The trip to Tennessee has me thinking about travel. I had gotten to the point where I wanted to stay put. But that little trip unsettled the notion of being settled. I found myself learning things I hadn’t expected to learn.
Part of this is learning from the Wise Woman and learning about her. We are opposites in some ways. I dislike complicated technology. I master a few reliable tools and pass on everything else. The Wise Woman has never seen a gadget she didn’t want to try.
Before I met her, I used to backpack in the wildernesses of Texas. I traveled light. Instead of lugging a tent, I usually carried a ground tarp. I slept under the stars but could rig a shelter if a storm blew in. Many Texas hikers always carry a lot of water. I eventually found so many springs I could get by with a water bottle.
When I met the Wise Woman, I took her to see the wonders. I carried a tent. I cooked what I thought were elegant meals. I brought bug spray. She was not impressed.
Later, we did some truck camping. A bigger tent and all kinds of gadgets went into the bed of the truck. I would complain when I couldn’t find essential tools, such as a flashlight, buried among things that you might use, such as a cat stroller.
Different people travel in different ways. In some ways, I’ve changed. As a young man, I dashed across parts of Europe and Mexico. I ran from one site to another. If I went to a museum, I would try to see it all. My old friend Melvyn, by contrast, would sometimes sit in front of one painting all morning. Perhaps I am becoming more like that.
I’m beginning to think that if the Wise Woman and I parked a camper in a state park for a few days, I’d be content to hike a little and catch up on some paperback books.
No comments:
Post a Comment