It is so odd to be home. I was kind of a park rat for so many years...Adirondack Park that is and it is easy to slip back into that world.
"Today the Park is the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States greater in size than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Park combined."
Grandma and Grandpa Lachmayer had a camp there, not on a lake, but we had fun just the same. We stayed there darned near every summer weekend of my childhood. (I was hell on frogs.... needing to get a closer look at every single one I could find.) The special scent of moldy canvas can take me back to sleeping in a leaky tent and living on macaroni salad and hot dogs in an instant.
Then I lived in the park off and on as an adult. And camped in the park. Hiked the park. Canoed the park. Stayed in lean tos. Fished. Picked berries. Watched birds. Tried to garden....(a fascinating pastime with the short, short summers up there). It was another life than this one, as far removed from the high pressure of farming as keeping a diary is from working for the New York Times. Every year our visit to Peck's Lake turns me back into a person of simple wants and needs and few responsibilities for one short week. Then we come home and I morph back into farm wife, parent, writer, bookkeeper, and put on all the other hats I wear. It is like stepping out of one life, taking a trip back in time, then moving forward again. Weird but worth it I guess
Oh it is so wonderful that you had the chance to do all that park living. Obviously it has left peaceful memories for you.
ReplyDeleteBy the way the Flying Aces came home last night. I knew they couldn't stay away too long.
Hi joni, it was certainly very different from life today. I am thrilled that the Aces came back. I know they will inevitably grow up and go off on their own, but their life has been so entertaining these past few weeks.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great getaway.
ReplyDeleteI always come back from camping resolved to simplify my real life, but the resolution doesn't last long unfortunately.
Sounds like a great getaway.
ReplyDeleteI always come back from camping resolved to simplify my real life, but the resolution doesn't last long unfortunately.
Same here exactly, Jan....things always return to normal all too quickly!
ReplyDeleteI really like that photo. I think he's fond of his dog.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back to life in the fast lane farmer gal.
Thanks FC...he does love his dog, they are quite a pair.
ReplyDeleteI find that now that I live in the country again I don't have the need to go camping but if I do it has to be wilderness camping. Going to a regular camping spot is like moving back to the city.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, isn't it great to have running hot water when you return and having a stove that one just turns on instead of going out to chop wood.
OW, I know what you mean about the county and camping. I probably wouldn't be so eager to go if I didn't need to get away from the constant grind of milking every twelve hours. You get so tired doing that. I go to camp and sleep a lot.
ReplyDeleteComing home did have those advantages, although I still have to build a fire if I want hot water...my favorite modern convenience though is the one that goes flush. lol