We got in last night exactly twelve hours after we pulled away from the condo. Although we were tired and felt like we’d gone ten rounds with an alligator, the trip itself was so smooth. I knitted for the first four hours or so, then switched off and drove the rest of the way. I so enjoy our time together and our conversations. Interspersed with stretches of companionable silence, we solve the world’s problems and share stories and laughter. This was truly a treasured trip I will always remember.
It was our last day and we wanted to do something fun so as soon as the temp warmed up a little, we gathered a few things and took off. Mr. FixIt has had his picture taken with a specific dog statue every time we have been here together, so we surely couldn’t leave before getting this year’s shot. And...since he was all masked up, I’ve decided you get to see him from the front without blurring out his face! Yeah, I know...you still can’t see him ‘cause his picture and his name is the only thing I keep close to my heart. The rest of my life is pretty much an open book. He reads most of my posts and...so far...he’s never had a complaint about any of the stories I tell. As a matter of fact...I think he kinda likes it!
The worst day at the beach beats the best day at the office. It’s been a long time since I’ve worked in the confines of four walls and a desk, but I have vivid memories. Yesterday’s chilly temps didn’t take away our enjoyment of the Outer Banks. Although it was a tad too nippy for me to go the beach, we did venture out for dinner and another glorious OBX sunset. I spent the majority of the day knitting and listening to a roaring campfire on my headset...hoping to thaw out my frosty toes. It didn’t help. I finally gave in and turned on the furnace. At the beach! That’s just wrong!
This trip to the beach has been different than any I’ve made so far. Usually this week is moderately busy...wedged between Spring Break and Bike Week, you almost always have lines to get into restaurants and bars. Places may be closed on Sunday, but almost always things open back up on Monday. This time, there are a lot of places only open from Wednesday through Saturday. And the reason is...they can’t find workers.
I’ve been on an emotional rollercoaster this week...and it’s only half over. Here we are at the beach...enjoying our time away...yet, so much is going on, it’s hard for me to let loose and focus on relaxing into oblivion. Sometimes, life is just that way. It doesn’t serve exact dishes from an exact menu at exactly the time you want...or NEED them. It seldom works that way.
When Mr. Virgo and I were beginning to think about retirement, I was adamant about one thing. I was NOT going to spend my retirement sitting in front of the television all day, every day...day in and day out. It wasn’t going to happen. That’s when I struck upon the idea of getting a camper. He was an avid golfer and I figured he would be thrilled to toodle along with me, towing our little house on wheels from course to course. Surprisingly, he agreed and we started looking for the perfect camper.
Whenever we head out on a long road trip, I am always careful to ask God for travel mercies and you all are always so good about praying for us, too. I wanted to let you know how well those prayers worked.
We left home about 9:15 yesterday morning and took the cat to the Kitty Hilton. We stopped for a breakfast sandwich and complained that the line was so long. But, we stuck it out, got our meal, and I almost pulled out of the parking lot to eat on the road. Instead, I thought better of it and we pulled into a parking space to enjoy breakfast.
It isn’t normal to have temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s this early in the year in West Virginia, but when they go back to normal...we whine. Well, I whine, anyway. We are now back to much more seasonable temperatures here and with the rain, it feels a bit more like fall than spring.
We are preparing for our beach vacation to our timeshare on the Outer Banks. And, like any good Girl Scout, I’ve been watching the weather predictions for North Carolina. Every time we’ve been there together, there has been maybe one or two days out of the week that are a little cool with a little rain. This time, the highest temperature predicted is 68 on Friday. *sigh*
Unless you have driven down a country road in West Virginia in mid April and been treated to the magnificence of a full on display of redbud and dogwood...you are seriously missing out on God showing off! Some years are better than others and the stars must be aligned just right this year because they are show stoppers. And, no matter how hard I try, photographs just do not do them justice.
We’ve talked a little bit here about the apprehension some people are having surrounding re-entry....getting back out into the world after a year of Covid. Now is not the time to totally let down our guard, even if we’ve been fully vaccinated. There are variants of the Covid virus out there that may bomb right through our newfound immunity. And, the vaccines are 95% effective. They’ll more than likely keep you from being hospitalized with a severe case, but you could still carry the vaccine to someone who is not vaccinated or is immunocompromised.
