I feel I have been opened up to new experiences by living here for several months, I have been influenced in ways I didn't realize. This sounds sort of petty, but I feel like I have learned and taken a new interest in wine. I never thought I'd know much about wine. I now understand why Northern Californians sound sort of snobby about it, but the influence is all over. The media has articles on the vineyards, the owners, the types of wine, and the ratings all the time, everyone talks about it, and it's fun to go visit the wineries in the valleys that are beautiful. So you almost can't help but learn about it. It's similar with food--rather than just talk about menus, the media talks about the chefs as if they are famous, and many of them are, actually, so now I know more about who they are, what restaurants they've owned, etc. If you ask someone if such and such is a good restaurant, no matter who it is, you get a history of the chef, and a review, not just a yes or no. It's the curiosity and the focus that I find influential.
I have also really enjoyed the author talks at Book Passages. This is such a unique store, we love it. They are an independent bookstore first of all, and very successful. They run all these programs, writing groups, reading groups, different kinds of talks, a mystery writers workshop in the summer, etc. They get wonderful authors there, and their events are very well attended. It's just around the corner from us almost, so we've tried to take advantage of this treasure. I love to hear the talks because they always inspire me in some ways.
The other influence has been going to Spirit Rock, and experiencing meditation. I really enjoyed that, felt it opened up some curiosity in me and a desire to explore this more. It is exciting to think about what there is to learn, no matter our age. Always room for more!
I feel I have learned about living in a new climate. I never really got it before, when I'd visit here. It was always hard to pack, as it is so different. It's so hard to explain, and I don't think I can really. Rain is different here, it has a different significance, because there has been a drought, but also the way it rains and what it does to the land.
These are just a few of the ways I feel I have changed or been opened up. This is a wonderful part of travel, be it a short time or longer time. But for me, it's the longest I've ever been away from the midwest, probably the longest time I've been on a "trip" in one place. I think part of what I will now miss is feeling so comfortable here, like I belong, like family is just a short ride away, and we help them move, or bring a piece of furniture home, and the wonderful familiarity of that rather than "visiting. Feeling homesick is the right word. Of course there are challenges. I miss many people a lot, my friends, and the rest of our families. I feel distanced from them, try to keep in touch with email, phone calls, and yes, this blog. But that is hard. We also don't feel connected so much here, we have nothing we really belong to. We have a little, my Jazzercize class has provided me with that, and there is potential there for friendship and activities. But that is hard to establish for short time periods. I think that is a possibility though, and a goal for next year.
We will be going to our upnorth house when we return. I have found some of the same joys up there, the interests are actually similar, and the joy and interest people have in their lives there are similar . They are a similar interest in their wineries, their restaurants, their environment, their independence and their uniqueness, as well as the beauty of the area. Again, there are many things in Ann Arbor that I will miss, but I like to look forward, not behind. My favorite traits that I try to live up to are : curiosity and resilience. I have satisfied both on this trip. Thank you for reading our blog thus far, if you have, our goal was to journal our journey, mostly for our own memories, but also for anyone who was curious. We have tried not to sound "braggy" or self-absorbed, but wanted to share and record our lives.
We have more travels ahead of us on this trip, but this really ends the "Novato" part for now.
To borrow a phrase, "next year, California."
