The payoff for a very, very rainy and wet spring seems to be lush flowers in the garden. My coneflowers, which have spread throughout all the garden beds are the largest and lushest (is that a word?) I’ve ever seen them.
For goodness sake, these coneflowers are volunteers that sprang up out of somewhat rocky ground!
I’m really enjoying the garden, which has gone crazy in my absence – but in a good way.
Yesterday, we went swimming in Lake Minnewaska, which is part of a preserve that is nearby. We’ve been here almost 12 years and it’s the first time we’ve visited the lake. Go figure. It was so lovely! Since the temperatures have been in the nineties with high humidity, we needed a refreshing break. I grew up with lakes; my dad’s family had a cottage on a lake and, of course, being a Michigander, I was surrounded by the Great Lakes. Don is a salt water guy having grown up in San Diego.
I do believe he’s becoming a “laker.” The ocean is wonderful, but a lake is smooth as silk.
Back to our trip – after we left Iowa, we drove through the mess that is the greater Chicago area on I-80 and once we emerged we headed into Indiana. I’ve spent a fair amount of time over the years in Indiana and it’s a lovely state, but all I could think about was Mike Pence. If you’re a proud resident of Indiana, forgive me. I know how truly lovely your state is – I do.
It’s all a blur now, but somewhere around there we stopped for the night and on Tuesday, we drove through Ohio. I was tired and a bit cranky so when Don asked me how I was feeling later that morning and I said I was feeling better, he suggested we detour to Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Much to his surprise, because I was definitely in “I want to be home” mode, I said yes. I’m so, so glad I did.
Spontaneity, remember?
Right outside the entrance to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It’s situated on Lake Erie, where we used to sail on my dad’s sailboat.
This marker is outside.
We sort of screeched when we saw the entrance.
It’s utterly fantastic. I mean…FANTASTIC!!
So beautifully designed, it is an experience I won’t soon forget. There’s so much to see (we didn’t have time to see everything, but we saw the major exhibits.)
It’s full of memorabilia and information on the history of rock and roll, from its early influences to the present. I learned a lot. It’s really an all-day experience, but we didn’t have all day. We’re definitely going back someday. It was amazing.
Ringo’s drums – I have to say I was staring at them for a long time.
We also had the best veggie burgers we’ve ever had there. And we bought t-shirts, of course. Don has amassed quite a collection of shirts since he took off for California last March. I managed to almost catch up to him on this trip. As you know, I’m a t-shirt and jeans girl and I love a cool t-shirt commemorating some experience or place I’ve visited. T-shirt, jeans and Birkenstocks. That’s me.
Finally, a big round of applause for our 2001 Honda CR-V. It made its first trip across the country in 2001 (we were moving east) with me driving and our dogs Winston and Scout in the passenger seats. In 2017, at 250,000 miles+, it made two trips across the country!! It is the hero of this journey. We kept patting the dashboard and saying how proud of it we were. And we are.
It’s old, it’s rusty, it doesn’t like steep inclines, but it comes through every time. Now, that’s a car!!
Happy Saturday.
When you’re ready to ‘retire’ your t-shirts you can turn them into a quilt. I’m in the process of making one for my great niece from her collection of t-shirts. She’s twenty seven years old and has done quite a bit of world traveling with just a back pack on her back. She has many t-shirts from those travels and also some from her high school days when she was in various clubs, etc. Some are showing more wear than others but I’m excited to do this for her and I think it’s a great way to hold on to all those memories.
Thank you for taking us along on your road trip. It was very enjoyable and I know you’re glad to be home enjoying your beautiful garden.
I’ve seen that sort of quilt.
Glad you enjoyed the trip!
The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame! Now that would be a great place to visit! I’m a tshirt kind of gal also and love to buy them on trips. Kiddos to the 2001 CR-V! They just keep on going don’t they. It is hot hot hot here so not doing too much but staying inside and cool!
It is such a great car. It’s completely rusty underneath, but still it keeps chugging!
Another fun episode! My late husband would have loved the rock and roll hall of fame. We never got there.
I hope you can get there someday, Wendy. He’ll be with you in spirit.
yeah, the rock and roll hall of fame is cool … overwhelming in a good way (the power of music!)
glad you had such a fun time and your car made the trip well, too.
know you are enjoying those flowers and being home. :) have a great weekend!
kathy in iowa (originally from just southeast of clevelandĺ
Yes, I don’t know if we could have taken it all in in one day – there’s so much!
The flowers are going rather crazy this year, aren’t they? It is wonderful. All of the rain and the heat and humidity are obviously good for something! They are a joy this summer. I have been taking a lot of pictures to be able to peruse on long cold Jan and Feb days ahead.
I would guess that a trip to Cleveland wouldn’t be too bad from where you are so you could go back and see more? My daughter and a group of friends are going to APT in Spring Green this afternoon. I thought of you………. hope you have a lovely Saturday!
