farmington where the rates were more our style.  :)

 Keeping up on the blog is WORK! Many times there's no internet access so I have to remember things via the photos and usually it's right before I go to sleep.  Patty snapped me at work... :)

Tomorrow we head to AZ and the beginning of the end of the DRT.  It's been such an amazing ride with all the discoveries, connections, reconnections and heart felt loving moments.  

Sunday we landed at Kristina Siegert's home in Colorado Springs, CO.  She's a friend from Palm Springs and how nice is this to be able to spend a few days together to really get to know each other? :)

A little light came on the car and .... off to DIA to get a new one.  So, we switched out the old Pruis for a newer, smaller Prius which is still a pleasure to drive!

She had prepared BBQ pork loin and invited 4 of her Colorado Springs friends over.  All super sweet folks and we had lively conversations around seconds.

After conversations and Kristina's request to stay a bit longer, we chose to do just that so the trip has been extended by 3 days.

Monday we took off for Garden of the Gods and a bit of sight seeing.  Kristina had to wait for her new frig and stove, but gave us excellent suggestions to be all tourist-y.

Q's foot was still hurting so our hiking plan had to be shortened.  The drive through the GoG and mini hike proved inspirational.

Skiers were training and their skills were impressive.  Here, they were starting in a squat and with no preparation-jumped straight up, very high, bringing their knees to their chest and landing after doing a 180 turn in a squat with no bounce.  This was at altitude and in the direct sun.  NICE!

Patty posing

When we got back to Kristina's for dinner and more of her friends over.  Sweet next door neighbors who share the effort of passing food, drink, supplies, conversation, etc over the banisters of their balconies while watching the Air Force Academy do glider testing skirting the Rockies.  ahhhhhh

That night Q's paw was NOT good.  The split seemed to be deeper so Kristina helped me take a photo of his foot to send to Charles Saxe, my new wonderful cousin (Susan Hartshorn Saxe's hubby) in Houston who's a retired vet.  Perhaps he could tell me if this is bad or just the normal course of healing.  Poor Q!

The next morning, I had an email from Charles instructing to get epoxy and fill the wound with that and it will take 2-3 weeks to completely heal.

So, off to get glue (!?) and try this remedy. I trust Charles COMPLETELY and thought his advise was one well known to long standing vets.

The process was one of indulgence for Mr. Q with Kristina providing a nice little blow job.

Kristina and Max.  :)  Max and Q became buddies, but with Q's paw hurting, playtime was shortened.

What a great visit with Kristina and Max!  

xxoo

Saturday. Before we made it into Denver and to Dawn Nelson's home, we had a pit stop at LUCY'S PLACE.

I met Dawn in Ecuador when she was traveling through Banos and studying Spanish.  We first went on a jungle hike for 3 days and had a great sense of bonding.  Ecuador was playing in the World Cup and Alcedies, our guide, was willing to indulge us to stop on the road to buy EC WC shirts for $5.00. She had a blog called 'toe travels' and after dinner, around the campfire Alcedies built for us, in the lower selva, she wanted a photo of her feet for her blog.  Well, I grabbed that camera and wanted the 'perfect' shot... much to all's chagrin, her tootsies got a little TOO warm.  The next day, hiking for hours in knee high wellies along mud strewn and barren roads, BLISTERS!

Then we headed to 'la playa' (the beach) at Montanita, EC where we encountered a 100 year old turtle on the beach that belched at us at his/her death.  Kind of freaked us out!

After nearly 6, perhaps 7 years, it's so surreal and real to reconnect with a kindred soul.  Such a free and strong spirit that I was looking to become and found out that I already was.

She proceeded to make the most outstanding meal of lamb chops, filet mignon, zucchini strips, yellow squash, eggplant, sautéed white potatoes, sweet potatoes and brussel spouts.  YUM.

Before we headed out she made her 'power juice'.  She freezes all types of fruits and her special 'power greens'.  In doing this, no need for ice.  It was so impressive I have to share her freezer.  Ah. Stealing.

Power greens

Frozen fruits

Additives

Then we (her daughter, Danielle, Audman (French boyfriend), Patty, Dawn, Q and myself headed to the Denver Botanical Gardens for a few hours before we headed out to Colorado Springs and Kristina.

Dale Chihuly had an exhibit in the garden, entertaining his other worldly glass art into gardens, ponds, boats, sidewalks... So, we all packed into Dawn's SUV and headed out.  What a day.  Each step had one more beautiful experience than the next.  Just imagine, at 9:30am, the parking was already saturated and we had to wander a while to find a spot!

Q admiring the coy

After that BRILLIANT morning, we headed out to see the sights of downtown Denver.  We drove and drove and decided that the place to visit was the newest and most popular:

We were all so pleasantly surprised at the quiet, clean, professional and informational space.  We did have to show ID's, if we wanted to pay it had to be in cash or ATM (no credit cards) as they can't deposit funds.  We did have a lively conversation before we found the shop about the issue of no deposits.  Do they have to pay taxes?  :))

The time here was seriously, too short! But, future visits are in the stars!

OH, YEAH!

XXOO