One Needs to Dream


Unnamed Arch in the Maze area of Canyonlands, Utah

Life becomes just so much keeping on keeping on unless you have a dream to move toward. Long range goals and dreams that are rather nebulous because of their distance from your point in time are, of course, necessary but they too often fade from our focus. And short term plans like the fair I have at the end of the month are about the same as making payments on all your bills; more of just putting one foot in front of another.

It is the middle range dream that is the most fun. My sister and I have engaged in the infamous Thelma and Louise Road trip three times before and found we had almost as much fun researching, plotting, planning, and equipping as we did finally setting out. We had not ventured out on a grand road trip since our 2006 adventure on Lake Powell. The minute we got into cell phone range after eight days in a technological black hole she received the call from Alan, her husband in Texas, that he had a job interview in New Mexico.

The intervening years have been filled with building my studio for me, and Debbie and Alan moving and settling into new jobs and the Land of Enchantment. Road trips because day larks in the Rubicon. We kept trying to plan something grander and ran into the hard facts of funds, pets, time: In short the life of keeping on keeping on.

In the last week a new plan began to take form. It began as a redo of a previous plan - another houseboat trip. And then diverted and grew. We are currently doing research on the Maze district of Canyonlands National Park, Utah. We are currently in research mode. Debbie's Jeep opens up possibilities we didn't have in our first trip to Canyonlands in 2004. It also opens up a shopping list we didn't have before - lift kit, high lift jack, top rack, jerry cans for extra gas. Then there is the get us into shape part. Sure there is a vehicle they advertise can go anywhere but if it doesn't one has to be able to walk out. Best laid plans oft go astray.

The Maze District is about as sidetracked as one can get. Even all the arches in the area are not named. It certainly will give me lots of new subjects for paintings. Current tentative schedule is early May of 2010 so we have a lot of fun time ahead with the planning and tweaking of the plan, etc. It is Thelma and Louise plus Alan this time; two Canon digital SLR cameras and a Nikon DSLR. And the film cameras. I think between the three of us we can manage a better photo.


Comments

  1. IntelliblogNovember 5, 2009 at 6:14 PM

    Planning for holiday trips ahead is something that I enjoy doing and I can understand how excited you must be preparing for your future adventures. The part of the country you are planning to visit is spectacular. take lots of pictures, we want to see some!
    I am sure, Jacqui, that the trip will provide you with some inspiration for your art, also.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Blog of BeeNovember 6, 2009 at 1:23 PM

    I have to come back to reread.

    ReplyDelete
  3. thebutlerNovember 7, 2009 at 7:42 PM

    Plans sound wonderful; and of course all the furs kids will be along, too.
    Neither of the three would ever forgive you or Deb if they get left behind to do guard duty.

    ReplyDelete

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