Distractions can hijack one’s time and focus. Some distractions you must live with. Others you might embrace as healthy distractions. Regardless of distractions being good, bad, or bittersweet, they can help one prioritize what’s important even as we pause personal goals, such as writing.
That said, amid my distractions I still feel bad for not giving timely shout outs to the fun people, places, and events from the past year. Thus, over the next few weeks I’m catching up with a three part blog post.
Last May I began a trip I’d planned for two years–an epic 8,000 mile, seven-week road trip out west. Leading up to my departure, I had trepidation as my dog Addie struggled with several ongoing health issues. We persevered though. I made a special perch so Addie could enjoy the scenery and wildlife.
We had a memorable trip visiting friends and family, including ten days volunteering at the High Desert Humane Society (where I’d previously volunteered in 2022). For most of these volunteer days, my dear friends Barb & Greg helped pet-sit Addie during the day while she recovered from the one health scare she had during the trip. Barb & Greg also got me hooked on peach pie while I visited.
Over 8,000 miles, the scenery didn’t disappoint. We visited seven national parks (Badlands, Rocky Mountain, Joshua Tree, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, and Theodore Roosevelt) and eleven state parks (notables were Custer State Park and numerous Oregon State Parks, primarily along the Pacific coast). Some of my favorite photos are below (click to enlarge):
Upon returning to Minnesota, I once again went to the sci-fi/fantasy convention Convergence. Its fun vibe is infectious, with countless activities and panels. As I did the year before, I got the coveted blood donor ribbon and attended numerous fan panels. My favorite events were Harisen Daiko’s rocking and hilarious taiko concert, plus my judging of The Wordslinger’s Story Slam readings (where my 20+ years of judging high school speech served me well).
As summer ended, I made a trek to Minnesota’s scenic North Shore. There, I attended a night photography class at North House Folk School. The class taught photography tricks and how to predict the Northern Lights. Good fortune graced our class that evening (red glowing photo below, courtesy of the instructor, Bob King), and the night before I witnessed spectacular, pulsing Northern Lights that lasted almost an hour.
My other goal during this trip was to see the school’s new, almost-finished, welcome center. A year earlier I’d volunteered to help create the lumber for this spectacular timber-frame building. For a fun read about all the volunteers who made this happen, click here. For more fun, click here to watch a time-lapse video of the timber-frame structure being assembled.
The majority of this trip though was spent hiking beloved trails with Addie, who soon after succumbed to her kidney disease. As comfort for those who have also lost a furry friend, I offer a Winnie-the-Pooh quote:
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
Click here to read Part II.