Washington D.C. September, 2007Our trip east melded urban & nature perfectly: a blend of marble palaces and the blue ridge mountains pictured above. Ben brought a Garmin GPS with an Australian accent which lead us through the most random of paths to our destinations. I must admit, I missed the tactile adventure of unfolding, scanning, pointing to, and refolding of the common map from the passanger side of the car. However, we were able to participate in adventures that a common map would never allow- our massive Chevy Touring 300 tearing through a one car wooded path in the dark of the night, illegally barrelling down a bike trail in search of a rescue, and up and over hills that gave our tummies "tickles".
The beauty of vacations (if you adventure with the right people) is that you wake up in the morning without a clue of what the day holds and where you will land later that night. Little things like finding a hidden lake dominate an entire night and the thrills of simplicity- skipping a rock across that treasured lake that took three hours to locate or spotting a black bear even for only 5 seconds- is unmatched. Time slows, mileage doesn't matter, dinner is eaten sometime past 9 pm, and laughter with tears streaming down your face comes so much easier.
Ben and I arrived home Thursday night and continued vacation on into our first anniversary Friday where we sat on the rocks by the lake that night listening to waves and counting airplanes.
