Let's Start At the Very Beginning

A week ago today, I set off on my Grand Adventure/Experiment Car Camino! After driving over 2000 miles I kicked off the inaugural All Souls on the road with a service in front of First Parish Church in Plymouth, MA. This congregation has actually been around since 1606  when it met secretly at William Brewster’s manor house in Scrooby, England (which led to the song, Scrooby Dooby Doo, where are you? But I digress.)

It was a great success! It was not only fun, but meaningful to speak about the power of covenant while standing in front of the church who made the first covenantal agreement on how to be church and how to be with each other. It was truly amazing to think of the power of a promise. The current minister of First Parish Church, told me that a couple of years ago the congregation gave its historic Meeetinghouse to the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. The building was plagued with decades of deferred maintenance and GSMD had the ability to do a national fundraising campaign to restore the building and open it as a visitor's center. The sanctuary will still be available as a Sunday worship space for First Parish in perpetuity. Of course, they’re currently doing Zoom like we are, but it’s nice to know that for all times, the promise will be kept in this location.

For more information about this church, you can check out the history on the church’s website here or on the Mayflower Society’s website. 

Following the service, and ensuing Board of Trustees meeting, I made my way to a campground outside of Provincetown, MA where Rubi and I stayed for two nights so that we could explore P-

Town, an old favorite haunt of mine. During this time, I re-sorted my supplies and managed to get rid of two collapsible bins I had been using to store non-perishable foods and cooking supplies. The reality is that my Jeep Cherokee is not the largest SUV on the block and I’m trying to make the sleeping arrangement as comfortable as can be for Rubi and me. If it were just me, I’d be fine, but the two of us together makes it a little cramped for my long-legged dog. I’m already worrying about how Wham! is going to fit in! What I really need is a camper-van or at least a big Econoline-type van. Let me know if you hear of anything! 

Beyond the unknown elements of simply driving so far, I have been learning things along the way. During the second night at the campsite it rained pretty much continuously. That made for a peaceful sleep, but I was concerned about my screen tent; the directions said quite clearly that it were the least bit damp, not to pack it in its bag. Sure enough, when I awoke the next morning, there were heavy diamonds of dew decorating the roof, sides, and poles like a bedazzler fanatic had gone wild in the night. To make matters worse, leaves were plastered onto the six paneled roof. 

I kept an eye on the tent while sort and packing up everything else. A quick look at the sky showed me that there were be no burst of sunshine to brighten the day and dry off the tent; it was foggy and misty and with every gust of wind, more leaves joined the party on the roof. 

Finally, it was the only thing left to pack. I was flummoxed. I tried shaking the sides of the tent but the leaves remained glued to the top. I tried wiping down the poles and side and ended up with a soggy towel, but a still soggier tent. What was a non-camping grrl to do? I stood there running through my options: stay until the sun came out which, according to my weather app wouldn’t be until Friday; sneak away and leave the tent—absolutely not! ……crickets….. 

Then an inspiration struck me! I remembered a friend had given me a high-powered windshield scraper just before I left; it was hefty. Not only did it have a rotatable brush on the end opposite the scraper, it also could extend to 50 inches! I grabbed that, extended it as far as it would go, and then used the brush to sweep off most of the leaves. The more recalcitrant ones faced the inexorable pull of the scraper blade. In spite of the wind trying to resist my efforts with more partiers parachuting onto the roof of the tent while I was cleaning it, I soon had a leaf-free tent. It was still damp so I put the tent bag in the back of Jeep and laid the loosely folded tent on that. Soon enough, I was driving merrily on my way. 

My first stop was in a small town to fuel up and grab some coffee and another gallon of water. The clerk told me that town had voted to take out all coffee and soda machines at gas stations and convenience stores. Then she decisively took my to go cup and said, “But I’m gonna cheat. Stay right here.” Soon she came back with my cup filled with steaming black coffee from the pot she kept in the back for herself. 

As I drove away, sipping on the fresh nectar of the gods, I mused about my inaugural experience. I was learning things about myself, I was adapting to the elements, I was creating solutions seemingly out of thin air. I sang along with Mary Chapin Carpenter, Something Tamed and Something Wild; who knows what other lessons I’ll learn along the way? So far I am the most inordinately proud of my leaf-clearing solution; this shows you what a sheltered life I’ve lived. 

 Now, a week after my nerveless beginning, I am in New York City, relaxing in an apartment a friend

generously invited me to use. She’s been working remotely from Chicago and so the Manhattan apartment was just sitting empty. It’s a beautiful two bedroom with gorgeous hardwood floors and beautiful artwork on the walls; I get to take a bath! 

And on Friday, Rubi and I will head out to points unknown on our way to Sunday’s destination—which is known. From leaf-sweeper to city dweller to figuring out where to stay en route to Sunday, this adventure has gotten off to an auspicious start. I have already been reminded that I have everything I need, that people are generally kind without agenda and that life’s journey is filled with diverse and beautiful way stations along the path. 

 Onward and upward.