From The Road: The Sweet Smell of...Soy

November 16, 2007

The scenery did not change dramatically as we crossed the state line into Illinois - we recognized the corn and soybeans from previous states. Here the corn looked more anemic, and a conversation at the gas station produced the opinion that there had not been much rain, and what had fallen had been timely for the "beans", but not the corn.

As you have undoubtedly guessed by now, national and state parks are my first choice for accommodations on this trip. The amenities may be lacking, but the quiet and the scenery more than make up for that. Our first night in Illinois was spent at Kickapoo State Park, largely because I smiled when I saw the name. Li'l Abner and Kickapoo Joy Juice was a part of my childhood, after all.

From there we went on to Arthur, a farming town with a considerable Amish community, and the home of The Great Pumpkin Patch. I had been referred by a friend, and was given the $5 tour: piles of gourds and pumpkins, acre after acre of "pick your own" pumpkins, a corn maze, a straw bale maze, petting animals, gifts, the works.

I had missed by several months the 14th Annual Horse Progress Days, where new equipment for horse-powered farming is exhibited, and was too early for the Broom Corn Festival. Drat, I will have to speak severely to my travel agent! As you can see, however, I am after experiences other than bright lights and four star restaurants. I did buy a jar of sorghum syrup, as a part of my culinary journey, and found it is great on pancakes.

Decatur is not far from Arthur, and we headed there next, to visit with a friend from years back. We caught up, toured the parks and zoo, patronized a huge and enticing used book sale, all the while with a curious aroma in the air. It turns out that Decatur is "Soy City", and that is what I was smelling. After a while I didn't even notice it.

The next leg of our journey took us on part of Old Route 66 to New Salem and Springfield, both places important in the life of Abraham Lincoln. New Salem is a village of reconstructed log cabins where Abe studied law, lost an election, and tried his hand at storekeeping. Then he and his family moved on to Springfield, and there we visited the fine Lincoln Library and Museum, and the church he attended. The Lincoln pew is on display in the narthex there, and the sanctuary is graced with beautiful Tiffany stained glass windows.

While in Springfield we also stopped at The Dana-Thomas House, the largest and most complete of Frank Lloyd Wright's "Prairie" Houses. It seems small and dark by today's standards, but beautiful all the same, and designed around the theme of sumac leaves.

The excitement built toward seeing the Mississippi River, and it was a mighty sight, indeed. We drove down a dusty road to see where it met with the Illinois River, saw levees, many birds, and a huge lock and dam built by The Army Corps of Engineers. In the interpretive Center I learned that some 240 million tons of cargo are shipped down the river yearly, including 60% of U.S. grain exported abroad.

In Alton, Illinois, there was a fearsome carved and painted figure high on a bluff, the Piasa Bird (pronounced Pie-ah-saw). The figure was originally painted by the Illini Indians, and reported in the diary of Pere Marquette in 1673: "---(it) was as large as a calf, with horns like a deer, red eyes, a beard like a tiger's, a face like a man, the body covered with green, red, and black scales, and a tail so long that it passed around the legs, ending like a fish's tail." The bird was a defeated enemy in the Illini's mythology, and supposedly whenever a member of the tribe passed by, he would shoot an arrow at the painting. Hopefully, you will be able to see the photo enclosed. A couple of years ago the painting was redone, and is brilliant and startling as you drive along the flowing river.

More about ancient peoples next week when we visit The Cahokia Mound. Shalom, Penny and Peach

From The Road: Ohio and Indiana

November 8, 2007

We promised you culture last time? In Toledo, Ohio, we finally took time out to tour two museums and an outdoor sculpture garden. Of course it helped that there was a friend who guided us there!

The Toledo Art Museum, The Glass Museum, and the sculpture garden are clustered together, and a joy to experience. Collections of old masterpieces, new potential masterpieces, massive and ingenious sculptures arranged amid trees and bushes were the first act. My admitted favorite here was a bench made of snow white marble - in the shape of a polar bear. You can guess it was chilly to sit on.

The new Glass Museum has inner and outer walls of glass; you can see right through the building! The collection here ranges from an ancient Egyptian perfume vial to an artisan blowing a tiny horse as we watched. If you like glass, this is a wonderful LE (Aunt Valerie's expression for a Learning Experience). There are ceremonial, faceted punchbowls, colorful glasses and vases, and more and more.

In Toledo I continued my culinary adventures by eating walleye - also called pickeral - for dinner, along with a magnificent salad of many colors, many vitamins, and a killer dressing.

Ubiquitous in Toledo; "Fifth Third Bank". Huh?

On the way again, we backed up to photograph a nifty barn, decorated to a fare thee well. (This was on a brief detour into Michigan.)The small sign in front says, "Gremlin Parking Only".

From Toledo we headed back into Indiana again, enjoying the Windmill Museum in Kendallville and the restored grand West Baden Resort (mentioned in "Preservation Magazine" and originally the site of mineral hot springs, but, alas, no more). Then on to Indianapolis.

Here we stayed with a new friend, enjoying the Children's Museum, a bike ride, a drumming circle, and dinner at a haunted restaurant. Wow!

The Children's Museum has lots to do, including a carousel on the fourth floor, a great planetarium, and a revolving seat under the "Glass Ceiling" by Dale Chihuly. Awesome.

After Sunday morning with the friendly folks at the First Congregational U.C.C., we left Indianapolis and headed west, past the Speedway, and into more corn and soybeans.

