Tag Archives: travel

Back Home

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I’m home after a few days of adventures with my Pittsburgh pal. She gives me the insider tour of her city and, this time, we also took a day trip over to historic Bedford, Pennsylvania.

This was my first real adventure of the year and it didn’t come a moment too soon. I was feeling restless, deprived, and yearning for something more interesting than my own four walls. I have a good life but it’s better when I step away occasionally to see what else the world has to offer.

We did a book crawl, ate at a historic tavern, and looked at art and historic buildings. We shopped, contemplated the sacrifices made by our veterans, and browsed a middle eastern food market near her home.

It is never lost on me how different her life is from mine because of where we live.

There are about three dozen independent bookstores in the Pittsburgh area. There are radio stations that play more than top forty country and pop music. I listened to some jazz radio while in the area and was sad to lose the station as I traveled away from the city. There are markets and restaurants that cater to ethnic cuisines and her very nice neighborhood of tree lined streets is filled with people who have come from afar. There are more jobs, more money, more educational opportunities, more museums, more of everything really.

The contrast between urban and rural is surprising sometimes.

Yet, where I live is beautiful. We have a shared sense of community that comes from everyone attending the same high school, shopping at the same grocery store, and being so small we tend to know each other.

Where I live in the country, there are no sidewalks or streetlights. There’s also no traffic unless you count school buses, farm equipment, and the occasional road construction.

I can hear a variety of birds and frogs in my yard and my closest neighbors are far enough away I don’t really hear them.

Quality of life is awfully good in many ways here but it’s also nice to leave and to have different experiences.

At one point, I stood before a mirror in the ladies room at Bedford Candy. My hair was a mess and I had the wild eyed look of someone who was so busy running around and looking at stuff that time didn’t matter.

It’s true, I spent almost the entire trip without any idea what day it was or what time it was. I was in my element and didn’t give a gosh darn what the clock said.

I have missed that version of myself. Planning and schedules have nearly crowded her out.

Yet, all good things must end. I’m home safe. The people in my life are thrilled to have me back. My little house panther couldn’t be happier. I keep catching him staring at me like he just wants to make sure I’m really here.

I am really here, a country mouse tucked away in my country house with a few stories to share and a mess to clean up. Not only do I need to unpack, there are groceries and fun purchases that still need to be put away today.

For now though, I can take my time, enjoy my little cat’s company, and savor the memories of experiences that helped me remember who I am.

Indecision

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Last night I stood in the middle of the living room, holding a precarious stack of books and despairing over what to read next.

I was paralyzed with indecision.

Have you ever struggled in this way when faced with too many choices?

I consistently struggle in three main areas:

  1. Books
  2. Getting rid of things that I might need someday
  3. Choosing a travel destination

When it comes to books, there literally are too many interesting books being released every year on top of all the things written in the past to ever feel like there’s enough time.

Issues with letting go of things seem to be genetic and related to my Appalachian roots where holding on to stuff has been an economic decision. My ancestors knew the value of a dollar, of a thing, and of having a stash of stuff for when you need it. Packrattery is a survival mechanism.

And travel decisions are hard because, like books, there are finite resources (time + money) and an infinite amount of places to go. How do we begin to choose?

These areas have felt like an uphill battle for some time now.

When it comes to travel, I typically take longer trips with adventure pals and shorter trips with my fella. Life circumstances for my adventure pals have made it harder for them to go on those longer journeys. And honestly, I’ve just been lazy about getting some shorter trips on the calendar. I used to have adventure ideas in my back pocket every week. I need to get back to those roots but am often torn by the multitude of places to visit and other life things to do.

But I digress.

Back to that stack of books last night,

I am not an especially fast reader but I am a devoted one. I watch little tv and carry a book nearly everywhere including to the dentist’s office yesterday. Most nights I fall asleep with a book in my hands and wake up to the thunk of it falling on me.

How my face isn’t black and blue is beyond me.

When I finish a book, I pick up another, switching genres to keep things interesting and prevent any ruts from forming.

I like the feel of a physical book in my hands and the smell of a book is one of my very favorite things. If you ever see me smelling a book, keep moving. There’s nothing to see here.

I did finally choose something and I have high hopes for it. All the same, I had reservations when walking away from that stack I had pulled. By itself, that stack represents about a month of reading. We are already about a third of the way through the year. When will I get to them and all the others?

Clearly, there needs to be more reading hours in my day along with more time to travel. And perhaps some time for therapy because I do sound like something of a basket case.

This I know.

We are the culmination of our habits. If we want to do more of something we need to prioritize it and build our habits around that thing.

What do you wish to do more of? Does indecision ever interfere? Please tell me not the only one!

Muddy’s Of Wooster

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When I travel, if given a choice I’ll always favor a local restaurant over a chain. Not only is it often a better experience, it’s also a literal taste of the community.

When we were in Wooster last year to shop at this fabulous downtown bookstore, we first needed a bite to eat.

Even a book dragon needs nourishment before setting out to build their book hoard.

So we found this local hangout called Muddy’s which has an extensive menu of sandwiches, pizza, salads and more. It’s in an old Cadillac dealership and has nostalgic garage decor.

The service was terrific and our food came out quickly. I recall enjoying my meal but can’t begin to tell you what I ate. This is why I take pictures of my food when I think it’s a place I’ll someday recommend!

It was some kind of sandwich maybe with tots? All I know is that it was good and quick and we had enough time to scope out that bookstore before heading up the road to the holiday lights at Stan Hywett.

Want to visit Muddy’s? Check out their website.

Pourtales Library

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If you are fortunate enough to be a guest at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs and are a book lover, there’s a very special place to see. It’s called Pourtales Library and it’s located just off the main mezzanine in the resort’s main building. 

I had seen a photo online but was still delighted and enchanted to see it in person for the first time. We were fortunate to be there for the first time when no one else was around.

It’s a small place with big character and an elegance that comes from something that feels both timeless and almost medieval. There’s a massive fireplace with a crest. Floor-to-ceiling shelves are stuffed with books that were donated by a longtime Broadmoor guest.

There are delightful reading nooks built into bookshelves and a warmth that makes you want to sit down and stay. There’s even a ladder!

Time didn’t allow me to sit and stay but I did take time to browse the collection a few times. It’s an eclectic assortment of old and new available to guests on the honor system. Some of the books are truly strange and others are perfect for browsing at a place like this.

I liked everything about this place including the name. Incidentally, it was named for Prussian Count James Pourtales who was a driving force in the development of Colorado Springs and the construction of Broadmoor Casino. That casino no longer exists but was the precursor to the hotel that exists today.

It’s like something from a storybook. If you ever get to stay at the Broadmoor, I hope you will seek out this space and rest a while amongst the books. You will love it!

PS: If you’re into woodworking, you might find this 2020 article about the redo of this library interesting. The woodwork is pretty special!

Silent Sunday Kaleidoscope

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Mule Deer

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Southern Ohio is known for its prolific population of white tailed deer. Hunters come from all over to take part in deer hunting season. Most of us have inflicted damage to our vehicles by hitting at least one deer. They traipse through my yard and are an ever constant presence in our world.

In other words, I’m familiar with deer. Yet I squealed like a toddler every time I saw a mule deer in Colorado Springs.

They were everywhere.

Mule Deer are a little bigger and stockier than the White Tailed Deer we have here at home so they’re kind of a novelty.

There’s a small herd that lives at the Broadmoor Resort and in the surrounding neighborhood. Locals lookout for them and even give them names. They walk down the streets and across grocery store parking lots.

They act like they own everything and it’s pretty awesome!