Cross Country

As a teenager living in Paris, and working as a model which entails constant travel, I realized the wisdom of packing lightly. One of the paradoxes of having worked for many years in the fashion business, is that I also learned to never be underestimated by allowing clothes or jewelry to define me.I confess there were times I reveled in my fancy wardrobe, yet I also recognized that the activities I found most fulfilling, had nothing to do with my image.Creating beauty by way of cooking, gardening and furniture design are magical interludes that sustain me whether times are challenging or fulfilling.
















Until my daughter left for college, she was the center of my world. I made a conscience decision while pregnant, that I would devote myself to being a full time mother.Life was full and exciting before her arrival, so I could be fully present while raising her. Life became full and exciting again, after her departure, just in a newly rewarding sense.

It took some time to find my way and to rediscover my passion. Discover it, I did. I found it in not only in grocery markets ,herb gardens, and hardware stores, but in the beauty of the cross country road trip. Crossing country can be elevated to an art form. Comfort and imagination are key to pleasure. What is mandatory, is packing lightly,thus expediting the ability to enter and exit numerous motel/hotel rooms in an ordered,functional way, without sacrificing the overall experience of the trip.


I make sure to limit driving to six hours a day so that there is time for dining.Yes, I said dining, for part of the pleasure of the cross country road trip is to continue to create a setting for dining and pleasure. Pleasure has its many forms and I create it while crossing country. The following is the prerequisite for my pleasure; upon arrival I create ambiance by lighting a travel candle, organize my toiletries and small suitcase, take a hot shower, slip into something spanking clean and comfortable, commence cooking a lasagna by micro wave (or any such comparable dish ) and pop open a bottle of wine. I appreciate my talent of improvising.

My canine family is ever present and are perfectly behaved in the car, yet I respect their needs to stretch and to accommodate their potty stops.They are also a fixture at the end of my bed enjoying the travel quilt I bring so that luxury accompanies me wherever I travel.

I find it thrilling upon awakening to start the day with the comfort of the gurgling coffee pot and anticipating new vistas. When I am sufficiently energized from my coffee infusion, I read a map and navigate each new day in my mind. The road is a microcosm of life that requires planning and letting go. Possibilities are inspiring.

I live in a Ritz state of mind, even though I may be overnighting at a Day's End. I include my canine children. I simply could not bear being without them while crossing country,for they protect me,and I, them. Devotion abounds. Each new day brings with it, new territory, fostering new dreams and dreams become actualizations and manifestations. For me, the art of the trip is key to the destination, and so it is.

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