We woke up around 7:45 this morning. Darcie was already up with Gibbs so Bill let the Boys outside while I got dressed and made my way upstairs. Man that bed was comfortable. The best part - that was the warmest I've been in MONTHS. Literally. It was so nice not to go to bed freezing my butt off and shivering while I wait for my sleeping bag to warm me up. Or, to roll out of bed and not have to heat my clothes over the heating ducts. :) We have heat in the trailer, but it doesn't stay warm - it fluctuates drastically. I'm generally either chilly or downright cold. Unless I'm in my sleeping bag...but it's kind of hard to move around in a mummy bag. ;)
Bill made omelets for breakfast and Darcie said she had time to take us on a walk of the property. Wow. 300 acres is really big. We so need to move out here. The Boys had a blast. Gibbs romped around and bounded through the grass trying to keep up with the Boys. He's so cute and so smart. It's amazing to see what patient, kind, and thorough training can do for a puppy. Maybe I'll vacation in Nebraska when we get our next Belgian pup. :)
We got back to the house and chatted for a little longer before Darcie had to leave for work. We said our goodbyes and then headed downstairs for the most amazing shower. I'm not sure how long we were in there, but needless to say, it was longer than the 5 minute showers we had been taking. It was amazing too because there were two shower heads - a handheld massager thingy and then a big garden style shower head hanging from the ceiling. There was a huge air bath tub, and the shower was just in the corner of the room with no annoying doors so there was tons of room. No bashing your elbows in here - another thing we've dealt with for the last four months. Not complaining - the trailer shower does what it's supposed to do, but sometimes a hot, long shower is just in order. Ahhhhhhhh......
We dragged ourselves out, got dressed, packed our things and hitched up the trailer. I left a note for Darcie - a completely inadequate thank you for her hospitality - and we headed out around 1pm. How do you properly show your gratitude for something like that??? I've got to come up with something good.
The drive was nice. Since we got a late start, we didn't get very far, but we did manage to get through Iowa (ha!) and into Missouri.
This trip has been great for my appreciation of the Midwest states. Before, when we've driven through them trying to get to our destination for our week long vacation, they always annoyed me. It takes forever to drive through Kansas and Nebraska and some of those other flat, desolate states - and this always used to irritate me. I just wanted to get where I was going and I wanted to see something "grand and spectacular" along the way. You know, the metropolitan area attitude. This trip has given me new perspective on what is grand and spectacular. In fact, I kind of like it out here. I love seeing the farms and all the beautiful barns.
I told Bill that if I were given the choice of living in a multi-million dollar mansion on a beautifully landscaped lot or living in an old farm house on hundreds of acres of cropland, I'd take the farm any day. There's something "real" about this land. There are no pretenses - everything is as it seems. It's hard to put in words - I know what I feel and what I'm trying to say but it's not coming out right. It's just, well, it's America. It's simple and pure and good and a way of life that is honorable and meaningful and important. It's not about money or the stock market or home values. It's not about climbing the corporate ladder or advanced degrees and certifications or about mergers and acquisitions. It's something totally different and something that is very appealing to me.
Maybe my sister will want to come out here and start up her small farm. She's already got the help... ;) Whatcha' think, Sis? :)
We arrived at Long Branch just as the sun was setting for the evening. We quickly found a site, paid our fees and then took the Boys for a walk.
It was a really great day. I loved getting to know Darcie better and it was great to experience hospitality on a level that I never thought existed. The drive was beautiful and the conversation pleasant. The Boys were great - as they've been for this entire trip and life, well, life is just good.
No comments:
Post a Comment