Well, I have just arrived home from a two-week vacation to lovely Tennessee, where I:
- camped for five straight days and nights;
- biked 11 miles around the newly repaved Cades Cove loop;
- hiked a five-mile trail on a gorgeous day;
- saw 5 bears (2 were tiny, adorable bear cubs), 1 coyote, a couple of turkeys, and a racoon;
- played with 3 shockingly enormous dogs;
- witnessed several nights of synchronous fireflies mating, in the thickest, loveliest display I’ve seen in years;
- visited with my lovely parents, my fascinating extended family/family friends, and my oldest (as in longest-known) friend;
- attended Bonnaroo 2010, where I saw The National, Tori Amos, Brandi Carlile, Regina Spektor, They Might Be Giants and others;
- got about a thousand mozzie bites and (despite multiple 90+-degree days) only one minor sunburn;
- swam in a lovely saline pool;
- suffered through the usual crazy amounts of real-estate envy/life questioning that all vacationing NYers must experience;
- ate at a Manchester, TN restaurant called ‘The Tater Box’ while a bluegrass band sang about snake handling;
- consumed enough grilled meats of varying types to feed an army;
- drank enough alcohol of varying types to drown a navy;
- survived two flights of two legs each and checked a bag, and, for the first time in memory, had no delays, cancellations or lost baggage;
- read two novels and saw one movie; and
- took zero (0) photos.
I had fun, but I’m very glad to be home. Thomasina didn’t remember me at first, which made me very sad, but she figured it out (and she is EVEN CUTER THAN I REMEMBERED!!). I have my first night of karate tonight after two weeks of inactivity, and I’m a little frightened.
