Adventures Big and Small

I’m sat here, cup in hand (well not when I’m typing, but you get the idea), looking out on a beautiful sunny morning - the kind that looks warmer than it probably is. The summers here not being the scorchers that I’m used to in America, the very subtle change in season is not the sudden, intrusive chill I expect. But as I look out at the leaves on the trees on the hills out my window and see hints of gold and brown, I know: It’s fall. And as the sun sets on my first English summer, I’m reminded that I’ve promised a more fulsome report on my adventures than my short little casual tidbits on Twitter and Facebook have offered. So here it is!

As I confessed in an earlier post, I’ve mostly been having too much fun to write! And, much of the time was spent in far away places – in a tent (not particularly conducive to my otherwise plugged-in existence). The summer began with a hot air balloon meet at Capesthorne Hall – it was my second such meet, but the first time that I spent the whole weekend. Here and there over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to serve as crew for a friend who is a pilot in Manchester. Now that I’m local, I can do this more often! A balloon meet is just what it sounds like: A bunch of balloon pilots and their crews converge on a bit of earth and fly. At this particular meet there were flights as well as tethered flights – passengers can experience the beauty of a balloon flight without having to go very far or for very long, flying tethered to the ground. As much fun as it was flying and playing about with balloons, perhaps the most memorable thing about the weekend was the joy in the faces of the many happy passengers, most of whom had never been in a balloon before. Thanks to Roy, the pilot!


Very soon after, I had another opportunity to crew, this time at a party at Barton Aerodrome at which the guests could enjoy tethered flights in a balloon as well as flights in a microlight. A microlight is a light-weight, slow-flying, fixed-wing aircraft that for all practical purposes is a very simple airplane. And, would you believe it, I flew! More on this theme later – needless to say, I’ve spent less time on the ground than in summers past, and it has been a revelatory experience. Thanks to Adrian, the pilot!


I went on lots of little hikes in England and Wales. Walking the hills is something I’ve really come to enjoy – I have liked hiking since I was a teenager, but have had little opportunity until recently to get out and do it much. Here’s me on a hike at Kinder Scout, very near to where I live.


Enough hiking, time for more flying – I went to one of the largest balloon meets in the world at a disused air base in Chambley, France (near Metz). There are no words to suitably describe this absolutely unbelievable ten days of friends and flying – as well as exploring a bit of France! Seeing so many balloons at once is incredible – but being in one of them as it takes flight is the best! The excitement, every time, of getting the balloon up and in the air – and then back down again! – is exhilarating. Seeing France was lovely, but seeing it from a floating basket was unforgettable.


My last trip out was to the Whitby Folk Festival, where I enjoyed singing and dancing with other folkies, as well as listening to some great music. Whitby is a beautiful seaside town, and just the views on the walks were worth the trip.


So there you have it, my summer. :)

It bears mentioning that somewhere between hikes and flights I took an unexpected and very difficult trip to Indiana. It wasn’t part of my planned adventures, but then…well, I guess it’s a solemn reminder that we can’t plan for everything. Bob, my sisters’ father and my mother’s husband and partner for many years, died suddenly this summer. A cherished member of my family and a very good friend, I miss him dearly. And, I’d like to extend my thanks to the many people who reached out to me with warmth and care during that time.

Not to end on a sad note, and to put things in perspective, it’s worth taking some time to reflect on the joys, and indeed the sorrows, of a passing season. As I share the highlights of trips here and there, I’m keenly aware that for me, the most important journeys are not to places, and the finest moments aren’t necessarily spent doing anything at all. Rather, simply being in the moment as it passes is the greatest adventure. And, as I mourn the loss of time I hoped to spend with a loved one, I’m reminded that those moments are finite.

I find countless connections between my sometimes extraordinary adventures – and even my daily life – and art. The message for me this time is to be present and authentic as an artist, and to acknowledge the immediacy of art. Though I wouldn’t want to think of life as nothing more than a series of metaphors, I do find them in the darndest places. At the risk of making this a truly epic-length post I’ll stop here for now, but here and there in posts to come I hope I can articulate some more of these little insights.