the beauty of the nearby get-away

On Wednesday evening we scrambled to pack our bags. On my short list: bathing suit, trusty green wool sweater, books (Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver, Bible, Lectures to my Students by Spurgeon), and various other things. Time of departure: 9:00 pm. Time of Arrival: 9:45. For 2 a half days the family took a mini-vacation at a friend's lake house, situated beautifully on the mountainside at the shore of lake Keowee, with a steep, leg-burning walk to the water's edge and a fantastic view of the blue ridge mountains.

Sometimes all you need is to change location to feel refreshed and filled with new energy. Even if all you do is tug your book from the porch at home to the new, awesome porch at the lake. ahem. The reading comes alive in a new way, especially as it is surrounded by such lovely activities as swimming in the still-cool May water, kayaking down long, secret coves, and exploring the local waterfalls. Oh, and eating. Why does food taste so much better after a day in the water and sun? We partook of steaks and red wine, homemade pizza with beer brewed in Greenville, and a "European breakfast" spread of cheeses and crusty bread.

Families, though they share a roof, can sometimes just miss each other during the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I haven't lived at home for any length of time for a few years now, and I'm realizing now that the dynamics of everything changed when all the kids turned into teenagers in what seems like the time it takes to turn one's head away and back again. You can't keep them in one place anymore...everyone has social plans in the evening. (except me...you can usually find me watching a movie with mom and dad or with my nose in a book:) So this lake trip was just what we all needed: family time, away from the possibility of someone leaving, with the great setting of a mountain lake as the backdrop of it all.