Sunday, September 1, 2013

It's About the Journey, Not the Destination

Yesterday, my sister and I took a day to ourselves to spend the day saying goodbye to our daddy our way. We did one of the things that my dad loved to do...we took a road trip.

Beginning of our journey, my sister took this picture of us turning onto Highway 33 to Ojai.
Dad would often tell us that someday we should take this road. He and mom had taken it and loved the trip. So we took this road and dad was right as always...it was a wonderful journey to take together for my sister and me. 

Back when we were all little kids, my mom and dad used to just pack us up into the car on a Sunday and take off with no real destination in mind. The whole thing was about the journey and what we would see and discover and the memories that we were making without even realizing it.


Getting closer to the mountain. We would have to cross over this one and a few others to reach our final destination. Dad had only told us that it was a winding road, he didn't tell us how winding or how long or how beautiful it would be, but we felt that he was with us, guiding us on the way and showing us the beauty of the land and seeing it again through my eyes and my sisters eyes. 

I remember one particular trip that we took on a Thanksgiving Day. My parents didn't even realize it was Thanksgiving Day and they just packed us up and off we went. Road Trip!!!  Back in the day (when I was a child), there were no stores or restaurants or fast food places open on Thanksgiving Day. Everything was closed! Everything!


We saw so many beautiful sites along the way. This was one of the first, a little farmhouse off in the distance. I could imagine us living here with dad. He would have loved it! Dad was a farmer and we always lived in the housing provided by the farmer that dad happened to be working for and it was always out in the country. Country living is in my heart, thanks to dad and his love of the land.
So here they were, far away from home with four little kids...four little starving kids, and no where to buy food!! They had not planned for this. Luckily dad found a little store that happened to be open and they stopped and bought a loaf of bread, some bologna and some chips. That was one of the best meals ever! I can still taste the saltiness of the bologna and the chips. Dad always provided. 


That little farmhouse in the earlier picture was left far below as we climbed higher and higher. At the highest point I believe we were 3000 feet above sea level, at least that is the last sign I remember seeing with an elevation. The view was breathtaking and my sister and I kept seeing beautiful spots and stopping to snap pictures. We imagined how nervous our mother must have been to be on this winding road but knowing she was safe because dad was at the wheel.

Another time I remember Dad taking us to visit my mom's family in Arizona. They had just bought a new car. I think it was a Ford Crown Victoria. A very fancy car. My dad got it into his head to pull over at a little fruit stand to buy a watermelon. Then, to my mother's shock and anger, he proceeded to slice the watermelon in the car and give all his little chicks (us...his kids) a slice of watermelon. My mom got so angry, but dad knowing he had whetted our appetite for watermelon was not about to let his little chicks down. He withstood my mom's wrath and his babies ate watermelon in a brand new car!!!! You can probably ask my mom about this little story and she would tell you it was not one of HER fondest memories! But it is a memory that we...his baby chicks, will never forget.


We felt filled with peace when we rounded a corner and saw these big fluffy clouds and just knew that dad was with us on this trip. We've all felt his close to us since his passing, helping us to heal and letting us know that though he is gone he is still with us in spirit and we never have to feel alone.

One of my best memories of the road trips with dad was his stories. At that time I believed every word that came out of his mouth. I didn't realize that many of the stories that he told us were made up just to keep us all entertained so we didn't start trying to entertain ourselves by using each other's heads as volleyballs or whining "Are we there yet?" Dad would tell us stories of when he was a fighter pilot in the army or he would tell us about when he used to suck honey off of the butts of honey ants in Mexico. We loved his stories and we loved when he would sing. Dad would often tell people a funny story about how when I was little I once told one of my aunts, "My dad is a beautiful singer, he sings as good as the radio!" He would laugh so hard when he told that story.

We reach the top and it's time for the driver to take a little break (and truth be told, driving those winding roads sometimes with sheer drops was a little nerve-racking! I wondered out loud to my sister if my dad had been as nervous as I was, but then we said Nah...cause Dad was and is our hero and he was never scared and always brave!
Right to the very end.

We had a great day and it was just what we needed, a healing trip, just my sister and me and our Wing man...Dad. Love you dad, miss you more than words can say. . .

