Yep. This is so true.
We had so much we wanted to see and do. One of our favorite sports was taking a drive. Even just in Oregon there are so many places that neither of us has visited. Once he retired, we voted him the travel planner. He'd look online and talk to others then say "wanna go look at Oregon ghost towns?" And so we did.
The mid-Eastern section of Oregon is not very populated. I think we drove 8 hours without passing another car! Huge farms and cattle ranches. The ghost towns were disappointing as it was usually just two buildings that were abandoned and ghostly looking. (Yes, he bought a couple of books on the topic ... the photos were shot from the only angle possible to entice you to come visit).
Even in Maui, during the hot part of the day, we would plan a little driving adventure. He loved taking photos ... so often we'd pick a theme. Old churches. Beaches. Cemeteries. Sunset. Waves. Flora and fauna. Secluded villages. Treacherous one lane roads. Yes. I have over 10,000 of his photos!
Being sad and missing him, and our fun together, always ends on a happy note. Some days it takes longer to get to the happy part. I have to be honest and say we really did have a fun relationship. Despite our many disagreements!!! Even though one of us thought seriously about divorce at least once every few years. Over the silliest of things!
So glad I stuck around for the finale. I sure do miss this guy.
Hard to maintain the happy modes when you're feeling physically sick like you've been. The sadness will pass when you're feeling better...or maybe your cold will go away when the sadness passes?.
ReplyDeleteWhat is it about ghost towns and guys? My husband had every book ever written on Michigan ghost towns and we'd gone to more than a few.
Rejoice! I'm feeling better. And yes ... what IS it with guys and ghost towns? But I'm glad I went along.
DeleteMy husband loved to drive too. We lived on the Big Island together for 12 years and he never tired of just getting in the car and driving around. Today, Hawi. Tomorrow, Hilo. And he would always say, look honey, look where we live! Isn't it beautiful?
ReplyDeleteNow, living here without him, I try to remember his exuberance when I'm driving around on any given day. I try to maintain his appreciation of this place, without missing him so much my heart bursts.
Your guy sounds a lot like Mr. Ralph! Good guys. And I still cry a lot ...
DeleteWe love to take drives, too - no ghost towns so far. I'm the picture taker. We pull over and I do my thing and we take off again. I hope your sadness passes soon. I'm sure it isn't easy to keep your spirits up when you're feeling sick.
ReplyDeleteI live! But some other condo residents have had it hang on for over two weeks. With way worse symptoms.
DeleteThank you all for the good wishes!
We both loved road trips. Doing Fred's genealogy, I decided we needed to drive to PA to find his great grandparents and visit Gettysburg, as he grant grandpa had fought and died there. Fred wasn't too gung ho about it, "YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO GO TO CEMETERIES?" "Yes, please." Once we got there and found one ancestor of his--he was caught. The next September, it was a road trip to Wisconsin to find the other side of the family. I have all his photos too and just recently look through one disc and remembered and smiled and cried also.
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