1 Write Way

Country Roads #MondayBlogs #gladtobehome

Ah, yes, I’m back, dear Reader.  Back to my home, my blog, my blogging friends who were (and are) never far from my mind, my furry four-legged friends who I don’t think really missed us as much as they missed getting more than two meals a day.  Then again, they might have missed our laps since our temperatures are a bit cooler these days.  This picture isn’t very good, taken with my camera in poor light:  Junior, our feisty, “I just wanna be outdoors all day”, male cat sacked out on my legs once the temperatures dipped toward the 60s.  Yes, dear Reader.  Our southern cats cannot abide the cold.

1017152137
Junior crashed out on my legs.

We had a lovely trip overall.  Aside from a bit of rain at the beginning, we had clear, sunny days for driving up to north NY, to visit my family.  We gave ourselves plenty of time to drive so we had some flexibility with our itinerary, allowing us to make a detour to Gettysburg, PA, and to switch hotels at nearly the last minute when one day we realized we could drive further than originally intended.

I learned how to swim with whales, except these were land whales, or you might call them semi-trucks.  On interstate 81 there often were more trucks than cars.  Many times we found ourselves between two trucks with one truck cruising along side us on the two-lane road.  It was … interesting.

We had only one rainy day in New York, but we were visiting relatives so that was fine.  We spent time with my mother, who will be 92 this month, her remaining siblings, my sister and her husband, and two-thirds of their brood.

I met up with an old high school friend, someone I hadn’t seen or talked to in almost 40 years.  It was to be a quick visit but, four hours later, we still had plenty we wanted to say and learn about each other.  It was hard to say good-bye.

And much of the trip was filled with eye candy.  Autumn is my most favorite season, but often when we’ve gone home, it’s been in summer or late fall, after the colors have started to fade.  Our timing this time was perfect.  It wasn’t riotous reds and oranges all the way, but that was part of the fun.  We got to see some of the transition.  Each day we drove off from my sister’s house, another tree was starting to turn.

Believe it or not, I took very few pictures.  I was too busy enjoying the sights and often too busy driving anyway.  My husband, however, took this “movie” of our drive away from Saratoga Springs where we had just spent the afternoon.  Unfortunately, the movie is rather pixelated since it was taken with his iPad.  But you get the idea of what we saw.

And, finally, a song that always makes me think of where I grew up …

Marie A Bailey

, , , , , , , , , ,

36 responses to “Country Roads #MondayBlogs #gladtobehome”

  1. Upstate New York is definitely beautiful this time of year. I remember being in that area for college and it was relaxing. At least until the snow. Weird thing about driving with those semi-trucks around is that I think I trust them more than car drivers. Maybe it’s because I’ve yet to see a truck cut someone off, drive along the shoulder, or weave in and out of traffic jams like they’re being chased by an invisible dragon.

    Liked by 1 person

    • We see trucks acting crazy down here in Florida, but you’re right, going up north, the truckers were good drivers. We did see one guy get run off unto the shoulder by a truck, but it was his own fault. He was speeding and the trucker probably didn’t see him. And the drive up to New York, starting in Virginia, was beautiful. Actually, my childhood home area is in a valley, so the colors hadn’t really taken there yet, but there were plenty of higher elevations that were burning with color. And snow flurries started a couple of days after we left 😉

      Like

      • I saw everyone driving crazy in Florida. It was like there were no rules besides ‘Do not get caught’, especially if cellphones were involved. Didn’t like it at all. I have a friend in Upstate NY who mentioned getting flurries up there and he wasn’t amused. Did you go through Pennsylvania?

        Liked by 1 person

        • Yes, we went through PA and it was a long slog. The detour to Gettysburg was a good way to break up the drive. And, you’re right, everyone in Florida drives crazy, but I have to say, not as bad as drivers in Atlanta. We had to go around Atlanta on the way up, and even my husband (a much more confident and skilled driver than me) got scared at one point. I had never seen him like that. When we came back home, we picked up state roads in South Carolina and Georgia and avoided Atlanta altogether. It was a longer drive, but less traffic and better scenery.

          Like

  2. It sounds like you had a great trip, Marie…I’m glad. Good for you for enjoying the sights and not snapping so many pictures. Often we can miss so much when we focus on one thing. It’s good to take it all in. I’m not a fan of the tractor trailers, especially when traveling in the mountains.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hi, Jill, yeah, I was definitely more interested in drinking in the sights than angling for the perfect picture. My husband took more than I did and I’m hoping to grab some of his photos to share (he’s also a better photographer). The trucks were okay for the most part, but, yes, going up and down hills were frustrating. I often felt like we were playing leap frog since we would pass them going uphill and they would pass us going downhill 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  6. This is a beautiful time of year for us in CT, too, although it was cold this weekend with some flurries. I love all the colors of fall. I’m the same way with photos, if I’m really enjoying myself I leave the camera in my bag. Sounds like a great visit with family and friends, despite all the trucks!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you, yes, it was a very good trip. Still cracks me up that I made a point of charging my camera’s batteries and bringing the thing along, carrying it with me everyday. Not once did I take it out of its case. But my husband (a much better photographer) took a fair number of photos with his (much better) camera. Hoping to steal some and share on my blog 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Hey, Kevin, we’re planning another one for 2017. Oregon. Yup, apparently there’s a place in Oregon that is suppose to be the best in the US to view the Total Solar Eclipse. My husband said it’s the only chance we’ll have in our lifetime. It’ll be a road trip mainly because of his equipment: too much to carry on the plane and damned if he would trust it to baggage. I’m getting psyched already. Of course, the idea of taking 3-4 weeks off work is appealing too 😉

      Like

    • Thanks, Jeri. You are so right. It was a very good trip, wonderful to see family and new and old places. But nothing beats my own bed and kitchen, and our kitties 🙂

      Like

  12. Welcome back, Marie! Swimming with whales–how perfect! We too swam with whales. Ugh. The traffic was awful pretty much everywhere we went, but I did get a few pix of some beauties–Niagara Falls and Battery Park, NYC, for instance. Your cats did miss you. You know they did! They don’t like to show it because they don’t want to be taken advantage of ;).

    Liked by 1 person