That is NOT a filter, it was the sunset after a really stormy day…
The female bluebird who was always around.
Well. I was in heaven last week. And you’ll notice I didn’t post everyday. I wanted to, and I thought I would, but when it came down to it, I just couldn’t. I thoroughly enjoyed that time off.
My husband, myself, and my step-son met my mom, my sister and her family (husband and two kids), and my aunt, cousin and her two kids in Arkansas to stay at a “lake” house on Greers Ferry lake. I say “lake” house because we didn’t have access to the lake to swim, but we had an AMAZING view. The house was huge, slept all of us comfortably, and was equipped with a professional-style kitchen, granite countertops, and other really luxurious fixtures.
We were pretty far away from almost everything where we were, so we didn’t go out much, except to Wal-Mart the first day to stock up on food, etc. we didn’t bring with us (my husband and I brought organic, free range chicken and grass-fed beef with us in a cooler), and that was quite a trek. Otherwise, we went to Petit Jean state park one day and to the lake a couple of days to swim.
Generally, I just enjoyed being with family, sitting outside on deck where a family of Eastern Bluebirds had a nest, watching her go in and out, and looking off into the distance.
But the most amazing thing of all was the morning walks with my mother and 16 year old nephew. We three got up at 5:30 every morning to walk up a trail behind the house and small road in the woods (funny, but that is my ideal vacation…I don’t need to sleep in, as if I could). There was nothing around, some empty lots, but mostly just woods going up the mountain.
And of course I brought my binoculars; my mother and I enjoyed birding together when I was in high school and still at home during college, and my nephew leads hikes at the Chattahoochee Nature Center in Atlanta, so we are all very excited by nature and birds. I, am happy to say, am a major bird nerd, and pretty good at identification, even after not doing it regularly for years.
Our first morning, we wandered around aimlessly, and saw a pileated woodpecker, a bob white, summer tanager, indigo bunting and other more common birds, as well as lots of smaller ones we couldn’t see very well and/or couldn’t identify. The second morning, we walked further, to the end of the road and I went down to the edge of the empty lot to see the lake. When I looked up and to the right a bit, a bald eagle was sitting not very far away from me in a tree, next to his/her nest. Such a majestic, beautiful sight!
So from that morning on, we checked on the nest every morning, and then in the evenings we drove up with some of the people who couldn’t walk that far and saw the juvenile bald eagle as well, and sometimes nothing at all. But the journey was the thing, and just appreciating time with my mom and nephew was priceless.
Oh, and we ate our fill of wild blackberries on the way back home; getting stuck with so many thorns was worth it!
Anyway, that was my week last week – I miss it already.
I did a pretty good job packing, although I ended up wearing my walking clothes and sneakers more than anything else, but could have used a pair of leggings and light sweater for wearing around the house (the AC was cold!) and on cooler mornings. I did enjoy my James Perse raglan sleeve dress at home, and wore my Elizabeth Suzann marlena dress one hot day.
Speaking of Elizabeth Suzann, have you seen her piece on her own vacation? She traveled only with pieces from the signature collection and documented it. If you love packing posts as much as I do, take a look at Elizabeth Suzann‘s post. (makes me want to add the Georgia linen dress to my wardrobe!!).
I hope you had a great week/weekend last week. Happy Monday!!!
So happy to hear that you had a wonderful time spent with your family, at such a lovely location too Grechen! I’m envious.
I did read the Elizabeth Suzann story on her travels with her own pieces. Quite enlightening! I have a few ES pieces on its way–the Georgia tee, Florence pants in silk crepe, and the Harper tunic in flax linen; also just placed an order on the Georgia midi dress in silk crepe, and I finally received the Marlena dress last week in raw silk—LOVE IT!
Hopefully i’ll be able to travel with some of her pieces myself in the near future.
Glad you had such a wonderful time; being in nature is always my idea of an ideal vacation!
Speaking of grass fed feed beef, have you read this NY Post article?
http://nypost.com/2016/07/10/the-truth-behind-how-were-scammed-into-eating-phony-food/
thanks debi! and yes, i’ve been hearing about that book here and there – i heard an interview with the author on NPR recently, specifically his bit about olive oil, which i found interesting. and the sushi?? depressing…puts me off it completely!
we buy all our meat at whole foods or costco (for chicken), which i’m glad to see is “as stringent with their standards as Whole Foods” according to the article, but i’m still skeptical. our friends parents buy whole grass fed cows from a local farm and keep it in their large freezer, i think that might be the very best option there is. if you’re going to eat meat anyway, which increasingly, i’d rather not, honestly. BUT that’s a whole other issue!!!
Hi Grechen! I have been reading your blog for months, but never commented until now. 🙂 That sounds like an amazing vacation; it’s so nice to just relax and BE for a little while! Sounds like my ideal vacation, too!
I always struggle with packing, so I love reading about what clothes other people bring on their trips. I always end up bringing things I don’t wear, and wishing I’d brought things I left at home. One of my biggest packing issues is that it’s been ingrained in me since childhood to always bring more essentials like socks and underwear than I think I’ll need, “just in case.” Then I just end up with way too many cluttering up my suitcase. Is this something you’ve struggled with, too? If so, how do you deal with that particular conundrum? I think it’s the one area in which I always overpack and nobody ever seems to talk about it!
Grechen, it looks like your trip really was heaven! You’ve got me missing Arkansas something fierce. Thanks for the beautiful photos of my home state 🙂
Best,
Erin
claire, i actually do the same thing: i always bring a couple of extra pairs of underwear/bras “just in case” – of what, i’m not sure…but i do like to have variety 😉 maybe for you, just work on bringing one or two extra pairs, instead of many, and then knock it down to just one? or the next time you travel, make yourself bring EXACTLY the right number of pairs and see what happens??
what i do have a problem with STILL is packing too much general clothing overall – sometimes i do a great job, and bring just what i need, and others, i go way overboard. i’ve honed my packing skills a lot the last few years, bringing a lot less than i used to, but i still have work to do. and sometimes i don’t bring what i need. i should make a checklist…
Oh, I’m glad it’s not just me! 🙂 I think I will try not bringing any extras next time, and see if the universe falls apart…
As far as actual outfits go, I think it’s a lot easier to pack when I’m traveling for work because I know exactly what I’ll be doing, and I can really plan my outfits for each day down to the last detail. When I’m going on vacation I end up with temptations like “Oh I might need a dress for going out, so I’ll bring this one just in case/I might need this extra pair of sandals so I’ll bring those/2 pairs of shorts might not be enough, I’ll bring that 3rd pair I don’t really like just in case…” Haha. A checklist would certainly help! I might try using one; anything to help me be more conscious of what I’m throwing into my bag!
I broke a bra (the only black one I’d packed) on the first day of a work conference in May. That was bad, as I’m not an easy size to fit (and didn’t have a rental car etc) I ended up wearing a nude bra under my black tops all week but….For things like socks & underwear, I end up washing in my sink at night anyway so that doesn’t bother me and I don’t overpack those items. But something you can’t replace easily (whatever it is, based on you or your destination) – THAT’S what I’ll make space for!
Beautiful! I remember that my grandparents from Wisconsin used to travel to the Ozarks. It’s on my retirement travel list! Glad you got some rest.