Finally got some free time to write about this. Not that anything MAJOR happened, but here it is anyways. I'll put it in 3 sections: preamble; the trip; and afterwards -- all in the Travel forum over the next several days. I figure if I break it up, it'll be easier to write.

PREAMBLE (and amble, and amble...)

The day before the trip I still hadn't heard from my friend Kimberly, whom I was supposed to stay with for 4 days. I knew she had recent computer problems; however, all I had was a PO Box -- no address and no phone. I tried doing an internet search and couldn't find her there either. I know she's living with her boyfriend and I didn't know his last name. I sent her several frantic emails: "Kimberly I need your phone # or I can't visit you..." We hadn't seen each other in 4(?) years. The NIGHT before I was going to leave, she finally phoned! I had made accommodations for the first 3 days of my 2-week trip but nothing further because I was waiting to see what days would be good for her. Which left me very few hours to book my rooms for the rest of the trip. AARRGGHH!! I also had been emailing Kate "well, I don't know what my schedule is yet but I'd like to get together..." Even for Ms. Fly-By-The-Seat-Of-My-Pants, this was a little too haphazard. Well, all's well that ends well...

WHY THIS TRIP?

I was reading through a poetry e-letter which mentioned "Berkeley Poetry Festival, including community and crafts fair." YES!! At that moment I decided to go. Then I figured I may as well make it into a real vacation, as long as I was driving 8 hours in each direction. And I decided with equanimity that I was going alone.

Why alone? Because the last 3 times I drove up the coast with my husband, we overnighted in San Luis Obispo (5 hours drive), and for 5 hours NON-STOP he nagged "We should have gone earlier. I told you to leave earlier. You never listen to me. If we had left earlier maybe we wouldn't be stuck in traffic," as well as crap that happened 25 years ago...

Five freaking hours in a row

and I asked him to please shut up, and I said there's nothing we can do about it now

and I wanted to jump out of the g-d- car, anything to escape him...

which is why I left him at home, and will NEVER go on another car trip longer than 2 hours EVER AGAIN with him

because this happens all the time, and the only way I can stop it is to prevent it at the roots

and he can nag at the four walls all he wants when I'm gone.

I did not tell him I was going (he figured it out by the check written to Berkeley Poetry Festival. He does the banking.) He thought I was leaving for one week, and I didn't tell him until the morning of that it would be for two (and if he hadn't asked, I wouldn't have told him at all.) And if he hadn't asked, he wouldn't have gotten the itinerary either.

He said "I would have gone with you."

I said "I didn't want you."

And he never asked why. And I may or may not ever tell him.

Okay, I see this went over with a big BANG! So I'll skip the middle (the actual trip. I'll get back to it later) and go straight for the conclusion.

One of my goals during this trip was to take time for my writing and finish my cancer book. I finished the written part of the book but I still want to do some illustrations. I wrote a total of 19 poems and essays in 14 days (10 if you subtract the day I was sick and the 3 days at my GFs when I didn't have much alone time.) I've never been that prolific and personally I think that is awesome! I still haven't typed any of it up though.

The day after I got home my entries were due for the Orange County Fair. Gulp!! Last week I had to deliver 193 items tagged and inventoried for the Craft Corral at the fair. Plus craft fairs every weekend since I've been back. Talk about scheduling by the skin of my teeth! And of course laundry, grocery shopping, bills, gardening, house cleaning, web business blah blah and more blah.

Where are my clones when I need them???

What an awesome output! Now I can see why you needed to go alone. Having that sort of time to concentrate on writing sounds like heaven (but a hands on, satisfying, working kind of heaven).

I'm waiting to hear about the rest of the trip - have never been to a poetry festival so I want the whole decription, please!

Ms M...I didn't post anything because I wanted to give everyone a chance to see you had written this preamble...PLUS I thought you were going to follow it up with the middle....no?

Now, go back and give us the middle, pretty puleaseeeeee?

JJ (p.s. That IS awesome work! I would kill to have that kind of time to just write!)

I want to hear more about the poetry festival. Never been to one. Been to lots of reading, but a whole festival sounds so exciting. Let's hear more.
smile

I want to hear more about the poetry festival. Never been to one. Been to lots of reading, but a whole festival sounds so exciting. Let's hear more.
smile

Smile really want s to hear about the festival.

Meredith, whenever I picture you, you're grazing over beads with your fingers and fiddling with wire and jewelry tools, working out with your girlfriends, or creating poetry. My God, what a peaceful life!

I think it might be time for all of us to take a trip alone. Congrats on your accomplishments! And to think there's Arizona just around the corner.

I had two weeks to do nothing but write (and hike) because I gave myself that time. Ladies, no one can give it to you but yourself! You just have to say "I'm worth it and I'm going to do this." I scheduled this vacation because I needed it and wanted it.