cooling my heels

post vacation finds me back at my desk, on campus, waiting in lunch lines behind throngs of students, wondering why there are so many cars on my bicycle route to work. but just last week, i had a lovely 10 days in the TN/NC mountains, a few even at a spa, to recharge me. i swam in a muddy pond, several pools, rivers, and a big lake. we spent time with a llama, goats, sheep and buck the very skilled farm guard dog, my extended family, and then just us 2 road tripping thru the hills. back home it approached 100 every day and we were cooling it in the 80s; perfectly timed escape i think. we managed to bring home some hwy127 sale antique ladders, saws, barrels, mirrors and parasols. then we saved our money for walnut encrusted trout, fine coffees, and desserts. we ended the week at the nantahala gorge, on the heels of diane sawyer's recent visit, and soaked up the beauty. unable to bring myself to return home, we then buzzed down to my other home and alma mater, young harris and hiawasee for the weekend and finished off the trip swinging lakeside at virginia's place in absolute peace. ahhhhh.