21 Stones

poem

From the egg
I am present,
more lasting than brass.
In good time
with stronger reason.
Well found,
good friend,
enjoy the present
very earnestly,
free, easy, unconstrained.
Anew.
At last, finally,
on the way,
let there be light
in possibility.
Between ourselves:
the unknown.
Upon my faith,
(mine and thine),
much in little
by chance.

3,438 miles

stone #21

PAR HASARD
by chance

January 11, West Haven, Connecticut, Bradley Point, island

journey's end

We arrived in West Haven on Saturday evening, returned the car, got one dog back, collapsed. Sunday we unpacked, pick up my car from Lyme and the second dog, and collapsed again. I had one more stone left to leave somewhere, but I couldn't settle on the right place for it. People called and emailed. Where is the 21st stone? How does it end?

Of course, there is no grand finale, no punch line, no epiphany. Because there is no ending. My feet are still walking, and the stones are out there on their own journeys, to be lost or found, incomprehensible fragments of a mysterious whole unknown to any who might find them, only complete here in a cyberspace blog.

Today I finally placed #21 in a spot more desolate then where the others are, but it felt right-- where the east ends at the Atlantic, on a rock that becomes an island at high tide, inhabited at this time of year only by crows and seagulls and a few contemplative souls.

stone #20

MUTLUM IN PARVO
much in little

January 7, New Haven Tweed airport, bench

stone #19

MEUM ET TUUM
mine and thine

January 7, Maybrook, New York TA station post

stone #18

MA FOI
by my faith

January 7, Pennsyl- vania route 81 Promised Land truck stop phone booth

stone #17

L'INCONNU
the unknown

January 7, Carlisle, Pennsyl- vania Super 8 Motel fountain

stone #16

INTER NOS
between ourselves

January 6, Somerset, Pennsylvania Summit Diner, newspaper box

Januray 6: 3,000 mile mark

Somewhere on route 70 in Ohio. Night. Trucks.

stone #15

IN POSSE
in possibility

January 6, Ohio route 70 BP station pump

January 6, Ohio

Ohio, we hardly knew you. A late start from Indiana today, as colds and unidenti- fied stomach ailments persist. A 10 1/2 hour straight through drive to make home by Saturday. The only sights for seeing are the reststops.

stone #14

FIAT LUX
let there be light

January 6, Martins- ville, Indiana Starbucks, table

January 5: Bloomington, Indiana

2 day stop with more of the Gasteyer family. Karl getting help with the candles of his cake.

stone #13

EN ROUTE
on the way

January 4, Beverly Shores, Indiana, gazebo

January 4: Beverly Shores, Indiana

A side trip to see the small town Karl's family comes from on Lake Michigan. The train station; the beach; sand.

January 3: Chicago

Chicago! A stop we've been looking forward to, though it's cold and wet, and Karl and I have both reached the physical meltdown point, with bad colds, pulled backs and tired asses. We planned on getting into Indiana tonight but made it only to just outside Chicago in a broke down motel with a very unfriendly desk clerk. But, there's wireless internet!

stone #12

ENFIN
at last, finally

January 3, Chicago Vetran's Memorial, steps

January 3: Chicago

The remains of a lost airport being turned into a park on the lake; a night walk over the river; the theater where Karl's cousin Ana is playing the lead (Elpheba) in Wicked; Ana and Kate (Glinda) signing autographs at the backstage door.

January 2: 2000 mile mark

Illinois, route 55 north, exit 72. The first poor weather in the 10 days of our trip.

stone #11

DE NOVO
anew

January 2, St. Louis arch, bench

January 2, St. Louis, Missouri

The arch; an Emerson quote from the Lewis and Clark museum underneath; a billboard.

stone #10

DEGAGE
free, easy, unconstrained

January 2, New Florence, Missouri, giant chair

stone #9

CON AMORE
very earnestly

January 1, Kansas City, Missouri, Tanners sports bar, curb

January 1: Kansas to Missouri

Our longest drive in one day so far, 11 hours with one dinner stop. We saw a lot of this: very very flat landscapes with cattle, windmills and one very long very straight road.