A day of rest and re-charging

It has been about 40 hours now of hanging out, relaxing and re-charging.  It has been exactly what I needed after 10 days on the road.

Red and I arrived at her summer home in Wautoma at about 3PM Sunday and all stress from the road immediately dripped off us. This property has been in Red's family since her grandfather bought and rented out several properties in the 20's choosing this particular site for his own family.He passed it on to Red's Mom and she passed it on to Red explaining it is important for a woman to have a home of her own as a place to enjoy while times are good and as a refuge should times become hard.  (Smart woman!)

This past year Red decided to make some major renovations and as been working hard from her home in Texas to purchase the materials she wanted and to have the on-site contractor perform the work as it appeared in her mind's eyes.  It has come out beautifully, but it is still a work in progress and a place she is just now learning to operate - the heat, the fans, the appliances, the windows, the washer/dryer, etc.  For me, not concerned with any of this, I got simply to enjoy the fruits of all her hard work.

View of Red's home from the beach

Sophie wondering why Tramp was always so wet

Red's husband loves good wine so after unloading the car and settling in we raided his wine cellar. With wine in hand we all went down to the beach and as Red and I enjoyed the late afternoon breezes we watched Tramp enjoy the longest swim I've ever seen her take. Later I napped and Red drove to the local farmers market to buy the goodies for  a "farmer's supper" of fresh picked corn on the cob (best I've ever had), steamed potatoes and beans, fresh cucumbers and tomatoes and wisconsin cheese. We ate heartily and happily and soon it was time for bed.

I plugged in all the various electronics I've brought to recharge and lay down with a new novel. I think I got to page 4 before my eyes shut. I had the longest and deepest sleep I've had in days - maybe weeks - as the air turned quite cool and I slept curled up under a couple of quilts.

Tramp woke me early to go out for her first of four or five swims  (we are finally getting the stink out of her), I did two loads of laundry. We drove around the townships and looked at the farms and homes and shopped at the amish store.   We supped again on the freshest veggies available, drank more of K's well chosen wine, talked about our adventure together and printed out pictures for memories.  We skyped with Red's son and his finance in Montreal and talked about possibilities in our futures.  It was a thoroughly satisfying  evening.

I was up early this morning and watched the sun rise over the lake.  As I began unplugging all the technology I'd been recharging I thought this was a good metaphore for my time here.  My toothbrush, my camera, my computer, my book, all run on batteries that wear down with use but recharge with a bit of fuel and time.  Just like me, my tastes, my senses, my mind, my body, all run down after too much use and need the rest, the re-fueling, the time to recharge.  And that is exactly what this interlude in Wautoma has provided me.

Evening sky over Silver Lake

Today begins the drive to Boulder.  It will take me 5 days and 4 nights to get there from here, and there is nothing particular I want to see or experience along the way.  We shall see what the fates have in store.