a road trip.

I've also ventured a little farther than my towering mountains to find respite from my less-than-ideal situation. A few weeks ago a friend and I drove two hours north to Promontory, Utah where we learned about the long ago meeting of the railroad.

In 1869 the nation was recovering from the effects of the Civil War, seeking to find ways to build the economy, bolster patriotism and take advantage of the scientific and mechanical advances being made like never before.  One side effect of all of this was a frenzy of railroad building on both coasts and an effort to literally unite the still-damaged country. The Union Pacific Railroad was coming from the east while the Central Pacific was building from the west.  They'd been getting money based on the amount of track laid and weren't being very judicious about it when President Johnson and others in Washington stepped in and gave them a completion deadline. The agreed upon point was Promontory Summit near the Great Salt Lake and on May 10 engines from both sides met and a symbolic Golden Spike was driven completing the world's first transcontinental railroad.

There's a visitor's center there now (it's a designated National Historic Site) but not much else. However, they bring out full-sized replicas of the trains (the originals were scrapped for parts around WWII) and have knowledgeable staff that share stories about the historic day.  There's also a gift shop, small museum, and several informational movies that run throughout the day. It was a surprisingly delightful place to visit.  Highly recommended, especially for train or history enthusiasts.

yes, my photo is touched up a bit (ala Instagram) but the colors were nearly that vivid in real life-the trains were truly something to see!

And then nearby at the Great Salt Lake is a famous art installation, Spiral Jetty.  Created by Robert Smithson in 1970 it's made out of basalt rocks from the nearby hills and is over 1500 feet long (the pictures don't do it justice.) Depending on the time of year it can be covered by the lake but we've had such low rainfall the past few years that the water was barely visible from the viewpoint/parking lot.  We walked down to the jetty itself and beyond where the salt from the lake had dried in such a way that it seemed as if we were walking on ice or marble (I imagine that it's similar to the famous Salt Flats where they do all the land speed testing, but I've never been there.) We poked around in puddles marveling at the designs and variations of the crystals, the different colors and shapes, the strangeness that makes up this world we call home.

the two dark dots you can almost see just below the mountains, that's about where the water line is-everything else you see in the foreground is all dry/salt

It was definitely worth the drive and the half day or so we spent exploring. Utah, a pretty great state indeed!

a day among the leaves.

My goodness, where does the time go? You'd think being unemployed I would have all the time in the world to get stuff done, stay on top of things. But I've found that it's quite the opposite. Not having a schedule keeps me flitting from one thing to another, unfocused, often unmotivated and leaving a lot unfinished. Couple that with the fact that I'm still living out of boxes and have no space of my own and I'm going slightly mad.

So, as a remedy I find all sorts of ways to distract myself and run away! Probably not the best coping mechanism but sometimes you've got to work with what you've got.

Regardless, I've spent the last couple of weeks venturing out of the basement and enjoying the fabulous fall weather.

Falls on the east coast were spectacular with all the trees, the variety of colors and the thick carpets and canopies of leaves everywhere. But I always missed the gold shimmer of the aspen trees. Their small, nearly round leaves rattling like coins in the wind.

A few weeks later (this morning, in fact) the colors and leaves are mostly gone, leaving behind a lonesome, ghostly scene appropriate for the spooky celebrations to come. Here we found the remnants of an old abandoned mill standing sentinel beside the cascading water in Little Cottonwood Canyon. 

Who needs a job when there are mountains to be climbed and fall days to enjoy?

being on the cusp of a new adventure.

It’s hard to believe that I’m getting on a plane tomorrow. In some ways this has all come around incredibly fast; from the decision making to the follow through, my life has change dramatically in a little less than six months. And yet, because of the multiple steps I’ve taken (moving out of my apartment, moving away from Virginia, moving back home and now finally leaving) it feels as if this day would never actually come.  But here I am, crossing my fingers that my suitcase doesn’t weigh so much they’ll kick it off the plane and that I haven’t forgotten anything.  (I’m not betting on either of those!)

On the eve of it all I wanted to give a quick re-cap of all the fun I’ve had at home the past few weeks. Despite my complaining I haven’t actually spent all my time studying, packing, and getting ready (just most of it!) I have had a plethora of opportunities to spend time with my family: my sweet new niece, my rambunctious nephews, my three remaining grandparents, brothers, sister, cousins, aunts and uncles and my ever-patient and accommodating parents. (How grateful I am that they are willing and able to welcome their wayward, 30+ year-old daughter back into their basement, no questions asked.)

The highlight was a trip to Disneyland, truly the happiest place on earth. It was fun to visit with kids and see it through their eyes (though it was also a bit of a challenge, fighting against nap times and temper tantrums!) We finished our trip with a stop in St George in southern Utah where I got to hike and soak up some red rock vibes. The desert feeds my soul in a way that nothing else seems to be able to. It is instantly nurturing and centering. My breath slows and deepens, my mind clears and even the most horrific of problems seems small and manageable under the vast blue of the desert sky.

My mom and I spent many an hour wandering farmer’s markets, harvesting from the backyard garden and creating various dishes from plum jams and barbecue sauces to peach cobbler and tomato, basil salads. Check out these fun little cucumbers that look like bitty watermelons!  (They were delicious mixed with heirloom tomatoes, basil, lemon spinach, goat cheese and balsamic vinegar.)

Missing my fix of all things bookish I dragged my mother to a reading/signing at the local independent book store, The King's English. Phil and Erin Stead came to introduce his newest book (a darling story about a little bird in search of a friend) and read some of their past releases including my very favorite, their Caldecott winning collaboration, A Sick Day for Amos McGee. They were delightful to listen to and visit with. And it always makes me happy to introduce a favorite book to someone and have them love it as much as I do! My mom was smitten with McGee and bought signed copies as Christmas gifts for everyone she knows!

My local musical guru (aka my sister) and I took in an amazing performance by Mr. Ben Folds, my last concert for the next six months. He’d just come from a massive tour with the Bare Naked Ladies and others followed by a seclusion spent writing a musical score.  He told us he’d wanted to book a forgiving venue where he could just play and not have to think too hard about anything, to give himself a break. It was one of the best shows I’ve seen. He took requests from the audience and from twitter, made up words to songs he hadn’t sung in years, lead us in a couple of group sing-alongs and just had a blast doing it all. And we had a blast watching/listening/participating.

Then there were visits to the fair, trips to the farm, countless thick and frosty shakes and meals with friends, afternoons spent in the cool of the movie theater watching this (meh) and this (hilarious) and this (fun but not nearly as fun as the first), and hours enjoying the turning leaves in the nearby mountains.

It’s been a fun and eventful couple of months but I’m ready to move on to the next phase of it all. I’m off to the airport bright and early for a 26+ hour journey to the other side of the world. Adventure, chaos, culture shock, a steep learning curve and who knows what kinds of experiences await. And I say bring it! See ya'll in Thailand!