On The Road…

Living in an Airstream means being aware of the weather. Missouri has come to that point in the summer when the temps are too hot for my aluminum home. So I’m back on the road.

I love Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds. I stayed overnight at the Mark Twain Lake recreation area near Hannibal. These ACE campgrounds never disappoint. It’s like US Forest Service camping except with electricity and paved sites 🙂

The most noise is generated by motor boats on the lake. In other words, the stillness here is powerful. I am rejuvenated by sitting at a picnic table in the woods. The view from my table is calming. I can see the morning sunlight twinkling on the water when I look through the trees. Last night the fireflies put on a show. As I’ve said before – nature is the tonic I never knew I needed.

I’m staying in Illinois for a few weeks – including Big Rock outside Chicago. I’m afraid this awful summer heat is following me, so I may keep heading north. I’m actually looking at getting off the road in this pandemic. The shifting campground environment as cases spike may leave me without a place to stay. I don’t need that extra anxiety. It distracts me from my true calling which is writing.

I have a novel that I hope is nearly ready for self-publication. It’s a story of a young woman in the suffragist era who finds her true self in love and politics. It’s based loosely on the life of my great aunt who in fact lived as a single woman in Philadelphia at that time, working for a judge, and living large. It’s been a journey of exquisite investment for me, having started the story four years ago. It’s the project that has made me understand that writing feeds my soul as much as nature does. I’ve become the writer on the road I didn’t know I wanted to be.

It’s never too late for discovery. See you on the road.