Today, I'm off on a road trip--something I don't do very often alone. I'll carry bread from my favorite bakery, several journals, some poetry to read at the conference and some Vernors for my host who is a native Detroiter. I'll pack my favorite music and head off to a place I've never been before, temporarily untethered--except by cell phone-- to the life I lead here. I'll recall road trips from the past--one in particular--taken in a restored 1942 Studebaker. We were more adventurous then--a few dollars in our pockets and we could move across the country, crash with friends for a few weeks and find a new place, another life. It's not so easy now--burdened with stuff--antiques, books, photo albums, artwork, computers, the kids' stuffed animals...
A question sometimes posed is: "what would you take to a desert island?" I'd like to put a more pedestrian question out there--"What would you put in a Ford Focus wagon and where would you go if you had a one-year paid sabbatical?" Think about it and get back to me.
6 comments:
Let's see, what would I put into the back of my Focus wagon as I headed down to Mexico for a year's worth of exploration?
Bottled water, an air mattress, a sleeping bag, some good books, CDs, my laptop, a couple of towels, some clothes (casual and dressy), my cellphone, a stash of cash and plenty of chocolate. Sounds like a plan!
Oh, and I forgot: plenty of wine from Trader Joe's.
How about a picture of your husband?
WHAT TO HAVE ON A DESERT ISLAND? FOR A DAY - MISS WORLD. FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME - A DARN GOOD COOK AND A DOG.
WHAT TO LOAD INTO A FORD FOCUS WAGON? - I WOULD BE OFF TO THE SOUTH AND WARM WEATHER. SORRY, I WOULD NOT TAKE ALONG A PICTURE OF YOUR HUSBAND GEORGE. I WOULD CARY ALONG SOMETHING TO REALLY SOOTH MY HEART - A CASE OF JACK DANIELS. ALSO, MY PAINTS, MY EASEL, MY PALETTE, MY BRUSHES, A CANVAS OR TWO AND WOULD PAINT AWAY THE TIME. PORTRAITS OF PEOPLE, LANDSCAPES AND SUCH.
NO CELL PHONE, TV, LAPTOP AND OTHER ITEMS THAT GO BEEP. NO WOMEN ALLOWED. (WELL, MAYBE MISS WORLD WOULD BE OK FOR ANOTHER DAY)
I WOULD TAKE MY DOG, FISHING GEAR, MONEY TO BUY BEER, FOOD AND MORE JACK DANIELS.
I MIGHT NEED A LARGER VEHICLE THAN THAT WEE LITTLE FORD FOCUS. MAYBE AN OLD BUS? WHAT SAY YOU TO THAT?
MUCH FUN! FROM JACK WEBER
Ken Kesey did it with the Merry Pranksters--Let's go Jack! I'm down with the painting stuff--and I don't need a picture of George either--I've got the real deal!
Let's see.
- iPod full to the brim.
- digital camera
- laptop so I can get the photos off the card and uploaded to flickr
- my pastels and pencils to draw
- my french press, coffee on the fly
where: new mexico the land of enchantment
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