We hope to go back sometime. And to Iowa and to Cambria and to Utah and to….
Always give your car a reward or thank you. I drove two vehicles that never broke down on me, only when my husband drove them. One of them seemed to know the routes I needed to remember. I always give my cars a token of my thanks and they have always been true to me.
We applauded the car quite often!
Ah, so you got to experience a little of Chicago traffic. You should try driving right through the downtown area. Horrendous! Chicago is a gorgeous city and so much to do and see there, but honestly, we tend to avoid it simply because getting there is such a pain in the butt. And parking costs an arm and a leg. We could take the train, but then you’re stuck with walking or taking taxis and buses. Not our cup of tea.
I would love to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame one day. A 6-1/2 hour drive for us, but we could make a nice little vacation out of it.
I have a 2001 Honda, also. An Accord. I only have 153K miles on mine. Bought it used in 2009. Absolutely love this car and have never had any problems. I told Brian when it “dies”, I want a used CR-V because I want a SUV.
PS – I’m also a t-shirt and jeans kind of gal, though when I’m home, I live in yoga pants (not the tight ones). I’m all about comfort! Just yesterday, we were at my favorite local coffee shop and I noticed they had t-shirts. When Brian was placing our order, I heard him say, “And a t-shirt.” I thought that was so sweet that he bought one for me. ;-)
Aw, that’s a good guy!
I’ve driven in Chicago before but it was many, many years ago. Most often, I’ve either taken the train (from Detroit) or have flown in for some kind of coaching work. I’ve also taken the commuter trains as my best friend lives out in the burbs. But driving this time was horrendous and my turn at the wheel coincided with Chicago.
We have loved our CR-V. It was our only car for many years and both of us were using it, plus it’s been back and forth across the country a couple of times. It has a lot of miles on it, it’s rusty, but the local mechanics made sure it was road ready and it’s done very well.
Loved all the posts from your time in CA and your road trip, Claudia! But like Dorothy says, “There’s no place like home.” I also drive a 2001 (Mazda Tribute SUV) with about 120,000 miles. God, I hope mine makes it to 250,000 like yours!!!
We’re hoping for 300,000 miles, Donna!
This is such a feel-good post; I really enjoyed reading it. Glad Don got his swimming ‘fix’ since he’d gotten used to bodysurfing in that La Jolla water every day; great exercise (keep it up!).
That vehicle of yours also looks timeless; you wouldn’t know it’s so old. You’ve clearly maintained it well, for it to come thru so beautifully after a lot of recent road miles. I like that it has good rear vision; so many of the cross-overs/SUVs have tiny rear windows now, and I know they have cameras for backing-up but, you know, I like to rubberneck and see with my own eyes.
OMG, I’m ‘dying’ (swooning) about the Hall of Fame. I want to go there SO MUCH.
And never having seen the Great Lakes or really never being around lakes in general (I, too, am a ocean girl; Southern Calif quintessential surfer girl, back in the day; not a lake/mountain/woods girl; it’s often just what you grow up around and what feels familiar), I’m always struck with the vastness of those freshwater lakes, stretching for as far as the eye can see and indeed like an ocean. I know that where my friend lives in Traverse City, MI that there are dunes (she paints them; is an artist), so it must truly have a seaside kind of feel. I look so forward to seeing the Great Lakes area.
Coincidentally, for some reason I don’t understand, I got very sentimental yesterday about storytelling songs from my youth…”Ode to Billie Joe” (Bobbie Gentry) and “Taxi” with Harry Chapin, two examples. Jim Croce was one of these singers; even Frank Sinatra with “One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)”; 1940s. But it tells me again and again how much the 1960s’ and 1970s’ music was so special (although I do remember learning a song by Johnny Horton – ‘Battle of New Orleans’ in the late 50s (for some reason, my grandma had the 45 rpm record and I played it over and over again on her little portable turntable; we called them ‘record players’ back then!). And then, that thought-provoking tale by singer/Scotsman Gerry Rafferty in the 70s called, “Baker Street” – – so glad this stuff makes up the soundtrack of my younger life.
Anyway, back to the Great Lakes, I suddenly remembered Gordon Lightfoot and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” which was a song that used to just haunt me, not so much in a bad way but certainly sobering (everything about the song and how he sang it was…how to describe him, but a balladeer). I was listening to it again on youtube last night and reading public comments there…very interesting, of how Gordon Lightfoot (he’s almost age 80 now; hard to imagine!) reportedly goes back to the area every year and sings that song to amassed residents/family/friends of the long-gone mariners and also how no one forgets the tragedy, especially sailors.
Love Ode to Billie Joe – it’s a haunting song and I’m always completely immersed in it when it comes on the radio.
