Uh, oh yeah...the humidity

At both 7:3o am and 7:3o pm it was 93°. In between it hit one hundred. This is summertime as I remember summer to be. "Hot" does not begin to describe it.
-c

Did We Mention the River? Hmmmm

Of course we have but the raving must go on--- It is so clear, so clean that there are fish and salamanders hiding beneath the rainbow stones at our feet, hiding in the cool water.

-j

Baa Baa Baaaaaby! Our Friend George & a Little Blip on the Map

We have a new friend- a donkey named George. We are in love- look at those ears!! He is trying to cool down from all the heat here- isn't he a handsome devil!!?

Down the road is a sheep farm where there are lovely sheep-- that look confused when they notice someone watching them and even more confused when they see a camera ("baaa't the hell!?!?"). 

This is so beautiful it is almost crazy to think that places like this are a dime a dozen here- everywhere you look beauty- no crappy rusty cars or trash in the yards, no decrepit housing or falling buildings, just lovely lovely. Crazy, crazy.

-j

Birds of Prey, Blueberry Picking, Picnicking, River Time & Iced Coffee in the Sun

We have crossed over into a vortex where the days melt together, time slips by slowly and life is truly about breathing in beauty and joy.

After meeting a man who rescues birds of prey (releasing them back into the wild when possible) my mother arranged for him to come and do a show for us at a local park.

We actually petted a Great Horned Owl- incredible and beautiful (not able to return to the wild due to an injury and educating hundreds of people over the last 20 years).

We saw a screech owl, a golden eagle, red tailed hawk, peregrine falcon, kestrel and more up close and personal.

Incredible.

The birds were right there with us, close to our faces showing us how amazing they are, the colors, the shapes of their feathers, their wings-- inspiring fierce protection of them (if we didn't already feel fiercely about them).

We got up early a few days back and went blueberry picking at an organically certified farm just over the state line in NY. As the sun climbed higher in the sky, we picked and picked until we were hot and tired and purple-fingered. We headed home to feast on the wealth and run in the sprinkler- a whirling copper sculpture on the lawn that rains soft droplets in wide arcs.


The river is cool and deserted. Clear and clean and a short walk away; meandering through a wealth of deciduous trees and greenery. While dipping there a few days ago, horses rode through with girls in swimsuits perched on their backs. They smiled and stopped to let the children surround them and pet the horses; answering questions.

We visited a lake where we picnicked and swam for hours on end on a sandy shore chowing egg salad and Spritzers and Kettle Chips and laughing and lounging.

Back at base, the pond at my mother's house has lilies in it and will soon bring forth a lotus blossom into this already amazing setting.

We sip iced coffee and close our eyes still not believing the beauty all around us.

 -j

Where the river is cool, the sun is shining and everything looks like a storybook

What could be better than walking through storybook, movie-set-ready fields to a clear, untouched, pristine river, with rocks that are jeweled to splash and play?--Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

You just sweeten the deal with the small airstrip in the cornfield on the way there where the children and mommas watched a small two-seater take flight and the fact that the river in question is shallow, slow (and the size of what Pacific Northwesters would call a "creek") and you have pure magic nestled into a hollow of trees where you are surrounded by fields and a sand shore to lie on.

This place isn't real, it is too beautiful, too amazing and rich in lusciousness. Every house is beautiful, every property- it really looks like we have either gone back in time or walked onto a movie set.

Tonight- greens from the garden a la cj, pulled-pork made by my baby brother, fresh-picked corn on the cob, catching fireflies, roasting homemade maple syrup sweetened marshmallows and playing sardines when it gets dark.

What a gift this world can be--- and continues to be.............
-j

"Summering in the Berkshires"

Make sure when you read the title you say it like 'suuummereen in tha burksha's". How romantic sounding. And what an amazing place. I am in shock from the open air, spacious house, surrounded by art and thoughtful objects....down to the salad bowl. I slept without a dream to touch me last night.
-c

So what happened anyway?

Well there we were, 6 hours to go and what to our wondering eyes should disappear...our train! You heard me right. The amtrak empire builder is...wait for it....out of commission due to flooding. The best part? The train people never notified us that on june 24th our train trip was canceled!! Now before all you friends in town get excited we might actually still be in town, Jessy did some "firm negotiating" with amtrak and 3 hours ahead of schedule we landed a trip down to Sacramento where we were lucky enough to unload and reload our kids and gear. Let's just say that coach isn't cracked up to all it could be. I honestly don't remember why I was so relieved to see the room we had available when we sat down on the first leg because come two am I was freezing my ass off with a cranky 3 year old squirming around on me saying she needed me to move out of the way so she could stretch out. I think my leg was numb for some 5 hours! But this was where the fun began! No sleep for the Momma's! At 5 am, we launched from the train onto the platform, already stinking, to search for coffee and a place to plant ourselves in the glorious station for 6 hours....Did I say 6 hours? I think it was actually one entire life. I felt like I was trapped in a Stephen King novella. The was one exciting detail the kids were thrilled about...an orange tree in the the parking lot! That is until we peeled one of them and took a bite. There is so much to talk about! I don't think I have ever been so glad to see a starbucks. Hell, it could have been a dunkin donuts! Give me coffee now, dammit! (so I can sit for 6 hours in a train station) Back onto the train and then the majority of the trip passes with relative ease...given we are with 6 kids...hahaha. I am so glad I have a healthy sense of humor. Jess and I are great tag teamers as well, thankfully. Breaks are a must with this crowd. But, can I just say, Chicago? Oh, Chicago. I am from the Midwest originally and this station exemplified every thing that I hate and left behind. The one redeeming factor was my "baby" brother. He is not even remotely close to being a baby but he holds my tender heart in his smile. Two blissful hours of his presence. And after an incredibly stressful load onto yet another set of coach seats of the last leg of this adventure, we were on our way to Massachusetts. The last four hours were a spastic chaotic hysterical juggling act, the kids were so excited. And now? AND NOW? WE MADE IT! WE ARE HERE IN HEAVEN! I cannot believe my good luck. Whew!
-c

