Week 43: 300 Days, Two Roads & Heading Home

Karen Kuhl
1 day ago
6 min read

August 24 – August 30 | Spring Grove, IL → Indiana / New York → French Lick, IN

Where We Stayed

Don

Potato Creek State Park, North Liberty, IN (Sunday through Tuesday)
Drury Hotel, West Lafayette, IN (Wednesday)
Prophetstown State Park, West Lafayette, IN (Thursday and Friday)
Our Lady of Perpetual Hops, New Albany, IN (Saturday)

Karen

Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY (Sunday)
Nashville, TN (Monday)
Manchester, TN (Tuesday)
Columbus, OH (Wednesday)
Stanley, NY (Thursday through Saturday)

Karen & Don

French Lick Resort, French Lick, IN (Sunday & Monday)

Two Roads

This week, Don and I went our separate ways. He continued through Indiana with Lucky. I flew to help Hanna get moved back home to New York. A bittersweet week in every sense of the word. I won't go into the details here, but I will say this: to Don and me, being a parent means showing up whenever your kids need you. By the end of the week, she was home, the cats were settled, and a new chapter was opening up, even if it will take some getting used to.

Karen: Brooklyn, Nashville & the Long Drive Home

I flew from Chicago to JFK and waited for Hanna's flight from Edinburgh. Seeing her walk through those doors and hugging her was special to my heart. Sunday night we stayed with Henry in Bushwick, went out for Thai dinner nearby, and played Cannan with Henry and William. I won, which almost never happens. I love board games, and some of my favorite memories of raising the kids are all of us around a table laughing for hours. That night was a small version of that, and it was exactly what we needed.

On Monday, we had time before our Nashville flight, so Henry made us breakfast: Hanna took over pancake duty. It was a family tradition to make Saturday morning pancakes. I don't like pancakes, so it was specifically a Don & kids tradition. After a short debate regarding the recipe between Henry and Hanna, they called Don to confirm. Henry prepared hash browns and coffee through his most complicated process. He makes coffee two ways. One is from-scratch pour-over, starting with green beans he roasts himself in a popcorn popper. The other is essentially Folgers. I love that he keeps both. One is completely from the Kuhl side of the family and the other completely from the Sloth side, and they coexist in the same kitchen, just like he carries the best of both sides of the family with him. After a nice walk in Brooklyn and lunch at a Venezuelan street food restaurant, we headed to the airport.

Tuesday was a long, full, emotionally heavy day in Tennessee. I won't say more than that, except that packing up someone's life requires patience, presence, and knowing when to pause and when to keep moving. I did my best. Hanna did more than her best.

Wednesday, we drove eight hours to Columbus with two cats in a carrier between the seats. They complained for about an hour, then settled in and accepted that they were with two people who loved them and they would be ok. Don had discovered Drury Hotels earlier in the week and recommended them; we tried one in Columbus, and understood the appeal, they were very pet friendly and fun. We ordered Italian takeout, watched Food Network, and let the cats curl up with us. It was a healing evening.

Thursday we woke up early and drove home. We arrived around 1 pm, in time for my 2:30 interview for one of my two potential jobs I’m currently considering. My interview went well. I was honest about my strengths and my gaps for this particular role. It is now in their hands, it’ll be interesting where it goes.

Hanna opened up the house with Don walking her through the process over the phone: the breakers, the water pump, and the propane water heater among other things. She got it all done without my help. I'm so proud of her. Grandma had been to the house before we arrived and stocked us with our preferred foods. I don't know how she does it or how we deserve her, but she does it every time.

Friday we spent the day unpacking and had dinner at Rio, Hanna's favorite restaurant. I had an Autentica, which is probably the best margarita ever. At home, we watched Adults Season 1, a show Hanna recommended. It is very Gen Z humor, yet I thoroughly enjoyed it. On Saturday, we returned the U-Haul, took the Mazda to Enstech for inspection, and ended the day at the cottage with Grandma, Mo, and family. Hanna, Mo, and I had a Pabst together by the lake and remembered Poppy.

Don: Indiana with Lucky

Don had his own week, quieter and colder than mine. He made it to Indiana Dunes National Park for a quick stop, spent a few days at Potato Creek State Park, and had a stretch of cool, almost cold weather that he and Lucky both appreciated deeply. His text read: "It's 56 degrees here and we are in the shade so probably nearly in the 40s overnight. We are very happy being a little bit cold." He also had an important work webinar that needed dedicated WiFi, and the Drury Hotel in West Lafayette gave him an unoccupied conference room. Lucky was allowed in. Don was very grateful.

His Harvest Host at Our Lady of Perpetual Hops in New Albany had an 80s cover band playing, which he really enjoyed. Lucky was by his side because it was too hot to leave her in the bus. He texted me a photo of himself with a pint of beer right after I texted him a photo of Hanna, Mo, and me with our Pabsts. Different states, same instinct.

Day 300

On Thursday, while I was driving home to New York, Don texted: "I just Googled and today is 300 days exactly since you left the house in NY. Pretty awesome, I think." Three hundred days. I sat with that for a minute on the highway, on my way to take Hanna to NY. I had mixed feelings; I’m not ready for the trip to end, but I’m also very ready for it to end. Things took a wrong turn starting with that heat dome.

French Lick, Indiana: The On-Site Interview

Sunday I flew back out. Hanna drove me to the airport at 6:30 am, and I nearly overslept. My flight was delayed, but I still made it to Louisville on time, where Don and Lucky were waiting. Lucky was very happy to see me. And I was very happy to see her too.

We drove straight to French Lick, Indiana, where I had a second interview for a Director of Destination Development position with Timeless French Lick, the destination management organization for Orange County, Indiana. The position would involve leading the implementation of a county-wide tourism master plan, managing the visitors center, overseeing organizational partnerships, and serving as a senior leader in a DMO that is at an interesting moment of growth and transition. On paper, it's a role I am built for.

What made the setting even more remarkable was the resort itself. West Baden Springs Hotel is anchored by a historic dome, and the Ice Cream Social happening that evening was a community gathering celebrating 30 years since the dome's archway was fully illuminated for the first time in nearly six decades. Don and Lucky wandered inside while I met with Joe, my potential future boss and a board member who was warm, funny, and exactly the kind of person who makes an organization feel like it's in good hands.

Monday was a full day of touring Orange County with Joe: resort partners, local businesses, a stop near Patoka Lake. Everyone I met was genuinely kind and enthusiastic. The job itself is a strong match. My hesitation is simpler: Don and I dream of downtown walkability, a good coffee shop, a brewery, or a sports bar within walking distance. I didn’t find that in French Lick. I love the job. I'm not sure I love the place. These aren't small considerations when you've spent a year learning exactly how much where you live matters.

Next up: Missouri and Iowa, and hopefully surviving yet another heat wave.

The Kühl Sloth Bus