It’s been a beautiful day here: high 70’s and low 80’s and just enough clouds to keep the sun from heating things up too much. I think this has been my most enjoyable week yet here in my camper. The overhead fans keep the temps down and provide a nice gentle breeze. I’ve been doing a little work (as little as I can get away with) and have actually accomplished a few things.
The only drawback is my allergies. I took Benadryl yesterday morning and it knocked me and my allergies out. In the afternoon, I took a Claritin and was okay til a couple of hours ago. Now, I’m sneezing and my nose is running. I’m going to take another Benadryl and go to bed earlier than usual.
HARD1 continues to trounce me mercilessly, but I’m determined to get better. I downloaded some documents and bought a book for my Kindle that is supposed to make you a better player. I guess we’ll see.
Writing Prompt: Close your eyes. Write about what you see.
I see darkness. That’s pretty much it, though sometimes, if I am feeling stressed, I close my eyes to keep out distractions and remember places I’ve been where I have been most at peace.
Standing on the shore of Long Lake in the Adirondack Mountains in New York is one of my favorite memories, one that I can see with little trouble. Mark and I were there several times.
One of our favorite times was when we went canoeing up Long Lake with a group from a community college from Rochester. Twelve brave souls left civilization and paddled 12 miles north on Long Lake to places where there were no roads, there were no bathroom facilities and there were no buildings to stay in. Did I tell you it was raining the whole weekend? I learned you can’t dry your clothes at a campfire.
Even with the rain, that was one of my most fun trips ever, despite the fact that I dunked and ruined my 35-mm Minolta SRT 101 camera when I fell over in the water for no apparent reason – not out of the canoe. I was just standing in the water and lost my footing. Mark and I never tipped over our canoe in all of the hundreds of miles we paddled.
Another of my favorite memories, which makes it easy to imagine Long Lake when I close my eyes, involves a special weekend there with Mark, my brother-in-law David, my sister-in-law Esther, my niece Dawn and my nephew Steve. We swam in the cold water. We played tennis … very badly. We went to the dump to see the bears. Of course, it rained and we spent hours playing UNO in the motel room and listening to stories of the Dillenbeck boys growing up. Our favorite, and one we still rehearse often, concerns an overabundance of cats and what they did about it. I won’t go into detail. PETA would probably visit Mark’s and David’s resting places and picket.
Even with my eyes open, I can visualize the village of Long Lake and the view of the mountains from the shore there. With the eyes closed, I can actually see it better. It brings me great peace.
You can see pictures of and learn more about Long Lake at:
Until next time…
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