Road Trip Day 3: Family

Finally! A day to chill out and be with family. (If "chillin" is possible in the 104 degree heat of the St. George red rocks....) Other than cooking a big birthday dinner with my sibs for my mother's 91st birthday, there was not much else to do. It was an opportunity to connect with Uncle Charlie's 2 children (both from different marriages), my cousins, Rick and Sharlene-- among the few invited dinner guests.

I have gratitude for growing up with cousins who I count as precious extended sisters and brothers. We spent holidays and summers together in Pine Valley and St. George, riding horses and hayracks, making treehouses, doing sleepovers, selling lemonade, hiking, backpacking and having experiences all too few children get to have these days. No computer games or TV there-- besides there were more fun things to do like riding in the jeep at night spotting deer, digging nightcrawlers for fishing the next day and walks to the general store for Big Sticks and ice cream. And of course all the great stories our aunts and uncles would tell about when THEY were children. When we grew up, we were there at each other's weddings, family reunions and continued visiting as aunts, uncles and grandparents aged.

Sharlene is the oldest of all of us. She expresseded over and over again how much she appreciated I and my sibs being there during this time of transition for her. There were a few unexpected disappointing events surrounding my uncle's passing which left her feeling more grateful for family that showed up in any form. She was also saddled with most of the completion of my Uncle's passing: the memorial, cleaning out his place and finalizing aspects of his will.

Sharlene's a lot like her dad both in independence and wit. While he was still with us, Uncle Charlie was walking up to Sharlene's front door via front porch one day and saw her caring for a stray cat with a warm blanket and food. He commented to her, "When I die, I want to come back as one of your cats." To which Sharlene replies "Dad, I spay and neuter".

The apple does not fall far from the tree. Such is Pickett wit.

A couple of weeks ago, my son David and I visited her after visiting my uncle for the last time. We walked out of his house, tearfully hugging each other each other, knowing we'd never see him again. We then went to Sharlene's to pay a visit. She knew David's deployment was near and shared with him a conversation she had with my father decades ago after he returned home from WWII.

"Uncle Evan" she asked. How did you make it through the War alive, when there were so many dangerous situations you were in?" To which my father responded:

"Every time I'd hear a voice say "Duck!", that's what I'd do and I learned to trust that voice."

Enough said.

Also during the same visit Sharlene shared some things about my grandmother being psychically gifted which saved both her and my grandfather's life at least once. My grandmother was also so psychically attuned and connected to my father that she knew when the invasion happeded, without being told. Sharlene said government authorities contacted her afterwards to find out how she knew.

All I can say to that is this: There is absolutely no substitute for knowing and trusting the intuition and the gut.

As for the the dinner today: we got out the silver and good china, cooked a fabulous batch of chicken cacciatore and retired downstairs afterward for music around the old piano which originally belonged to my mother's parents. Old favorites were offered on the viiolin, cello, mandolin, piano and voice-- even a favorite of my grandmother Ruthe: Mockingbird Hill.

Appreciation, hugs at the door ended our evening together. Another day in the Pickett extended family.

Road Trip : Travelling the Inner Terrain

Road trips are not only great fun but packed with all kinds of adventure-- both inside and out. Today's post is the first of a 12 day trip I just returned from. There was so much packed into each day, there was no time to write! So here is the entire event, starting with today as day 1.

DAY 1

I left on a road trip today that will total over 2000 miles. I had the option of flying and saving time but cancelled my tickets at the last minute and saved the fares for later. (...and no charge to cancel--God, I love Southwest Airlines). The 2 destinations could have been reached more quickly by flying but I opted for the slower, deeper adventure of the mile-by-mile experience of covering the distance on the ground. I had my Jeep checked yesterday and am good to go. It's been a faithful pony through Colorado winters, hauling hitched loads, car camping and much more.

There's something about getting behind the wheel and travelling through all kinds of physical terrain that allows me to cover the inner terrain of my soul. I've been itching to get out on the road for MONTHS-- I need to let the last several months, thick and fast with milestone events and changes-- sink into my cells. I want to sit in the driver's seat of my Jeep as the miles tick away on my odometer and let each mile inside sink into and sort through my life, relationships and all kinds of emotional and mental terrain. I will take my favorite music and use it....or not. Sometimes just the whir of the engine, rain against the windshield or gusts of desert wind hitting the side of my car are music enough.

My destination today is St. George, Utah, 639 miles away. Uncle Charlie's memorial is tomorrow. Just 2 weeks ago I made a whirlwind weekend visit there by plane to visit him when I got the news he was gravely ill. He passed 2 days after my visit. My travelling companion for that trip was my son, David ( a favorite grand-nephew of my uncle) who deployed to Iraq just 2 days after my uncle's passing. Lots of goodbyes experienced by David and I in the last few weeks. That's a story for another day.

So I climbed into my champagne colored pony, loaded with food and drink for the road (more convenient than having to stop when you're 112 miles from the nearest convenience store in the middle of the San Raphael Swell on I-70), suitcase, goodies for the family and stuff I've been saving to bring to my grandbabies in California, which is my final destination. (Yeah, getting Southwest to take a child's rocking chair and hobby horse in the belly of the plane would have been a no-go.) I surrounded my car with safety, said some words to Great Spirit and pulled out of the driveway.

I've discovered the power of intention in my life as a good foundation for any experience. Knowing what I want instead of merely letting life happen (or at least a combination of the two) on the road has been a pretty good recipe for being at peace and having a good time. (It also works really well every day I'm not on the road!) So this first day is rich with intentions of what I want to experience in the next 12 days. 1) Safety and my vehicle operating normally, 2) making good memories 3 )being centered and grounded on the road and with my relations and 4) the ability to craft wisdom and insight from each of the experiences I have on my journey.

It's about 10 hr. (with breaks) to St. George, UT. Packing along the extra stuff took more time and the garden had to be tended to before taking off. Leaving at 2 in the afternoon was not my intention, but oh well, here I am. Up, up up the continental divide, through Eisenhower tunnel at over 11,000 ft., down, then up over Vail pass at 10,600 is the first leg. Through Glenwood Canyon, following the Colorado river almost overflowing its banks into the desert to Grand Junction, Colorado and into the brilliantly colorful panoramas of the Utah desert completes the second section of the trip. The sun is sinking into the western horizon as I slide up and over the breathtaking Capitol Reef.

Around 9 p.m. I'm rolling out of Richfield, UT after a gas stop. It's late, I'm tired and I want to be done, but I've got 3 more hours in the dark on the road through the mountains. There's no cell phone coverage and coffee jisn't keeping me awake and alert anymore. So I bring up James Brown on the CD player. "ALL ABOARD...The Night Train" I sing along but renaming the cities in the song: "Denver, Colorado....Grand Junction, Colorado....Beaver, Utah....St. George Utah...."

I arrive at my mother's house at midnight. The key has been left out, the rest of the house is alseep with family that have come as many miles as I. I grab my suitcase and cello out of the Jeep, close the door to my bedroom and fall into bed.

Thank you Great Spirit, we've had a safe and good journey today.