Why leave a place you love? Because it’s so great to go back, and you never take it for granted.
I love my rustic camp on the northern border, on the shores of Huron Bay. But I left it last month for the east coast, then the west coast, and back to the east coast. Five weeks later, I’m already itching to head north again! I’ll wait till midwinter, when fresh snow brings a new perspective to the landscape.
Many people prefer familiarity but I tend to seek change, at least in the physical environment. It keeps me on my toes. It can get lonely, and sometimes uncomfortable. But at least I feel alive.
See pictures and captions below, from the northern border to west coast.
Taking a sunset row on Huron Bay in mid-September a few days before leaving. The autumn chill means dressing warmly on the water, but the rewards are worth it!
Autumn seems to bring a stronger seiche (a kind of inland “tide”). Here, the water reaches the wood of the deck at Camp Many Moons.
Roscoe the Siberian Husky looked unhappy the day I left camp. Leaving him behind is always hard even though he’s not mine. It helps to know Jeff loves him too, and that Roscoe loves the woods in the winter.
Back on the East Coast, it was easy to find quiet get-aways close to home.
A week after leaving the north and days after arriving in the east, I was in the west…Carmel Valley, CA…for my nephew’s outdoor wedding on my sister’s property. Hot and dry in daytime, chilly at night.
An overlook provided the perfect wedding venue. This dusty lot was transformed completely in a week. I love a DIY wedding, and participated in the set-up. (And the tear-down.) It was a lovely event!
After the wedding, an outing to a nearby beach. I miss the plentiful seabirds we saw on The Great Loop.
An overnight trip to my sister’s cabin in Los Padres National Forest reminded me how dry it is here. I lived in northern California decades ago, but forgot about that. Thankfully, no forest fires this fall.
After the hub-bub of wedding events, it was great to have the quiet cabin to myself.
A hike to a nearby mountaintop reminded me that I’m older than the last time I did this. That is a change I could do without. 😉 Sometimes, change is thrust on us uninvited!
Mary: I have a question, and I am NOT trying to be a snoot about it. Are you writing to fulfill a passion (you know I enjoy you commentary)? Are you writing to fill a Blog? Are you writing hoping to enter into a dialogue with others?
Ah, Jock. You get right to the point! 🙂 I’ve been thinking about your question since I first saw it, because my purpose has been evolving and has come to include all of those things. It began as none of those, though mostly #1. My very first post explains that I write for myself, but welcome others to “peek in” on my life. I’ve been a professional writer all my life, writing for a specific purpose and sometimes for others’ by-lines .. .a kind of ghost-writer, you might say. ((That applied to “op-eds,” or opinion pieces, that I drafted for my high-ranking boss at the time but was published under his name. (It was almost always a “he,” back then.) So starting this blog was a sort of scary exercise in writing for my own fun and pleasure, more or less like a journal. Then, The Loop. It attracted a different kind of audience and came to represent different goals. I had followers! They wanted updates! Sometimes I felt an obligation! Which isn’t bad, just different. Now, I’m writing again just for pleasure, because I often don’t know what I really think until I write it down, and don’t get the useful insights that come from close observation until I stop to write about it. I realize my now-diverse audience might not enjoy it as much as those “where-are-they-now?” posts from The Great Loop. — To answer the most important question in your comment…no, I am definitely not writing just to fill a blog. I admit that threw me, because you probably wouldn’t ask if you didn’t already wonder, and if you wonder it, then my recent posts must not be very relevant to you. But your question also provoked some useful reflection on my part. Because it did sting a bit, maybe there was some truth to it? (Things that sting usually do.) So I spent several days weighing that question. The answer I came up with? Occasionally I do feel I “should write a new post.” (Blog advisors say you should post every day, if you don’t want to lose followers.) But then, I don’t care much about number of followers, or metrics on my blog. I never have. If people get some useful info or joy or entertainment out of my posts, great! If they don’t, that’s ok too. Last point. Yes, I DO like to enter into dialogue with others. That wasn’t a goal, and still isn’t, but it’s an added bonus. Which is why I wrote way too much in response to your bold inquiry! So thank you for that! 🙂 (Seriously. Thank you.)
You’ve surely had a wide variety of lovely experiences in 5 weeks! Beautiful scenery, Roscoe, and the wedding was so very special! Glad you shared with us.
Thank you, Jan. I know I’ve lost readers after leaving The Great Loop. That’s ok, and expected, i dont count readers amyway. But it is nice to hear from someone now and then!
For Many Moons 
Mary: I have a question, and I am NOT trying to be a snoot about it. Are you writing to fulfill a passion (you know I enjoy you commentary)? Are you writing to fill a Blog? Are you writing hoping to enter into a dialogue with others?
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Ah, Jock. You get right to the point! 🙂 I’ve been thinking about your question since I first saw it, because my purpose has been evolving and has come to include all of those things. It began as none of those, though mostly #1. My very first post explains that I write for myself, but welcome others to “peek in” on my life. I’ve been a professional writer all my life, writing for a specific purpose and sometimes for others’ by-lines .. .a kind of ghost-writer, you might say. ((That applied to “op-eds,” or opinion pieces, that I drafted for my high-ranking boss at the time but was published under his name. (It was almost always a “he,” back then.) So starting this blog was a sort of scary exercise in writing for my own fun and pleasure, more or less like a journal. Then, The Loop. It attracted a different kind of audience and came to represent different goals. I had followers! They wanted updates! Sometimes I felt an obligation! Which isn’t bad, just different. Now, I’m writing again just for pleasure, because I often don’t know what I really think until I write it down, and don’t get the useful insights that come from close observation until I stop to write about it. I realize my now-diverse audience might not enjoy it as much as those “where-are-they-now?” posts from The Great Loop. — To answer the most important question in your comment…no, I am definitely not writing just to fill a blog. I admit that threw me, because you probably wouldn’t ask if you didn’t already wonder, and if you wonder it, then my recent posts must not be very relevant to you. But your question also provoked some useful reflection on my part. Because it did sting a bit, maybe there was some truth to it? (Things that sting usually do.) So I spent several days weighing that question. The answer I came up with? Occasionally I do feel I “should write a new post.” (Blog advisors say you should post every day, if you don’t want to lose followers.) But then, I don’t care much about number of followers, or metrics on my blog. I never have. If people get some useful info or joy or entertainment out of my posts, great! If they don’t, that’s ok too. Last point. Yes, I DO like to enter into dialogue with others. That wasn’t a goal, and still isn’t, but it’s an added bonus. Which is why I wrote way too much in response to your bold inquiry! So thank you for that! 🙂 (Seriously. Thank you.)
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You’ve surely had a wide variety of lovely experiences in 5 weeks! Beautiful scenery, Roscoe, and the wedding was so very special! Glad you shared with us.
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Thank you, Jan. I know I’ve lost readers after leaving The Great Loop. That’s ok, and expected, i dont count readers amyway. But it is nice to hear from someone now and then!
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