Vacation 2013

          On the fourth night of my recent vacation I updated my Facebook status by saying the sometimes I feel as if I can’t hold one more drop of contentment.  That’s the truth, and how I was feeling that night as I sat on the hotel balcony on the bank of the St. Lawrence River staring at the stars and listening to the soft lapping of the water on the rocks below while reflecting on the past few days, and our plans for the next and final full day of the trip.

          We arrived in Alexandria Bay, NY on Sunday, midafternoon.  We were excited not just to be on vacation, but because we would soon be reconnecting with childhood friends of my husband whom we had not seen for over 20 years.  We had a nice evening with them, after meeting for drinks and dessert we walked up to the park overlooking the river and sat talking at a picnic table late into the evening like teenagers.  We spent the following day with them, taking a boat tour and ending with visiting in our hotel room after dinner until they finally had to leave for home.  The next day, despite being showery, we spent walking through the town looking in the shop windows and watching the river and boat traffic from our balcony.  Wednesday dawned cool and cloudy and was spent much the same way as the day before except for the bright sun once the clouds blew away.  In the evening we took a picnic dinner to the park where there was a free concert by a local blues band.  We bought both of their cds which they sold during a brief intermission, and walked back to our temporary home in semi-darkness talking about how much we had all enjoyed the concert, and remembering the one from the year before.  Once we got Hillary settled into her bed I headed out to the balcony where I felt the sense of contentment I mentioned earlier.  The following day we spent pillaging the souvenir shops for treasures and ended with a dinner at the nicest restaurant in town.

          Our vacations are slow paced and relaxing which is, in my view, just what a vacation should be since we spend the rest of the year for the most part rushing and running from one thing to another.  I cherish a string of days to let my mind wander and feel the fullness of my existence.