I want to people watch from the pier, while Tommy is busy fishing. I want a new culture, new food and new adventures. However, this fantasy is not going to happen today or anytime soon. Thank goodness for memories and dreams!!! They will get me through this somber looking day, until I can get up off my tush and make some new memories here, today, exactly where I am. With that thought stuck in my mind, I asked Tommy to go on an photographic trip with me.
Our intention was to make a right turn out of our driveway and see where the road took us. Since we live 20 miles from anywhere, the possibilities were endless. It would defiantly be familiar territory. Places we have seen time and again for over 30 years. However, today they would look different. The sky was gunpowder gray, giving everything an eerie cast. It had snowed about an inch the night before, maybe a little less.
The whole world looked like a black and white movie. Muted shades of color would show up in unexpected places. One red post, green moss on a few rocks, the red top of an old barn, the brown gravel on the road, a red parking light. Places begging to be photographed in the 'other worldly' gloom of the day. I was more than happy to oblige.
We took our old standby, the Chevy Blazer because we were going places a rabbit would have trouble navigating through. There is a story that goes with the Blazer. We bought her in 2001because I had a head on collision and totaled our little Ford Escort.
It was late at night, raining and I was on my way to work. I topped a small hill. In my lane, coming up the hill was a gray car. I was going 50 miles an hour. I didn't have time to hit the brakes. The other car was there, I swerved and exchanged lanes with the on coming car. We would have made it, if she hadn't swerved back into her lane. As she hit me, air bags exploded. I couldn't see anything. Both of us had lost control of our vehicles. Mine recrossed the road and landed in a ditch. I remember thinking, "So this is how I am going to die!" I sat there for a second, trying to see if I was hurt and hoping the car wasn't going to explode. Luckily, both of us made it with only a few bruises and minor cuts.
Both cars were totaled. Turns out she was drunk, talking on a cell phone and oblivious to anything going on in her world. I was her surprise of the day!! We were very lucky ladies that night. It wasn't our time to die. We had every opportunity to die and yet we made it.
As Tommy and I began our wandering ride, we saw an eagle soaring high above us. We were on the same journey for awhile. I never once captured a shot of the bird. He was too fast. However, we certainly did enjoy the show.
We came to a creek crossing filled with mirror images. I took more shots than I needed, just because I liked what I was seeing.
As we drove on, we came to a deer laying with her back to an old fence. She didn't move when we drove by. Tommy backed up slowly and I rolled my window down to get a picture of her. She made no effort to move, until I muttered, "Tommy, I bet her leg is broken". As soon as she heard my voice she tried to get up. It was a fast struggle, somehow she made it. And I was right her right front leg was broken.
Odds are not in her favor to live. I hope she does, but I doubt it.
We passed old barns, rusted on the verge of collapse. I took shot after shot. Suddenly the gray weather seemed to be a blessing. The shots were bleak for sure, but in each picture was a dab of color. The scenery reminded me of the artist Andrew Wyeth. His works are plain, somber and yet striking in a morose sort of way. I have never decided if I like his work or not.
We passed a herd of horses. The one that caught my eye was a leopard appaloosa. I watched him walk down the hill toward me. He stopped when he reached a thicket. The only color in the picture belongs to a washed out red iron fence rail, barely visible, out of place in the scene.
We rounded a corner, looking out over Windsor Valley. A person can see for miles in any direction.
The sky was growing darker, the air wet and cold. Soon our trip would be over. I took a few more pictures of old barns and another water crossing with just a smidgen of green moss.
We were close to making our last stop, our home. A few more miles to go. We had made a huge loop and drove about 20 miles. Stopping numerous times so I could get a shot, a memory of our day.
When we topped the last hill, our place was waiting. Sabella was in the road running toward us. It was an enjoyable way to spend a gray Missouri morning. It certainly wasn't a day at the beach that I longed for, but it was nice. It will have to do until June arrives and we head for Florida and Virginia. However, I do believe there may be a couple of margarita's in our very near future.
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