Slow Life with Real Food

Tonight we are tying up the loose ends before we hit the road, the long black road, to Austin, Texas, the final destination of the 'bike2barn 2007' trip. Already Guillermo and I are having an adventure, namely in getting to know each other a little better. A little background knowledge behind this trip is called for...

Guillermo and I (Amber) met two months ago, and bonded almost instantly. My family and I were taking a break from the Texas heat by vacationing in Santa Cruz, California. Our first night here, we hit the wild idea of playing backgammon and drinking whiskey. We needed more people, so Jill (my sister) and her boyfriend put a call out to some friends, and lo and behold, Guillermo shows up to play. After a night of laughing, dancing, and talking, we decided to keep hanging out. He invited my family and I to his house the next day, to have dinner with his mom and his sister, Mariana. Our families enjoyed each other almost as much as we did. The next six days were spent playing and acting like teenagers, giggling and sneaking away from our parents to kiss and be sweet on each other. Before too long, I had fallen in love with both Santa Cruz and Guillermo, and was convinced that it was time for my life to take a new direction. We cheerfully ended the week with a good-bye, knowing that we would see each other soon. I set off to teach at an English camp in an island off of South Korea, and Guillermo kept himself busy busy with work at Localharvest. Our month was filled with impossibly romantic love letters, and brave confessions about fears and longings. We were getting to know one another in an old-fashionly modern way, through electronic correspondence hurled over the Pacific ocean, 5700 miles away from one another. After a month, I landed in San Francisco and was greeted with the happiest face that I had ever seen. We were nervous, excited, and hungry babies. After the giddiness passed, we both realized how adventurous we were being, and how little we knew each other. Thank goodness, though, that we were both able to communicate with one another about this, and make it through the 'freaky' time without many bumps. We soon remembered all of the little things that we liked about each other, and I reconnected with Santa Cruz, my new home. These past few weeks have gone so well, in fact, that Guillermo and I have decided to share his house. Big decision, but it feels right. Now we are about to head off to Austin, on the motorcycle, to have an adventure, visit farms, eat good food, meet (hopefully) nice people, and introduce Guillermo to my life back in Austin. We will be saying hellos and good-byes, and packing up my stuff in a U-Haul, with the motorcycle stuffed inside, attaching my Volvo behind, and heading on back to Santa Cruz in a much more convenient way.

So, now we are back to the present.... packing. Already, we have learned that we travel differently. I fly by the seat of my panties, and Guillermo thinks about all the little details. It's war on 21st Ave. No, not really. We laugh a lot about it, once we both were brave enough to talk about the anxiety. Now it's all just funny. I'm thinking that we are setting the mood for the trip. Lots and lots to learn, from each other, from the land, from the farmers, from life...

I hope that you will follow us on our adventure, and share with us your thoughts and comments. Check in from time to time, and see what we are up to.