Giving Thanks.....

The turkey's defrosting. The grocery shopping list is a mile long. Maybe two miles. The house is sparkling clean and ready for company.

This morning, I'm on my way north, to the Big Burg, to pick up my granddaughter. She will spend the rest of the week with me, enjoying the holiday. She has only called me about ten times this morning. I'm so glad her mother gave her a cell phone.....

She is bringing her new laptop, purchased for her by her father. He has been an absent father for eight of her ten years of life. He came to see her a couple of weekends ago, and they had a wonderful time. She wanted to know where she came from, and now she does. And the doors are open; the lines of communication re-established. That's a good thing.

We will be busy for the next few days. Cooking, baking, decorating and just hanging out together. She is wise beyond her years at some moments, and a little, baby child at others. Typical of her age, and very endearing, to me.

She doesn't expect to be entertained. She will be happy just to hang out with me, and do whatever I am doing. She can spend hours in her room and idle away her time in thoughts. Or TV. Or now, her laptop. I have a book to give her: Abe Lincoln Grows Up, by Carl Sandburg. I bought it for her at the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois.

I think about her wherever I go, whatever I am doing. And the Museum gift shop was all about finding mementos for my grandchildren. Aidan received a book of Lincoln's speeches. Mckay was thrilled with a mint set of Lincoln pennies. Hopefully, Noelle will like her book.

And read it, too.

How we spend the next few days is not as important as the fact that we will be together. We will have time to talk, to listen, to share, and to laugh.

For that, I'm thankful.

The Night Sky...

I wrote this blog when I was still at Yellowstone.

I just came in from outside....

It's dark, and quiet, outside Old Faithful Inn. The crowds have settled in for the night. And Old Faithful spewed steam and hot water heavenward just as I walked outside. It's hard to see at night, but the steam is noticeable.

I am sure that, given a chance, Walt Disney, et al, would add a laser light show, Electric Light Parade type music, and glow-in-the-dark necklaces to the show. Mother Nature is confident that we will enjoy Old Faithful just as it is....

I didn't go outside to see Old Faithful. I went in search of my friends. Orion, Ursula Major, Ursula Minor, Andromeda, Sirius, and the Seven Sisters. Oh, and the pure joy of the Milky Way. They were all there, waiting for me.

I knew, before I left Podunk, that I would be looking at the stars each night. In Yellowstone and elsewhere. It is more than eight thousand feet above sea level here, and there's no pollution. And so, the stars are so close I could almost touch them. But I'm not quite that tall...

I have always loved looking at the stars. I have blogged in the past about seeing the constellations and learning about them from my father, when I was a small child. Stars have never lost their fascination to me. I love to gaze at the night sky and find the familiar ones.

Tonight, and last night also, I have seen a shooting star. I remember being told to make a wish when I saw a shooting star. I always have and some wishes have even come true. Was it the stars? Who knows....

There is something so permanent and so reassuring about the stars in the night sky. They take me back to times long ago and make me wonder about the future. All at the same time. They are a connection to my past, especially my father, and a comfort to me in the night sky. Even though so much has changed in our world in my lifetime, my friends, the stars are still there.

And they still delight me.....

Fall in the Grand Tetons...

The Grand Tetons National Park is just south of Yellowstone. And so, I drove south on Sunday afternoon to see.... the Grand Tetons.

As I drove south, following Yellowstone Lake, cars were stopped along the sides of the road. I have learned what that means: wildlife. Sure enough, there was a bison trying to graze on grass, bulking up for the harsh winter, with tourists snapping his picture. Some of them were too close, merely 10 feet away.

Deer, elk, longhorn sheep, bison, moose....all live and graze within the park, wandering freely. So do grizzly bears, I'm told. I did see the bison, a few deer, and one moose, but no grizzlies.

You leave Yellowstone and travel on the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Parkway for several miles before entering Grand Tetons. Fall has arrived in Wyoming: the leaves on the aspen trees were golden. Absolutely, brilliantly golden. In another week, according to weather reports, the leaves may be gone.

And there's another lake. The Jackson Lake runs along the base of the Grand Tetons, for miles. Green fir trees, golden aspens, quaking in the breeze, brilliant blue water, and the mountains reflected in the lake: what an amazing sight.

There are beach areas, and picnic tables, along the lake and ample opportunity to stop and marvel at nature's beauty. I took dozens of photos but my favorite is one with a fir tree framing a shot of the mountains and their reflection in the water.

I believe that I am able to take such a vacation. True, I spent many vacations at home, over the years, not having the money to spend on travel (or so I reasoned). Well, now's the time, my time, to see America the Beautiful.

And boy, is it beautiful!!

The UP Side....

There has to be an UP side to getting up at 1:00 am.....

Driving in the rain, through the towns south of Podunk, traveling in convoy with the truckers, is not exactly my favorite thing to do. Took a left turn in Buck Owens' Country (Bakersfield) and headed out east to the desert.

After what seemed like hours and hours, the UP side appeared. After seeing a few stars through the clouds, some lightening in the distance, and not much else, I got my reward.

Old Faithful....

I wrote this on Saturday. There was no TV or internet in the hotel, and minimal cell phone reception. I enjoyed an old-fashioned vacation for a couple of days! Right now, I'm in Mickey D's in Cody, WY and they have wi-fi.....

To me, Yellowstone has always been about Old Faithful. I had never been here before, nor was I aware of all that the park is about. I guess I was too busy getting ready for my trip to google Yellowstone and find out more about it....

I didn't know it was the first national park...in the world. I could have guessed that Teddy Roosevelt spent time here, that's a given. I was surprised as I entered the park yesterday: the trees are small. Well, small by my standards, but I live in California where we have the world's tallest trees (the coast redwoods) and the world's largest trees (the Sequoias, in the Sierra Nevada mountain range). These fir trees are mostly lodgepole pines, and they are only about three or four stories high.

