Often it could be said I travel for travel's sake. Saturday, December 20th, was just such a day. With my home inspection behind me, the fate of my loan in the hands of my lender, there was no time to worry. Instead, I decided to take my artist child within on a date -- to Omaha, Nebraska.
Amtrak's California Zephyr line is direct from Denver to Omaha. This would end up being a great adventure and perhaps I will be able to write a few travel articles.
Omaha greeted me with a brisk negative 25-degree kiss and a swift fall to my rear--one of those falls you have no time to prepare for. Of course, little did Omaha know, I had been adding padding to my ass for a few years just for such an occasion!
Undeterred I marched into the the Old Market Square for a cup of coffee and some breakfast. In a storefront window, I fancied some more appropriate footwear for the weather and noted in my journal to return to this store of wool later.
With breakfast behind me I set out on the blistering three-mile walk to look at a 20-foot tree assembled using over 700 poinsettias. The tree was amazing and the full-room display of 5,000 poinsettias, toy trains, and antique sleighs was worth the walk and cab ride back to town!
My day continued as I walked the streets of Omaha from museum to museum and gallery to gallery. Despite the cold and several attempts at beginning ice walking, my day out with my artist within was wonderful. I saw papier-mache boxes constructed and painted by artists from Russia, oil paintings from Mexico, sculptures beautifully crafted by high school students, and the Eyewitness exhibit from America's National Archives, shown in only five cities--Omaha the last of the five.
I returned to the great wool store with the fabulous footwear I eyed earlier in the day. The trouble was that the store wanted $180 for the boots and I wanted to pay $80.
To all a wonderful day and may many new adventures await you in 2009.
