ADK
*Photos by Roy Black
Last summer everything was canceled, we could not go anywhere, calendar was completely empty of events or scheduled activities, and it felt great!
This summer we all got our lives back, and it feels great, but sometimes all those activities fill up schedules & calendars to the point of overwhelming. There is no empty weekend, or a day, or even afternoon, for doing nothing, with no plans at all.
The weekend couple weeks ago was also booked. My paddling buddy decided to organize a yoga retreat, with whole bunch of people that I might or might not know. Retreat schedule was packed with all kinds of stuff that I would rarely do unless I am being told: yoga sessions with the crowd, group meals, paddling clinics, all kinds of shenaningans, the list went on and on.
I asked my buddy if it would be ok if I just stayed in my tent the entrie time, or went paddling on the lake by myself, just me and my dog. She said I will have to socialize. While explaining how important it is to socialize, during these uncertain times, she plopped her yoga retreat into the last weekend of July and sent me a link to the campground booking. I scribbled "Retreat" into my calendar, and booked a campsite; I think I have grabbed the last campsite that was still available, in that huge campground by the lake. I knew it was going to be busy out there.
As the retreat weekend was getting closer, my enthusiasm to go there was rapidly evaporating.
In the end I decided not to go. Canceled the campsite in that busy park, instead booked a house in the woods, with no one arouond. Made sure there will be no one around. in the dense thicket of the forest, by Ausable river. I called up my sister, packed the kids, and the dog, and the boats, and enough food for all, and went out there, high up the mountains, to Adirondacks, town called Jay.
We hiked, a lot, far & high.
We picked mushrooms, only the ones that we knew and recognized, then we cooked them with onions and cream and potatoes. Everyone who ate the mushrooms lived.
We went fishing & cooked the fish.
We also cooked breakfasts, lunches & dinners.
Roy brought a blueberry crumb coffee cake that he baked.
We went canoeing on the lake. Three in a boat, plus dog.
We watched home improvement shows on TV, about how to install heated driveway by your house, or how to rig all the electric and all the heating system, all on your own, without any professional expertise on hand. And some other very useful tips.
We watched sunsets.
I got up early one morning, to watch the sunrise.
We drank a lot of coffee & a lot of hard cider.
I read cooking magazines and food sections of New York Times.
I napped on the porch, sitting in Adirondack chair, all fully wrapped in a blanket.
It was such wonderful time away.
It was so peaceful.
Only two things were missing on the trip:
1. We could not make fire.
2. Julius was not there.
Ausra
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