“I’m Sorry, Did You Say the Train is CANCELLED!? Shut Your Mouth! That Better be CRAZY Talk!”

My first thought at this news, six hours before we were supposed to board was “this better be a big joke”. Then things sped up as the agent explained that owing to the wild weather, our train was suspended from service and they didn’t realistically expect it up and running again until the end of September.

Uh, gulp. Holy Crapzoid, Batman.

This reality was quickly shifted to a new reality- instead of a trip that goes straight from Portland (and Seattle, depending on where you originate) to Chicago, we would be heading south to sunny California and leaving from there to climb north through the Rockies and cornfields to Chicago avoiding other flooded out areas. The good news was that they still had accommodation, the bad news (well, depending on how you look at it)-was that it added another day of travel to the journey. But they were rerouting, what’s a crazy momma gonna do?

So, we have been on the train for 100 hours (except the 6 hours we spent in the sauna that is the Sacramento, CA train station & the 3 hours in Chicago).

The children are rockstars, knitting, embroidering, doing art, reading and did we mention that not only are we taking this long voyage, we are also doing it without the modern devices of DVD players and such. The children are taking this trip sans electronics. Bring it on!!

Hold your applause and just send good travel vibes our way!
-j

OK. We are officially in the 24 hour countdown....just barely.

Lists, lists and did I mention lists? What about the chalkboard? Did I also mention I am going to wine country today for J's and Ned Ludd's Outstanding in the Field event? One last ditch effort to see my love before I leave. This is Papillon's first time...hopefully not the last. Guess that depends on her. Great planning on our part...the leaving the day after such a huge event. And a holiday weekend. Ha! The girls saw each other very briefly last night at the front door. There was a whole lot of squealing going on. That will probably last all of an hour once we board the train. Then it will shift to 'We're bored!' Kids. Got to love them! Here we go! EEEEeeee!
-c

This would be the time to use the phrase "OMG"? OMG!!!

Ok, as my travel counterpart, dearest c, settles into excitement, I catapult into "Wait,- did I say I was going?- There must be a mistake here- there is too much to do for that to happen. heh-heh-heh-heh-heh."
Yep, the inner rioting has begun as I start to pack and the lists get shorter, the bwahahaha of my internal anxiety radar gets louder. What the hell? Shouldn't it be the other way around?
Can I put this one down to the astrology gigantic-ness of tomorrow's new moon eclipse. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
-j

Pass another duffle bag, this one is full

See, the trick of it for me is to make a list of about 10,000 things, then decide on 10. That's the part that I fall all over myself about- I think: "I will only bring this pair of shorts and this shirt and a dress" and then I justify all of my clothing and am stuffed to the gills and have often ended up shipping boxes out before getting on the train. Not this time, this time I am determined to pack light. I will be the rockstar this time! Simplicity is my mantra!
Laundry is behind because of our camping trip this weekend so what was a small pile that could have registered a mere 1 extra small load is now about 6 loads so today is a laundry day (again).
We received an extra special treat from my mother in preparation for the trip- not only MadLibs (travel's best friend) but a giant map of the US I made when I was 13 that I embroidered on my trip from MA to Seattle the summer of my thirteenth year. I lost enthusiasm (of course) and have all the states outlined and a few embroidered with images but the rest are bare and awaiting embellishment. So, we are heading out to get embroidery floss and needles and the children are going to embroider different images on the maps as we go and we will see what comes out.
We start packing bags on Thursday and all the travel games are laid out. Next up- art supplies, journals, books and a duffle bag of food because train food is a microwave's favorite love-child. After sustaining yourself of train food you feel like eating your own leg off just to have something fresh with some form of life force rushing through it so we are bringing our own extra food in our effort to avoid cannibalism.
-j

I have been in denial..mostly about laundry and packing.

This is a train we are going on afterall. And we aren't checking bags. A month away. Well, this will certainly be an exercise in simplicity. Something that goes against my pack rat programming. This is starting to get good. Yikes! Jason is already teasing me about my "lists". I prefer to call them my memory. Ha ha ha. Yuk it up, y'all.
-c

Ah the countdown, excitement, chaos, laundry & anxiety

Did I mention wine?
I need some.
Yes, we are leaving, bon voyage and all that.
A trip that is so beautiful and so amazing and who knew that half the country is in fact Montana?
We are stoked. The kids are chomping at the bit and at the end? A huge house nestled in the Berkshires, my hometown......
-j

Let the countdown begin.

That's right.  6 kids, 2 crazy moms, 1 train, 4 1/2 days across the country from west to east....
I keep getting these bizarre looks when I tell people that we are doing this trip...sans husbands.  What?
It's the trip of a lifetime.  What's so crazy about that?
-c