2 more signs I'm in the Midwest

In case the scooter gang wasn't enough to remind me that I'm back in the Midwest, listening to the folks here talk will do it. I'm staying at Wolfie's Campground - which is pronounced by the locals as "Woofies."

The cheerleader car wash I passed by also reminded me, with all the blonde blue-eyed Nordic heritage girls who tried to convince me that they could wash my scooter.

Speaking of the scooter... allow one bit of venting.... why is it that some obnoxious people feel compelled to yell out their car windows at a scooter even though I can't understand what they're saying? (Well I did understand 2 words today's chick yelled - one started with "M" and the other with "F.") And even though I'm not anywhere in their way - going opposite directions in fact? It's happened twice - both times young women (I'm being polite by referring to them as such) who had these terribly screwed up UGLY faces that were all twisted up in anger. If they only knew how unbelievably ugly they look when they do that. The chicks on Jerry Springer have nothing on them! Maybe they thought I was casting for the show?

Never thought I'd see this!

No mistaking it, I am back in the Midwest. This morning I was invited to ride along with a scooter gang - yes, you heard me right, a scooter gang! There were six of them (which I think constitutes a gang.) I was waiting to turn right at an intersection as they passed through, beeping and waving at me - a fellow scooterer.

There were a few cars in between us as I followed them down the road, but I hoped to catch up at a future stoplight. About 2 miles down, I finally did. In the few seconds before the light turned green, one of them yelled the invitation to me, "We're going to Amish Country if you want to come along!"

It was tempting, but I thought, "Dare I ride along with this gang of scooterers that I don't even know? They look harmless enough - not a tattoo or a piece of leather among them - but you never know...." How far was Amish Country anyway? My tank was below a quarter full. I hadn't yet showered and was in my workout clothes so I wasn't prepared for a day out. Could I really take off for this adventure with these strangers?

By then, I had fallen behind again and I came upon the strip mall where Curves was located, so I decided to stick with my original plan. Yet I wonder... what have I missed by not joining them?

Someday, I want to start a scooter gang of my own.

I can breathe!

This weekend we're in Zanesville, OH. As I walked the campground tonight, I saw all of two campfires - on the other side of camp! No need for Actifed tonight. Only 1 child in the whole campground too - which may be because there's no swimming pool.

I felt kind of bad for the little girl who looks like the only one here younger than me. She looks about 10. It didn't seem to bother her though that she was the only kid around. She was having a fine ol' time pushing the empty swings and talking to either herself or some imaginary child in the swing. She reminded me of myself when I was her age... with her dark brown hair and pink dress.

There's actually a lot to be said for being on your own often as a child. (Which may sound strange coming from one of 6 kids - but they were all so much older than me that I was frequently on my own.) My imagination is very well developed from making up my own games and playmates. My independence has served me well on this trip and in other aspects of my life. Plus it prepared me well for living alone most of my adult life - no desperate need for someone to fill the empty space. The space doesn't feel empty!

I rather enjoy the solitude now. While I score as an extrovert on all the psych scales, there are parts of me that thrive on both the crowds and the peaceful quiet. Even though the extrovert in me finds energy from lots of people, after a while I need time to myself. I wonder... is that balance? Or a confused personality?

Bound to happen sooner or later

I really really hate to admit this, but today (ever soooo slightly) I felt a twinge (just a twinge) of homesickness. After almost 9 weeks on the road, there was bound to be that moment, right?

As I was organizing reflections for my writing project, my brain was going in a hundred different directions. There has been so much to my adventure that I need to process and absorb for a while. So I took a walk, which is the best way to slow down my brain.

It was during the walk that the twinge hit. I'm not sure if it was homesickness, or just a yearning for the familiar after so much new stimuli. It was almost as if a clock in my brain went off - "It's time! Time to start heading back for real."

I think what I really need is a good healthy dose of my friends to listen to my stories and then tell me to 'shut up, already!' But it does feel good to know that the time is right. After all, I don't have much choice!

Ah the Irony!

Ask most people what they love about camping, and one answer you'll get often is campfires. That's never been a favorite of mine. I don't really like the lingering smell of campfire smoke on my clothes and in my nose. Yes, the fire is beautiful to watch, mesmerizing even. But what is an enticing smell to some people is just stink to me. Love the camping, hate the campfires. Maybe it reminds me too much of the wood furnace at home.

What I've discovered on this journey is that there's a reason I don't like campfires. Something about them triggers my allergies and makes me miserable. For the last couple of weeks I've been at campgrounds that either don't have fire rings, or the campers there weren't into fires. It's mostly the "weekend warrior" types who feel the need to keep that damn fire going from the time they get up until they go to bed at night with fires still smoldering. So the last place that was filled with so many fires was Cherokee, NC. Now tonight I've got them on both sides of me, and my sinuses instantly filled up. After a violent round of endless sneezing, my head feels like I've got a pillow stuffed inside and my eyes are puffing up. Gotta be the campfires because this hasn't happened since Cherokee. I am soooo glad I bought some more Actifed at my last stop. That's the only way I'll be able to breathe tonight while I sleep, and it makes me sleep heavy too.

Here I thought my allergies at home were triggered by 50+ years of dust mites accumulated in quilts and pillows. Guess the woodburning furnace has a lot to do with it too. No wonder I dread winter visits up north.

I'm learning quite a variety of things about myself on this sabbatical.

Nestled in the hills

I've begun the westward journey today, leaving behind an awful lot of rain. Now I've found a nice little campground in the Allegheny Mountain area in Bedford PA, and will spend a couple of days here, trying to get back on the writing track. I've been a little distracted the last several days, so it's time to get my focus back to see if I can finish at least part of my project before I get all the way back.

This place should be a good spot for me to find that space inside myself again. I see some mountains around the campground, and a nice little lake beside my Beast. Tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful day - just right for taking the laptop lakeside. Might be a few distractions with the family next to me, but even though there are a ton of kids in this family group, they're all cute kids. Maybe they'll inspire me too!

On my other side I met a family from Shanksville, PA - where the plane went down on 9/11. (They're good Lutherans too!) We've already had some good conversation about how that tragic event has changed their community.

Again, I continue to be amazed at how easy it is to meet people on a whole different level traveling this way.

Very full days

The sabbatical days are dwindling, but I'm fitting as much as I can into this time. I'm still keeping a balance of work and fun though. Yesterday I finally found a Lutheran church that's going in the direction I'd like to see Martin Luther head. All the websites I've perused in every town I've stayed in has finally payed off. So far I'd been learning that "contemporary" worship is a relative term. For most, it means a blended style of worship, but still basic Lutheran liturgy. For one, it just meant WOV worship with a guitar and drums (but came out sounding like a schmaltzy waltz.) Finally, this congregation uses the ancient tradition of gathering, Word, Holy Communion, and sending - telling the story with drama, visual images and contemporary music in a way that touches us in the here and now. I spent the morning today meeting with the pastor to pick her brain about ideas and resources, and about what it means to be an "emergent" church. It was a very good and productive day.

But I did have fun yesterday too. Jeff took me to a really nice little area of Bucks County, PA called Peddler's Village - a collection of shops and restaurants. We ate, shopped (well I shopped), walked, and talked our way through the Village. It definitely helps to have someone to show me around and give me insights to the area. I couldn't ask for a better tour guide!

Tomorrow we'll hit the 4th of July parade, then I get myself ready to begin the trek back west.