Weekly Vacations!

This is another lesson learned in life: vacations are not savings accounts to be locked away for a rainy day. Every weekend is a perfect opportunity for vacations and not to be wasted sitting on a couch with a remote or lost running household errands (I read that a clean house is a  sign of a good life wasted; there's some wisdom in that!). Get outside...venture off into nature...drive an hour or more and all sorts of options open up to revive your spirit. Here is how I may spend a Saturday...perhaps kayaking with new friends (via Meetup.com)....and it's totally affordable... at most a full tank of gas and a few pleasant hours of drive time. The returns? refreshed and happy me on Monday mornings! Yup!! Totally recommended!!

And this is what I had posted as my Facebook status the night I returned home from a day trip where I took these pictures: 

'WOW!!! No pictures or words can really capture this but visually today was probably the most mystically beautiful day of my life. We drove 11 hrs, and kayaked 7 hrs (border between NC and VA) through an enchanting swamp which eventually opened up to a huge bewitching mirror like lake; the water was unlike anything I've ever seen before...phenomenally reflective and calm...yet upon closer inspection actually black like Turkish coffee from all the leaves that fall into it and dye it that way apparently. Surreal! It created this alluringly serene atmosphere and the most fantastic illusions -like I was sitting on a glass surface that span through infinity while reflecting all the beauty of the bluest of skies and the prettiest of fall colors from these hauntingly gorgeous old trees as well. The crazy thing is that often the reflections in the water were almost clearer than its real-life counterparts; Truly a rare glimpse of nature playing Narcissus in all it's magnificent glory. We even paddled up close to countless adorable little turtles and got pretty close to a young black bear to watch it climb up and down two tall trees playfully as it peered back at us too cautiously. Can't believe this was not some out of body experience; Certainly felt like it! In complete and utter awe! When we finally left there I received a drunken call from my precious brother who couldn't stop telling me how much he loved me-adding to this already dreamy perfect magical day! What an experience!! Grateful seems like an understatement for this day!'