In Search of Time and Space

Time and Space

At first glance it appears like I am rich in time and space. I’m not working; I have full control over where I go and when. I can linger wherever I want for however long I want.

Yet logistical restrictions are always around. If I want to be in northern California by the end of June and if I want to drive through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and all of California to get there, and if I want to see family and friends along the way, and if I want to see the national parks, then I have no time at all. 

Mockingly, a plethora of time surrounds me. The fossils, canyons, and stalagmites are enormous time capsules reminding me that the time I have is but a drop in the preverbal bucket

Martin and I find ourselves searching like Virginia Woolfe for a room of our own, some space in the world for us to think, to create, to process what we experience. Its ironic that in Texas we are searching for space. Not only is Texas known for its vastness, but it has the famous Houston Space Center and one of the largest telescopes in the world at the McDonald Observatory

Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park

Sunsets become my time to stop and process my day.

No amount of material objects can give me what I really seek – time and space. Adjusting to the bombardment of consumerism in the United States after being away from it for seven months has been jarring to say the least. And yet Martin and I find ourselves in outdoor stores more often than I care to admit. 

Since leaving Florida 18 days ago, we’ve driven over 3,500 miles and slept in 12 different places. We’ve visited the Space Center in Houston, biked Lady Bird Lake and danced the two step in Austin, tasted Texan wines in Fredericksburg, reconnected with friends in San Antonio, relaxed in a quirky B&B in Marathon, hiked in Big Bend National Park, saw Jupiter, Saturn, and a nebula from a 107 inch telescope in Fort Davis, climbed a mountain in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, explored the big room at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, looked for aliens in Roswell, got inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe in Santa Fe, learned everything about hot air balloons in Albuquerque, visited cousins in Flagstaff, and celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary at the Grand Canyon.

I feel like a stone skipping over the surface of a lake, glimpsing at life below.

Some things in our very tentative itinerary are going to need to be cut to preserve our sanity. I’m OK with that. 

I have so many beautiful photos from our road trip thus far! Expect to see a few photo-only posts coming soon to inspire your future adventures. Here are a few to enjoy right now:

Houston Space Center
Houston Space Center
Lady Bird Lake, Austin, Texas
Lady Bird Lake, Austin, Texas

San Antonio Friends

Marathon, Texas
Marathon, Texas
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park
McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis, Texas
McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis, Texas