Sunday, June 13, 2010

Lazy River

An invitation to hang in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley is a hard one to pass up.  Especially when it comes with five acres of wooded wonderland, an elevated cabin, running water & everyday amenities, and a fire ring to rival that of the Tribal Council.   Add in a vista view that's a wall of trees and a branch of the Shenandoah River that's virtually a hop, skip, and a jump away!   A wade-able, shady, water spot just perfect for skipping the smooth stones we found under our toes....all under our noses! 

Blue birds...cardinals...yellow finches...baby bunnies....frogs....lightning bugs galore...and even the occasional pesky hornet and leech.  But those latter two were small prices to pay for the pocket of peace, the quiet, and the serenity in the surrounding nature.

Water parks all over the country have their versions of the "Lazy River Ride," where you hop in the inner tube and meander through the waterway following the moving current.  Well, being in the 8-seater "Green Monster" inner tube we deposited up-river, took a mere-theme-park-ride to new levels.  We were lazily floating an hour or so down a branch of the Shenandoah to our cabin's river bank.  There's nothing like being at total liberty of the wind and the water speed, floating along--relaxation at it's finest.  No Disney or Kings Island "Lazy River" can compare.  Not only did we have the best lunch spot in the area, but add in the laughter and frolicking of 3 munchkins---especially when going over the mini river-set waterfalls... priceless!!
 
Moreso too when you add in bonfire s'mores and our triumvirate of lightning bug catchers.  After such an active day in the mountain air, sleep enveloped us all.  Something magical definitely happens in the mountains. 
But I also know that in places, the river still runs deep, and though I've floated it in these places, it hasn't revealed itself in such obvious ways. I know that it might be months—years, even—before I understand what it has to teach me. I still need to give myself over to the flow and pattern and rhythm of it to learn its lessons and hear its messages. The river is inside me now, I know, and I need only wait and see where the current takes me, and what lies beneath it. — (Jeff Wallach, What the River Says)
To learn more about the Shenandoah Valley and it's surroundings, click the title above or visit http://www.visitshenandoah.org/ 

Photo:  our river-bank view during a glorious sunset!
Special thanks to Renee & Bernadette for sharing your li'l spot in the woods with us this weekend!

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