Just as I was writing this week’s update, a huge gale blew out of nowhere and sent everything flying at the campground. Part of a tree crashed down about 10 feet from my trailer (and when I say “part of a tree” I mean something about 12 feet long!) and my Clam shelter tried to become airborne despite being well-staked. So forgive me if this is a shorter than planned post; my heart is still pounding and I’ve got one eye on the NOAA Radar app on my iPad. The cover photo is what the lake looks like when it’s NOT hosting a gale-force storm.
It’s been a slow week for me (only one move), one of the last quiet weeks for a long while, so I’ve been doing little cleanup chores in and around the camper. Yesterday, for example, I scrubbed the seats of the Outback with leather cleaner for an hour or so. Yep, the life of a vagabond can be incredibly exciting, folks. (The seats look much cleaner, by the way.)
One fun thing about this week has been hanging with my friend, Ann, who I first met at the writers’ retreat weekend back in March. She lives not far from where I’m camping this week, so we’ve met up twice and even hung out doing laundry. Sometimes, it’s the “normal” things in life that are special when you’re a vagabond.
Last Friday, I took my camera over to Bassett, Virginia, home of the Bassett furniture I’ve seen for so many years. The factories and warehouses are all closed now, and the town is a shell of its former self, but it makes for good photos and a story, which I’m working on for a separate post.
Finally, despite the crazy weather, the sunsets here have been gorgeous when the skies are not full of rain and thunder. I haven’t been out kayaking yet, the weather has been turning on a dime this week and I haven’t felt lucky enough to bet on it. Fingers crossed for the weekend, though, when the forecast looks more stable.
The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.
Henry Ward Beecher
Whew! Good luck with future storms.