As we traveled through the midwest I was struck with how many butterflies we encountered on the road. It seemed as though they were "surfing" the air flow over Peachy, having a high old time. This is probably nothing but an anthropomorphic conceit, but it made me feel better.

Did I tell you that I saw Peachy's twin in Kentucky, license plate, "Tin Tent"?

Shalom, and we will meet you next time in Illinois.

From The Road: Digging a Little Deeper on Lessons Learned

On the day Peachy and I started out on this journey, it rained. Since it had been a remarkably dry spring, that was a good sign, and one remarked upon often and with joy on that afternoon. In the course of our travels we have visited hot mineral springs, meandered along brooks,creeks, and rivers, and camped beside reservoirs, and lakes. We have seen miles of irrigation ditches, and long, caterpillar-like sprinkling systems watering huge circles of crops in arid areas. We have read about the sprawling inland sea that once covered the center of our country, admired the fossils embedded, rock formations exposed, and marvelous caves formed, all by the action of water over time. Eons of time.

We have also read often in the Bible about the precious, life-giving and -sustaining gift of water. After all, civilization formed around, and has continued to develop near reliable sources of water. Water is vitally necessary for life.

When I planned this trip, I knew that I wanted to experience something of what peoples without nearby, reliable water experienced. I was what I would consider a typical American, living in a house with two and a half bathrooms, able to find drinking fountains in most public places, and not compelled to think much about, or expend much energy on obtaining clean water for my needs.

I have learned a lot. Carrying water any distance is hard work. I am just one person, and my water use averages about three gallons a day. The campgrounds where I stay usually have a water faucet within a two minute walk from any campsite ( I have timed the walks). Compare this scenario to the life of a mother (or child) in rural Asia or Africa who must walk an average 3.7 miles to obtain water. Then multiply the three gallons a person by the number of family members, and remember that water weighs 8.3 pounds per gallon. The math is sobering.

Even more sobering is the figure from a UNICEF study that 5,000 people die each day from waterborne diseases, and 4,000 of these are children. So, even if a mother walks miles to carry water home for her family, that water may carry organisms that could well be deadly. Over a billion people in the world are in this plight,lacking access to clean, reliable sources of water. The UN has pledged to try to cut this number in half by the year 2015, and Church World Service and the other NGOs with which they work are already making a difference. Their water projects, ranging from deep bore holes, shallower wells, and various catchment systems, are being put in place now,making life better for thousands of humans.

When CWS decides to build a water system, it is in response to a request of representatives from a village. The project is done with the approval and cooperation of the local and/or national government, and assures that the water supply will be publicly owned and managed by an elected committee from the village. This method includes training in management and repair of the water supply, gender equality,and community cooperation. These programs WORK! In addition, Church World Service has a four star rating from Charities Navigator, an organization evaluating charities on how well they spend their donations. Your gift will go directly to life-saving projects. If you are considering alternative gift-giving for the holidays, bringing clean water to a thirsty world has much to recommend it - and it is easy! Check out the links from this site, and feel good about your gift-giving this year; no worries about the best size or color, and recipients won't even have to dust it!

Shalom for now, and next time we will have some culture for you.

Lake Oglala, in Nebraska

From The Road: Smokey Bear and Honey....and the flies to go with it.

The outside of the building of the Falls of the Ohio Interpretive Center is an impressive introduction to history on a grand scale - looking like a slice of geology, it's many layers exposed to the modern viewer. Inside there are models, dioramas, a good movie, and that seven-foot-long mammoth tusk I mentioned last time, all geared toward enlightening us about the long story of the formation of the Ohio River Valley.

This part of the country was once a huge sea In that time coral flourished and formed a reef, now exposed, which is two and a half miles long, and which interrupts ship traffic on the 900-mile-long river. Fierce-looking fish, some twenty feet long lived here, and other wonders, whose fossils are embedded in the reef. Glaciers came and went, dinosaurs roared, and mammoths lumbered here. Later the buffalo, in herds of thousands crossed the river into Kentucky to reach salt licks, in the process making a path called The Buffalo Trace. This path was wide enough to accommodate a carriage, became part of The Wilderness Road, and eventually a portion of Indiana Route 25.

We headed North into Indiana, spending balmy nights in state parks with beautiful lakes, deer, butterflies, a flock of goldfinches on thistle seed heads, generally stinky pit toilets, one park a little too near a race car track, and, at Patoka Lake, a birthday party for Smokey the Bear, who turned 63 years old in August. The rangers at that park even had a birthday cake with a picture of Smokey on it!

Camp breakfast of a balmy Indiana morning...

In the Amish communities, Peachy took her turn at stop signs with horse-drawn buggies, and Penny spent a rainy Monday morning in the local Laundromat with many ladies in white caps drying voluminous loads of work clothes in the gas driers. One thing that seems to go along with horses is the presence of flies. We stopped for a roadside sign advertising honey, and came away with honey and a collection of the flying beasties that plagued us for several days. Luckily, one of our going-away gifts was a fly swatter, and it earned its passage in Indiana! Amish businesses are closed on Sundays, even those advertising on the super highways; good for them for keeping that day apart from the usual rush of life.

In Metamora, a charmingly restored town, there was a wonderful account in the local paper about an "unorthodox" election that had been held just months before. It seems that with the increased tourist trade, public restrooms were called for. To cover some of the cost of this project, an election was concocted in which twelve candidates sought votes, each vote being $1 toward the restroom project. The winner would be declared The Honorary Mayor of Metamora, with no rights or responsibilities beyond bragging rights.

