It’s Fall Everybody! Summer passed by in the blink of an eye, what with moving mom across the country, frantically unpacking things day after day at her house, and then heading back out to Washington and Oregon for some good times with friends.
After leaving Washington on September 7, I headed back down to Oregon as a jumping off point for my trip back to Minnesota. I had about a week before I had to be back, in order to have a few days for the turnaround before mom and I were scheduled to head to Knoxville, Tennessee for a jewelry making workshop. I had a great time on the way back, digging for thunder eggs in Eastern Oregon, spending time at John Day Fossil Beds, having lunch with my friend Kiera in Boise, Idaho, and visiting Virginia City and Nevada City in Montana, before finally doing a beeline for home. Of course, I did make a stop in Eastern Montana to to hunt for agates on the Yellowstone River. It was wonderful to be on the road, and I can’t wait for my next trip! I will definitely post in more detail about my goings on…
I did a 3-day turnaround, arriving at my house on Thursday afternoon September 14, and then departing for Knoxville on Monday, September 18. Mom badgered me into signing up for the jewelry workshop too, even though I consider myself to not really have a crafty/creative bone in my body. We drove down, and it was two solid days of classes and peopling. But, a bit surprisingly, I enjoyed it! I did six classes and made 5 pieces of jewelry. The 6th I did not finish because we ran out of time, but everybody in class ran out of time too, so it wasn’t just me. Mom will help me finish these earrings when I’m ready.
The drive to Knoxville was long, and if we do it again, I definitely want to take a few more days each way so we have time to do some sightseeing. As it was, we didn’t really have much time for stops along the way. We did happen to meet up with my cousin and her husband in Louisville, Kentucky, as they were heading home to Michigan after a trip to Texas and Louisiana. It was a fortuitous coincidence and it was great to see them! We even had a chance to try the famous Hot Brown at the Brown Hotel in Louisville. I had Hot Brown once before on my 2018 trip, but had never tried it from the source, as The Brown Hotel “invented” the Hot Brown in the 1920s.
On the homefront, I find myself with a gloriously empty home, after two roommates moved out. It’s so quiet and relaxing! I’m working on cleaning up, rearranging, and unpacking things that I didn’t have the space to have out before. It’s nice and I’m loving it. The oak trees are changing color and dropping their leaves, the feed corn fields are about to be harvested. Cora and Yellow are loving having me home, and are adjusting to the moving furniture and flurry of rearranging and cleaning. The only downside is that I feel like I’ve been fighting a cold for a couple days so I’ve been moving pretty slow and taking a couple of naps, but I feel like I’m on the upswing now.
And the best news is that now that I’m home, I’ll be able to write more regularly and get back to my travel posts!
How are you all enjoying the first week of fall?
Wine and History Visited 