Where 100,000 Will Take You

I enjoy driving. I am my father's daughter in this regard, traversing whatever kilometres I must to get where I want to go. When I'm not commuting to and from work, I'd say the majority of my driving is to either visit the people I care most about, or to explore somewhere with my camera.

So is it any wonder that after four years of moving to and from these places with my current car (a Dodge Dart named Tom), he would hit his 100,000km mark on a road in rural Saskatchewan... a trip he has made many times to keep me connected to some of my favourite people.

Within Edmonton, I must admit that Tom and I have... struggled... to get along with the city streets.* But--we have always enjoyed the open road together. It is interesting where different seasons of our lives take us. My Honda went everywhere. Mountains, ocean, foothills, prairie--she even crossed into the United States more than once. To be fair, I owned Aubergine twice as long as I've currently owned Tom. That being said, thus far, Tom has only had a taste of the mountains and foothills, he's never been to the ocean, nor has he crossed any international borders.

But the prairie.

Well.

Tom is a prairie expert.

The view at 100,000km.

Under the ever-wide sky, we have explored the green and yellow patchwork of summer fields, as well as the white blankets of winter. We have stopped to take in unexpected delights, and we never hesitate to pull over for a good sunset. In the dark of winter, thousands of songs, a hundred podcasts, and several audio books have helped to pass the time.

All so that I can access the pieces of my heart that I have scattered abroad.

Tom's knees are starting to creak, his face is pock-marked by gravel and dust, and his interior is in desperate need of a bath. ...I've put him through a lot in four years.

At 25,000km per year, I am hoping he and I can enjoy at least another four together, and I am curious to see which directions our ambitions take us.

There is so much yet to explore.


* But if you need to find a pothole, a nail, or a piece of wayward rebar, I'm your gal.

Dressed in Finest Gold (SOTC 75/365)

The elm trees form long, interconnected canopies up and down the streets of my neighbourhood. Season after season, the arched branches are dressed in nature's latest trends.

Winter tops each branch with frost and flakes. In springtime, sticky, shiny new buds of electric green burst forth from those same branches; a full cover of green evolves as summer's long days arrive.

Too soon, the days begin to shorten, and the air becomes crisp. By the end of September, a mottled mix of green and yellow decorate the streets. By October, the branches are dressed in their finest gold.

I stand there in the middle of the street, watching a soft and steady flutter of leaves trail down from the canopy above. In another week, this colour will all have vanished. In that in-between of November--after the leaves are gone, but before the snow has fallen--the trees will stand naked and colourless.

So I will stand for just another minute. And hold the colours as close as I can.

Everywhere Leaves OR SOTC 25/365