Candidates included a four-year-old named Crystal, two horses, a Doberman from out of town, and Whiffy, the skunk mascot of The Smelly Gourmet Coffee Bar. The winner was Henry Ferguson, long-time resident of Metamora. Crystal came in second, and I am sure you will be happy to hear that Whiffy was fifth. Not too bad for a skunk.

A real Horse of a Candidate...No, really...
this was one of the horse-candidates

My favorite sign so far: (Posted on the door of a church kitchen), "UNATTENDED CHILDREN WILL BE GIVEN ESPRESSO AND A FREE PUPPY" Shalom.

From The Road: Ohio To Kentucky

October 9, 2007

Would you believe I missed The Annual Duck Tape Festival in Avon, Ohio ("The Duck Tape Capital of the World")? Bummer. I did log onto their web site, however, learned the interesting history of this mighty tape, and was wowed by the spiffy prom outfits concocted for the occasion. I also missed the Paperweight Museum in Cambridge, and an artistic topiary garden in Columbus, so will have to come back and have another go.


The visit in Cleveland was delightful, with the exception of the night Penny left the roof vent open (for the garden), and there was an unexpected downpour. Poor Peachy was pretty wet, and all of the envelopes stuck together, but a few days of 80 degree weather and using the old-fashioned 4-60 method of air conditioning (driving at 60 miles per hour with all four windows open) dried out most things. It will be postcards from now on, however. Our kind hosts treated Penny to dinner overlooking the lake at sunset, and helped take Peachy to the VW dealer for a check-up.

From Cleveland we headed South to Malabar Farm, a place I have wanted to see for many years. It was the life work of Louis Bromfield, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author and screen writer. He entertained many famous people at the farm, and a high point in its history was the wedding of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, held in the grand front hall there. The farm is now maintained by the State of Ohio as a museum and study center for sustainable farming.

Since we were so close to Kentucky, we next headed for Lexington. As we approached the border the lush and level fields (still corn and soybeans) started to crumple into hills, the fields became smaller, and soon horse fences and tobacco fields appeared.

The Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington is a wonderful place, with manicured lawns and gardens, elegant buildings, many breeds of horses to meet face to face, museums, videos, and more horse trailers than I could count. Some of them were so grand it seemed that they must be the abodes of rock stars.

It was very hot and humid, so we turned West and headed for Louisville with air conditioning on full tilt. Louisville looked really fine, but I was so hot that I made but one stop, at the Kentucky Art and Craft Museum. This was terrific, with textiles, jewelry, wood, metal, and found objects crafted into beautiful, useful, outrageous, and fun things. There are many talented people living in Kentucky!

While driving through Louisville I noticed a pocket park where "naked ladies" or magic lilies were blooming. It reminded me of the naughty pleasure we had at Washington Cathedral when we told visitors that "the naked ladies are dancing in the Bishop's Garden"!

One really noticeable thing about Louisville is the number of bridges getting to and from it. I counted seven, I think, and we chose the most likely one to cross over into Indiana, advertising itself as, "The Sunnyside of Louisville". Here we found one of the most interesting places yet - The Falls of the Ohio Interpretive Center - which included a 7 foot- long mammoth tusk! More next time.

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Wendell Berry

Shalom

From The Road: Saratoga, Chatauqua, Erie - Aquatic Tourism

September 25, 2007

Chugging across the narrow end of Lake Champlain on a ferry was restful, cool, and fun. Peachy enjoyed getting off her tired tires for a while, and Penny hung over the railing watching the flocks of birds and waving to the power boaters speeding by. When we docked, we were in the craggy beginnings of the Adirondacks! We spent a couple of days in and around the beautiful water of Lake George with dear friends, and then headed south into Saratoga Springs. Being August, the place was bustling, and Penny decided to fore go a dip in the mineral waters there, though we did like the various horse statues on the sidewalks, all decorated by different artists, and all beautiful and festive.

The northern part of New York is very agricultural, and we passed by some fields where the corn, while perhaps not quite as high as an elephant's eye, would certainly hide your average Buick. This was the beginning of the corn belt which was to accompany us for the next several weeks through numerous states, alternating with soybeans ad infinitum.

Grapes also grow well in that region, and the vineyards stretched for miles, only grudgingly making way for a house now and then. I stopped at a roadside stand to buy blueberries, zucchini, and garlic (the best!), from a really nice woman who also grows great flowers (I probably stopped because the flowers were so lovely). She and her husband cultivate several acres of grapes which are sold to a local cooperative for making juice and jam. She said that there had been no rain for the past month and a half, and we both hoped that the harvest would be OK in spite of that lack.

A dream for many years was fulfilled when I spent a day at The Chatauqua Institute on Lake Chatauqua. It is a wondrous place, part vacation, part fun and fellowship, and a large part culture and creative arts. I heard how Francis of Assisi's prayers were influenced by Muslim form, and a discussion on a book, "The Tent of Abraham", written by a Catholic nun, a Rabbi, and a Muslim scholar. Wonderful and worthwhile.

Walking by the Erie Canal turned into a living history lesson, and I reflected on how important it is to experience things, not always to just read or hear about them. The people who have been part of our history in the USA are a varied bunch, independent, brave, generous, ruthless, and more. I am excited to be able to see more of the places I have read about, and the lasting effects many of our forefathers and -mothers have wrought.

