Day 24

Some people look for shapes in clouds. Last night, after the fire died down to embers, we started looking for shapes in the embers. The low burning fire and smoke gave some of the shapes the gift of movement. It was late, we were tired, but we didn’t want to go to bed. I didn’t want to go to bed. Going to bed meant waking up on the day I had to go back home.

I got up and went for a hike this morning. Actually, it was more of a walk along a flat unexciting nature trail. Judging by the number of spiderwebs I walked through, the trail doesn’t get much use. It was also very muddy. I had to balance on roots and logs to keep my feet dry. When I finished the trail, I walked over to the river. This State Park is definitely more for boating and fishing. But it was a quite place to spend the night.

It is a sunny and warm day. Before going home, we took one more detour to one of our favorite beaches. With our National Parks pass we could visit Assateague without having to pay. A free day at the beach, with the possibility of seeing a horse or two, what could be better.

The beach is windy. The ocean is violent. It looks angry. I’ve never gone in the water when it was so rough. But I wouldn’t go beyond the breaking waves. Nor would I let G3 go out far. The under tow is too strong. When I tried to go beyond the breaking waves the under tow started to pull me further from the shore. I had to jump up and ride a wave back. Eventually, I got out of the water. I couldn’t pay attention to keeping myself safe while simultaneously keeping my eyes on G3. Yes, I know there are lifeguards, but there are only two of them and dozens of kids in the water. Even near the water’s edge, G3 got knocked around quite a bit. A few times he went down and only surfaced several feet away. It may not have been an ideal day at the beach, but it sure beat being at home. And G3 did have some fun.

Before we left Assateague, we went to look for the horses. I know we saw them the last time we were here, but I wanted to see them again. We didn’t have to look very hard. We drove for less than five minutes before we spotted them. Of course I had to jump out of the car to take pictures.

We stopped for ice cream, but could delay our return no longer. It’s incredible how sad I feel just crossing the border. We’re home. G3 is already planning next year’s trip.

The moment we pulled into the driveway, our neighbor’s daughter walked out of her house. She looked at us, scowled, and screamed. She was as happy to see us as I was to be home. I’m not used to such a warm welcome. I wonder if she is planning on having another loud outdoor party this weekend.