Linda and I loved road trips.
Our longest road trip was in 1995, a dross-country drive from our home in Englewood, NJ to San Francisco. As always, I identified stops at women's landmarks along the way.
Recently I found Linda’s reminiscence about that trip and my response.
Linda: In 1995, Penny and I decided to drive to San Francisco so that I could attend the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities conference where I was presenting a symposium with some of my students. The problem was that Penny had a writing deadline that meant that we had only five days in which to make the trip. We left in the late afternoon and drove all the way to Morris, Illinois that first night. Then we calculated the remaining miles so that we could make sure that we drove our target number of miles each day (about 600 as I remember it it) so that we would reach our destination on time. My most salient memory of the drive is that, around almost every bend in the road, there was an amazing sight to see! We arrived in San Francisco in the midst of a beautiful West Coast sunset. Our return trip took about a month, giving us time for many wonderful adventures”
Penny: My salient memory of our 1995 trip was the freedom and fun of a glorious adventure, just the two of us on the road!
The first photo is Linda at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, where we camped one night on our return trip home.. The second Is the memorial in Los Angeles to Biddy Mason, a slave who won her freedom in court and became a cherished midwife, wealthy landowner, and philanthropist. (Click to enlarge.)
(Note: That year, 1995, saw publication of my fifth book Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II.
It was eight years from when I had decided, a month after my forty-third birthday, to become a full-time freelance writer. I started writing personal essays and magazine articles for adults and fiction for kids. In 1992, I published my first two books, and I have been writing books ever since. Although my current thought is to return to writing personal essays.)
Adolescence comes with many emotional ups and downs, https://www.modernpsych.ca/ and therapy offers the necessary support to navigate these challenges. From self-esteem issues to relationship struggles, therapy helps teens process their emotions in a constructive way. It fosters emotional growth, resilience, and healthier decision-making for a more balanced life.
What a wonderful trip! I drove cross country in 1976. It was a stunning trip. Linda looks so happy with you!