It's still the dog days of summer, even though we are a quarter of the way through September already. Along with the slow, lazy days comes a slow, lazy river and that creates the ideal environment for an overgrowth of algae. I took this photo yesterday morning as I sat out on the deck with my coffee. I ran it through a filter to enhance the color so it doesn't look like this to the naked eye. The enhancement clearly brings out the glow of the blue green algae that is hanging around. While it's kinda cool looking, unfortunately it gives off a toxin that is harmful to pets and livestock and can make humans really sick. They are cautioning people to stay out and avoid drinking the river water. I mean, seriously...are there a bunch of people out there actually drinking water straight from the Ohio River??? Blech!
Well, sort of. Dinner with friends and live music Friday night then a gabfest with a friend till the wee hours. Coffee with the girls yesterday morning and dinner out with a friend last night. With several naps in between. I feel like this guy....I need to stretch out and snooze! No chance for a few days at least. I have family to visit, work to have done on my camper, and all manner of errands getting settled back in.
I love watching the tugboats pushing the barges up and down the river. I especially love watching them navigate the twists and turns. It reminds me of the path my life has taken. The tugboat is affixed to the barges so they move as one unit. They don't face forward like driving a car and steering into the turn. Their propellers turn and swing their rear ends around till the nose is faced in the direction they want to go. God turns our propellers in the direction He wants us to go and it doesn't matter how much we fight to maintain control. It's best to just let loose of the wheel and go with the flow.
After a 12 hour drive, I finally reached my perch overlooking the Ohio River. I would never have driven that long if it hadn't been for my traveling companion driving behind me and pushing me along. I think I played every song on my playlist! The river is so peaceful and beautiful...it makes me want to cry. Or maybe I'm just too tired. Either way, I am happy to be here and certainly happy to be out of that truck.
When I travel anymore, I don't usually make reservations. I prefer to listen and go where I'm told. Yesterday was a long day of driving, battling gusty winds through the breadbasket of America. When the light began to change in the west, I started listening to my heart. I was watching for signs for RV parks, but we were way out in open, rolling farmland with few commercial venues. My eye kept being drawn off to the right when I suddenly heard that faint whisper..."Go there!"
My travel friend and I broke camp yesterday morning, had breakfast with the camp hosts, then headed for a day of sightseeing around Custer State Park and Mt. Rushmore. As we were heading into the Wildlife Loop, we came to an abrupt stop at the first tunnel. No one was coming out of the narrow one-lane passage and there were several cars and a couple dozen people standing there looking in. I looked around and there were obviously frustrated people throwing up their hands and motioning for people to get out of the way. They were this close to honking, I swear. So, we realized there had to be more to this story than we could see.
Checking in...great thunderstorm last night. Rained all morning but now it's clearing. Today we are on our own till 4:00 when we have a trailer tour and Poker Run. Then wood fired pizza tonight. Tomorrow is a big day of touring. This campground reminds me of the kind of place you always wanted to go to summer camp at as a kid. Very cool! Hugs...talk to you later!!! ❤️
I arrived at the campground safe and sound at 6:00 last night. I've decided this week is my vacation. There are going to be close to 100 Sisters on the Fly here by this evening. Cell service and Wi-Fi are spotty so...love to you all. I may check in periodically but I'm going to let my hair down and celebrate being alive! Why don't you all do the same, and we'll come back together next week and compare notes?
I've had several readers respond with stories of having lost a child. When I read them, the bottom of my heart drops to the floor. I have no adequate words to relay to them as how could mere words offer comfort to a grieving mother of one of God's tiniest angels? Some gave died by choice...an infinitely difficult circumstance to accept. Some have been taken away by grievous acts of violence. Some by way of accidents. And many through that insidious thief...cancer. Childhood cancer takes our most precious gems away at an alarming rate. Little Ronan Thompson was a gorgeous little boy with crystal blue eyes and sandy blond hair. He was the apple of everyone's eye. He was his older twin brothers' hero and best friend. One day, his mother noticed one of his eyes was a little droopy so they were checked from stem to stern. The dreadful diagnosis came and Ronan's parents learned he had Stage IV Neuroblastoma...an aggressive brain cancer. Ronan fought like a rockstar through chemo, radiation, and surgeries yet nothing could stop the steady growth. His mama whispered into his ear and told him, "c'mon baby, fly away with me". And he finally quit fighting. Ronan's parents created the Ronan Thompson Foundation to fund research on Neuroblastoma. His mother writes a blog that has chronicled life during his illness and what they are doing since he died. Taylor Swift wrote a song that will rip the heart right out of your chest. All proceeds have gone to Childhood Cancer research. There has to be a special place in Heaven for parents who have lost a child. I cannot imagine the pain you have gone through. I hold you all in my prayers.
The other day I described time as "slippery". Here it is, my last full day in Colorado. This has been a wonderful summer full of grand adventures. And for the first time since I was a kid, summer stretched out in front of me in an endless stream of sun filled days. This feels like the longest summer of my life. I think that is because I was looking forward to exploring a new relationship and the time couldn't pass fast enough to get back to West Virginia. Now that the possibility of a pending relationship has been removed, it has caused me to pause and think about how our thoughts can change the perception of time.