Another beautiful shot by my talented photographer, co-pilot and best friend, my little sister. Love you sis and will always protect you from the vampires :)


 

19 comments:

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    1. Oh Anonymous...what would have been really beautiful is to know who you were :) Thank you for commenting!

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  2. OMG! That was absolutely beautiful. I am sitting here with tears in my eyes. You have such a way with words. I loved spending the day with you and with our wing man, Dad. I know you have my back and will keep me safe, and I will keep you safe. No one will hurt my sister and not get beaned with anything handy. EVER!

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    1. I learned that yesterday in our little conversation on facebook with Ruben...lol. You got girl, defend your sister! I think I would rather fight vampires for you than Ruben though :)

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  3. Oh what a loveing post and tribute to your dad. Hugs, Marty

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    1. Thank you Marty and thanks for stopping by, I know how busy your blog keeps you. I'll stop over today and see what you are up to! Hugs!

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  4. I think I would have loved your father. I love road trips, jump in the car and see where the road takes you. What a wonderful tribute to your Dad. Lovely, Alicia, simply lovely.

    I look at your beautiful photos and my heart aches for California. That tunnel is so cool! Very lovely photos...great scenery in all of them.

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    1. I think you would have loved him too, everyone did, he just had a way about him. And a killer smile :)

      Road trips are the best! We saw a lot of California that way...and Arizona too.

      Isn't that tunnel something? We were so happy to get such a good picture of it! California is so beautiful. We forget that sometimes because we get all caught up in work and commuting and running errands and don't take time to just take those road trips.

      I think I will take more the them from now on, and take the road less traveled, that would have made dad very happy.

      Well my friend, I'm back to blogging. My heart is slowly healing and it was much easier to write this post. You can see my heart is still hurting, but not bleeding like it was in my previous post.

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  5. I think you would have loved him too, everyone did, he just had a way about him. And a killer smile :)

    Road trips are the best! We saw a lot of California that way...and Arizona too.

    Isn't that tunnel something? We were so happy to get such a good picture of it! California is so beautiful. We forget that sometimes because we get all caught up in work and commuting and running errands and don't take time to just take those road trips.

    I think I will take more the them from now on, and take the road less traveled, that would have made dad very happy.

    Well my friend, I'm back to blogging. My heart is slowly healing and it was much easier to write this post. You can see my heart is still hurting, but not bleeding like it was in my previous post.

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    1. Oops, I meant to reply in your comment Sextant...but I'm sure you know the comment was in reply to your comment :)

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  6. Oh, honey. I am again so sorry for your loss. But you said so yourself that your dad was with you and sis every mile of that road trip...and he definitely was! He'll continue to remain with you and your family and will watch your children grow, fall in love and live their lives as well. It's true when they say that love is everlasting. The more you talk about him, the closer you'll feel to him.
    My thoughts & prayers are with you and your family,
    xoxoxo

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    1. Thank you Kathryn, love is everlasting. And you are now in CALIFORNIA!!!
      Yay!

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  7. That was one of the most original and the loveliest tributes I've read. You learned a lot from your dad and I'll bet he was watching you, pointing and saying 'those are my girls!'

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    1. Awww. that is so true, I bet he was pointing out to God and any other angels that would listen that we were "his girls"! Thank you Pondside, that filled my heart with joy :)

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  8. Hi, Alicia, I have not had time to visit many blogs in the past few months, but I wanted to offer you my condolences on the loss of your beloved father. He will always be your wing man, trust me. Always. What a lovely tribute.

    ((((Hugs to you))))

    Jo

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    1. Hi Joe, thank you so much for stopping by and thank you for your words. I sincerely appreciate it. Hugs right back to you!

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  10. Very beautiful my friend. I love road trips too, but my husband hates driving. This is a great post and the best thing was you enjoyed it with your sister. These will be great memories for you guys as well and documenting on the blog is a great way to remember. Take care and God Bless!

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    1. Thank you friend and co-worker and partner in crime...lol. It was a great trip and one of many that we took with my dad. Your husband may not like to drive, but he is making many memories for your girls too. Someday they will be together and say, "remember when dad would give us candy when mom wasn't looking?"...lol. Girls have a special bond with their daddies. That's why you need a boy honey!

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