Solid Ground

I need solid ground beneath my feet and always have. I shy away from water—fear it, actually—for many reasons. My memories include standing in a tidal pool at the beach when I was six, feeling safe in the calm, shallow water until I looked down and saw several huge crabs, one only inches from my foot. Then there was the time at a church camp on the beach, when I dog-paddled out too far and would likely have drowned had my friend’s younger brother not towed me back to shore. I took swim lessons, but twice failed to graduate from the class. The movie “Jaws” was the final straw. I can’t swim and I refuse to enter water that contains creatures that pinch or bite. The ocean is a beautiful sight and my husband, a scuba diver from way back, loves...

Spatula

The beach is the place to see the unexpected and today was no exception. A lady walking at the edge of the water was holding a spatula out in front of her. Seriously? What does one do with a spatula on the beach? Or was it actually a rear-view mirror? The beach was crowded, but it seemed excessive to be so concerned about getting bumped from behind that you would need a rear-view mirror. I did a double-take, and then a triple-take, squinting my eyes into focus. There was no mirror attached to the gadget. Only a smart phone. The light began to dawn. The woman wasn’t looking at the sand and the magnificent ocean, the very things I came to enjoy. She was taking selfies, probably to post on social media. Technology usage is getting way out of...

The Lodge

I was nine the first time I saw the Peaks of Otter Lodge. That was in 1964, the year it opened. My family was camping, the only way we vacationed, hotels being too pricey for my dad’s wallet. But that was fine by me. Cooking dinner on the Coleman stove, roasting marshmallows over the open fire, using kerosene lanterns, and sleeping on the ground in our green canvas tent made the ultimate vacation for me. And camping in the mountains was best, with the cool air, trails to hike, bears and deer to glimpse, and educational programs led by park rangers. The Lodge was brand new, so we stopped in to take a look. I was awed by what I saw: high ceilings supported by huge beams of wood, shining light fixtures, and a stone fireplace so massive I could walk inside it....

Winery

We just returned from a visit to Peaks of Otter, Virginia, my personal Garden of Eden, and, as always, I discovered something new. The old was there, of course—Sharp Top is immutable and, I expect, will remain for thousands of years to come. For the first time ever, though, we visited the Peaks of Otter Winery and Johnson’s Orchards. George and I were the only guests present, so we commanded full attention from the guy giving the wine-tastings. Said his name was Shannon; later, from their website, we realized his name was Shannon Johnson. (Johnson’s Orchards, remember?) He was keen on knowing our names, which we shared: George and Karen. He insisted that I try his wine, though we had told him I wasn’t a wine-drinker. I tasted one—burned the tip...

Bridesmaid

I dressed conservatively as a teen, never comfortable showing a bit more skin that necessary and avoiding the company of those who revealed too much. Which explains why I made my friend, Alta, change from a tight low-cut top to a more modest one before we went to a basketball game our senior year in high school. She really loved me to willingly put that purple leotard top back in her drawer. Though best friends, our styles continued to differ through college and on to the era of our weddings. Before I even glimpsed the bridesmaid gown Alta had selected for her wedding, she was on her knees begging me to wear it in spite of what it would reveal. The dress, a pale pink knit, was a halter dress, showing bare shoulders with no place for bra straps. A cut-out lace...