Noted in passing:
A bumper sticker urging, "KEEP AURORA WILD", not your everyday Chamber of Commerce message, surely.
A sign for a nudist resort in Candor, NY.
A jaunty life-sized skeleton perched at a picnic table and wearing a beret, seemingly waiting for a glass of wine. That waiter must have been really slow.
My favorite, a vending machine selling live bait. Those fishermen are serious!

Shalom

From The Road: Exploring Vermont

September 18th

When we left you last time we were heading into Vermont. I spent three days there with my cousins, talking over old times and laughing until we couldn't talk. We have a close bond, being daughters of sisters, and all living together during World War II while our fathers served overseas. It was hard to leave, but I took with me lots of warm fuzzies, 2 forks, and an armload of books.

From White River Junction on the east side of Vermont we meandered along with brooks and through beautiful old villages, up and down dale, to Burlington, on Lake Champlain. This is a happening place, with lots of young people, outdoor activities (for example, sailing on the lake), and the home of The Intervale, an organization of organic farms, a wildlife preserve, community gardens and food sharing groups, and the largest compost pile in the country, especially sweet with the rinsings from Ben and Jerry's ice cream churns. From Burlington Peachy and I headed south to The Shelburne Museum, a truly impressive place. It encompasses many acres, and contains old buildings moved there for preservation and display, artifacts, fine art, and changing exhibits. It is easily worth a whole day of wandering and looking. I lucked into an exhibit of Shaker furniture, another of exquisite contemporary quilts, and something totally unexpected. In the cool lower level of the huge old round bar was a display of modern chandeliers. Since it was a really hot day, I went down to take a look.

These were innovative interpretations of house lighting, and two spoke to me. One was made from 3,000 ping pong balls, surgical tubing, and fishing line. The star of the show, however, was a sphere of brilliant crystals held together on an armature of stainless steel that could be taken apart into sections and cleaned in the dishwasher!

There are also collections here of carriages, a whole circus performance and parade of hand-carved wooden figures, old carousel animals, tools, a steam train with several cars drawn up at a station (complete with schedules), and the Ticonderoga, a 220 ft. Lake Champlain steamer, rescued from oblivion and hauled overland during the winter to rest majestically on a bed of gravel near the train.

It really was a very hot day, and after a warm night in the upper bunk, I broke camp and we headed for the ferry to take us to New York.

Brooks and lakes: here we are talking about water again. We all need it! According to the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers it takes:

+ 4 gallons of water to process a pound of hamburger
+ 9.3 gallons of water to process a can of vegetables
+ 39,090 gallons of water to make one new car

Are you ready for more license plates?
Y B BROKE (on a BMW)
2 CENTS
2TH FRY
WANNABET

Shalom

From The Road: On Prayer Trees and the Art of the Shower

September 6, 2007

Let us give thanks for showers.
Generous gushers,
Parsimoneous spitters,
Needle-y stingers,

Faced in marble,
Aqua tile,
Fiberglass,or
Concrete block,
Closed with
Curtains of politically correct cotton duck,
Clingy plastic, or
Etched glass doors.

We give thanks for the streams,
The drops,
The squirts,
That carry away our
Detritus, our
Smells, our debilitating
Sense of being unclean.

Perhaps a re-baptism?
Some days it feels like that.

The above is in imitation of one of Leunig's prayers from "The Prayer Tree", one of those books I like to re-read often. I wish I could remember his first name, but Amazon was no help this time. He writes prayers that are poems, giving thanks for singers, teapots, winter, etc., and his illustrations are delightful (he is a cartoonist).

So, here I am talking about water again. The average American uses somewhere between 50 and 100 gallons of water a day, compared with a family in a third world country that carries its water a distance, and which uses around 3 to 5 gallons a day. A family. Something to think about.

On this trip I have experienced all of the above breeds of showers, and then some. One particular variety has a button one pushes to start the water, which flows for 12 seconds, and then shuts off. One pushes the button again for another dose, and so forth. Then there was the one that cost a quarter; one had to guess how long the water would run. Luckily I hurried through and still had some time left, but I can see that rummaging through one's pockets for another quarter with soap getting in one's eyes would be tough.

My worst experience so far has been in a state park, where I arrived at the shower house all prepared, and opened the curtain of the shower stall to encounter a cloud of mosquitoes. That morning I passed.

From The Road: Roads Less Traveled...and More So

August 29th

The plan for this "Trip of a Lifetime" was to travel on smaller, slower and more populated and/or scenic routes. This has worked out well, giving me glimpses of the character of places, and allowing a comfortable speed (thus conserving at least some gas). There are also more opportunities to note flora, fauna, interesting signs (on a rock and mineral store: "Can you tell the sex of a trilobite?"), and roadside stands selling local produce along the way. Even so, many times things went by too fast, so I regret that I can't share with you the whole, complex, and interesting experience.

Detouring onto a super highway does occasionally have its benefits, however. When entering a new state, it is worthwhile to do so on an interstate, and stop at the Welcome Center. Here you will find brochures with information on places to see, events, and lodging coupons. The folks behind the desk are also great sources of information, and nice, besides.

On one such highway, entering New Hampshire from Maine, I was struck by how lulling the dark forest was along the road. Verges were clothed in the greens of various ferns (they of the complex nomenclature and ancient and idiosyncratic reproductive habits). Among them were constellations of white daisies, the ethereal lace of cleavers flowers, and now and again the yellow or orange of hawkweed, and the pink-tinged valerian. Elder flowers were in bloom here and there, and I chuckled to remember the summer 30+ years ago when I dragged my children out on a Euell Gibbons-inspired foraging expedition to pick elderberries. We clambered through brush and over stone walls, and brought home enough berries to make a batch of barely drinkable wine, 23 jars of jelly, and six cases of moderate to severe poison ivy. Gathering elderberries, needless to say, is now a family joke.

