Final Chapter in Crones on Wheels 2010

Fortunately I promised to turn our thorough trip documentation into a series of artworks that I'm still working on or I'd be sad that the trip is over. It was really a two-part adventure, the first four days, Chicago-Tulsa we were a threesome, Natalie, my 92-y.o. mother-in-law and Virginia, my 68 year old sister, and me. Why mention their ages? Not every woman with that many decades under her belt would have jumped at the chance to sit in a car for all those miles, the thought of pee stops alone is daunting (by the way, stay tuned for "Crone Tips For Car Trips" coming soon). Though we didn't plan it on purpose, it was surely a wonderful synchronicity that Virginia and I had so much crazy fun time with our favorite mother right before Mother's Day. Our own Mom died many years ago and Virginia's mother-in-law passed away last year. Both of us have been extremely blessed to have our mothers-in-laws in our lives. Both Nat and Nonnie have inspired us to take what life offers and savor the flavor.

Our relationship with Nat goes to show that your family is who you love and who loves you. This truth was amplified in Tulsa where we visited with Tom, Laura and Thomas, all Nat lovers, too.
We felt the spirit and guidance of all the special women in our lives who have passed over into the realm of spirit as we drove along. The other thing we felt was a deep and abiding awe at the Mother of us all, the land over which we traveled. The breathtaking beauty of the mountains, the endless western sky, snow capped peaks in the distance and of course, the magical gardens waiting with abundance here in Ojai fed our souls as well as our bodies.
Virginia and I continued on after Nat returned to Chicago and we had many more adventures and deep conversations, continually setting a daily intention for the driving to be safe and enjoyable and giving thanks for this opportunity to spend time together and appreciate this amazing country. I found myself also appreciating the technology that has provided us with roads that we can travel on with ease, cars that carry us safely over enormous distances, the rest stops in each state staffed with helpful folks eager to share their knowledge with us. We were blessed with perfect weather all along the way. At the Petrified Forest a ranger shared with us that the day before we arrived the winds were so strong it was impossible to get out and walk the paths at all the beautiful sights.

We arrived in Ojai in time to celebrate Mother's Day by getting fresh veggies at the Farmer's Market and making homemade raviolis. Here's a tip: don't stack your raviolis even with waxed paper between them. We were bummed to discover that error but pulled them off the waxed paper after a stint in the freezer and fried them up like kreplach. Though unsightly, they were delicious (correct handling of ravioli as well as recipes will be included in Crone Tips). We worked in the garden a lot, making an entire meal out of the thinnings from the beets, arugula and mizuma. I took Virginia to visit Gozo Farm, where I volunteer.  Steve Sprinkel, the farmer, gave us some beautiful radicchio and several heads of lettuce. We ate very well, indeed between homemade pizza, sumptuous salads, and fresh fruit oh, and the orange muffins that Virginia dreamed I baked, so of course, I did.

We also shared many discussions about God, faith and the Bible, which Virginia is studying. We even listened to several CD's of Prof. Lawrence Schiffman of NYU and compared his Jewish perspective with the Catholic view Virginia is getting in her class. Not much difference, it turns out. Mostly, though, we laughed.
For those of you who might be wondering about the logistics, we stopped twelve times for gas, for a total of 118.295 gallons (Virginia is a retired math teacher and solely responsible for all calculations). The lowest gas price was in Tulsa, OK at $2.679/gal. and the highest was $3.499/gal. in Ludlow, CA. The total outlay for gas was $350.56, considerably less that two one-way tickets to California but nothing to sneeze at.  You might find it odd that in this time of concern over natural resources, climate change and natural catastrophes, that we chose to take a road trip. While I duly noted the apparent paradox, I believe something else is at work here, something I intend to write about in my Earthbound-Ojai blog when I resume that next week. Join me there. And if you are a Crones fan with a little over ten minutes to spare, check out our slide show complete with music. And if you get the chance, get together with women you love, have some fun, and don't forget to smell the flowers!