Linda Studley

Can't Put the Pen Down…

Archive for the tag “travel”

04 Sep 2017

Cheaper Gas and Greener Grass

Apparently smoke isn’t going to be the only issue in our trip down south. Now the fuel prices in the lower half of the province seem to be skyrocketing! Okay, time to do the research… now a site that reports the price of fuel at different gas stations in British Columbia has taken its place in the ‘Favourites’ folder along with ‘Drive BC’ (for road conditions), Environment Canada’s ‘7 day forecast’ (for weather), ‘Air Quality Advisories’ (how bad is the smoke?) and, of course, a listing of every sani-dump in the province.

I don’t remember doing this kind of cramming for a holiday before. Is it just me or has the world become a more complicated place to navigate? I remember previous trips to the coast being, basically, toss the suitcases in the truck, fill up the tank, buy some munchies and start driving. Yes, we encountered high prices that we didn’t expect and flag people with stop signs; we just didn’t know where they’d be ahead of time.

So is it a good thing to be this ‘prepared’ or does it just end up focusing your attention on all the things that could go wrong? The element of surprise is always waiting around the next bend in the road, so, in the end, is it worth it to do all this advance research? Do I run the risk of concentrating so hard on finding the lowest fuel price that, eyes on the webpage or the map, I miss the beauty along the way. Bill doesn’t have to worry about that, he’s driving so he’s aware of his surroundings at all times (at least I certainly hope he is!). But how easy it could be for the passenger to become an obsessive navigator.

I’m going to have to watch out for that.

IMG_3106.JPGAre we seriously considering moving south? Well, it’s September fourth and Bill just came in to tell me the frost f***ed our corn. You figure it out, sigh…
Greener Grass

They say the grass is always greener
On the other side of the fence
and I’ve agreed and thought the adage
made a lot of sense.

Until recently I realized,
much to my chagrin,
that I can’t see the colour of the grass
when the snow’s up to my chin.

 

 

Posted in Epigrams and Essays, Life with a Capital L, Poetry, Writings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
09 Jan 2016

Forking Off

Travelling can be like slipping into a parallel universe.

Some things essentially the same,

others so very different; an unexplored

fork in your spacial timeline.

#179

 

Posted in A New Poem Every Morning #2, Poetry, Writings and tagged , | Leave a comment
29 Sep 2015
2 Comments

Patagonia in the Winter

If I lived in Patagonia in the winter
I could avoid the snow and cold and dark. A
happy camper I
as back and forth I fly
sans heavy boots and mitts and hooded parka.

If I lived in Patagonia in the winter
I wouldn’t slip and slide in ice and snow.
The most I’d slip on is a sweater
as I enjoyed the weather
‘cos their summer is our winter don’cha know.

I could live in Patagonia in the winter
Speak Spanish and never have a care.
For the rest of the year
I’d just live here.
But first I’ll have to be a millionaire.

Sigh

#77

Posted in A New Poem Every Morning #2, Poetry, Writings and tagged , , , , , ,
16 Oct 2012
4 Comments

It’s All Your Fault

It’s all your fault you know.
The way you packed us up in the car
and dragged us across Canada and back.
If it’s Tuesday this must be Swift Current.
First the tent, then the tent trailer
then the bumper dragger.
I slept in the top bunk and hit my head on the ceiling
every morning.

It’s all your fault.
Those summers on the east coast,
lobster dinner in a Nova Scotia church basement,
Green Gables, Cavendish Beach,
the Reversing Falls, the Magnetic Hill.
The dip into the US; Maine, New Hampshire.
Stacks of snapshots and a few jerky regular 8 movies,
mostly of me and Mum standing beside
landmarks and signs to prove we were there.

It’s all your fault that my feet itch.
That I get that late night, headlight,
count the tar strip by the bumps longing
for the open road.
Your fault that when I’m on the coast I yearn for the mountains
and when I’m in the mountains I yearn t’ward the plains.
It’s all your fault, Dad.
Thank you.

 

#297

Posted in A New Poem Every Morning, Poetry, Writings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
04 Apr 2012
2 Comments

Gas Prices Spike Again…

Ever since I was a child I’ve loved to travel
I love to see new places from the window of a car
or truck, or through the clouds from an airplane.
I even like the view from a crowded Greyhound bus.

So last year my man and I bought a trailer
and then we paid the price and bought a truck
to tour around and maybe to retire in
My timing was my typical bad luck.

Gas prices spiked again, how far can we go?
If we save our pennies we’ll get ten miles down the road.
Gas prices spiked again, how far can we drive?
If we start driving now, in ten minutes we’ll arrive.

#102

Posted in A New Poem Every Morning, Poetry, Writings and tagged , , , ,

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