On the road from Berea, KY to Jackson, TN

April 3, 2011

Last night we arrived at Barbara and Randall's house around 9:30 driving down from the Cincinnati airport. We awoke to a bright sunny morning, a cardinal chasing away finches at the bird feeder outside our window, and the redbud trees frothing in pink everywhere. . .

At noon several friends from my three years at Berea 1990-93 arrived for a lovely goatmilk quiche lunch prepared by Barbara. Friends from the English Department: Dorothy Schnare, Libby Jones, and Jackie Betts; from the bike group: Anrietta and Bill Stolte, and from the women's group Joan Moore. See our group photo above.

We reminisced over old times but not too much because we also had lots of new plans and projects to discuss--Anriette volunteers at a free health clinic in Paint Lick; Dorothy has children, grandchildren and a 90 year old mother nearby to care for; Joan has taken up Qi Gong; Jackie just returned from a month traveling and visiting relatives in California. All are leading interesting and active lives. It was especially wonderful to see Barbara and Randall of course. Randall had just read Born to Run and wanted to know if I ran barefoot when I was a Stanford. . .Barbara is enjoying her first year of retirement doing photography, gardening, continuing her poetry. . . .Both appear happy and fulfilled.

We were on the road by 2:30 and soon knew we wouldn't make it to Oxford, Mississippi tonight. We drove past spring breaking out everywhere even along the highway with new green leaves, more redbud, lovely skies, wind. . . Across Tenneessee is a long haul! We stopped for a terrible dinner at Cracker Barrel, swearing never to go there again and now we're in a La Quinta Inn for a night's rest before we head south in the morning again. . .