It must be time for me to go on an adventure – I’ve put on my traveling earrings. When I don’t want to be bothered with keeping track of earrings that match my outfits, or don’t want to have to worry about losing special ones, I put in my traveling earrings.
Earrings are my one real vanity. I don’t wear much in the way of other jewelry, I don’t buy fancy clothes or shoes, and I don’t bother to do up my hair or make-up. I own dozens of pairs of earrings, however, and, like a magpie stealing bright, shiny bits, new ones catch my eye on a regular basis. The funkier, the better, is my motto.
My traveling earrings don’t quite fit in with the rest of
my population. They’re two pairs of small,
simple silver hoops. Their best
characteristic is that they latch securely so that I can leave them in day and
night without worrying about them falling out and getting lost. I’ve found that
my second set of holes, ones I’ve had for over thirty years, still tend to
close up if I don’t wear earrings for more than a few days. My traveling
earrings don’t have pretensions, but they fill the hole.
These little hoops don’t get worn on every trip I take. If I’m just headed to Anchorage or Cordova or wherever for work, I’ll usually select a variety of earrings to coordinate with my clothes. A longer trip, or one on which I’m expecting to be participating in active pursuits, requires the traveling earrings.
These earbobs have been to Hawaii several times, Bangkok and Bhutan, and several places in Mexico. They’ve gone snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking, and zip lining. Next week, they’ll get to go bicycling with me once again.
First, though, they’ll drive with me to Homer to attend the Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference. I attended the conference last year for the first time, and am looking forward to gaining more inspiration this year. It’s a great opportunity to commune with other writers, learn from those who have achieved some measure of literary success, and listen to at least one world-renowned author. This year’s special guest and keynote speaker is Naomi Shihab Nye, a poet, essayist, and fiction writer. I’d never heard of her before her name was announced at last year’s conference, but I’ve since enjoyed reading some of her short stories. I suspect she’ll be a dynamic and interesting speaker. I’ll be sure to let you know.
Once back to the Valley after Homer, Mandy and I will hop on the train to Fairbanks with our bikes. Next Thursday we’ll start riding south along the Parks Highway to Wasilla. 350 miles or so over seven days. Our longest riding day will be about 60 miles, our shortest about 40. Needless to say, worrying about earrings has not made it to my list of concerns. I’ve been more focused on hills and mountain passes.
So, this morning I put on my traveling earrings, and this afternoon I drive to Wasilla to drop Rowan off at her grandmother’s house. She’ll be leaving Saturday for her own three-week adventure in Australia. She doesn’t have pierced ears, though, so she doesn’t have her own traveling earrings yet. I can’t wait until we’re both home to share our adventures.
