Photography, Travel, Life

The Death of a Matriarch, Ten Airplane Flights in Ten Days, and Some Amazing Sunsets

A week, or so, in photos

I have, literally, been on ten airplane flights in the last ten days.

We had planned an eight-day trip to Maui months ago. It was part business and the rest pleasure.

And then my husband’s 93-year-old mother fell and ended up in the hospital. We quickly went from thinking that we needed to find an assisted living situation for her to realizing that she was probably not going to make it. When she started talking about looking forward to seeing her husband again (he died over thirty years ago) we realized that we needed to get to Natchitoches, Louisiana, pronto.

Thank heavens for frequent flyer tickets is all I can say. When the kids were younger we used to joke that we could take everyone to the Caribbean for less money than it costs to fly to my husband’s little home town.

So, we hopped on a plane and were able to spend three days with her and with the rest of the family. She was aware, and we were able to say our goodbyes (never an easy thing), for the first day and a half, and then she slipped into a very peaceful state.

We came home the evening of the third day, unsure if she would linger on or leave us. But she died the next day.

It’s sort of a weird position to be in — to have a trip to Maui planned two days after your mother-in-law dies.

But my husband’s sister told us that she was sure getting a funeral planned would not be fast and that we should go. And my husband did have this business function we were supposed to attend there. So, we did go. But, literally, while we were on the tarmac leaving for Maui, we learned that the funeral would be on Thursday. Our bags were on the plane. The doors had closed. There was no turning back.

We ended up having three full days in Maui, with a travel day on either end. And it really was a balm for the soul. I got to swim with a turtle. We saw some amazing sunsets. I did a bit of astrophotography.

And then we flew home, arriving at our door at 8:00 p.m.. We quickly packed and were out the door at 6:00 a.m. the next morning for the funeral. In case you were wondering why I’ve been on ten flights, rather than six, it is because we have to lay-over in Dallas, fly to Alexandria, and then drive to Natchitoches. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had flights delayed, re-routed, or that we’ve lost luggage on this route. But there is no better way to get to Natchitoches.

Funerals, as you know, are amazing places to reconnect with people you haven’t seen in a long while. So many people from my husband’s past showed up that it made us teary. While the social complexities of the South oftentimes angers and perplexes me on so many levels, I will say this: they show up at weddings and funerals; they always wave and say “hi” when you see them; and they build tight connections with people they care about.

We flew home the next day, exhausted. My “week in photos” this week feels like at least two weeks.

So, here we go:

This was on the way to Natchitoches, when our hearts were heavy.

And the little family restaurant we had margaritas at while reminiscing about my husband’s childhood:

This one is from the landing on the way to Maui:

That night, at the hotel, we were gifted this amazing sunset:

I did a little astrophotography. You can read more about that in my story, Astrophotography in Maui.

We woke each morning to the sight of the island opposite us (Molaka’i) breathing to life.

We had a gorgeous sunset at the beach.

This incredible sunset followed us home on the plane:

And, when we arrived in Natchitoches, the little bed and breakfast we like to stay in, in Natchitoches, was all decked out for Christmas:

It’s been a rather weird week, full of extremes, I have to say. But we’re back home now. And I’m ready to have a little time to process it all.

Erika Burkhalter is a yogi, neurophilosopher, cat-mom, photographer, and lover of travel and nature, spreading her love and amazement for Mother Earth’s glories, one photo, poem or story at a time. (MS Neuropsychology, MA Yoga Studies).

I hope that you all had lovely weeks. As always, I thank you Dennett for creating this “week in photos” challenge.

It’s so fun to share about the week and to read about so many other photographers’ weeks around the world.

You might want to check out a few of the others who participate:

Dennett /Anne Bonfert /Eileen Vorbach /Lisa Bolin /Tracy Aston /David Wade Chambers/ Mia Verita /Kim Zuch /Barbara Radisavljevic /LensAfield /Barbara Dalton /Sasha Meyer /Susan Alison /Diana Lotti /Barbara Dalton /K. Barrett /June Nguyen /Juan O. Aguilera /Ellie Jacobson /Shruthi Sundaram/ Pene Hodge /Tracy Aston/ Sandra Barrett and more… (if I’ve failed to mention your name, please let me know so that I can add it in future weeks).

I hope you enjoyed my photos and musings. You might also like:

Photos and story ©Erika Burkhalter. All rights reserved.