Road Trip, Day 1.....

"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it."

~Greg Anderson~

The first leg of our journey was pretty uneventful and the route very familiar. After we passed Somerville the scenery began to change from flat to the gentle rise and fall of undulating hills, a precursor to the mountains to come. The weather could not have been more perfect in the low 70's with clear blue cloudless skies.

We sailed past fields of dried corn stalks browned and rustling in the breeze. The last boles of cotton rested like little white powder puffs gently held in the tiny golden fingers of the stems. Farm land and fields peppered the roadsides. Cattle and horses grazed in pastures where fat rolls of hay lay waiting to serve as their winter food supply.

Barns began to rise up on the landscape, some skeletal with age, time having worn away their paint and stripped them of their usefulness. The scenery beyond was visible through their ribs. They were my favorite.

The air was pungent with the distinct smell of the area. I noted that it no longer smelled like home. It felt unfamiliar yet tantalizing.

We stopped at a park to walk a bit and stretch our legs. Wild turkeys and deer were everywhere. We witnessed a wedding by a bubbling stream at sunset. I hope that union, kissed by the setting rays of the sun, will be long and blessed with a life filled with happiness in spite of what hardships might come. It brought back sweet memories.

Today I took my friends advice, I lived. I experienced the journey through my senses and stored the sights in my mind, even catching a few with my camera. Mostly, I just sat, listened, thought, occasionally talked, and enjoyed the activity outside my window.

Blessings,

Miss Sandy