Picking up from the previous posting:
In 2014, as the fourth-decadal anniversary (40th anniversary) of the 1974 Road Trip approached, I reread "Blue Highways", which inspired me to consider writing my own narrative about the 1974 Road Trip. Aside from that resurgence of a desire to write, I also had a desire to read more of Heat-Moon's books, in no particular order.
As to my own narrative, as my intended "career" as a college instructor was withering away, I had time to start an Introduction, rough out a few chapters, and a Table of Contents. Sporadically, I spent late nights working on it, after being the primary caregiver, while my first wife's health declined.
As 2014 became 2015, I had a job for a few months as a Land Survey Assistant and the writing project was relegated to a "back burner", while her health continued to decline. After she passed away on May 1, 2015, I was scatter-brained for a while, plus my daughter's family had already planned a move to Phoenix, Arizona for her husband's job.
When they mentioned having to ship their SUV and their dog to Phoenix, I decided I needed a change of scenery. After volunteering to drive the SUV and ferry the dog, I asked a longtime friend to help, and then rent a car for the return trip (that was 2015 Arizona Trip #1).
My friend of 25 years (+/-), a fellow beer-can collector, and I got to visit a number of different breweries and we brought home a few dozen cans and bottles to sample later, with other friends. We also visited Monument Valley (a Bucket List item) and the Four Corners Monument. Another friend had given me my first digital SLR, a Nikon D50 (I think), so I made good use of it, as well.
As I forgot to take my "netbook" laptop, I couldn't daily download photos or take notes for a current road log (for future use?), but I made some daily notes in a $1 composition notebook and I kept receipts. (It was a start.) After returning home to Georgia, it was too quiet with my wife gone and the "wonderful chaos" of my grandsons was missing, too. [My wife, son, and I lived in a basement apartment in my daughter's family's home.]
After a few days, I couldn't stand the excess quiet, so I immediately started planning another trip by myself, so I could define my own schedule and stay as long as I wanted at a photo stop. I offered my son the chance for the road trip, but he declined, as he was just "not into it" and he had a job he liked.
I managed to find a good deal on a laptop to replace the small "netbook", which had served its purpose for 6 years. I also found a good deal on a Pentax K50 outfit, i.e., extra lenses, etc..
Amongst my intentions was a desire to blog daily about my travels and what I had seen. I didn't consider that, in the summer heat, I would be "wiped out" by the evening. After dinner and looking for old movies on the motel-room TV, I invariably fell asleep (sometimes only halfway through my beer and with the lights still on). I kept the best notes - thus far - on a legal pad and a composition notebook. I was at least making some forward progress.
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