Having left y’all at Gamble Run Road, while Jer took you on other landscaped tours, I am now prepared to say farewell to Pine Creek and to Pennsylvania:
Farewell to the mountains, to the Camp, and to all the amenities of the old family homestead.
Farewell to Betty and Geraldine (photo from perhaps 30 years ago), both of whom I got to visit with, thanks to Doris. They are ahead of me as heirs to the Fenstemacher line.
And farewell to the younger generation also, two of whom, my sister Carol and niece Tani, are shown here, clowning at a family dinner.
Farewell also to Philadelphia:
The Philadelphia Museum of Art, whose stairs I climbed but whose art I was too exhausted to examine. I spent most of my four days in the Barnes Collection, just down the mall from this behemoth. Next time….
Farewell also to the view from Sally’s condo, with whom I stayed during my brief Philly tour)
Farewell to the plains of North Dakota (or was it Montana?), photographed as we whizzed by on Amtrak
And Hello to the waters of Puget Sound and the glories of the golden ash trees outside SE Main:
–June
East of 82nd 
My brother and I attended Camp Cedar Pine in the 1950’s. Thank you for a ramble down that asphalt road to Cedar Run, which I traveled on foot more times than I can count. Past the little white wooden church to the old Inn across the bridge. We hiked to and slept on the ground (old corn fields?) up in Belua Land. So relieved to see the stone wall still standing and the restoration of the main building. Those were the days of fairly unscheduled fun and simple safety standards of that time. Again – thanks for the photos and memories.
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Thanks, Pam. Isn’t the internet wonderful, that you could relive some of those old memories.
My family has photos of Camp Cedar Pines from various dates, and boxes of memorabilia, held both by my family and by the family that owns the building we always called The Teepee. Perhaps you are there also.
Thanks again for checking in.
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June this is Dale everytime I look at that distintive tree I think of you. You know what tree I’m talking about
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Hey, Bonnie, so good to hear from you! I too think of Dale every time I look at that particular image. I wish I had painted that tree more. I have a couple more odd pieces from the Pine Creek trip to finish up — one of these days I’ll be posting the last of them. The territory sticks with me.
Did we tell you we are heading for Jerome AZ for the month of March. If your ears burn, you know we’re talking about you as we wind up the road to the town. I’ll be painting and we’ve found a place that has Wifi so Jer can keep on Wikipediing.
Hope you guys are doing OK and that Dale’s ouches are lessening. I’ve been having my own medical adventures (ugh) but I’m thinking I might be coming out the other side now:-) Thanks for checking in
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That last picture, what a glorious sight! I can just imagine the depth of emotion when you arrived at last.
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Much like your own, I suspect, although your trials had been great and mine about as minor as they could be:-)
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Journeys to the past seem to be multidimensional events, in my experience, and need as much time (if not more!) to get over as they did to participate in. Thank you for sharing yours, not least because you have awakened in me once more the desire to stretch my limbs beyond confines.
Today it is one year since my mother died, and it seems I now have a life again. Following your journeys has got me itching.
I hope you enjoy savouring your return home. I love those ash trees – the sight especially poignant for us Brits as the threat of a dread fungus encroaches. It has almost wiped out the ash in Denmark.
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Olga, your words reverberate. The past and present became intertwined in strange ways — making memories while indulging in them. The mountains remained the same, but all else changed.
I hope you will follow your desires to return to past spaces — and that you will write about what happens. I’m fascinated with my own responses (duh!) and would like to know how others find their own trips “back home”.
As to the ash trees — we lost one to a rain storm this year and the remaining ash on that block seems fragile to me. On the other hand, as Jer pointed out, we have 20% fewer ash leaves to clean up this fall. However, this is not an impressive statistic when I look at the leaves turning to mush in the rain:-)
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Welcome home, June. Like your many other friends and family, I treasured your observations of the homestead and the homeland. It all felt rather like the beginning of a novel, but perhaps that’s what the paintings will be.
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Marilyn, too many writers in a family spoil the soup:-) I’m basically just a babbler, one who sits around the dinner table and spins tales; the blog is an extension (with the delicious addition of photos) of that old family activity. So I’ll leave the novel up to you. I’m off today to examine what the paintings say — or don’t say. A whole ‘nother kettle of fish (to extend that dinner table metaphor…)
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June, You added a most delicious, textured look at a piece of America that I have not visited. Having seen the landscape of your family summer spot I now have a huge desire to plan a trip to that part of the country in the next few years. This closing series of reminder photos and return trip snapshots was truly the sweet icing on a most special shared journey experience. Thank you so much for including your blog “family” in the discussion of this marvelous experience. The art that will result from the trip is most certain to be excellent and when I travel to the coast next year I will make sure I have some Portland time free to take a look-see.
Appreciating the gift of travel, visual exploration and story that you brought to my 2012 summer into fall life.
Kristin
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Kristin, please let me know when you are in Portland. And thank you for accompanying me on my travels.
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Nice to know that you are home safe and getting back into your Portland life. A visit to the past is always an interesting experience. I took one earlier this week and will be posting soon.
“Crowsline” is up with half a dozen other birdy quilts. I do love your crows, they are so “human”.
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Hey hi, Del. The visit to the past was so mingled with the present that it entirely confused me. Or perhaps, that was just how I was for 3 months — confused:-) I shall look for Crowsline — one of my all-time favorites. I am still talking to crows, which might indicate why I’m a trifle confused.
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welcome home!
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Thanks, Janet.
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Let me know if you are up for an art date one of these days. It has been waaaaaaaay too long!
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Yes! Give me a week or two (I have to unbox the art and get over the shock) and then let’s set something up. What’s on at PAM? Oh, and a friend is showing downtown at Annie Meyer; she’s doing an artist lecture sometime in November.
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What special journey thus was. Your descriptions have made me vow to visit more of Pennsylvania. Thank you for sharing what was I am sure a deeply personal journey.
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Thanks, Carla. It was a very important journey for me to make. I am still processing….
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