Hello Again,

Boy it’s humid! I mean it’s really, really humid! Geesh, it must be the east coast or something! I have to admit that I don’t care for the humidity anymore. Well, ok, I never really cared for it, but at least I could tolerate it. No more though. I have turned into a humidity wimp so it doesn’t take much for me to start whining, but now, Friday evening in Rehoboth Beach, DE, even the east-coasters are saying, “Turn on the air conditioning!” Just my luck though. I have the only bedroom with no A/C, and I’m sleeping in a BUNK bed to boot. No respect I tell ya! (Truth be told, I picked that room ‘cause the “good” room was “taken” and I didn’t feel like sharing a bathroom, so I guess I can’t really complain.) Today was an absolutely beautiful day at the beach – sunny and pleasant – but the humidity has rolled in with a vengeance during the evening and it’s as welcome as an uninvited 3rd cousin dropping in to just say howdy but who ends up staying through the week, eating everything edible in the kitchen, and walking around in holey underwear (scratching himself of course). It drapes oppressively on you whenever you are forced to venture into the outside air and I am not pleased! Oh well. What’re you gonna do? To stave off the deleterious effects I guess I’ll just have to reduce my activity level and drink more Coronas. Could be worse!

After arriving safely in NY Monday evening I had a nice home-cooked meal followed by some delicious homemade apple pie - I could get used to this country living! Tuesday morning I awoke to a beautiful, sunny day, announced by a concerto of chirping, cheeping songbirds. I lingered in bed enjoying the early morning symphony before rousting myself to head downstairs to greet the day and my hosts. After Tim got back from an errand the 4 of us took a little tour of a portion of their property.

We headed through the woods and came out into a clearing where our eyes were soothed by a sea of bright green ferns waving gently in the soft breeze, anchored by a few very old and large maples (I think). We lingered briefly just enjoying the serenity. Then we headed into the forest again and worked our way down the hill to the creek below. Along the way we passed many different species of hardwood trees – Hard Maple, Soft Maple, Beech, Black Cherry, Ash (Louisville Sluggers), and others. Some were marked for cutting as this is a working forest, but the oldest, largest, most magnificent, were to remain as inspiration for their younger brethren to grow straight and tall up towards the clear blue sky beckoning above.

Finally reaching the creek we stepped gingerly across, almost losing our footwear in the sometimes deep muck in and around the creek. The cool watery mud felt good though on my feet, shod only in slippers for today’s trek. After a bit we came to firmer ground and walked for a short ways in the creek bed whose bottom was a tumble of slices and slivers of dark gray slate, our passage marked by the clinking of one piece rubbing against another as we stepped gingerly through the shallow waters. Their dog, a huge gentle giant of an Akito (I swear he’s almost big enough for ME to ride), however, splashed happily in and out of the water, enjoying the confluence of mud and moisture immensely.

Soon though it was time to head back up the hill to home. Along the way we passed a grove of towering hemlocks, a portion which was to be harvested to provide lumber for a new barn or garage (sawn and cut into lumber at the nearby sawmill of a neighbor and friend). After getting back to the house I decide it was time to try the new bike so I headed off into the woods to give it a little workout.

I headed down a faintly-tracked old logging road and soon found myself alone with only my thoughts to keep me company. The road headed downhill and so did I. I was now completely surrounded by a natural solitude not easily obtained; yet here I was only minutes from someone’s house! I came across a hiking trail, it’s path through the woods barely discernible, so I decided to see what the new bike could do. Well, let me tell you. The bike does fine. It’s the rider that needs some work! I’d ride maybe a few dozen yards before having to stop and start again, I fell over a few times, but eventually I sorta got the hang of it. I worked my way along the trail which fortunately was headed back the way I wanted to go, and coming to a big uphill I decided to get off the bike for a while and take a short hike over to nearby clearing – to collect myself. I found a nice downed tree to sit on and for a while I just sat there enjoying the loud stillness of the quiet forest.

Dinner that evening was delicious again, this time though it was followed by freshly-made chocolate chip cookies still warm from the oven. I ventured outside briefly before retiring to gaze up at the multitude of stars sprinkled generously across the firmament. The Milky Way cut a wide swatch across the sky, the moon a faint, thin sliver in the eastern sky. Beautiful!

Wednesday morning I slept in as I was up late reading so by the time I got downstairs the sun was already high in the sky. As Tim and Janell were both busy I grabbed my camera and headed out in the opposite direction from our hike the day before. There were a few trees starting to turn color, an early sign of the wintry cold that would soon grip the lush, green, growing land where I trod, and I was hoping to capture on film something else I miss dearly living where I do now. I picked my way through the sometimes dense growth, pausing now and then to pick up an especially colorful leaf recently released from it’s summer home above.

Eventually I found my way down to Morgan Creek, which is the main drainage for the mountain that Tim, Janell and Alyssa call home, and here the water was running strong and clear. I found myself a log jutting out over the rushing waters and dangled my feet in the refreshing waters watching a whole fleet of water striders skating about the surface of a nearby pool, their star-shaped shadows playing across the backs of tiny little fish darting to and fro along the bottom. After a while I got bored so I headed back up towards the house, refreshed from my walk in the cool, sun-dappled forest, a roll of pictures testimony to the beauty to be found within its embrace.

I treated my generous hosts to dinner in the nearby town of Courtland that evening, at a Mid Eastern restaurant where the food was actually pretty tasty. I again stayed up late reading (I’m on a reading binge), but woke up early – well, for me – and after packing up the car, and bidding a fond farewell, I headed south towards the beach. The drive was uneventful - a few brief rain showers – and I made good time arriving at my parent’s beach house at about 6 that evening. Time to enjoy the third and final leg of my trip back east.

Till next time,
Chris