The gift of travel

Travel Eve

The night before you leave on a trip brings up a lot of  feelings. Anticipation.  Excitement. Anal-retentive thoughts about whether I have packed everything, what I might have forgotten, whether I have all of the necessities.But layered on top of everything is an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. 

I always intended to travel.  When I was a kid, I used to tell people I wanted to grow up to be a foreign news correspondent (my dream was to be based in Russia). I anticipated a life of professional accomplishment, of countless trips and adventures. And I was going to see a lot of the world.  But life happened and things went in a different direction. We ended up raising three fantastic kids on a little island in the Puget Sound.  For ten of the years the kids were growing up, I basically put my career on hold and ran a home-based PR business.  Money was not flowing freely in those days.  I was also busy, with three kids and tons of volunteering. So traveling never really happened very much in those years. But I wouldn't trade them. Wow, how they flew.   Things started changing in 2018  The kids were older.  A long-buried part of my starting waking up. I wanted to travel.  First stop? Paris.  
In 2018, Lilly and I went to Paris together. We were able to see our old exchange student, visit the Louvre and Notre Dame. It was amazing. I wanted more.
In 2019, I went alone to Italy, visitinging Rome, Florence and Venice.  Each one was special. But Rome? Ahhhh.

 In 2023, Bob and I took Lilly to Portugal and Spain.  The shot above is me in Lisbon. And the shot below is me in the Czech Republic, when I visited Prague, as well as Austria and Germany, with the girls last summer.  Of course, travel doesn't have to be going abroad. One of my favorite cities in the world is New York City, where I try to go each year. I was there last month with Emma, seeing Broadway shows, reconnecting with an old friend and experiencing this magical city.  And when I am not visiting cities, I have discovered a new love for adventure around Washington State, mostly hiking and exploring weekend trips to places like my beloved Mt. Rainier (below.
  
So here's what it comes down to.  I love traveling. I love adventure. And one of my favorite parts of adventure is capturing it in photos (a few of my favorite hiking photos below. I am going to share some of the best photos here as I hit the road tomorrow.

Here's my pitch: if you haven't traveled, do it.  We have such a lovely, short, and fleeting time on the planet.  My own journey has been full of challenges, wonderful memories, beautiful experiences, generous friends -- and now... lots of travel.

In the next 2.5 weeks, I will be going down the Coast of Oregon and through the Redwoods. I will be checking in here with photos and observations. See you on the road!





















 

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