Peachy and I stopped in New Hampshire for a few days to pick up mail, clean and rearrange the van, visit with my brother and his family, and on Sunday, attend The North Wilmot Church (ecumenical, open only in the summer). Then we departed for the Green Mountain State, Vermont.

In one of Peachy's file boxes is a collection of quotations that have spoken to me at one time or another. Every once in a while I will share one with you, so, from a United Church of Christ service,

"Release in us enough light for another day, enough joy to smile in the morning and laugh in the evening, enough love to turn from our own preoccupations so we may tend to others' needs, enough praise that a rainbow of songs will follow each tear."

One of the blessings of this trip is that I am no longer bound by many old habits and ways of looking at things. I can more easily "--turn from (my) own preoccupations--". This is liberating, and, hopefully, productive. Shalom

From The Road: Lobster Yachts to Licence Plates

August 27th, Kickapoo, IL

Scenery as we continued East along the Maine coast was wonderful and different. (Wiscasset proclaimed itself, "The Prettiest Town in Maine", and it just might be.)There were fantastical creatures fashioned from odd bits of old farm machinery and all manner of gleaming copper weather vanes for the tourists, and what seemed to me to be an oxymoronic offer, "Lobster Yacht for Sale".

In a tidy red shack outside Ellsworth a young woman sold "pickled wrinkles". It would have taken a stronger soul than I to resist. They turned out to be speckled sea snails in salt water/vinegar brine, not much on taste, but considerably chewy. Never let it be said that I confined my regional food in Maine to effete lobster!

Machias was a treat, with more good food (including lobster - I'm not a total dufus), more wild roses, artwork galore, a comfy bed looking out on the ocean, great walks, talks about times gone by, and killer card games.

I was impressed with the generosity of the First Congregational Church in Machias, where more than a hundred paper grocery bags sat on tables in the basement waiting to be filled with food and handed out later in the week to the needy in the city.

Acadia National Park was nine parts wonderful, and one part soggy. After setting up camp (including putting up the screened room up for the first time), I took the free shuttle service to explore while Peachy rested. There are beaches (warning - cold water!), cliffs where peregrines nest, rocky cliffs with surf pounding away, a wildflower garden, carriage roads, and mighty Cadillac Mountain. The ranger-led walks were fun and educational (I learned a new term: "glacial erratic", a boulder unlike other rocks in the area, which was dumped by a glacier.) A serendipitous extra was a free beading workshop taught by a Native American.

In nearby Bar Harbor there were crowds of "people from away",as my Machias friend termed visitors, wonderful flowers, and an ice cream parlor on every block. Just off the main square is a beautiful old Episcopal church with Tiffany stained glass windows where I attended an evening Taize service. Here was also a coin laundry where clean and dry laundry happened.

The last two stops in Maine included a great seafood lunch overlooking the harbor in Kennebunk, a tour of that charming town (largely obscured by fog), and then a couple of days in nearby Arundel on a family-owned organic farm. Here were handmade houses (one of straw bales), a magnificent food garden, wonderful home-grown food, a veritable Taj Mahal of a hand-tiled shower, and Gus, the ultimate frisbie dog.

Water was present everywhere in Maine, the tremendous and always changing ocean, lakes (many with water lily adornments), tidal flats, and farm ponds of varied size and health. Surely there were aquifers and springs also, even if not so apparent. Yet even here there are stacks of packaged plastic bottles of water in the stores and by the gas pumps. Why? The taste of the tap water as I traveled around did change, and some tasted better than others, but they were all potable, I have yet to plagued by gastric distress, and the thought of all that unnecessary plastic is troublesome, to me, anyway.

Many people collect things; my vice is copying down interesting license plates. How would you interpret these two recent additions? BLD ONE (affirmation or confession?)

ONSET (of what? good or bad?)

From here we really and truly do head West! Shalom

From The Road: August (in) Ohio

Toledo, Ohio
August 16

Madison, Connecticut is a beautiful and historic city, and the day after the exciting U.C.C. synod in Hartford, I was treated to Sunday worship in the light-filled and friendly First Congregational UCC Church there, a driving tour which included an old stone fort, and a walk on the Town Beach, "Sean's Big Swimming Place". The sun shone, the breeze whispered, and it looked like a perfect place to spend most of the summer.

After a great al fresco luncheon Peachy and I set off North, heading for Duxbury, Massachusetts, another historic town, established by many of the Pilgrims who had survived the first disastrous winter in Plymouth. Duxbury has many beautiful old homes, shaded by huge old trees, and edged by more riotous gardens. This was a family visit, and included lots of laughs, card games, a wonderful early-morning walk on the wide beach (low tide), fabulous early peas, lobster, decadent desserts, and clean laundry. Isn't family wonderful?

From Duxbury we headed into the labyrinth of Cambridge, MA, and a visit with more family.As brother-in-law Frank has observed, "There are six routes to our house, all equally inconvenient." The effort was worth it, however, with more good conversations, laughs (my family does that well), more great food (they do that well, also), another load of laundry, and some books for the road. Now, on to Maine.

Maince was a delight, from the warm welcomes, to the seacoast scenery, to the odd quirky bits along the way.

