201 Days

Posted on by Annie

California: On January 1, 2017, I was camping with friends as we kicked off the new year. I was on the western edge of the continent, nowhere to go but east. And so I headed out, aiming for the other coast, but without a firm timeline or big plan. Arizona and New Mexico, with a side trip to Texas: I surprised myself by absolutely falling in love with the high deserts of eastern Arizona and southern New Mexico. From Chiracahua to the Sacramento Mountains, I camped and hiked and listened to birdsong morning and evening. I was only going to…

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Weekly Update: Jul 19, 2017

Posted on by Annie

Last week at this time, I was still in Lancaster, PA, enjoying the Amish country while I finished out the first round of hand therapy. Seeing buggies and horses never got old. After a lovely two weeks or so, it was time to move on, heading to Cape Cod and a housesitting/hanging with friends summer. My first stop, at the KOA in the Poconos, had a sign that boded well for future travels 🙂 I landed Monday in the Hudson Valley, which felt a bit like coming home after 30 years away. So many new things, like the brilliant rails-to-trails…

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Driving the Back Roads

Posted on by Annie

I like the back roads, the blue highways, that lead from one place to the next by often the most indirect routing possible. I get to see things I’d miss on the interstates, bits and pieces of America. Reminders of old railroad lines… old cars looking for new life… … or an old blacksmith’s forge turned into a museum piece, awaiting the next visitor. Sometimes a sign makes me turn off from a two-lane road to an even smaller one, where the lure of the unknown is stronger than the fear I’ll find a dead-end with no room to turn…

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Sunday Serenity: Tree House

Posted on by Annie

I sit beneath a canopy of green trees, in a campground outside Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It’s my last day here, and for a week I have savored the experience of living beneath these trees. It’s been my private little tree house, and it’s restored my soul after a rough couple of months. This one, directly in front of my chair, has been my faithful companion. I watch as the morning sun lights up the leaves, branch by branch. I notice the little chipmunks scurrying up and down its trunk; whether they are playing or fighting, I cannot tell. I move on…

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Weekly Update: Jul 12, 2017

Posted on by Annie

I’m still hanging out in Lancaster while fitting in a few weeks of hand therapy. The good news is the doctor is pleased with the healing so far and doesn’t see any permanent damage. The bad news is the hand doesn’t work very well yet. I am learning patience and persistence. And lots of OT exercises. All day, every day. So if you see someone flexing their hand and staring off into space as they walk by you, they may not be nuts. They may just be in the middle of hand therapy. I can’t complain about my surroundings, though,…

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