I also learned that there are two lakes here, Yellowstone Lake and Lewis Lake. There is also a Yellowstone River, with rapids and falls, that I didn't know about.

And yes, Old Faithful is here. And faithful, too. I don't look at the posted signs telling visitors when it will erupt again; I just look at the geyser. If the benches are starting to fill up, it's show time. I actually sat and watched it this morning: it was awesome.

In the visitors' center, I learned that it is the pressure of the steam, and the water collected in the underground fissure that causes the eruption. And it is quite interesting to watch. Another thing I didn't know: it smells like sulfur.

I am staying at the Old Faithful Inn, which was built 106 years ago. The inn has survived an earthquake which wrecked three of its stone fireplaces in 1959, and a fire that came within yards, literally, of destroying the landmark.

The inside is rustic and fabulous. Comfortable old rocking chairs surround the fireplace, and there is almost always a roaring fire. The lobby is cavernous, ascending four stories to the famous cupola on top, with its flags.

This morning, after watching Old Faithful, I walked along the boardwalks in the geyser fields. There are many active geysers in an area that encompasses maybe sixty acres. In fact, the inn is in the caldera, on top of the volcano. That makes sleeping at night easy....not.

The geyser fields are very colorful. There are interestingly shaped geysers, “beehive” geysers, and brightly-colored algae, too. The whole area is a history lesson, geology lesson, and volcanic activity lesson....all in one.

I bought a book at the Learning Center: the story of Yellowstone, written for children. Of course, it's for Noelle. I hope that she is able to share the stories of my adventures and then see the park for herself, someday.

And I want her to know more than I did when I got here.....

Great Adventure

I make a list and write
Everything I want to take.
Of course, it's more than enough
I'll change my mind, when I awake.

Some clothes to wear, food to eat,
A coat, if it's chilly, something warm for my feet.

Personal products, and underwear,
Shirts and jeans and socks and shoes.
Whatever should I take?

And how will I choose?

Trying to get ready to leave in two days
Somehow I'll get through this packing maze.

And off I'll go, on a Great Adventure.
Off to see sights I have not seen before.
Traveling by car, on the highways and byways,
One thing, dear me, I must implore:

Don't let me get so caught up in packing.
That I lose sight of the things that I see.
The places, the history, the natural beauty...
The goodness of the world that's surrounding me.

In The Blink Of An Eye

As time goes by
I wonder why...
I spent so much time
Wondering why.

Why not just live?
Why not just enjoy?
The time I have
On this little blue ball?

Why spend so much time
In pain and sorrow?
Why live my life
Worried about tomorrow?

Why watch time fly
As days grow to years
Why watch time fly
And give in to fears?

Live for today
And plan for the morrow.
Be open to life's joys
Instead of its sorrows.

Life is fleeting,
And quickly passes...
But life's joys
Its sorrows, surpasses.

Another Day...

The day is ending
Night is falling
Life comes
To its sweet repose.

So many plans
So much to do
Now must wait
For another dawn.

Life is like that
A daily series
Of things to do
And experiences.

No need to audit
Or count the goals
Both met and left
For another day.

The joy is in
The experiences
Just to be
And see and feel.

When the day is over
And night has come
Sweet sleep prepares us
For another chance.

Another day
Another cycle
Adding to the joys
Of a simple life.

Mile After Mile...

Where are you going, Dearest Friend of Mine?
What are you looking for, as you walk along?
Do you know I'm by your side, walking with you?
And do you see that I will never leave you?

What are you thinking, Dearest Friend of Mine?
What thoughts are driving your steps as you walk
Ever farther, ever longer, towards the end
Of time, as we know it, and the End of Life?



What joys have you found, as you walk beside me?
What happiness is yours, Dearest Friend of Mine?
Is it holding my hand, as we walk? Or talking to me?
Or seeing life as we share it, every day?

Do you see the joy in being? The beauty that surrounds us?
Ah yes, you see it, Dearest Friend of Mine....it's there in your smile.
As life goes on, and love endures, greeting changes every day...
We are together, always together.....walking hand in hand,

Mile after mile.

Drops of Time

Little drops of time

Falling on my face,

Taking away my Youth,

Leaving wrinkles in its place.

Little drops of time

Falling from above

Took away the loneliness,

And brought me Love.

Little drops of Love,

Falling on my face,

Take away the pain and leave

A smile in its place.

Little drops of Love,

Fill my heart, every day

Taking away the emptiness,

And make me want to play.

Little drops of Laughter

Falling from the sky,

Take away the heartache

And let me fly.

Little drops of Joy,

Falling on my face,

Bring a sense of peace

To this Happy Place.

Quiet Glory...

Another day has happened...

Another day is coming to a close.

Did things happen the way I wanted?

Did events occur just as I chose?

If I could go back through my life

And edit out the things I should,

Would I still be who I am today,

If I achieved all the things I could?

Or would I be someone else?

Living life in a different space?

Would that other me be the same?

Or have the same voice and face?

Would I still have the happiness

That has found me at long last?

Or would I live sorrowfully,

Defeated by the life that passed?

I guess it doesn't matter

Where I think I might have been,

For I know that it is gone,

I shall never pass this way again.

And so I count my blessings

My memories, gather round.

And for whatever reasons,

Rejoice in the joy I have found.

If life is a tangled journey,

From birth to wherever we are,

I'm glad I made my own path,

And followed my own star.

As my day and my life are ending,

And I'm nearer the end of the story,

I'm thankful for the opportunity,

To live in my own, quiet glory.