Just a thought… Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up. [Dean Karnazes]
Once again, I’m running away…or, as my therapist (and some wise women like my Gracefully and Frankly podcast partner Lisa Brandt) would say, running to.
In two days, Rob, Dottie, Livi and I will be packed up and headed to the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles, Washington, as we make our way during a leisurely three-and-a-half day drive to the Palm Springs area home we’ve rented in Cathedral City, California.
This trip comes with a lot of preparation, anticipation and even some trepidation. We thought, had the election turned out differently, that we might be driving through some version of January 6 2.0. That isn’t happening, but I’ll make a point of keeping my mouth shut and not wearing my Kamala cat t-shirt and provoking anyone. Not my country.
This is our first trip across the border with the dogs and we’ve got all of their shots/records/government forms filled out so that we’re able to enter the US with our fur babies and no fur flying.
We’ve paid extra for pet- and budget-friendly accommodations (where, in some cases, the pet fees were so exorbitant that we ended up finding other options) and are also going to have to tailor our drives daily to find charging stations for our 100% electric vehicle. Rob’s going to task me with using an app to find stations that are fast-charge and available. Our first day’s drive (and ferry ride) should be done without a charge stop (barring huge traffic jams); I don’t like our chances of finding a charger that’s available on the day before US Thanksgiving. That is, without a few hours’ waiting.
We’ll see. As in all things, we’ll try to be patient, and I’ve downloaded dozens of podcast episodes (mostly about innovations or world history) to keep us company while we travel. The forecast for the trip through Washington State, Oregon and into California looks really good. We’re lucky we weren’t travelling last week when the bomb cyclone and atmospheric river hit Vancouver Island, parts of the BC mainland and the Pacific Northwest of the US.
Rob stays with me until Boxing Day and then flies home for two months of hockey (playing and watching!). With any kind of luck, the sale and final move-out from our house will also happen during that time. How lucky would I be to miss all that?
After our non-Holiday season this year, a few friends (including Lisa) will be coming to visit in 2025. I’m most looking forward to reading, meditating, recording both G&F and new Drift with Erin sleep stories in the Airstream trailer in the house’s yard, and just taking time for me. I’m also hoping to get some new video podcast work underway, now that one of our main projects for the Canadian Real Estate Association is coming to an end after a five-year partnership. I know we can do it; it’s just finding that joyful work that pays.
Running to, and not from. But I’ll be here with you throughout; I’ll share different scenery with you than the usual oceanscapes, and through it all, I’ll thank you for the time you spend with me.
My public Facebook page: @erindavispage
Not a Mourning Person grief briefs on YouTube: therealerindavis
Gracefully and Frankly FB page: @gracefullyandfrankly
Find me on threads.net: @erindawndavis
On bluesky.app: @erindavis