Simply
stated, we are back home in Florida but only after having driven 4500 miles. A
return trip to Colorado via Ohio. A mix of business – clients and yes,
accountants and bookkeepers – kept us on the road at a time when weather is always
a consideration. This time of year, given it is winter, it’s best to expect the
unexpected. That’s exactly what happened to us midway through our journey.
For those not familiar with our geography here on the Atlantic side of the country, the trip to Ohio was a straight shot north up major interstate highways whereas the second leg, our journey took us due west on another Interstate – Interstate 70. Maybe we should make this the sole theme of a future blog posting as we have now traversed its almost 2,200 miles from central Utah all the way to Maryland. After taking care of business in Colorado, it was then a simple journey back down through Kentucky and Tennessee.
Christmas
and the New Year are always an exciting time for Margo and me. This is an
oft-repeated expression that we all hear at some point. Whether it is the
lights illuminating neighbors’ homes, the arrival of family members or perhaps
the gentle fall of snow, there’s a sense of joy that is inescapable. Happiness
at this time of year appears to be contagious and that certainly was the case
this year. Our client meeting ended with a Christmas party and our Colorado
home sojourn included Christmas Eve celebrated with Margo’s extended family.
The
Wigilia - the traditional Polish Christmas Eve vigil supper - was
celebrated in 2025 at the home of Margo’s daughter and husband. For the first
time in 15 years Margo was happy being with family on this day – it just so
happens that Christmas Eve is her Mother’s (Babcia Basia’s) birthday and, until
this year, it was more tears than smiles as Mom had passed away back in January,
2010.
Talking
of snow, our drive to Colorado from Ohio that took us through Indiana and deep
into Missouri saw us facing a snow storm. Strong enough to blow big rigs to the
nature strips and to entice inattentive drivers into adjacent snowbanks but,
having lived in Alberta, Canada for three winters and almost three decades in
Colorado, turning off the cruise control, slowing down maintaining situational
awareness led to an uneventful road trip.
Always
look for Love’s gas stations. Ever since we bought our RV, this establishment
became our go-to vendor for our thirsty, diesel-powered behemoth. As for the
name, it dates back to 1964 when Tom and Judy Love opened their first travel
stop to the public. After almost a decade of RV ownership, I have to think we
have become partial owners of at least one of their gas stations. Pumping 70
gallons each time meant our credit cards hemorrhaged at the end of each trip.
It
has never discouraged us from driving anywhere in the US and Canada. We just
love the freedom that comes with closing the garage door and leaving the daily
routines of life well and truly behind us. What can we say? Are we gypsies? Are
we footloose and fancy-free, living without a care? Not quite. Years ago, being
both born outside of North America, Margo and I have elected to see as much of
the countryside as possible resorting to flying only when necessary. Did we
mention that the price of a US gallon of gas is now cheaper than we have seen
in decades?
Love’s
travel stop may reflect the surname of their founders but as we travelled the
country, we were reminded that, for The Buckles, they were reminders of my surname
as well. Located in almost every mall in the US is the well-known shop, the Buckle.
I recall how, many years ago, I asked for a shopping bag branded Buckle so I
could give to my parents when they visited us – and Dad certainly was bemused
by this mall artifact.
Returning
to the highway, we ran across another establishment that took only a few
seconds before it raised a smile at the vendor’s brand – fancy that, an R
Buckle. Well, sort of as I will give the “Ar” a pass. I sure wish I had seen this
vendor while Mum and Dad were visiting. But fried pies? And with a
drive-through window as well – nothing like pie crumbs falling over the seats
and into the flooring. Which reminds me; Margo and I never eat and drive. Well
almost never as we did try it once in a temporary rental during the COVID
scare, but that’s it. We use the need to eat as a time to leave the car and
relax.
It
was the wintery conditions that kept us inside for much of December. It now
seems that whether you are in Colorado or Florida, winter’s reach extends
everywhere. It may not mean your pathways and roads truly reflects the
sentiment we all know so well as – “the snow lay round about; Deep and crisp
and even". Nevertheless, the chill in the air is a constant reminder that
there will be still more to come as we get deeper into winter.
As
for my family and friends in Australia, the opposite is true. Dealing with
their own 45 degrees, but for them, as measured in Centigrade and not
Fahrenheit. Always remember the reaction in the US whenever Midnight Oil sang
about “the western desert lives and breathes in forty-five degrees,” as
automatically, they thought about this in terms of Fahrenheit. Enough said and
just as each hemisphere’s experience differs so widely, for Margo and me, the
time to snuggle, wrapped in a blanket, seems completely normal.
Christmas
is a sacred time of year. For Christians worldwide it is a time to remember the
birth of Christ. Often lost in the remembrance of the event due to the
decorations and laughter is how over-commercialized this celebration has
become. Driving across half the continent it really struck us that there is now
such a polarization in the US where celebrations are clearly a priority as
distinct from those cities where there is scarcely a Christmas light
illuminated.
Sad,
in a way, for a country committed to being the place where our currency
declares, “In God We Trust,” there is so little acknowledgment of where this
nation came from and the beliefs that were fundamental to its foundation. Then
again, it’s not that surprising as the current fashion is to not just a focus
on the pursuit of happiness but rather, on the here and now. A live, and let
live, mindset.
What
I wasn’t expecting to write about was the tragedy at Bondi Beach – my condolences
to the Sydney Jewish community. At a time when Jews everywhere were celebrating
the first night of Hanukkah, the Jewish "festival of lights”, this entry
of evil at a time when we all were in a festive mood, is hard to comprehend. Margo’s
daughter, Anna, has a Jewish father, and has a very open mind about people’s
personal religious beliefs. However, whether Jewish or Christian or anything in
between, religious or otherwise, we all deserve a little happiness at this time
of year.
‘Tis
the season to be happy may very well express the sentiment of all of us and it
would be unfair to suggest Margo and I didn’t do anything other than enjoy the
happy times that comes with this time of year. We certainly enjoyed good food
and one dinner stood out above all else. Christmas dinner with our good friends
Don and Anne Marie Fowler (along with their daughter Meredith Margaret) served
up in their Windsor, Colorado home was as delightful as it gets and yes, as it
always is at this time of year.
Then
again, simpler fair served us well just as it was a reminder of where Margo and
I came from. For Margo, Polish cooking always featured a Polish Sausage of one
sort or another whereas for me, an Aussie Snag couldn’t go astray. It just
doesn’t get any simpler than a grilled sausage, potatoes and sauces and
considering it was the height of winter, being able to enjoy this feast
outside, in our Florida home, was perhaps a fitting end of the year. From our
family to yours, our very best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year!
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