I woke this morning at 6 and tiptoed out of the camper as my family slept and headed down to the beach of Lake Siskyou to do my morning stretches. To the layman's eye it may look like I was doing yoga as I lay out my mat in the early morning sun, but I really can't do yoga. I'm just not that flexible. The stretching routine I do is more a series of physical therapy exercises I learned some years ago when I was recovering from a back injury. Now whether it is a result of this injury, or genetics, or just getting old, I find that I often wake up with pain in my back which makes me walk a bit crooked if I don't do these exercises. I can't blame the mattress in the camper, because it is really quite comfortable and I have been sleeping well. I am sure the hours sitting while driving across country does not help, but whatever the case, I always feel better if I do my morning stretching routine. I was the only one on the beach at this hour and it was quite a tranquil setting with the calm water of the lake glistening in the sun and the snowcapped peak of Mt Shasta as the backdrop. It was tranquil, that is, until the cawing of two crows shattered the serenity of the moment. One crow chased the other out of its perch in a pine tree and the other circled back to yell at the first as if to complain that the branch rightfully belonged to him and then when it went to find another tree to claim, the first crow left in pursuit as if it were afraid the second crow may have found one with a better view. The cawing continued for a bit as they moved through the woods until the noise soon became distant. I changed positions on my mat to look towards the lake and I saw two Canada geese gracefully gliding atop the water in sync with one another heading towards the shore. I couldn't help but ponder the contrast in behavior of these two pairs of birds, two in constant conflict and two in perfect harmony. And as I pondered, I was reminded that yesterday was Julie and my fourteenth wedding anniversary. Thank you to those who were so kind in helping me remember with your texts, messages, emails and cards! You may wonder how a card found its way to us in the middle of our cross country journey, but leave it to Jim and Maureen to find a way. So as I pondered the crows and the geese, I wondered which pair best characterized Julie and me as a married couple. Sure, we caw at each other every now and then, but I believe we are more like the geese. We are on a journey together like the geese. Fourteen years ago our wedding was a five hundred mile journey across Spain, and today we find ourselves on a three thousand mile journey across America. I believe as long as we see life as the journey and not the destination, then geese we shall be. We head towards Bend, OR today, our official destination and turnaround point for this particular summer journey. From there we head back east and back home. What adventures await us along the road, I do not know, but I am happy knowing that I will have this adventure alongside Julie, gracefully gliding along with me, and with CJ and Anna in tow...two great little goslings to be sure.