Hello friends! I can’t even begin to tell you how perfect Saturday was, for a drive into Denali Park! Thank you, thank you, thank you to JOHN for making it possible for Steve and I to have such a spectacular adventure!!!!
We dropped Sedona off at the kennel at noon on Friday. Since we would be sleeping in the bed of the truck, there’d be no room for Sedona. There was also the chance of rain, and wet dog and close quarters do not make for a nice roadtrip.
This is the first time that Steve and I have “roughed it” since just before moving to AK in 2003. In the old days, we tented - both alone and with our boys when they were younger. Somehow, I’ve blocked out of my mind just how uncomfortable and cold tent-camping could be.
Steve built a platform from plywood that fit snugly over his wheel wells in the back of the truck (we have a cap on the truck). We used a feather bed, several thick quilts and well-padded sleeping bags on the hard wood base. Let me tell you… we were both wishing for our comfortable memory foam mattress this weekend! But other than achy hips and sore backs, it was good to discover that we still had it in us to travel so sparsely. Now there’s nothing to keep us from driving up to the North Slope next summer.
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Where have I been? I’ve been right here, enjoying the beautiful fall season in Interior Alaska! With each passing day, the trees become more golden and leaves slowly drift to the ground below. Our yard is carpeted in yellow and gold and there’s a definite glow when I glance out the door. Sometimes I just stare through the glass for long minutes, amazed at the beauty.
The week hasn’t been totally joyful. I had a few emotional meltdowns, no doubt a result of sadness about my mom. I’ve also been missing my kids, lamenting about my own mortality, and even wondering how much time I have left on this earth. Not the most upbeat of thoughts, but I’m sure we all have these less than happy periods in our lives.
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Hard to believe that the summer is considered over for most. It’s definitely over here in the interior, where the leaves are changing over in record numbers, and we wake to morning temps in the low 30s. Fortunately, our afternoons remain beautiful and warm (50s and 60s). And we’re in our 2nd week (or is it 3rd?) of sunshine!
I didn’t welcome the month of September with much excitement. September 1st was the second anniversary of my mother’s passing, and remembering her was the first thing I did upon waking. With her birthday coming on the 7th, this entire week has had a few sad moments.
My mother is always with me…
My mother lives inside my laughter. She’s crystallized in every tear drop.
She’s the place I came from, my first home. She’s the map I follow with every step that I take.
She’s my first love… and nothing on earth can separate us.
Not time, Not space, not even death will ever separate me from my mother. I carry her inside of me.
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