Gus' Sept.-Oct. Travels

In September I went to St. Louis for high school and Flynn Park reunions on Labor Day week-end. I took the "scenic route" and avoided interstate highways as much as possible. Usually I just blast right through and would have driven to St. Louis (770 miles) in one day. On that trip, however, I took three days and saw beautiful parts of the country I would have missed on the superslab.  I also took advantage of CouchSurfing.com and met two wonderful families who opened their homes to me.

Have you read Blue Highways, by William Least Heat-Moon. He left Columbia, Mo. in an old van (early 1980s, I think) and traveled throughout the country. He could drive from U. City to Chesterfield and write ten chapters about all the people he met and things he saw. Blue highways are the old blue-lined highways on maps; two-lane roads, country roads. It's a book to read slowly and enjoy.

Then I drove to Woodstock, Ill. to visit Joey (now 29) for a couple of days and then over to the Wilbur Wright Birthplace & Museum northeast of Millville, Ind. (Hagerstown is its mailing address but is seven miles away.) I even considered moving there! I tried to get the Board of Directors to hire me as Executive Director, so I could "save" the place before they run it into the ground. The Board is composed of nice people, but who are mostly ignorant (meaning "unaware") of the proper ways to run a not-for-profit organization. I think I had too many "big-city" ideas for them, even though I considered them simple, required procedures to stay out of hot water with the Indiana Secretary of State, IRS, County Health Dept., Bank, etc.

Since I was a volunteer, I decided I could be anything I wanted. After I found a flight simulator in a closed-up room, I dusted it off and got it working. Then I invited all museum visitors to "go flying". I never knew that my flying experience (300 hours, 40 years ago!) would come in so handy.

I got back to Columbia, S.C. on Oct. 30, did laundry and am ready to leave again!

Granddaughter Abbie finished high school (S.C. Governor's School) and has started at Johns Hopkins U. Grandson Josh is a senior at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. He is now considering training in military intelligence (I know - an oxymoron) and may go to Aberdeen, Md. after graduation. He is in the Army Reserve and apparently, per the terms of his 3-year scholarship, cannot go into the Regular Army. Stephanie is doing fine with her clinical therapy practice and has a growing component of equine-assisted therapy. Several years ago I sent her a copy of It's Not About the Horse, by Wyatt Webb. After reading it, she added the equine-assisted therapy to her practice. 

I stopped at Jim's on the way home and also enjoyed a nice dinner with Russell and his family. Jim told me about a great book. Joshua Slocum's book, Sailing Alone Around the World. It's about his round-the-world, solo sailing voyage in 1895-97. I really enjoyed it. What a deal for 99¢!!!