On the Road Again

View from the SF Hilton, October 2012 2, a photo by suzipaw on Flickr.

I had a hard time choosing photos for this post. San Francisco is such a beautiful city, pale, golden, felted by fog, blue just within reach as sky or water, or just a dream away. It's my second night in the City; tomorrow I'm off to Vancouver for four, then to New York for five. I'm compartmentalizing the trip, "bird by bird" as Pointy Pal Rebecca reminded me--one piece at a time ends up as a whole. Then home.

However we choose to define "whole." Absence already makes my heart grow fonder for home. Knowing that absence was imminent, I appreciated more keenly the Saturday spent two-wheeled, motorcycling to the coast with M for one of the most beautiful days of the year. It's so good to share these small adventures with my husband, minor explorations of the beautiful land we're fortunate enough to call home. On Sunday, while I spent a few hours packing, I took time out to knit and watch football so the the dogs could press close, their spines to my thighs, their somnolent weight anchoring me, tethering me even now to their quirks and habits that make up my own routine. Not having them to walk and water puts me at loose ends a bit, changes the boundaries of my day. I'm glad for the change but just as glad to be back to the daily grind. I'm lucky to have that perspective.

Speaking of compartmentalization, one thing I've noticed about myself the last few years: where I used to draw a very bright line between myself and my work, that's blurred a bit. Not only because I really like so many people that I see on the job, but also because I meet so many lovely people at our events, even just in bits and pieces, people I may not see for years at a stretch. Today for instance, just by chance I sat at lunch with the sister of someone I met at a conference two years ago and had a really lovely time just small talking with her. There was a time when that was an effort for me, and after years of practice I guess it's finally become ingrained in a good way.

Maybe it's not the people I interact with, though. Maybe I just feel more at home with me. It's getting late and I'm not expressing this quite right. I'll think about it more.

It's been a fine last few weeks, particularly for feeling connected with family and friends. I've had a couple of meetings with the Pointy Pals. Niece Felicia and I met up with friend Rachel for a trip to the de Young Museum to see the Rudolph Nureyev exhibit. Rachel's school friend was leading the classical quartet playing as part of the opening, what serendipity. We saw ballet and rushed through the display of costumes, then had delicious South Indian food--an event in the City! The following Sunday, I hit the Harvest Fair with Caitlin where we watch sheep dog trials, went to a cheese and beer tasting, admired the mules, and generally gabbed. I seriously need to cultivate more girlfriend time. And, we met Felicia and Erin there for the wine tasting pavilion, what serendipity! M and I attended a fundraiser last week for one of the local ballet companies, held at the Lagunitas brewery and featuring line dancing.

Anyway, it all adds up to being ever more grateful for the life I lead.

Time for the bedtime routine! Even that's shaking me up for the next few nights.