Vacation Wonderland by Dave Dildine (you can read anyone txt) 📕

VACATION WONDERLAND?

My wife and I went south to the high mountains of North Carolina for a vacation recently. We were finally going on that much needed vacation away from the din and drudgery of everyday life.

We had decided on this location for a couple of reasons. First of all, it was away from the beaches where everybody else in the world seemed to want to be. We have all, at one time or another, gone to a beach area where it seemed the entire country was congregated there. It was a constant case of wait in line. Everything from food and drink to band-aids seemed to require being in line far too long. Most of us decided at that point to never again go to that location. Lo and behold, the next summer rolled around and there we were once again! Even when we tried to break the mold and go to another location, we always ended up at the beach.

Secondly, the two of us decided we wanted to go to a place that reminded us of a trip we once took to southeastern Ohio. We had booked a few days at a State park that was nearby, but still gave us the feeling of being away from it all. There was no television or even air conditioning (this was in late September), so the quiet was overwhelming. It was so peaceful just sitting there on the porch looking out over the lake, that we swore we wanted a place like that in our lives forever. Guess what bucko, we never did it again! Why is beyond both of us. We enjoyed it so much, but circumstances over time did not allow us to bring that back into play.

So it was, we decided at long last to once again experience the peace and quiet of nature. Walking along the trails in the mountains or sitting on a porch overlooking the great mountainside, enjoying nature at its best.

Whoa, that is not nature at its best, but it’s worst! God’s gift to the senses alright, a skunk!! Nothing hangs in the air like the skunks smell, and this sucker was right there in our path. We had decided one morning to take a quiet stroll, and the black and white monster jumped out in front of us and just let loose. You know how you can be driving along and catch a whiff of skunk air? Multiply it by ten and you get what we caught, up close and personal. That is just wrong!

Whatever possessed God to put that nasty smelling thing in such a beautiful place is beyond me. My way of thinking just doesn’t comprehend such things. Why was it created in the first place? What good does it do? From everything I have read, they are second only to raccoons as carriers of rabies, so we were careful not to do anything that would generate an attack. However he decided in good faith, to leave us a little momento of his visit. We made tracks as quickly as we could, so as not to have the smell get on our clothing, but man, it sure hung in the air for a long time.

At any rate, that little episode didn’t spoil our visit. It did, however, provide fodder for some added story-telling and laughs. Laughter is one thing we do a lot of. When our family gets together, it is like a huge contest to see who can make everyone laugh the most. It goes all the way from the grandparents to the grandchildren, and everyone in between. Sometimes it is cute, some ugly, others gross, but always there is some laughter involved.

Even when there are injuries, such as when our youngest got hit in the head by a falling walnut. She got a large knot on the head and was so embarrassed! Our oldest never lets her forget, but over time, the younger has come up with enough ammo of her own that she no longer is worried about being the butt of the joke. Hundreds of opportunities later, it still goes on, but now everyone joins in with little digs of their own, no matter the topic or the victim.

But to get back to my original point about our vacation, we really enjoyed the peace and quiet that comes with being in the mountains, with no kids or pets around to disturb the quiet. It takes a little while to get used to, as most of us live in the city surrounded by noise. Even those folks on the farm must have noises from the animals to contend with. No cows in the mountains, at least not where we were.

The quiet is a joy to behold, and one that should be savored. It is so sad that most of us only have a few weeks a year where we can enjoy that kind of solitude. My suggestion, when you get a chance to experience it, go for it!

Publication Date: 06-25-2010

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