Wondering about wild grapes

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Wondering about Wandering

I woke up wondering where in North America have I been and where have I not been. Well, I have not been a lot of places, but to make this blog a little simpler, let us just change the question to what states and providences I have been in. Since I have only been in two countries, the US and Canada, this should be simple.

I started life on Valentines Day 1943 in a hospital in Butler, Pennsylvania. Lived in Foxburg, Phillipston, Butler, New Kensington, Penn State, and near Nixon; all in Pennsylvania.

I moved to Farmington, Michigan in 1979 and then to Texas about a year later. First lived in Tarkington Prairie, which was between Dayton and Cleveland. No, not Ohio, Texas. Then moved to Justin, just north of Fort Worth, then back down south to Conroe and then to Cut & Shoot, where I am to this day. While living here in Cut & Shoot, I did work a contract job at G.E. Nuclear near Wilmington, North Carolina for over 2 years.

Well that takes care of where I have lived, but I have done some traveling. When I was quite young, my parents took me on a trip from western PA to Maine. That put me in New York, Conn., Mass., N.H., Vermont, and Maine.

When I was 16 years old, I went on a trip with my Uncle, Aunt, and cousin that took us from PA, through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming Montana, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario.

I have also been in Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas on the east end of the US. And Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California in the south west.

I have not been in Delaware, New Jersey, nor Rhode Island in the east. I have not been in Iowa, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, nor Minnesota in the north central US. Neither have I been in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, not Utah in the west.

Of course there are a million places that I haven’t seen just here in Texas. Why would any one want to tour the world when the good old USA has so much diversity, so much in fact, that you couldn’t possibly see it all in one life-time? So pack up and hit the road. Let us see how much we can see in our life time.

Happy trails to you. . .

9 comments:

  1. OK I’ll play your silly game!! Born in Fort Worth first half of last Century , lived in Fort Worth till 57, moved to Mansfield, Went to Athens Texas for college, moved down to Pasadena Texas,, Back to Fort Worth, Arlington, then Seabrook, Kemah, Clear Lake City, Then moved to Alpine in 81. Next was the worst mistake I ever made, Moved to New Mexico to Los Lunas, Belen, and finally after three years came to my senses and moved back to Texas, Bastrop for a short time, Back to Mansfield and finally to here!! Lillian since 89!! (my plan is to stay here till I die, but God hasn’t seen fit to reveal his plan for me, so all bets are off )

    As for travel, Colorado, Utah, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, West and plain ole Virginia ,Ohio, N & S Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, New York State,( upstate) Canada,( day trip) , Kentucky, Tennessee, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington State
    Once while I was in School for Xerox outside Leesburg Virginia, we did a day tip and hit 4 dates and DC..(Does that count? ) Florida Panhandle.

    Now for out of the US., Border Mexico cities, Bahamas, Jamaica, Bora Bora , Hawaii ( several islands on day trips )
    I “think” I still would like to cruise to Sweden and across the Baltic to Russia, and I would really like to get into South America.

    Someday pretty soon, I would love to fly to Oregon and then drive back across to the east and down the Plains states with a stop at the Field of Dreams in Iowa!

    I quit my brain hurts!!!

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  2. Wow Ben, you have been around. I would like to fill in my continental missing states, except for Rhode Island and New Jersey, maybe.

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  3. Uh, Ben, Hawaii IS part of the US. :) I think you mean Outside CONTINENTAL US?

    As for OCONUS for me, Bahamas once, British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico (airport, anyway), US Virgin Islands (differnt trips), Germany for 3 weeks for work, and now Honduras for a year. I need to sit down and see what states I've not seen yet. The trip from WA to Kansas City took me into a lot of the US that I had not seen before. Of course, a lot of it was at night so I still haven't seen some of it...

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  4. Shadow, In todays modern world, most people have done a lot of traveling. Most do it by air and miss the states that they fly over. I prefer taking my time and if in a hurry, I only go 300 miles per day. Got to have time to smell the flowers.

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  5. DD you are still a young man and there are some amazing places outside the US of A you know. Come down under or go someplace where English is not the first language...

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  6. Hey TFT, My motor-home doesn't have pontoons or a sail, so my wife, our dogs, and I will probably not be coming your way anytime soon. And will not take my shoes off for anyone, so I can't fly. I quit flying when the hassle of getting on the plane was 100 times worse than the trip.

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  7. Boy, you guys have certainly been around! The most I have traveled was when I was still in school, one of my friends' family took me (along with their own 5 kids) on a trip with them all the way to Washington, DC!

    They were hunting antiques and bought a brand new station for the trip! That trip was during the Civil War centential! We went to all the major battle grounds and then to colonial Williamsburg!

    Got to see the Smithsonian! WOW! Hell of a trip for a young man!

    Except for s short time in Oklahoma, I've lived in Texas all my life! Never had the urge to go to Europe or anywhere overseas!

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  8. Yep Jim, I know what you mean about going to Europe. If I ever did go to another country, it would be New Zealand or Australia.

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  9. I know I've flip flopped from one side of this country to the other, lived in a lot of places. Born in California, moved to Missouri and then to Virgina, Tennessee, Hawaii, Maryland and now Illinois. Visited most every where else. Finally capped it off with a Alaskan Cruise a few years back.

    From where I was from, Delaware was nothing but an annoying speed trap on the way the Atlantic City.

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