IDLE SPEED ONLY

I have a van again.  Hooray!!  I picked it up from the garage Friday evening and gave it a good test drive yesterday – to Lexington with the family for the Scarefest Convention.  The van is running fine, but is has a different sound, seems a bit hesitant to start, and I think overall there’s a bit more vibration.  Hopefully it’s nothing to worry about, but I will call and ask tomorrow. 

Scarefest was interesting.  People of all ages, some dressed up in all sorts of costumes, lots of goth and aliens, tattoos on many.  Vendors were selling all things related to zombies, vampires, paranormal, horror, devil-worship, palm reading, magic, space aliens, etc.  It was kind of like a giant flea market.  Erin and Emily wanted to go, so we went.  My favorite thing to look at were dolls that had been modified and/or mutilated. Who buys that stuff?  Not me.

 

 

 

So this afternoon, I was itching to get back out in my kayak.  Summer will be gone soon, but today was mostly sunny and nearly 80F.  The air was calm, so the water on Greenbo Lake was like glass.  Hardly anyone was out there so paradise was all mine (so it seemed).  Today, I went to one side at the widest part of the lake, spied a sign on the other side, and paddled as hard and fast as I could go toward that sign.  I wanted to see how fast my kayak could go.  Pretty fast!  When close enough to the sign to read it, I smiled to read “IDLE SPEED ONLY.”  That means slow - no wake.  When I got close to shore, I turned my kayak perpendicular to the wake I had created, just so it would rock my boat a bit…which is always kind of fun.  Perhaps the coast guard would have ticketed me if they had been patrolling today (or not J).

Back in a cove today, I set my paddle across the front and just sat back and took in the peace and sounds of nature.  We still have jar flies, but I could also hear squirrels barking to each other, woodpeckers, and turkeys.  It occurred to me that heaven couldn’t possibly be any more beautiful or perfect than this place.  I sat so still that the fish came all around my boat to investigate.  After a little more time, buzzards began circling overhead.  I watched their reflections in the water.  I would have stayed longer but hikers in the woods invaded and the tranquility dissipated immediately.  People spoil everything in this world.  Sometimes intentionally, sometimes accidentally. 

 

It’s late.  Tomorrow is Monday.  Returning to that place-which-shall-not-be-named is nothing like heaven, or peace, or tranquility.