“The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always.” ~ John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley
We continue to strive toward beauty, toward empathy—especially for those who do not have a voice. We’ve always taken a stand for nature and animals, both wild and domesticated. We each have our beliefs—or at least my prayer for you is that you also have your beliefs. We’ll always stand for trees and rivers, deserts and mountains, seas, and all the magnificent souls who roam, fly, dig, squirm, romp, roam, and play.
As you read earlier today (a paid subscriber-only post), we fell in love with the verdant old-growth forest on the Cascade Range when we stopped to walk through it yesterday. We may have left behind the sequoias and redwoods, but we are now in the states where Ponderosa Pines stand tall and proud.
We’ve also added a stop to see a longtime reader and pen pal who
is dying of cancer. We’ve never met, and I expect to spend a day or two
with her. She maintains her sense of humor: “Tom, I never got to see you
on a book tour and always said, ‘I’m dying to meet you.’ Well, now
I am dying, and I finally get to meet you!”
Our latest video, which takes you along the Avenue of the Giants in the redwoods, was a joy to put together. I hope you like it as well. I did not realize it, but it is our 908 post. I’m proud of the consistency of the writing and storytelling through the years. Thank you to those who have been with us since the beginning. We welcome everyone who has joined us since.
We have reached the point in our annual trip where I’m beginning to miss home. My kitchen is calling. More importantly, my desk beckons. There are only so many stories that can be shared on the road. It will take at least six months to catch you up on our experiences since leaving home the first week of December.
Our world has changed immensely since then, but, as Walt Whitman pointed out, nature has always been a constant, and here’s hoping we will continue to protect her even better than we have in the past.
I’m grateful for having you here. We still have a month to go, and our trip continues to take shape. In the past week alone, I’ve added a national park and two national monuments to our itinerary. (We’ve never been to any of these places.) We’ll return to bison country, which is always the crescendo of our travels. On the way home, we’re stopping to see our friends Maury and Kim again in their sweet little town outside of Louisville. After that, we will finally meet Jane and Ann Esselstyn (and Ann’s husband, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, and Jane’s husband, Brian Hart). It’s been too long. We’ve been hoping to connect for years, and it is finally happening. While with them, we’ll record a segment of some of my favorite recipes with Jane and Ann on their fun YouTube cooking show.
We’ve also added a stop to see a longtime reader and pen pal who is dying of cancer. We’ve never met, and I expect to spend a day or two with her. She maintains her sense of humor: “Tom, I never got to see you on a book tour and always said, ‘I’m dying to meet you.’ Well, now I am dying, and I finally get to meet you!”
After all of that, we have a date with Harriet Tubman, who, you may have noticed (depending on your source of news), has been in the news lately.
Lastly, I screwed up our fundraiser for The Gentle Barn but not pushing it through completion. So, I’m adding two and a half days to the sale. Now through Thursday at midnight (PCT), all annual subscriptions are 20% off. That includes gift subscriptions. This will be the final sale for a while. It wraps up our monthly coddiwomple sales. Every dollar that comes in between now and the end of the sale goes to The Gentle Barn animals in need. (We’re not taking a cut.)
E.B. White Weighs In
“‘Why did you do all this for me?' Wilbur asked. 'I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you.' 'You have been my friend,' replied Charlotte. 'That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die... By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle.
Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that.’”
~ E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web
