Fifty Years of Joy!

I haven't written a Message in a Minute in several months--too busy gathering adventures and images, but I have to much to share with you.  Today on my mind the joy of reaching 50 years of bliss married to a great guy. June 21st, 1964, a hot, summer day. We are still so much in love, best of friends and gathering so many adventures, trying to cram everything we have dreamed about into our lives.

I find joy in sharing my thoughts with friends and getting your feedback on your life adventures, ups, downs and the wonders of daily living. My hopes are that human kind will work harder to save the environment for future generations and to lessen the hatred and hopelessness we have seen spread as we travel the world and work together to reach goals that should not be unattainable.

More posts to come. Thanks for being such good friends and acquaintances and a good life to all.

Ann Carol Goldberg

Many Miles ahead

On the eve of an extended travel adventure, my excitement is tempered by many thoughts. I will miss the many personal and electronically enabled bits of communication with all of you dear family members and friends. We have been anticipating this journey for several months and it now is actually going to happen; we hope according to the plan.  From our first stop in Kiev, across the lands that form Russia, to China, Tibet, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and more. What a dream trip. What unexpected encounters we face with people of all walks of life, both natives of the areas we visit and those traveling as we are, to learn, discover and be amazed at this great big world we inhabit.

The political temperature in our home land is soaring and we hope for some good resolution as we soar across thousands of miles, 12 time zones, hearing many languages and traveling via airplane, bus, boat and balloon. Upon our return, we hope that our beloved USA is in good stead, that we can keep the amazing places we have visited clear and straight and have the chance to share our adventures with all of you that are interested.

We wish you all good health, a beautiful fall and holiday season and many adventures ahead.

Warmed in Heaven

Journal item; 4 surgeries, 1 month 


Procedure #1; Westfall Surgical Center, Dateline; July 23rd, 2013 surgery to remove mucus cyst on index finger-left hand. Grandson Tal,10, flying into Rochester from summer camp in Wisconsin by himself and the help of Delta's air escort service. 

Storyline, while under local anesthesia, my purse “rang out” across the room--my cell phone. To my shock, the nurse handed me the purse and said go ahead, answer it. I spoke to Tal and then his escort updating his arrival time 5 hours late from Detroit, after a rainy delay.

Later I queried the surgeon about the nurse's action. He said no problem but was glad I am not Italian (hand talk). I responded, I am not Italian but still talk with my hands--NO WAY was I going to gesture with that left hand undergoing the knife.

Still having the surgeon's ear, I complained that last year the thumb joint was reamed and I had a “noticeable”, large purple bandage (being offered a color choice). This time the bandage was once again large but boring beige, with no choice offered. What gives?



Trouble! Dateline; August 1st, Storyline, I fell while “fiddling” with shopping bags and such, not watching foot placement. Urgent care than an evening in emergency, a Ct scan and big ice packs. Diagnosis, Zygoma and orbital wall fractures. Not good, painful, black and blue. Appointment in a week with a facial reconstruction surgeon at Strong.



Procedure #2; Brighton Surgical Center, Dateline; Aug 8th.  Storyline. first cataract procedure, right side as scheduled, given the go by the Doctor, much to my amazement. The AC was blowing furiously and lo and behold, blankets appeared—warm and heaven sent. I was covered with 3 and stopped shivering.

Surgery went well, I slept through and then heard the words, “wake up you are done.” Wow, I can now read with my right eye—monocular vision is my chosen plan and I was warm and comfortable for the duration of the stay in recovery. 



Procedure #3; Strong Surgical Center, Dateline; Aug 15th;  Storyline; Procedure involving facial reconstruction and more TLC, with blessed warm blankets. I am getting very spoiled. Surgery lasted about 110 minutes, half of the estimated time, the surgeon finding less damage than at first suspected. I stayed overnight, foggy, in pain, but warm by, yes, warm blankets and lots of caring staff. Home the next day. Taking care to follow directions for a successful recovery. 



Procedure #4; Brighton Surgical Center once again. Dateline; August 27th, Storyline; left eye  cataract replacement postponed only one week. How amazing in light of my recent facial surgery. Again, warmed by those blankets and a caring staff. Surgery went well, I was aware this time of work being performed on the eye. The surgeon remarked that often that is the case for the second eye.



