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"We usually don't know exactly where we are going," says communications professor Bonnie Jefferson. "We just sort of plan one day at a time." Armed with atlases, snacks for the road and a healthy attitude for adventure, Jefferson has explored 49 states. Alaska remains the only American soil untouched by the wheels of Jefferson and 'big Bob.'
When classes let out for the semester, Jefferson packs up her pick-up truck, affectionately dubbed "big Bob" after her father-in-law (from whom she and her husband inherited the vehicle), and hits the open road.
Jefferson says that This American Life is one of her favorite shows on National Public Radio, and it provides inspiration for her travels. She enjoys hearing the snippets of America through the voices of small town residents. Avoiding the interstates, Jefferson and her husband travel on back roads and explore the small towns along the way. "My favorite thing to do on the trips is to talk to the people who work in the mini-marts at the small-town gas station," she says. In small towns, she explains, the convenience store workers usually know everyone in town, and have interesting perspectives to give on the places where they live.
Jefferson stopped teaching in the summers after her husband retired, freeing up time for longer trips. Last summer they helped their daughter move to Austin, Texas, and then toured the Southwest. "Bryce Canyon in Utah was amazing," she says. "Absolutely beautiful." But the most memorable part of the trip was when their truck broke down in Arizona.
"You always remember the stuff that goes wrong," she says. With their car in the shop, Jefferson and her husband spent a Sunday afternoon in Show Low, Ariz., a small town named for a famous poker hand played in the town long ago.
Back at home, Jefferson and her husband are always in the middle of a project. "Since my husband retired, our house is always in a state of transition," she says. "There is always a wall missing somewhere in the house." A self-described addict to home design shows, Jefferson is always looking for a way to do it herself. The couch in her office is the result of one of her projects. Re-upholstered and cut in half, the couch is as stylish as anything you could find at The Pottery Barn.
"I got into [arts and crafts] because I was cheap," she says. "I also like to work with design and color. It's fun to do." When her two daughters were young, they were both involved in dance, and Jefferson helped design and create costumes for their shows.
Bit by the crafts bug, Jefferson now travels to shows throughout New England with her friends, collecting ideas and glass balls. "I go through different periods," she says. "I was into knitting when I was in college, and then I got interested in needlepoint, and I have crocheted, too. One summer I made more than 100 dolls to help create the set for my daughter's film thesis."
An hour outside of Boston, Jefferson makes her home in Medway, a small community where she has a large lawn with space for all her flowers and her husband's vegetables. Jefferson is currently looking for a way to build her own fountain for the yard. "So far I have not been successful," she says. "But I am going to keep looking for a way to do this."
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