Eighteen Years as Us

Numbers for our weekend: Bruce turned 39, our marriage turned 18, we hiked 25 miles, gained 4520 feet in elevation, endured 100 or more stream crossings, 4 thunderstorms, 50 fallen trees, and carried 80 pounds of food, equipment, and water. We reached our limit halfway through yesterday, but marriage is continuous–we chose the loop trail just like we chose each other 18 years ago. And we’ll keep hiking, helping each other cross streams, build shelters, cook meals, and climb mountains, till the last limit of our lives. Happy anniversary!
 
 

For Your 39th: Solitude

celebrating us
 with a long walk in the woods
 (away from it all)
 


silence is golden
 when resting feet at sunset
 (your birthday present)
 


the breeze reminds me:
 i drove twenty-one hours
 to find this beauty
 


better than the beach:
 that grin on your face; these views;
 hard-earned sore muscles
 


thank you for crazy–
 (the long drive, the longer walk,
 another “us” year)

Day Twenty-Eight, Road Trip 2016

waffles fuel our view
 to ride into the sunset
 finding our way home
 
 

Day Twenty-Six, Road Trip 2016

Kentucky wins me
 with giant bookstores; ice cream;
 and sweet niece faces
 

 each night a red sun
 to lull us to country sleep
 on our road trip dream
 

Day Twenty-Five, Road Trip 2016

cousin love beats all:
 it spans a small continent
 and breaks the divide
 

Day Twenty-One, Road Trip 2016

a cultural mix
 in language, architecture
 (our country’s center)
 


library of all
 holds too many gems to count
 a sight for sore eyes


best of both worlds:
 fusbol, patatas bravas
 right here in DC
 


best of all worlds:
 my family together, here,
 discovering this.
 

Day Nineteen, Road Trip 2016

Pappy and grandkids
 as we begin the last leg
 of this journey: life
 

Day Eighteen, Road Trip 2016

his hometown forest
 waits for us with him in it:
 the perfect campsite
 

Day Thirteen, Road Trip 2016 (Traveling Truths)

forts can be pretty
 and with alligator moats
 quite exciting, too
 

 hobbit holes exist
 if you travel far enough
 to open your eyes
 

 cousin love binds us
 just as beaches and waves do
 under our shared sky
 

 biking brings beauty
 along every road we ride
 from mountains to coast
 

Day Twelve, Road Trip 2016

much needed beach day
 rediscovering the wind
 with our love rainbows