Traveling Vicariously

I had hoped I'd never blog about blogging, but I have to tell you this: I absolutely LOVE the way my stats tell me what countries all of you hail from.  You see, I haven't been so lucky to have traveled as much as I would like.  Let's just say that, given an opportunity to live in another country, I'd do it, but Mike wouldn't.  Mike is a homebody. 

Here's the lowdown on my traveling.  I've been to 48 states minus Hawaii and Louisiana.  It feels as if I've left two of the most interesting ones for last.  Can you believe that I've been to all of those states in the middle?  Well, when you're born in Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, and Kentucky are destination points.  Really. I mean, Chicago? Obviously.  The great lakes wrapping Michigan are amazing, especially to a little girl who had never seen an ocean.  Ohio has Six Flags Great Adventure and mountains on its East side.  And Kentucky wins with my favorite camping experiences at Rough River Reservoir near Louisville.

Growing up in Indiana, I loved the way the dawn was purple over golden corn stubble through my grandma's kitchen window.  I loved that you could see a whole farm on a hillside, all painted red with white trim.  I loved the way you could walk through the forest, hearing the sound of leaves crunching underfoot. 

I lived in New Jersey for ten years.  I miss the Great Swamp, the hundred year old mansion where I had an apartment, the care given to tiny lawns.  I miss bagels and pizza and Taylor ham.  I miss the people, forthright and family oriented.  In my twenties, I was adopted by two families in New Jersey and I could walk through their doors today and find a home. 

Now, I'm home in the Pacific Northwest.  It's wet and cool here.  It suits me, all the green that comes from weather like this.  I love that Mt Rainier seems to float on a cloud, that Mt. Baker is a perfect cone shape, that the Olympics lie over water.  I love all the water around here.  I love the gold and pink glow of the sunset when it's clear.

As for the rest of my list, the countries I've visited is intolerably short.  I've been to Canada, the Bahamas, Antigua, and Ireland.  Yes, it is a very small list, but I'll tell you that each one of these places is amazing.  There's a story in every one of these trips that I hope to tell you sometime.

I went through a phase during which I read travel books and history from places where I wanted to go.  I read about trying to ride a train in China, about living in Tuscany, about pianos in Paris, and about the history of Dublin.  I live vicariously, imagining myself at an outdoor cafe in France, sipping espresso.  Sometimes I studied the art and food from a particular place in hopes of going there and getting the full experience.  And I talk to the people I know who have returned from a place, almost reluctant to feel the longing I have to go there as well.

So the stats for my blog feed my imagination.  I admit that I google images from the places that show up there.  The beaches, the canals, the mountains, and, oh yes, the castles.  I ache to visit these places.  Today, my blog was visited by someone in South Africa.  Our pharmacist is from South Africa.  She's the best.  One day, I got to playing with Google Earth while I waited in line for her.  When it was my turn, she showed me her house.  It was a beautiful, a coastal area.  She said she grew up swimming every day.  Can you imagine that?

I love my list twenty-one countries from which people have stopped by to read.  I imagine one day going to each place on this list and I will see beaches and mountains and homes.  But best of all, I'll talk to people.  I love talking to people, and there, I'll find the heart of the countryside.

Thank you for listening, jb