thoughts on recent travel

I returned home a week ago from the trip to the toy states, and New York. It began just four days after travel to the Faroe Islands had ended. A quick turn-around and I was boarding a plane for another travel adventure. Whew!

Travel whenever has become the travel protocol now that my best friend has retired.

The four states visited really put on a Fall show.

Though our visit with the sheep was short, it was quieting to be near, to touch, and to be still beside the sheep. Their home is beautiful and their shepherdess makes sure the flock is well-cared for.

A few times I found it difficult to navigate safely down or up stairs, or alongside a stream, but then a stranger offered an arm or a hand with a smile. It was gracious and I accepted with gratitude.

Driving back roads gave us time to stop and see. Or stop and walk. Or wander. It may have taken longer to get places, but we saw so much more.

One road held a surprise. Tanglewood. Located in Berkshire Hills, I’ve watched concerts from this place for many years thanks to PBS. Suddenly I was walking on hallowed ground.

I won’t ever stop singing along with Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin. Imagine seeing them in concert from the 2nd row. I don’t have to because I did just that.

You might remember a comment I made in a previous blog about the conversation my friend and I had with several Cornell students, as we enjoyed ice cream at the Cornell Dairy Bar. They talked about their idea to add crickets to ice cream as crickets are a good source of protein and are very plentiful.

We returned to the Dairy Bar the next morning for ice cream for breakfast. I know. I know. But you can do many things while on vacation.

Leaving the dairy bar, we walked outside. As we began to walk down the steps, one of the students from the day before came running after us. He and the others had noticed us as we left. We imagined their reaction: “There they are! Go get them!” We followed him back up the stairs and into the building. They had made cricket ice cream the night before and asked us to taste it. Two spoons appeared and without hesitation we dug in. Not bad. A bit crunchy. It tasted like butterscotch.

We pronounced it very good, and then had a delightful visit with them. They are all seniors with unique paths they plan to take when they graduate. Very special young people.

The pièce de résistance of our last night’s stay was the hotel. Attached to Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Connecticut, rooms overlook the airport. Gates and runways can be seen just outside the room windows. The floors – 5, 6, 7 – are the best. I love the action! I’ve got an app that tells me whose arriving, whose departing. Fun!

When we were ready to depart the next morning, it was a short walk from the hotel lobby to luggage checking, security and on to our departure gates. Really swift.