Gorham, the first stop, is a university town, with laid back charm and a strong sense of community. My hosts trotted me around to meet lots of interesting friends and explore the city of Portland, which is reinventing itself as a vibrant place. Here I was treated to brown eggs still warm from the nest, huge salads with "everything"in them, and introduced to "The Intentional Community Directory", which I have ordered. I attended the Unitarian Universalist service in Portland, where I met more kindly and interesting folks, paid a visit to the large and impressive Good Will store, and then we were off to Spruce Head.

Spruce Head is real Maine, with the smell of salt breezes, seaweed, and wild roses combined. Another warm welcome, a community dinner with local specialties and a meeting with a Barred Owl, with the softest head feathers you have ever felt ( although I suggest you inquire as to the appropriateness of petting any owl you encounter). This particular one was the "pet" of a gentleman who rescues hurt owls, and who entertained and educated us on the subject. Spruce Head is a small community where lobster boats are part of the scenery, people live with one eye on the tide table, and everyone knows each other.

The following day we set off for Rockland, the Farnsworth Museum, and the Center for the Puffin Project. Many famous artists have spent summers in Maine, interpreting the special light here, and the Farnsworth has paintings by the Wyeth family, Wnnslow Homer, Childe Hassan, and Hopper, as well as works by Louise Nevelson (who grew up here), Andy Warhol, and more. The Puffin Project was delightful, and the efforts to re-establish colonies of Puffins on several small islands off the coast has been very successful. They are really cute little guys, and some of them live to be more than 30 years old.

There were many signs warning of "Moose Crossings" in Maine, but nary a live one did I see. There were, however, sculptures of them everywhere, my favorite being a life-sized wooden behemoth chained to a telephone pole. Some other interesting bits: a small old Cape Cod-style house with 11 seagulls lined up absolutely symmetrically along the peak of the roof, a sign by the road, "Ellen Mae, Welding", and, a parking lot with 22 red tractors lined up facing the road.

Coming up: First we go "Down East", and then "Westward, Ho!" Shalom

From The Road: The New England Tour Continued

Lexington, KY
August 9,2007

Whew, it is time to admit that I am a wimp. This past week has been both hot and wet (mostly humid, but there was a shower on Tuesday that caught me off guard - and with the "moon roof" open. whoops), and it has been hard to sleep. Anyone who knows me will tell you that without sleep, I am not good for much.

This morning however, I am writing in the comfort of an air-conditioned motel room, and after a cool sleep, a warm shower, and even a supply of clean clothes (I picked a motel which advertised a "guest laundry"). I am able to function once again. It seems a good time to report on a "typical day", although every day is unique, and so far, many of the days have been spent with family or friends, and aren't relevant to the story. Here, therefore, is a report of one day in the state of Maine - about which you will undoubtedly hear more later.

Awakening with the sun streaming through the screened windows of the upper bunk, I don my trusty muu muu, trek to the bath house, then fire up the Coleman stove, make coffee, and sit, reveling in the new day while meditating. Then it is time for a shower, real clothes, and breakfast, this morning oatmeal/wheat germ pancakes with home made blackberry sauce. The dishes done, and Peachy repacked, we head out for new adventures.

Today we drive an hour and a half, pause for gas and a stretch, and then drive on for another hour. (Those pancakes last well!) In a shaded corner of a supermarket parking lot, we pull in for a lunch break, and after buying Rye Crisp, cheese, biodegradable dish detergent (I have been washing the dishes with shampoo), and clothesline, I eat sitting in Peachy's side door. Lunch is tomatoes and plums bought yesterday at a roadside stand, Rye Crisp, cheese, and water.

Another two hours of driving, and we arrive at a great little campground, discovered in Woodall's Campground Directory given me by my brother, and worth its weight in gold. The place is not crowded, there is beautiful grass throughout, and each site is surrounded by a curving belt of wild flowers and bushes. Very cozy. Walking about I find nice bathrooms with country music piped in, and a sign by the bank of the nearby river, "Alligators live here, don't go near the edge". Another sign by the office advertises cooked lobsters for $10 each.

No lobster for dinner, but brown rice and braised greens from Peachy's garden, another tomato, more plums, and a cup of herb tea. After some reading, washing of dishes, another visit to the pine-paneled bath house, and arranging the upper bunk, it is time for lights out.

Noted in Passing: Bumper sticker, "Maine Black Fly Breeders Association: We breed 'em, You feed 'em" Sign in front of hardware store< "Your in-laws could show up any moment. We rent tents!"

Next up, More New England. Shalom!

From The Road: Tour du Connecticut

Arundel, Maine July 19, 2007

You have probably noticed that the posts here lag behind the postmarks. This is partly due to Peachy's delivering me occasionally to phone company "terra incognita", and partly because Penny is visiting too much with her new friends and exploring new places instead of tending to her computer. We will catch up someday!

From New York City Peachy and I traveled up to Connecticut and had a visit with a beloved aunt and uncle. It is always a gift for me to arrive in some of the old towns (some now celebrating their 300th birthdays!), and appreciate anew the beauty of the old houses - their graceful proportions, and the way they look so comfortable nestled into the land under huge old, gnarled trees. New owners have generally done a fine job of restoring some of the more dilapidated examples, and many ancient stone walls are looking quite put together after much hard work lifting and thoughtful rearranging of the lichened boulders.


