Indiana

A shot of nostalgia… and ducks!

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I’m going to confess up front that I’m riding a wave of nostalgia right now. It’s sharp, it’s somewhat piercing, and the memories are sometimes so sweet that they make me ache.

I created a Facebook group last night to spur conversation for my graduating high school class’ upcoming 20th year reunion next summer, so my mind is, for the most part, awhirl with memories of life in and around the small town of Hanover, Indiana. This morning on the hour-long ferry commute into Seattle, I pulled out the latest issue of MaryJanesFarm magazine, which is almost a spiritual text to me in its place of importance in my life, and discovered that this particular issue is all about chickens and eggs, with adorable ducks making a few appearances because Mary Jane is, obviously, a genius.

Chickens and ducks – namely the waddling waterfowl – send me right back into my spiral of whimsy.

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You can go home again, but maybe you shouldn’t…

/ Rachel / 3 Comments

Have you ever had one of those experiences that really just defy words? At least, right away? I went home to Indiana for a week and only recently got back to Washington, and I’ve been trying to wrap my head around my trip. I discovered something pretty profound, at least to me: they say you can’t go home again, but I don’t believe that’s true. You can, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to feel like home anymore.

We moved from Indianapolis to Seattle last August. Last September, my parents moved out of the house they’d lived in for 29 years. When I headed to their house after arriving at the Indianapolis airport, I was driving to an unfamiliar house in a town I’d never been in. There was no “going home.” In fact, home was gone.

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Moving Adventures – Holiday road!

/ Rachel / 9 Comments

My blog has fallen by the wayside. Moving does that. I thought about updating multiple times, but when the situation was fluid, I was brimming with anxiety and unease and the last thing I wanted to do was put that all down for posterity.  Now, though, I’m on the other side of it and now it’s time to chronicle the journey.

I started my new role in Seattle on July 27th, but the house we were moving into wasn’t available for possession until August 15th.  As a result, I lived in corporate housing for a little over two weeks.  Having my own tiny apartment in downtown Seattle was kind of awesome.  I loved the chance to have the experience, and Skyping/FaceTiming with my husband and mom made the situation much more bearable.  I flew back to Indianapolis, arriving in the wee hours of August 13th.  The movers had come the week before so our townhouse was pretty empty, but we still had a lot to deal with (see the first bullet point below!) and then we hit the road that night at 7:30pm. Tim, Roxie, me, and a ton of junk crammed into and atop of a Chevy HHR.  I threatened to play “Holiday Road” from National Lampoon’s Vacation for the duration of the drive, but the idea was quickly vetoed. (Still not happy about that. I hummed it for the first twenty miles instead.) From the moment we pulled away from the home we’d known, it was nothing short of an adventure.  Read on… Continue reading →

Call Me Laura…

/ Rachel / 7 Comments

Yesterday, I took a trip to Walnut Grove. I was a modern day Laura Ingalls, blazing through the Polar Vortex or Snowpocalypse 2014 or whatever it was that made Indianapolis slightly colder than Antartica. Bundled against the temperature, we used candles and oil lamps to help heat our home because our furnace couldn’t beat the cold drafts coming through our doors and icing up our window frames like a freezer badly in need of defrosting. We scrounged for food. We only went outside when necessary.  And most importantly (and most pioneer-like), we were without internet. Or cable.  *gasp*

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A visit aboard the LST-325

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The LST-325 docked for tours at Madison, Indiana on 09/14/2013.  This LST (Landing Ship, Tank) was used on D-Day +1 to offload tanks, trucks, jeeps, and troops at Omaha Beach and to transport injured soldiers back to England for care.  It was utilized in Korea & Vietnam before being decommissioned and sold to the Greek government.  When the Greeks were ready to scrap it, it was purchased by a group of veterans who have worked to restore her as she was during World War II.  Her home port is Evansville, IN, but she sails during the summer so that others may board her and explore a piece of history.

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(more pictures under the cut)

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Journey to Tunisia

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As I have discussed in previous entries, preserving my great-great uncle’s memory is very important to me.  As is taking my dad to Tunisia next year so that we can stand in front of his grave.  I’ve decided to chronicle the journey – from our inspiration to our planning to our preparation to the actual trip, and I’m doing it here at Journey to Tunisia.  I hope you’ll follow!