Update; Now into the month of September, a month of new beginnings. My index finger and two cataracts are healing well, my face is no longer a colorful mask and I can now pay attention to those whom I have had to “ignore” but thought of so often. I wish everyone Jewish a wonderful and healthy new year, a good fall season to all and the ability to savor every moment of the day, seek the beauty of this world and witness healing among nations. 

Ann Carol Goldberg

On the Road Home

Life on the road 2012-13 was fulfilling, with daily, over the top activities, a family reunion in Texas "circling" up our RV and our sons' rentals around the campsites, all kinds of quirky weather, more wonderful people time, discovery time, art and music, hiking and such but no time for blogging or artwork. I am not complaining, just lamenting that I haven't shared a blog in months. So here is another message in a minute--a re-start.

Our new rig is lovely and I have accustomed myself to the overkill of 4 TVs, a washer and dryer, automated awnings and things that most people don't even know exist. Our rig is built by Tiffin and called a Phaeton, an update from the original type of transportation so named, but life is good and our wheeled home serves us well going over the road or hooked into some sort of campsite.

Paul's blog covered our return to Rochester in detail for those of you that receive his blogs. We are now perched in our 4th floor apartment hovering over downtown Rochester and the view of the Genesee River. Missing life on the road is real, but actually staying in one place for 2-3 months is enjoyable. However, after a lifetime living in this city, I feel as if I am still on the road in a new location. Finding my route to familiar destinations, groceries, doctors, venues, has turned inside out. I am used to traveling from the eastern edge of the city but now travel east or southerly to reach my destinations. So, to avoid mistaken turns, I leave with a route in mind or have used the GPS in my home town to avoid wrong turns; similar to travel in a city in anywhere, USA.

I'm getting it, becoming more comfortable, but still encounter the long range construction projects in midtown, Mt.Hope/West Henrietta, Clinton Ave and so on. How different our city will be when these project are completed. Nothing stays the same and that is good.

Returning home in the NYS Thruway, however is still a bugaboo for me. The antiquate highway does not meet the quality of the many highways we travel during our marathon cross country trips. I have complained to various staff serving the Thruway Authority inquiring as to why exit numbers are old style and do not correspond to mile markers as they do on every other Interstate in the country. And, why are not all of the welcome center to New York State not just that, welcoming? (especially when entering from the west).  The answer was built on lack of funds, the "enormity of the changes and the difficulty for people to change to a new system and other excuses.

A lame answer when we should be encouraging visitors and potential businesses to this state. Now that I am a registered Texan, maybe I am not supposed to care, but I do. There are too many empty buildings and store fronts, too many people still in economic need and our perch over St. Paul St. gives us much evidence of the "class" disparity of our lives in Rochester. I am so glad to have some time in my home town, am pleased and proud of what Rochester has to offer and invite many people from On the Road to visit. Many do so and like what they find. Hey, thanks for listening and I hope all of you are doing what you enjoy.

Ann Carol Goldberg

New Digs on Wheels

Now for something new. We did it, we purchased our third motorhome. It is fueled by diesel and has the bells and whistles to fill my husband's dreams and mine too.  Actually, it has more bells and whistles than we anticipated, but we will just live spoiled. 


Now we face saying goodbye. Difficulty in letting go of dear ones, pets and possessions that have made so many fabulous memories possible is universally hard for us human beings.  Inanimate objects, in this case our 8 year old South Wind motor home become old friends.  Like us, it has more than one hundred thousand miles under its hood. It is time to renovate or trade it away. 

To ease the parting blues , I remember so many adventures with joy. We have become intimate with the southwestern desert, seeking desert wildflowers, critters caught by surprise, rock climbs, sand dunes and traipsing over blazed and not so well blazed trails. We have encountered birds galore, bison, elk, caribou, bear, foxes, bob cats. Phew, and so much more.


Basking along the shores of the ocean. I remember getting soaked, fully clothed by the turbulent surf, running on the sand with the surf pounding in our ears, hiking through pine forests, redwood forests, Alaskan tundra, Canadian forests, getting lost and finding the trail leading to breathtaking waterfalls and photographing the glorious mountains and lakes, cities and towns and parks along our way. Kayaking, bird watching, picking berries, food adventures, cultural discoveries, historical perspectives, learning, doing, forever wide-eyed with wonder.  


