Wednesday, October 5, 2011

A Treasured Gift - Day One

   The first day of our Grand Adventure drew nearer and nearer, bringing with it an air of excitement that stirs in the very pit of your stomach.  You know the feeling, that jittery, almost sugar or caffeine induced buzz that makes you feel unsettled to the point of nauseous, yet intensely eager at the same time.
   As eagerly as I was looking forward to this trip there was a point, about three days before we left, that I didn't want it to come.  I knew very well that once it was here time would fly by far quicker than seemed possible and it would be over and done with.   I am not saying I wasn't looking forward to the trip, the reality was that I became more excited the closer it came.  But I wished I could hit a pause button and relish the anticipation just a little while longer, for I once again realized just how fast time does pass. When you are living day to day, doing the same things you always do and going about your life, time seems to melt together in a seamless pattern that flows by without much thought given it.  For me the realization of the passing of time is most often the sharpest when I am looking forward to something - time seems to slow to an almost imperceptible crawl, and then, when the greatly anticipated day comes it is over seemingly as fast as the gentle intake of a breath.

   So, before I even get into the details of our Grand Adventure I would like to offer forward a simple challenge to you - take a moment today and enjoy something - it could be nothing more than stepping out your door and taking a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air and admiring the scene around you; smiling as you revel in the sound of your children; admiring the ethereal softness of the clouds above you; or the few beautiful notes trilled by a little bird.  Just stop for the briefest second to fully enjoy the moment you are in.

   Now - onto the first day of the precious gift our parents gave us:)
   Seeing as I had determined to enjoy each and every moment of this trip I was surprisingly cheery at 6:30 a.m. the morning of our departure. (And for me that is saying a whole lot! Of course you can't count the first 20-25 minutes, my body may have been up and obeying me, but my brain activity wasn't there at all:)
Having spent practically the whole week planning and packing (and wiping excess images off camera cards) we had not actually realized just how much stuff we were taking, until we piled it all on the couch that morning.
Are you serious?! All of this for a Three Day jaunt?!  Of course we were justified by explaining it all away to the fact that this time of the year a person has to be prepared for any kind of weather; plus we needed extra shoes for when we were walking a lot; and of course I needed my camera and tripod. . . . . . (I still couldn't get past the fact that there was so much!:) 

 Eventually the van was packed, goodbyes said, and we hit the road a mere six minutes later than we had intended. (Yes!)
And because it is such a rare occurrence that I see it, I had to take a picture of the sunrise.
Having seen it, enjoyed its beauty and wiggled around until relative comfort was found - I started my nap.
Nothing much to report for quite awhile - we drove, and drove, and drove, and drove. Scenery was really pretty, we had fun watching the leaves gradually start changing color the farther we got.
Finally we topped a hill and there it was, the gorgeous blue expanse of a sparkling lake!
Because we were ready for a break and some exploring we stopped at a little cafe to order lunch, then set out to find a beach where we could eat and enjoy the beautiful day.

Not being able to find the road that led to the specific beach we wanted we stopped at the first one we came across. Lunch was thoroughly enjoyed as we perched on huge slabs of black rock, gazing out at the rippling water and enjoying the feeling of the sunshine.
Being so excited to start exploring and sifting through rocks we were practically ready to abandon lunch (hungry as we were) after the first two bites:)
 At one point, because I can't seem to stuff the photo-nut in me away into a box (especially when there is water, rocks, and the fact that the perfect photo op is relatively challenging to reach:) I had Irish Rose and Chickadee pick their way carefully out to a pretty slab of flat(ish) type rocks a few feet off shore to arrange themselves in comfortable positions while I set up the tripod.  Then I hit the button and dashed like mad to reach the same spot without; tripping over the tripod, slipping off the stones (word of advice, even if the dry rocks do take longer to traverse, you'll probably make better time on them than the partially submerged, slime covered ones that look as though you'd be over them in three seconds), breaking any bones, or splashing water on the other two - in the space of 10 seconds. (Oops, try again. . . . .oops, try again. . . . . Oops. . . . .good enough! At least you can see me in that one. . . )
It was loads of fun - until I discovered that there was an odd, black line slashing diagonally across all the pictures I'd just taken.  Not being able to ignore the uneasy knot in the pit of my stomach I sat down on a rock and literally took my camera apart trying to figure out what was wrong; I could just imagine a delicate lens somewhere in the inner workings had gotten scratched and the entire thing was ruined.   Finally deciding there was nothing that could be done about it right then, I packed the camera away and went to join my sisters as we began our rock hunt in earnest.

We settled into our room that night with utter contentment.  
Worn out as we were we all opted to take a quick catnap before heading out to see what kind of shops the town offered before getting takeaway for supper.
Mmm, looks good doesn't it? 
Our last event before returning to our room for the night was a walk out to the point.  The lodge we were staying at sits on acres and acres of land that offers, among other things, hiking trails. The one we chose led us around the small bay, across the little beach, and up through some woods until we had completed a semi circle and come out on a rocky point that juts out into the lake.  .   .   . the beautiful, gorgeous, amazing, splendid lake of ever changing blue.
As dusk fell, deepening the blue of the water to silky shades of deep blue-gray, we each found our own special seat and simply sat, soaking in the splendor and beauty of the lake as we listened to the waves crashing against the rocks; watching as invisible breezes danced across the top of the rippling water.
(Listen to me, waxing all poetical)
Loathe as we were to leave it we did eventually return to our room, where we were given one last cherished item of the day (a small treasure hunt from our parents:) before settling in to get some rest before continuing our adventure the next morning.

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