Tuesday march 24th, 2009 7:45pm

Day one of my journey is almost in the books. This is also exactly seven months since Sue's passing.

As with almost all journeys, today began with enthusiasm and high spirits. I was up at 5:30 and Chuck and I were on the road by 9am. We didn't let the clouds and rain dampen our mood. Lots of discussion and philosophical musings, more about that in the observation section. Minnesota went by pretty fast but a few miles into Iowa I felt an unmistakable tug to the side of the road (this was not my usual highway wanderings). As I looked to the side I saw an exit sign that seemed to be responsible for the tug. It said Manly 1/2 mile. I soon realized that being a couple of manly men,that we were being drawn to the exit for Manly, Iowa. Through a very manly effort I was able keep the car on the road headed toward the cosmopolis (I'm sure this is a word) of Des Moines. I was soon hoping there is not a town of Studly, Iowa.

Since there is no corn growing at this time, the only thing of interest that seems to be growing in their fields are windmills. Holy sh__ there are a lot of windmills in Iowa. I felt like pulling out my sword and telling my sidekick Sancho that it was time to attack. They kind of remind me of some of the weird machines in Star Wars. I was wondering if they were going start walking away or shooting laser blasts. We have made it to Kearney Neb. and had dinner with a lot of guys with big hands who walk with a limp. There was a group of teenage girls wearing football helmets, not quite like Bloomington.

Observation: Amoung many topics discussed, the one I would like to mention is what I call "the curve of life". In all life, whether a person, a career, a country, a civilization or anything else in nature there seems to be a curve that describe it's birth, growth, maturation, decline and death. This seems to be hard wired into nearrly everything we experience. This seems to even affect things like ideas, since they take birth in the minds of the human organism and come to fruition in our behaviors. When we are beginning high school, a career or a trip, we have enthusiasm, energy and vigor. In maturity we are at the height of our powers and experience our greatest achievements. The decline can be managed and offset by experience but it is often difficult and plays havoc with confidence and desire. At 60 I feel I am undeniably in decline and despite the tragedy of the last year, I feel I still have things to accomplish, puzzles to solve, bridges to cross. Jon