April’s Adventures

Wow! It has been several weeks since I last wrote this blog!

The first part of April found me under the weather from, not only allergies, but a vicious cold. It was, thankfully, a week that I had very few activities planned with others and the week before my two-week camping trip.

My only activities were related to getting my trailer ready for the trip and getting the tires on my car and trailer checked. Turns out that the consistently low back tire on my car had a nail in it. It was punctured in such a place that it could be repaired, which was nice for the budget. The trailer tires needed a bit of air, but, otherwise were OK.

My first part of my trip was to attend the NuCamp Rally in Townsend, TN. The campground was just outside the Smoky Mountain National Park. I arrived on Sunday (Easter), even though the rally did not start until Monday afternoon, and stayed until Saturday (rally ended on Friday morning). That bracketing time gave me time to unwind and prepare…and just take it easy before and after all the planned activities.

However, I was still fighting that monster cold, so it also let me get the rest that my body needed. It took most of the week to defeat that cold, but I think it was due to all the activities that I pursued during March.

I have now moved from Townsend, TN, to Hungry Mother State Park near Marion, VA. This park was rather rudimentary, in my memory, when I was young and taking swimming lessons at the beach. There certainly were no campgrounds then. I am excited to see how much it has changed since my youth.

I spent Sunday orienting myself to the area. I drove through the park, but the only thing I remembered was the swimming beach. And, it seems so much smaller and close by than it does in my memory. I don’t remember any of the cabins or campgrounds. Nor were there so many admin type buildings. I did enjoy the Discovery Center which had a museum of animals found in the park as well as history of the Civilian Conservation Corps building of the park.

I also drove down Main Street in Marion. What a difference! Many new shops…and even the library has moved. I only wished that I could have had a driver so that my head could swivel enough to catch everything and not hit another vehicle.

I had plans to work on genealogy, but my interest is flagging a bit. I also had plans to hike, but the pollen count is making me re-consider that plan. Oh, well. Whatever I do, it will be the right thing for the moment.

Weeks later: I met with a friend and her husband the next day, searched out a family cemetery from the 1800s, spoke with a guy referred by my friend who led me to a woman who worked in the county courthouse whose husband worked in records…and found a listing of those buried in the old cemetery. Along the way, I met a woman who had worked with my great-uncle in his drug store and still is working for the same drugstore, although my family member sold out and died long ago. What a serendipitous day!

My next stop on my journey was to spend 5 days visiting with my brother and sister-in-law. It is always nice to spend time with family, but time takes its toll on all of us…and aging is hard. These things are noticeable when time has passed since family members have last been seen.

And, then I arrived home. It had been two weeks of wandering, experiencing, and meeting with others. It had also been time alone…and with challenges. It also meant a time of healing…of choosing rest over activity…putting time for me ahead of activities. But, it was good to be home…to be back in my own space, to see my garden and yard, to sleep in my own bed. And, by the time I returned, I was healthy.

I think that being away from my home and wandering and visiting while dealing with allergies and a massive cold were just what I needed. I came home ready to be home, ready to re-engage with my life. I learned to choose self-care, to meet challenges regardless the outcome, and to allow myself space. It will be fun to see who I am becoming now.