Book Review- Coast to Coast with a Cat and a Ghost



Shayna's lake with the addition
of filters and textures

I finished reading a book called “Coast to Coast with a Cat and a Ghost” by Judy Howard.  It was recommend by Nick Russell from the Gypsy Journal and I have not enjoyed myself this much in a long time.  The writing is refreshingly beautiful and I find myself rereading passages to enjoy them again.  It’s hard to curb my impulse to speed read as I often do, these descriptive passages need to read slowly and savored. 

The story is about a woman who has had a tumultuous life with the love of her life and after 25 years of marriage he has succumbed to cancer.  She is trying to find her feet again and embarks on a journey from California to Florida in a small RV with her cat and a life-sized doll created in the likeness of her deceased husband. 

Parts of the story are very poignant and bring a tear to your eye and others make you laugh out loud.  It’s a story of redemption and courage and is very inspirational to me.  Her journey ironically is similar to ours but in reverse.  She has stopped at all the places along the way that I want to see on our westward journey.  Plus I have now added some stops as a result of her descriptions. 

This will be the best part of our new nomadic life, having the time to thoroughly explore and enjoy an area until we get the itch to move on.  Some full-timers refer to this as having “hitch itch” but I like to call it “restless wheels syndrome”.  And unlike the author’s circumstances, I have Left Brain to share it with at the end of the day.  I appreciate more and more how special that is and give praise daily for this gift.  It’s easier to realize what you had after it’s gone, not so easy sometimes in the day to day living, but I will be mindful. 

Long Live the Queen