People are the keystone in my collective memory-gathering. What surprises have appeared through the windshield of the rig; revelers in costume at county fairs, boy scout rallies, lines of people on bike tours, cheese artisans, boiled peanut vendors.  In one town there were 50 Abe Lincoln impersonators standing on the steps of the town hall. 


During a stop in a National park we shared the snow remaining on the tow car with a young ranger who had never before encountered snow.  The people we have met along the way remain friends. There are many friends we have visited on repeated visits, folks that drive long distances to meet us at an appointed place. The stories we have heard will never fade. Their stories, our stories, collectively, broach the subject of letting go over and over again. Loved ones lost, lost dreams, new opportunities, change, letting go. The act of letting go is a theme through out life. It seems insignificant in the course of the wide picture, but we will hand over our coach with some hesitation and pause. 

On to our new coach. It is fun that it is branded Phaeton, defined as a touring car, or open carriage led by horses. Indeed, our coach will be led by powerful horses, thundering into the future with wonder and discovery blazing through the windshield.  


Ann Carol Goldberg

Mountain Bald

Credo; "Learn something new everyday".  Such a rich way to live. What could be better than hiking in the mountains on a clear, brisk and windy day. The hike of the moment--Craggy Gardens along the Blue Ridge Mountains, a bit north of Asheville, NC.  We were about to wander into a strange habitat, noted as globally unique to this area. This geological feature is labeled Mountain Bald.

A bald is defined as "a treeless area located on or near the summit of a predominantly forested mountain." Furthermore, Balds may be grassy-covered with a "mix of grasses and wildflowers" or they may be covered with low growing vegetation or "communities of of varying plant life, often including rhododendron, mountain laurel, blueberries, and flame azalea."  The Craggy Garden Balds fall under the latter category.

Their unique features are based in the "5,500 foot elevation, severe weather conditions harboring strong winds, ice storms,and a short growing seasons." This dwarfs, twists and stunts the development of the trees. We hiked past gnarled hardwood forest of beech, birch, buckeye, and mountain ash. Most noteworthy though are vast forests of rhododendron and mountain laurel.  I have never seen such dense collections of these trees in one place. The buds were just forming.  The scene was still clothed in winter browns with bare trunks, dwarfed, twisted, gnarled and stunted, as promised.

In June, the site description foretells of the vibrant blooms of the rhododendron, azaleas, mountain laurel and wildflowers with berries and mountain ash blooming into the fall. We learned that no one cause forms Mountain Balds.  They most likely exist due to a combination of forest fires, era-long climate change, and severe weather conditions.  The chance to trek along this trail filled with new knowledge and a heightened appreciation for our earth made the cool temperatures, high winds and subdued colors tolerable. I pulled the chin strap of my hiking hat tighter and jaunted down the trail. 

Ann Carol Goldberg

more info? http://www.virtualblueridge.com/maps/craggy-gardens-trails.asp 

Haute Couture Breaking News

Haute Couture is not my usual thing but it is time to fashion a new line of clothing. Bullet proof! The line would offer the range from underwear, day clothing and outerwear and be available from infant sizes to full-grown. With all sorts of new materials available the clothing would be comfortable and appealing, not old fashioned chain mail armor (just for fun check out  http://www.medieval-chain-mail-armor.com/, for city walking, hiking in national parks, picking up your kindergartners, or any school age kids, on the playground, big box shopping, or going to the neighborhood 7/11.

Yes, anywhere you go the person next to you may harbor a gun. A gun is, after all, a potentially deadly device with bullets that can maim and kill. While it seems redundant to have to say that, why are so many accidents in the news. Many people may be responsible and fully believe the heat they pack is for self defense only. But gun laws, shoot than think laws, gangs with guns, drugs, bad tempers and other vendettas threaten our safety at all times. It is obvious from daily news reports that being in the wrong place at the wrong time is becoming epidemic. Innocent people caught in the cross fire, gunning down in schools, gunning down in the workplace, drive by shootings, violence outside the 7/11, and racial profiling being a particularly bad virus. 

So, my line of clothing will help protect and ensure our freedom to wander wherever we like, not keep us captive for fear of a shooting. Perhaps, I will be prevented from making millions on this venture if gun laws did not allow anyone and everyone to pocket a gun. Whatever happened to the old adage, "love thy neighbor?" Don't kill him. 

Ann Carol Goldberg