Parting Shots

For the record, and I think you already know, I hate writing an "and then, and then, and then" blog. Most of the time...

Days like today though, are mapped out in a way that is clearly leading to something greater than just a regular day, and must be listened to, calmly and patiently, one and-then at a time.

We've been in Ashland for almost a year, and at Emigrant Lake for eight months. We'll pull out in the morning, early enough to make a 9:00 appointment to have brakes and wheel bearings checked in Medford. Boring! Who cares, right? But these are the tedious realities of RV Life. Things have to be in good working condition or... well, they just do.

To get to a day like tomorrow, you get to have a day like today. You drive around town, looking at familiar things, and unfamiliar things you've seen a hundred times in the past year, and wonder if you'll ever come back to see them again. We hope we will. We like it here. We might even love it here, if we thought it could love us back. We've been dating Ashland for a year, and we still don't know her/his Intentions.

But no matter, today. Today was a day all its own, apart from any hopes or expectations. It was a day to just be in Ashland. Ranger Rick finished up some work in the park while I cut my hair and painted my toenails. Yes, I do these things myself. These things are important when one is going to the Big City, which we are doing in a day or two. We had lunch with the boss, not to be confused with The Boss. Kevin is not Bruce, and he doesn't need to be. He's a good guy, working the Parks System the best he can, which, given the current economic times, means we are not guaranteed a job next summer or any other time, but we're on the list, in the running. And we got a nice lunch, compliments of Kevin and Jackson County. That and free rent for eight months makes for a very nice arrangement, all in all.

We spent the rest of the day at the recycle center, wandering around town, strolling Lithia Park, drinking a last pint o' Guinness at the Black Sheep, and tidying up around the campsite. As of this writing, all perceptible belongings are carefully stowed for travel, all food has been purchased, all dog poop has been picked up, and all county property has been returned, including firewood money, keys, worn out t-shirts, and a splintery-handled shovel. Our campground is all but empty, while the RV campground is fairly full. Different clientele. The dogs had a last swim in the lake. I put stickers all over the trailer, and on the truck, enticing people to check in on the blog. We've done our job, and it's time to move on. I guess we're done here. Still, I feel like we're abandoning this place in some way.

We had dinner at Mitzi and Ron's -- take-out Chinese, because we are all too busy and tired to cook -- took great delight in the pond and the garden, and procured some new CDs for the road, along with some killer paintings for the kids. We'll deliver them in Seattle in a day or two, lucky Big City children of mine. When Mitzi gets in a gifting mood, it's good to be Family. You can buy art like this, but probably not when you're in your twenties.

And so, after a day of and-then, and-then, and-then, we're tired and ready for bed, ready to go tomorrow, ready to see what happens next. It's been great here, and now, time's up. On we go, forward to what may look like backward, but we know there's not really anything but Now. We came here planning to move here. We leave here planning to come back. Truth is, we won't know till we know, and however it turns out, it will be just perfect. Thank You Ashland. This has been a most wonderful First Date.