The gardens of New England also charm me with their exuberant growth and bloom after having survived the long, cold winter. They seem to know that they need to take advantage of the short summer, so they pour all their energy into billows of color along those stone walls, in window boxes, perennial borders, and in civic beautifications alongside the streets. In general these are harmonious, but one intriguing example made me wonder if two committees, perhaps one from the local garden club and the other working for the town, had not communicated with each other before planting mauve and pale pink petunias in a bed interspersed with red geraniums. Humm.

Hartford, CT was the next stop, and what an extravagant welcome that was! Penny attended the United Church of Christ Synod celebrating the 50th birthday of the U.C.C. Exciting speeches by Bill Moyers and Barak Obama were high points among a wonderful array of talks, workshops, and concerts held in several venues. It was a great experience, and even included thousands of dozens of cookies, every variety you can imagine, circulating around the Hartford Civic Center, where more than 9,600 people gathered from all across the country.

It is affirming to find so many extravagant welcomes along this journey. Everyone seems to be interested in the news about water crises in various developing countries around the world, and beginning to be aware of the very real possibility of our rich country suffering from a similar fate not so far in the future. To give a couple of examples, in Frederick, Maryland there was a new-house moratorium for almost three years not too long ago, imposed due to lack of water, and in Maine there is some public outcry currently about companies sucking water out of the land to sell in plastic bottles. We are all connected, and whether a woman walking a mile to carry water home for her family, or a dry aquifer in one of our own states, we are all affected. To close: "To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival". Wendell Berry

Shalom until next time, when the New England journey continues.

From The Road: Extravagant Welcomes

The next two segments of our trip could have no better name than "Extravagant Welcomes". In Pennsylvania old and new friends and a scurry of winsome Shih Tzus, and then a better-than-expected reunion at Swarthmore College, on spectacular grounds (complete with a quirky blue tree) welcomed us.

Then on to Delaware and the Mid Atlantic Conference of the United Church of Christ in Newark.The service on Sunday morning was beautiful,organized by the New Ark UCC, and felt most welcoming. I learned there that originally the name of the city had been New Ark. Aha!

New Jersey flashed by with pine barrens, and stretches of grey oak trees - denuded by gypsy moths? Anyway, I enjoyed a visit with a son and his family, and then into the big city.

I am not naturally a city person, but this turned out to be a beautiful weekend with another son and his family. Did you know there is a playground overlooking the Hudson River where you can get up close and personal with hippos? We also took a picnic to "The Stone Barns" in Pocantico Hills, where story book clouds overhead and poison ivy underfoot graced our visit with cows, chickens, high tech greenhouses, a charming dooryard garden, and a Great Pyrenees guarding a flock of sheep.

I promised to explain how Peachy's name came about. When I first had a chance to drive this VW Eurovan, I was impressed, and commented to myself, "You drive like a peach." Thinking back as to why something good merited the term "peachy", I realized that was the endearment by which my grandfather called my grandmother. A good name. So, my compasnion on this trip became "Peachy".

This post and the photo of the original Peachy, Isabel Floyd-Jones Jones, come to you courtesy of my hosts in Maine, since this seems to be a spot unavailable to cell phones - more of the "Extravagant Welcomes." Thank you friends!

Hopefully I will catch up this coming week. Until then, Shalom.

From The Road: The New England Tour

New London, New Hampshire

Early June is a lush time of year in Maryland. The day before Peachy and I left Frederick, the late Spring air felt as soft as a silk scarf around my shoulders and the scent of honeysuckle wafted in and out of my consciousness. On our way we passed a field so brilliantly green as to look unreal, patches of forest with a mosaic of different shades of green, and a meadow entirely burnished with shiny golden buttercups.

We began our actual journey on a Sunday, after an emotional service at Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ and the annual church picnic. Peachy and I arrived late at the picnic, but were greeted with good food, practical gifts for the road, assurances of prayers to help us along the way, and a good year's supply of hugs. The Spring had been dry, but that day we enjoyed a gentle rain - a good beginning for our "Water for Life" adventure. We had a prayer circle under the picnic shelter, and then dashed out between the raindrops to pat Peachy with a blessing. The photo of the three of us in front of Peachy may look strained, but we are standing in that formation so the license plate (H2O 4LIF) is visible.

First stop was Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, to practice van living, rest up, and unwind with mineral baths and massages, both wonderful and affordable at the Berkeley Springs State Park.

After a few days we headed East, and were wowed by a glowing swath of red poppies, backlit by the morning sun, a gift from the Maryland Department of Transportation. Thank you! I have appreciated the flowers growing in median strips in several states for several years, but have never taken the time to let someone know how much they mean. Guess we all need to say "thanks" more often!

In Pennsylvania we noticed neat rows of young corn plants (not a single weed evident!), undulating fields of silvery-green oats shimmering in the breeze, and patches of pale winter wheat in the process of being harvested by a farmer with a team of horses. Farther on there was another "plain" farmer with a team of seven mules. The towns were neatly kept and seemed to need only a bit of bunting and a few more American flags to look poised for a patriotic parade.

There are huge old barns along there, made of tawny Pennsylvania fieldstone, signs for livestock auctions, Amish-made outdoor furniture and gazebos, crafts, quilts, and one tattoo parlor, the latter probably not much frequented by the "plain people". Altogether a beautiful and productive part of our amazing country.

Shalom until next time, when Peachy and civilization will be the subjects on tap.

From The Road: Hanging Gardens...Redux...Sort of...

