Above, the Header for PJ 154

Pictorial on traveling to Ohio and back on I-70 and I-80

Part of the Westward Ho Series

    ............................The birthday cake I had baked for the BIG party.
    Opening Comments from Bob
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.Three Poems

Understanding

What challenges,
    what fears,
    will I address today?
Will they be emotional,
    physical, or some unknown
    that will creep upon my being
    and consume the moments
    or days ahead?

Will I withstand the onslaught,
    maintaining a smile
    within my soul
    despite the tears
    on my cheeks?

Will I remember
    that darkness
    flows into daylight?
For within the light,
    the unknown is known.

  
Comment: Obviously, we are talking about eternal things here. In a sense, we all are running a marathon until the final moment, or is it?


Oww, aah, ouch!

What has happen
    to the feet of my youth
    when I spent
    the summers,
    mostly shoeless or on roller skates?
Never yelped but once,
    that damn nail.

These once calloused soles
    carried me many miles
    through happiness and sorrow
    with few complaints.

But today, stepping from one beach
    to the next,
“Oww, aah, ouch!” became
    my mantra.

Comment: Lighthearted but sadly true.


Another Day on the Trail

My usual companions
    sing and buzz,
    offering their greeting
    as I return
    to my ancestral birthplace.
Here,
    my ancestors hunted and gathered
    from the land–
    Mother Nature’s gift to humankind.
Granted eons have passed,
    but somewhere deep within
    I hear her mystical voice whisper,
    “Welcome back.”


Comment: This was written awhile ago when I biked through a small forest. The experience was metaphysical as indicated by the last line.

Pictured is an 24' x 32' painting of van Gogh's 3 Sunflowers in a Vase resting on an 80' easel located in Goodland, KS. This is Cameron Cross' only reproduction in the U.S. The other six appear or will appear in other countries.

 

At 9,000+ feet in Colorado just beyond Steamboat Springs

 

We saw hundreds of marmots, mainly in Kansas on I-70.

 

Le Bourgeois Winery on the Missouri River (Its restaurant pictured below.)

 

 

...................................................................................................................Red cliffs as we depart Utah for Ohio

..................................................................................................................................I-80 in eastern Wyoming

...........................................................................................Flowering crabapple trees in our townhouse complex

Not Just Another Birthday

When one reaches a certain age, realizing that far more life is behind instead of ahead, many thoughts go through one's mind. First, despite living a fulfilled life, one thinks, "Where have the years gone?" I also think back to somewhere around the age of twelve where I tried to envision what it must be like to be old. (I now prefer to think of substituting the word "mature.") Of course, to a twelve year old trying to comprehend such a concept is impossible. How can a youth imagine the many joys as well as the abundance of tribulations almost everyone experiences over the decades. Even in my twenties and thirties, I couldn't imagine. For example, on the rare occasions my dad shared with me some of his sufferings, I politely listened and then moved on to another topic. Only now do I understand. Sometimes, my friends and I joke that we are glad that we didn't know what the future held. Also, on the other side I think of the many high school classmates who have already made the journey to the other side.

Perhaps one of the greatest difficulties my generation faces is accepting the fact that we are where we our. While inside we might feel like we are in our thirties or forties, the reality is that we are officially senior citizens. If you are still in doubt, listen to how younger people refer to you. Once you become, unless you are in the military, a" sir" or "ma'am" you know that the time has arrived. When the next server or clerk calls me "honey," I am thinking of asking her for a date and then watch the reaction with great humor.

Thus, when this benchmark birthday was upon me, I decided to embrace it. I invited my family and a few friends for a joint celebration with my mother who turned ninety-one a week later. Twenty-two dined with me at my favorite Indian restaurant in Hilliard, Ohio. What better way to celebrate than to be with the people you love the most and who have impacted your life. I like to think that my father was also with us smiling from the beyond and saying, "Not bad, my son. No bad at all."


If you have a guest vignette you would like to submit, please do so. Not only will I enjoy reading it, but if agreeable with you and space permitting, I will print it in a future issue. The vignette should be written in paragraph form and relate a personal story or event. Equally important, it should fit the overall tenor of this newsletter. Ideally, it should not exceed twenty lines. Please send to bob@poeticaljourneys.com.


 

Recommendations
 

Blue Springs Cafe just off the Highland, IL exit on I-70: On a hunger whim we stopped for an evening meal. Don't stop unless you are hungry. Your main course is served along with coleslaw, beets and biscuits with apple butter to begin and then mashed potatoes and green beans along with your entree choice. I suggest that the average person may want to split the entree–so much good food. Of course the pies are why you stop–flaky crust and an abundance of decadent filling. Beware, no credit cards accepted, only cash or check.

Montana Mike's Steakhouse, Colby, KS: On our last night in Kansas we ate at this local restaurant, Montana Mike's. We were provided excellent food and service. It was definitely popular! I enjoyed the glazed salmon while Jan enjoyed the local beef.

Poetry: Who Needs It?: Jim from Mt. Vernon sent this very interesting read from the NYT.

Please take a look at the online book and gift page.

 

................................My peach pie at the Blue Springs Cafe.

............................................A series of wind farms stretched 25.2 miles in length on I-70. The gusts were almost strong enough to knock you over.

 

................................................................................................................................................Grazing land in Colorado along U.S. 40

............................................................................................................................Climbing the pass to Winter Park, CO. Note the road far below.

......................................................................The vast expanse of fields in Nebraska–part of the Breadbasket of the U.S.

 

..............................................................More pasture land in Colorado on U.S.40–note the flooding from mountain snow and spring rains

.......................Dinosaur country–many remains have been discovered in this area of Colorado, near the Utah border on U.S. 40

.....................................................................................................................................................Same area as above

.....................................................................................................One of the many mesas in Colorado on U.S. 40 almost to Utah

 

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