While this was absolutely the right decisions, it left a big gaping hole in our weekend, one that we probably should have filled with finally getting the bathroom sink installed, but after too many weeks off not enough time as a family we needed an escape. We all needed an escape. Especially the dog who seemed to sense that she had just lost out on two days of run as much as you can time. So off we went to for a walk in the woods.
When Will and I lived in Oregon, the ocean and the forest were both a short car ride away. In fact, if you drove about 45 minute in just about any direction you almost can't help but run into forest or mountains or lakes or ocean. Here in Virginia, there are plenty of trees, there is an ocean (although it's a bit too far for a quick afternoon trip, and also, the water is warm. And that's just weird) and there are these things that they call mountains. They aren't really mountains, not to a Northwest girl. You remember that scene in Crocodile Dundee "That's not a knife! This is a knife." Well, ask anyone from the west coast about the Blue Ridge Mountains and you'll get a similar response. Still, they are highish, and they are pretty. But we haven't really found our go to spots for escaping into the woods. So last summer when some friends suggested a hike at Sugar Hollow, we were happy to find a very Oregon-like wilderness so driveably close. So after the disappointment of this weekend, we piled in the car and headed out for a hike.And spent the whole drive trying to explain to Evelyn that we were not going out to get sugar challah.
Out walk was quiet and beautiful and just what we needed. And when we got home we have squishy baked french toast for dinner that had been destined for breakfast the next day and then a funny thing happened. We did have that quiet weekend after all. Will worked some on the computer but other than that we stayed off phones and email and the kids played for hours and hours upstairs and I read for hours and hours downstairs. (By the way, it's amazing the difference that having glasses that are actually the right prescription makes. Two books in two days. It usually takes me two months to read that much. Thank goodness for glasses!) For the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday we were just quiet. We worked a little (all closets cleaned and sorted! Car loaded up with goodwill fodder!) we played a little, or in the case of the kids, a lot. We drank a lot of tea and ate scrummy things that aren't particularly good for you and just hunkered down. No playdates or meetings or social events or things to get done. Just quiet. And perfect.It was bliss.
What was your weekend like?