tedwords

“You don’t choose the day you enter the world and you don’t choose the day you leave. It’s what you do in between that makes all the difference.” – Anita Septimus

"Week One" of my summer vacation centered around home repairs, culminating with a lovely evening with my parents, the kids, Josie and Corb sitting around the pool and watching a long-forgotten video from more than twenty years ago.

"Week Two" is focused on travel, and at around noon, Corb and I packed our things and headed off to the Berkshire Mountains. We are staying at the Devonfield Inn, a 30-acre bed and breakfast built in the early 1800s and located in Lee, MA. Tonight we are looking forward to a bit of french cuisine. I don't know why I get excited about silly things like that.

And right now? Relaxing in our room, which is called the Penthouse Suite, but is really more of a spacious converted attic with a lot of character and far too many books. I'm feeling right at home.

We arrive just in time. A thunderstorm rolls in as we climb up the stairs to our room. Quickly, we turn the lights off, open up all the windows, and take in the downpour and thunder.

Corb sits across from me, reclining in an over-sized rocker. My chair's daintier chair, but I like the way the armrests surround my body. Our legs slant upwards on the bay of windows in front of the chairs.

The rain storms against the yellow chimney that fills the window to my right, the colder wind a welcome respite from the muggy 90 degree weather as the temperature quickly drops. The thunder crashes every five minutes or so, far enough away not to feel any sense of alarm.

The storm lasts about half an hour, then the sun starts to slowly shine again as the lightning wanders elsewhere.

Happiness. Achieved. It doesn't take much for me.

There's nothing like a dancing summer shower to put a lazy day of travel in proper perspective.