a.d. elliott - Take the Back Roads

Dear Henry, It seems a little ironic that the first trip I took after announcing my plans to tackle the Camino de Santiago would be a trip to my childhood home. My dad (aka my mother's second husband) is dying, and I wanted the opportunity to say goodbye. I didn't get it, and I'm a little angry about it too. One of the most profound things I have learned in adulthood was that to truly love someone meant to work for their well-being. Unfortunately, as I've mentioned, my family has significant challenges caring about anyone's well-being, primarily due to addictions and criminal behavior. Addicts are too selfish to love anyone. Almost every family member is either an abusive addict or an enabler of addictions and abusive behavior. The focal point of all family activity is caring for the "poor" addicts and applauding their accomplishment of becoming the most catastrophic person in the room.    After " the accident, " I could not do this. I didn't...

Dear Henry, The other day, I saw a random Twitter post about The Golden Girls. In the post, they gave the age of the characters, and I realized I am in that age range now. But, I'm far from old and now wonder why it was called The Golden Girls when they were (except Sophia) in their middle age. Still, it got me thinking about my bucket list and my need for more focus on the list. I've always wanted to complete one of the big 'through' hikes, like the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest. Unfortunately, since " the accident ," I cannot carry a backpack big enough or sleep on the ground long enough to complete one of those hikes. Fortunately, the Camino de Santiago offers a porter system and nightly hotel accommodations. The Camino de Santiago would also be an excellent option for me. Spain is the country of my birth. I was born at the Naval base in Rota during the Vietnam War, and even though the French way of the Camino doesn't go near Rota (maybe I coul...

 Dear Henry, Right after we moved to Roanoke, Virginia, I discovered an exciting state park about 1/2 hour away.   The story of Fairy Stone State Park began around the American Revolution when General George Stovall Hariston Sr. started to redeem his revolutionary land grants and purchased other land grants, including a small iron-rich mountain called Stuart's Knob.  I am not entirely sure who "Stuart" is and why there is a mountain named after him. However, I  suspect it may be named after the Stuart family,  whose prodigal son J.E.B. Stuart became a well-known Confederate general. They were also from that area. Iron mining in the area did not truly ramp up until 1836 when the Hariston sons George II and John began the Union Iron Works Company.  It was a problematic mine to operate. The Stuart's Knob area is quite steep. It was difficult to bring equipment to the mine and impossible to bring coal. The grade of the mountain also made it challenging to ...

Dear Henry, This last weekend I took the opportunity to attend a religious retreat held at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC. The retreat was held by the Hallow App , a prayer app I am an absolute groupie of. This was the company's first event, and since it was right down the proverbial road and because I genuinely am a groupie of this app, I thought it would be a fun adventure. I even ordered one of the dorm rooms rather than booking a hotel room, just so I could immerse myself in the experience.  I was so excited to see what I could learn. I left bright and early last Friday and arrived in DC right before noon. I immediately headed to the Catholic University (carrying my bags) to see the Basicila of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception before checking into my dorm room. I decided to find something to eat and rest for a bit between the check-in process and the first event. All of these plans fell apart quickly. When I arrived at the Basicilia, I notic...