on the road....

my husband, gastone,  and i have been traveling from southern most tip of california,  to the top half of washington state, near the canadian border;   a 3 day journey, so that i can teach at the very last artfest.  (sob)

The journey is long, but it is one of the best parts - my husband and i are great friends as well as (ahem) lovers - so we are always entertained by one another.  its kinda like taking a trip with spongebob squarepants and patrick, (if you know your cartoons).

except, i assume the personalities of both these characters while gastone is just his responsible old self.

he likes to sing to his iPod tunes.  all the way, even while talking he breaks his sentences into parts of lyrics.   i have always thought it endearing.  and it really is.  i especially like his older song selection like sinatra, perry como, etc.  and i always laugh when he sings helen ready's "i am woman".  he doesn't care, he likes to roar.

as for me, i don't sing, not even in my head.  i don't know why, but its an ability everyone in the world has except me.  i love listening to music and listening to singing - but i don't  even hum.  i have never made a point of memorizing lyrics.  maybe that would help.  not.  sad, but true.

so tonight, our second night out, we are in olympia, washington.  we traveled through heat, snow, rain and hail.  fortunately for me, i slept through most of it.  the scariest part---  traveling northern california, the  cascades(mt. shasta area) is apparently where we ran into a blizzard of sorts.  seemed like one,  my husband said.  i believe him- my eyes wide, but what do i know, i was born and raised in san diego, ca.
and i was asleep.


  My husband didn't wake me because he thought i might get scared.  oh, so right he is/was.  i probably would have worn a hole in the floorboard trying to step on the brakes.  and stepping on the brakes is not a good idea.  some people drive with a lead foot, i do too, except the foot is on the brakes.
So i slept in bliss.

i asked if he could see snowflakes - i've never seen one really.
sure, i've witnessed snow and snowing in little spits of quiet fluff, but i have never seen a snowflake - a large one like i see on christmas cards.   he described these great bigger- than- silver- dollar sized configurations floating onto our windshield.  oh, i was impressed.
and he described the winding mountain and great big pine trees as  a winter wonderland - beautiful and soundless.  Except for the giant freight trucks - they add a big "ugh" to the scenery.

I am glad i can envision it - it's beautiful and even quieter in my head.  i imagine it to look like, well, a christmas card.


luckily for us both i wasn't the one driving (or singing).
makes for a better (and safer) marriage i think.

tomorrow we finish our trip to port townsend where i will meet the 500+  participants of artfest. i'm looking forward to it; it's always amazing, inspirational and fun.

When i get back home i will be busy preparing for san diego's little italy's artwalk that occurs at the end of april.  if you are in town, come by and see me.
(oh, and for the record, he can't carry a tune either.  but he knows the lyrics.)