Middlebury, Connecticut June 20, 2007

You have doubtless heard of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Well, Peachy is going that one better; she is equipped with a Traveling Garden. In the last post you saw a photo of Peachy in camping mode, a picnic table in the foreground with the garden in the process of having a sun bath and a dose of fish emulsion/seaweed fertilizer. The latter chore, you can imagine, is better done outside in the fresh air.

The garden is practical; it is a salad garden, and should also provide extra oxygen to keep the driver extra alert. There are 27 pots of various sizes, all contained in two plastic-lined boxes, which ride in the passenger seat. Crops include 3 varieties of lettuce, rhubarb chard, beet greens, purslane, rose orach, fennel, cilantro, curly and Italian parsley, thyme, lemon thyme, lemon verbena, anise hyssop, arugula, kale, shallots, and nasturtiums. Lots of vitamins, interesting scientific experiment, and Penny likes to mess about with plants and dirt. Already the arugula has bolted and the cilantro wilted, but new seeds will be sown next week.

Collecting water for both the garden and Penny's use is an integral part of the whole pennyspeachydrive Water for Life adventure. Water weighs a bit more than 8 pounds per gallon, and a gallon just suffices to water Peachy's garden once. Penny is using about 2 gallons a day for drinking, cooking, washing dishes, and "cat baths". Together that equals about 25 pounds of water per day - for one person, and that doesn't take into account the flush toilets and showers at the campgrounds. In addition, the distance from the water faucet to the camp site has been only 30 feet, and it is taken for granted that the water is potable.

Imagine carrying enough water to cover all the needs of a family - and having to carry that water a mile or more - all the while knowing that the water may be carrying disease. These are sobering thoughts. Penny is learning a lot, gaining in empathy, and developing muscles from carrying water and climbing into and out of that upper bunk.

That's it for now, Shalom, and I'll be back on Friday, Lord willing and the creek don"t rise.

Coming up: More on the Send -off, and pictures while moving.

From The Road:

Here we are in camping mode; Peachy in her four new tires, Penny in her new red camp chair - except she just stepped away to take the picture.

Avalon, NJ

First lesson: Too much stuff! It is hard to move around, and no way can the back seat be folded down into a bed. It is more than a little ironic that though trying to simplify, I cling to more than I need. e.e. cummings says in one of his poems, "...and having is giving, but keeping is doting and nothing and nonsense...". In my case, keeping is also "tripping over". Some of this stuff needs to go. How can I be in community with brothers and sisters in the developing world when I have so much more than I need, and they have so little?

Driven to sleep in the upper bunk, I climb up with the aid of a milk crate and the "kitchen counter" behind the driver's seat. Good thing no one is looking - it is not pretty. Over time, however, the climbing becomes easier, and it is 10 degrees cooler up here!

Coming up next: Reflections on water, and an introduction to "The Traveling Garden of Peachy". Until then, Shalom.

The Send-off

Above Right: The Rev. Dr. Ted Farrar, Regional Director of CWS for the Greater Mid-Atlantic area will be working closely with Penny as she spreads the news about the CWS Africa Initiative. The Rev. Dr. Barbara Kershner Daniel is pastor of Penny's church in Frederick, MD.


Penny began her journey on the 3rd of June, setting out from her hometown of Frederick, MD. She set off and after a brief stop at a college class reunion at Swarthmore she went on to Newark, DE for a United Church of Christ. She is now heading for New York State. Here are some pictures from the gathering at Penny's church, Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ, where her fellow congregates and friends celebrated her mission at their annual picnic.


Below Left: Exploring Peach, the camper-van that will carry Penny along her journey. Below Right: Penny and Peachy.

The Journey Begins: First of a series of press releases to track Penny's travels.

Journey of the Heart: A cross-country campaign to raise awareness about Church World Service and its mission.

CWS Greater Mid-Atlantic Office
May 25, 2007

Penny Hartman, mother/stepmother of eight, grandmother of another eight, and active member of Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ, in Frederick, Maryland for the past ten years, has been moved by her experience with CROP to devote her energies and resources toward one of its missions. She will be traveling around the United States for one year, raising awareness of and funds for a Church World Service project called Water for Life/Water for All to address the need for clean water for more than a million people worldwide.

The trip is dubbed The Peachy Drive, named after the van that will be carrying Penny on her journey, and is a completely voluntary project undertaken by Penny.

“I plan to travel in a camper van, hoping to be invited to speak with church groups, school classes, and any interested organizations. I will be staying in state and national parks, church parking lots, and any available hospitable driveways. Since this trip is a volunteer project, the budget will be tight, though Church World Service has provided encouragement, materials, and contacts.”

The route and timetable for the adventure are flexible, but will begin in Maryland on June 3, 2007, make stops in Maine in mid-July, arrive in California in November, and return via a different route to the East Coast in May 2008. Superhighways will not be much of a priority for Penny who views both small and large groups equally.

Her journey will be documented on www.pennyspeachydrive.blogspot.com that will have postings from Penny about her speaking opportunities, water issues and sites and experiences along the way. The interactive site will have a tracking map to see where The Peachy Drive is and where it is headed.

Church World Service, an international humanitarian aid organization provides sustainable self-help and development, disaster relief and refugee assistance in more than 80 countries. CROP Hunger Walks, the Tools & Blanket program and Kits with needed School, Health, Disaster Clean-up and Baby items, are just a few of the ways local congregations and other groups can support the work of CWS.

For more information about CWS, now celebrating its 60^th year, please visit www.churchworldservice.org.