On the Road: The Road Less Traveled

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Part of the beauty of life is the journey, whether traveling around the world, or navigating a relationship.  The direct way is not always the easy way, the best way, or the fastest way....  

We stayed an extra day so that we could spent time with Larry's sister and her husband who were spending the week after us.   It was great--squeaking out another day at the beach and exploring the island. It felt a little sinful...staying a day beyond when we were supposed to. And we enjoyed every bit of it from going to lunch, shopping, swimming in the ocean, and making dinner together. It was a great way to end our vacation.

When it came time to head home, we decided to stay away from I-95 and traveled the interior route, traveling up the middle of South Carolina, the western edge of North Carolina, Virginia,  into Pennsylvania and then landing in NY.  I highly recommend it.  It may have been 50-100 miles longer, but it was still 16 hours---far better than the 21 hours due to DC and I-95 traffic on the way down.

The midway point was Lexington, Virginia, nestled in the Shenendoah Valley, where Route 11 is actually an old well worn Indian path.  The industry since the 1700's was education, and history abounds in the town. It is immaculate, beautiful, and we found a Hampton Inn, which had just openend and was divine.  Dinner was at the Sheraton Livery Inn, where the food was fairly good.  I have to admit, I am not that fond of southern cooking as much of what I have had is fried, but I welcomed the collard greens which were cooked to perfection.

The next day we drove the remaining 8 hours home. The journey was filled with many lovely images and I shot a good hundred photos from the car of the highway and the landscape.  I have some which may make for a good painting series.  I also did 5 watercolor paintings while Larry drove, and kept him entertained with conversation and spinning the tunes. 

It is good to be back home; the cats are once again happy, the garden doing better with the recent rains and cooler temperatures.  After Hilton Head, it's beginning to feel a bit like fall around here with temperatures 20-30 degrees colder than I am used to. But it feels and smells good, and I am back in the studio making art. 

I will leave you with a few highway shots...from the road.

patti o

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