Leaving Maine

Dec 21, 09 Solstices
I finally left home today. It took a while to get everything together and make the last minute adjustments and purchases. There were also some last minute emergencies. Our generator died again and Joan and I were in a panic about dealing with it before we left. Thus is the energy of new beginnings sometimes.

I left EMS at 10 am. I had to buy a pair of lightweight pants for the warm weather. Then I said my goodbyes to Joan and hit the road. It felt strange to be riding away and knowing that I’ll not be coming this way for three months or so.

The roads were dry until I hit Massachusetts and then there were partially wet sections. I was uncertain about when it would turn to ice, so I decided to stop early at my aunt’s place in Providence, RI. I was looking forward to seeing Karen if it worked out.

Once in Providence, the smaller the streets became, the snowier they got. Karen’s house is on a small neighborhood street and the snow was half plowed, rutted mashed potatoes. Luckily I only had to navigate about 150 feet of this slippery stuff. I let myself in with the spare keys and began the ritual of undressing form my layers.

It’s hard to imagine wearing any more that what I was. The outer layer consisted of down pants and a synthetic puffy jacket. Under that I had two more puffy jackets and one layer of puffy pants. Then I had my armor. Then, I had three layers of fleece and poly propylene underneath. On my head I had a thin balaclava and the hood of one of the puffy jackets under my helmet. My motorcycle boots were covered with neoprene booties.

I stayed warm until I began to run low on calories. The wind was buffeting me around quite a bit. I had to watch out for fields or open spaces that intersected the road as these areas allowed the wind to gather velocity. After a short four hour ride and a 5:30 am wake up, I’m feeling exhausted. I will feel better after some fluids and some rest.

My aunt Karen runs a yoga studio called Breathing Time Yoga in Providence. She invited me to a solstice celebration at her studio. I am not in the practice of yoga; however, I found the practice to be quite wonderful. I especially enjoyed the meditative pieces and setting the intention for the coming year. During some of the visualization process, I saw a dragon that was healthily breathing his fire. It’s great to have a dragon for a friend! I have a feeling that we’ll travel the road together and with the other “friends” that I have.