Don looked out at Lake Erie and said – “it looks like the ocean, it’s huge” I said…”Yes, that’s what I’ve been telling you.”
We are big Gordon Lightfoot fans. I’ve met him and seen him in concert about 6 or 7 times. He’s also from my mom’s hometown of Orillia, Ontario. That song is one of my favorites and it also is haunting. I remember when it happened. As you can imagine, it was heartbreaking to so many who lived on the Great Lakes and knew the crew and knew that life – a life so many who live on the Great Lakes are a part of. Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes and it’s the most deadly.
Wow, you’ve got a personal history with that song and event. On the one hand, that’s so cool (and I am so green with envy that you have actually met Gordon Lightfoot; also just TOO COOL, lucky you). It’s taken me awhile to figure out that these Great Lakes support the kind of ship traffic you’d see out in the middle of the wide ocean…massive tankers, etc. I will never truly know what one of these lakes is like until I see them with my own eyes.
Coincidentally, I was talking yesterday with my elderly neighbor who grew up in the wilds of far-northern Michigan near the Canadian border (she actually, to this day, has a slight accent to her English and I can’t put my finger on it because it’s not really French but definitely is different to my California ears; this lady is age 85). I try to get her to tell me stories of Michigan because I’m so fascinated with Michigan and am planning the days til I can get there…so, she was waxing nostalgic about how, even if you didn’t have a whole lot of money, and even if you lived in those parts year’round, everybody still had a little cabin by some part of a lake and, interestingly, she described how she doesn’t remember (although of course she was still a child and then preteen in the years of 1932-46 or so) The Great Depression as such a huge hardship, and same for World War II in terms of rationing/homefront sacrifices. She said she never went hungry or without clothes/shoes, there was always food from hunting local game, which was common; her dad had chickens and pigs (people were meat-eaters in that era, of course). I guess berries grew in the woods and people had fruit trees. When WWII heated up, she was from an area of the state where mining was revived for the war effort, so people were employed and she said you’d listen to the radio and hear about the war but she felt largely untouched, so isolated and far away from big cities.
Much the opposite from my mom, growing up in L.A., and having blackouts and air raid sirens, no gasoline or tires to traverse the L.A. highways; all kinds of food shortages in city grocery markets; ladies who had to work at office jobs and they couldn’t get silk hosiery (Mom said that all went for parachutes for soldiers) so would try to paint their legs with early fake tanners because it looked very odd to be dressed in a suit and wearing high heels in bare legs!
Anyway, I could listen to this neighbor lady for hours about Michigan and her country-girl youth. She has three middle-aged and senior-aged sons who are very unengaged in her life. Maybe I’m the daughter she never had. I told her she should be recording her life story, getting it on paper. She has nice handwriting and is very ‘with-it’ brainwise. Doesn’t use a computer but reads the newspaper cover to cover, still drives, is a museum docent; eats out with friends and goes to concerts, etc. She’d been a career woman. But she thinks no one would care about her memories. To me, it’s a glimpse of American life in the first half of the 20th century which is very interesting!
I’m very fond of my home state. We were within a few miles of it on the way home as we passed through Toledo. But that will have to be another trip.
I live 20 minutes from the Rock Hall but have never been there. So happy you and Don took the time to go and enjoy it! Really enjoyed all your photos from your cross country trip. Glad you made it home safe and sound!
You should go there, Cheryl! It’s amazing!
We’ll definitely be going to the Rockin’ place….sounds like fun! We’ve driven close by it twice I believe…no time to stop. I’ve so enjoyed your trip…..you are my kind of travelers…adventurous! Kudos to your fabulous car!! ;)
You have to go. You’ll love it!
Loving your trip memories Claudia…tell Don that I said the same thing when I saw Lake Erie… “Looks just like the ocean”!..lol…Even had the waves rolling in!..We were visiting Presque Isle which is a great place to see if you are ever going back…
I’ve been there, Nancy. I’m a Michigan girl, remember? There aren’t many places surrounding the Great Lakes that I haven’t been!
I echo everyone else: have loved the pictures from your trip. Such a nice chance to “see” parts of the country I’ve not been.
Glad you liked the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It really is wonderful; last time we were there was for the Springsteen exhibit, which for my kids and I was heaven (topped only by the 3 of us actually seeing him in concert in Cleveland last year).
We loved it there. Will definitely return someday!
Seeing Ringo’s drums reminded me of the time John Lennon was asked by a reporter (in all seriousness) whether he thought Ringo was the best drummer in the world.’ Best drummer in the world?’ replied John with a straight face, ‘He’s not even the best drummer in the Beatles’. Ah! Those were the days. Peace and Blessings
They were indeed, Lesley! Thank you.
That is one place I would love to visit one day. I love Rock and Roll. The 50’s and early 60’s especially.
Marilyn
Then you would love the museum, Marilyn. I hope you can get there one day!