Respite

Vacations are often a cornucopia of expected and unexpected events. A recent trip my husband and I took was certainly filled with all of the above. No surprise for us that the days before departure were a little frantic but we did not anticipate the three EF-2 tornadoes touching down in our city the day before we had planned to leave. We delayed our departure so we could clean up some of the storm's aftermath. Blessedly, we were spared the worst of it. Then a deluge of rain hit our state and many of the main arteries to our destination were closed due to flooding. Despite my maudlin moments prior to leaving, we were able to carve out a detour plan around the flooded roads. It added an hour to our trip, but we were grateful to find a work around. As we made our way across the state, a headwind picked up with such fury that we spent the rest of the drive bucking against a wall of moving air. Gas mileage was abysmal but we finally arrived at our destination, looking like dog spit and ready for a break.

Here are a few moments from the trip. No extra charge for the poor photography skills.

I know I am in the right place when I see a sign like this in the window. What a relief to see folks looking at each other rather than down at a little screen and scrolling away. Stroll not scroll, people!

Everyday I took a walk in and around the woods. Quite a stretch for me as I am not very outdoorsy but I loved peeking into nature's purse of goodies. Little wildflowers never fail to please.

If you look carefully, you can see a stream gurgling in the background. It was my go-to spot each day. The sound alone is enough to keep one sane and centered. 

I couldn't resist the calling of this little chapel in the woods. No preachers when I was there but plenty of birds giving me advice. 

Speaking of birds, look carefully at all the ospreys in the sky. Not. My hopes of watching ospreys skydancing were dashed by maintenance closings near the trail and 90 degree weather, both of which made me one cranky chick. We did, however, see more turkey vultures than we could count everywhere we went. All God's creatures. 

Another creature that always fascinates me is the Pollenia rudis, also known as a cluster fly. They love to bumble their way into warm places when fall arrives. Their loud buzzing is as if they have a summer's worth of stories to tell. Soon enough they are on their backs in the throes of death or a bad landing. 

My reading chair. My favorite spot. Enough said. 

The cabin on our veranda was my husband's favorite spot. Shade if it was warm. Sunshine if it was cool. I joined him if it was a Goldilock's moment, temperature just right. 

Sadly, the time comes when the trek homeward must begin. Rest stops were our friends. And snacks. Lots of them.

My trip souvenir. Shortly before returning home, I broke out in a nasty case of hives. Nothing says creepy like a bunch of welts erupting over your face, arms and neck. I blame it on my tromping around in the woods, but the truth of the matter is I don't think I will ever know for sure what was the cause. I do know our trip was worth the hurdles of storms, flooding, delays and lesions.  

Especially when we could end the day with this.