Travel confession

As much as I enjoy my little slice of heaven in the country, I do appreciate a change of scenery from time to time.

And as much as I enjoy little side trips and diversions, I feel strange doing it by myself. It has taken me a few years to feel comfortable dining alone in restaurants, but I still feel out of place taking vacation alone. If I have my dog along with me it doesn't seem as bad, but many of the places I would like to visit are not conducive to having a constant 4-legged companion, especially one getting up there in years.

Case in point, I took an overnight business trip this week to a part of the state I've never been to before. There are some beautiful state parks in the area that offer trails, boat rentals, fishing, even guided nature hikes. Park amenities include a lodge with modern hotel accommodations. The lodge is at the top of a bluff overlooking one of the best bass fishing locations in the region, and my room (with balcony, I might add) was on the lake side of the building. Even though the trees were all naked, I immediately thought this would be a good place to take a vacation. In fact, I had this place on my wish list for a few years.

The last vacation I took by myself was not long after I got here. I spent two nights in a resort area not far from here. I brought three books and my swimsuit, and left my laptop at home. I rented a bike and spent one day covering the "loop" through the golf course, gardens, and woodlands. Along the way I would stop to read, visit one of the garden spaces, or stroll down one of the foot trails. I spent an hour out by the pool and a morning on the lake-side beach. I did more reading in those two days than I had in the last year (work materials aside, of course).

Apparently people in this part of the world do not often take vacations by themselves. Not one time during that trip did I see another solo traveler. Then there are the implied cultural issues in some areas of this state, where it is not proper for a single woman to vacation by herself. A few years ago I was invited to a wedding, and I scheduled a few hours into my travel to visit some historical sites on my way to the wedding venue, which was tucked into a very conservative corner of the state. I'm sure the docents were just trying to make small talk, but they seemed to be taken aback when I said I was by myself. Though maybe it was because they were more accustomed to families and school groups than adults sans children.

My point is, it's not easy to take a vacation alone. First there is the self-consciousness issues. If you can get over that, I find there is at least one service provider that somehow manages to make you feel out of place (whether they intend to or not). And finally, I've noticed that my most memorable vacations usually involve sharing the experience with someone else.

I guess I just have to practice more. There is too much of this beautiful world to visit, and there won't be enough time if I'm waiting for the right circumstances.

Love

The other night I was in the check out line for the arts/crafts/decorating store when I couldn't help but notice the couple in line at the next register.

They were in their late 60's/early 70's, white hair neatly combed & coiffed. They were engaged in small talk as they waited, obviously not in any rush, and had a pleasant aura about them (wish I could say the same for some of the other patrons). When they reached the counter the wife started taking her items out of her basket. The husband leaned in close, kissed her on the cheek, and strolled out, presumably to bring the car around at about the same time as his wife would exit the store.

There was no prompting body language on the part of the wife, like you see some women turn their head and tilt it just right to offer their cheekbone for the requisite kiss. Nor was it a flitting peck on the cheek. The husband was very casual about it, as if he has done this dozens of times before, and based on how comfortable both appeared with this public display of affection, I would assume that this is a regular exchange between the two.

How often in this busy holiday season do you see such a show of public affection? OK, how often do you see that at all?

Finished! (almost)

Spent a good part of the weekend putting the last coat of paint on the fence. All 500+ feet of it. Both sides.

But I still have to take down all the plastic drop cloths that are taped to the shed, wrapped around tree trunks, and stapled to the open framing of the barn. Oh, and scrub off the over spray that managed get on a few shed doors, pasture gates, and the paint sprayer.

But other than that, the fence looks great!

And at night, the over spray on the grass along the driveway kind of reminds me of a light snow or a heavy frost.