That ribbon of highway …
Today was the day we were to be heading to Maine, but we aren’t. No packing, no driving. No week spent far away in the mountains.
Blame it on the spider bite and blame it on the impact of reality on our world. Garry’s leg is better. The muscle into which venom was injected is slowly healing, but it’s still stiff and sore. A little walking goes a long way right now … and Garry is a good walker.
Facing an eight-hour drive up to the mountains and a week in a place where, if you can’t walk, there is absolutely nothing to do … we passed. Sixteen hours of driving so we can sit around the little vacation condo in Jackman, Maine, didn’t make sense.
There will be no northward trek this year. No pictures of the glorious mountain sunsets and sunrises. We will be at home. Maybe going out to dinner a couple of times.
Even when we are as healthy and hearty as we can be these days, that is a long haul. This year, with Garry still hurting from the bite of the spider which doesn’t live around here (not), it was a no-brainer, deciding to stay home.
I have decided we are, nonetheless, on vacation. Whatever that means.
Share this:
Categories: #Photography, Roads, Travel, Vacation
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
Good to hear Garry is on the mend! 🙂
LikeLike
It is just much slower than I imagined possible.
LikeLike
That’s a shame but it sounds like you’ve made the right decision. No point going until Garry’s leg is all better.
LikeLike
Apparently. He keeps trying to do his usual stuff and after half an hour and a flight of stairs, that’s it, he has to stop and put is leg up. This is not making me less afraid of spiders.
LikeLike
Hope Garry continues to improve. You will have to get creative with your staycation- maybe fidn local things you haven’t done- be a tourist in your own neighborhood!
LikeLike
This isn’t anything much going on around here. But the weather is almost perfect, so it’s a good time to go exploring for new places to shoot. There are always new places to discover … and then, there is Boston, if Garry’s walking ability improve.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Praying for Gaarry’s fast recovery and wishing you’ll have a great time at home 🙂
LikeLike
Garry’s doing well. He’s getting better steadily, just not fast. But he’s getting there.
LikeLike
Glad to hear that. Wish him a complete recovery as soon as possible.
LikeLike
I agree with Paula’s comments. I hope Garry feels better soon…an these amazing photos are a perfect way to travel virtually. We had some surgeries while cruising New Zealand that kept us ‘anchored’ longer than desired, limited our sailing there, and called into question whether we would ever sail out of the place…but here we are in Fiji, now recovered (albeit a bit ‘battle worn’) and looking forward enjoying another cruising season #notdeadyet
LikeLike
Sounds like you had quite the adventure … but Fiji sounds like a perfect place to effect a fine recovery. Garry IS feeling better, just not ready for the long drive up the mountain. If we’d had another couple of weeks, we’d have done it, but we didn’t have the time this year. There will be other summers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There will definitely be other summers!
LikeLike
At least Garry is feeling better. That is the main thing.
LikeLike
Yes. And there will be other summers.
LikeLike
Staycations are lovely!
LikeLike
Retirement, if you live in the country, is kind of like that anyway, unless someone is ill or something.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Vacations are good, even the ones spent at home.
LikeLike
When one is retired, it’s kind of a moot point. Vacation or not, life is pretty much the same.
LikeLike
Yes, hopefully I will get there to find out.
LikeLike
I’m one of those weird people that don’t kill insects on sight (except roaches, those mofos deserve to die). Since moving into this house, I’ve had an… interesting… relationship with the spiders that are all around the place. They eat the other bugs and I leave them alone. So long as they stay outside. This morning, however, I found a daddy long-legs in my sink and we had a little discussion on how (s)he broke the rules. I gave him/her ten seconds to clear out, and she did.
According to the “experts” we have black widows, yellow sac spiders, hobo spiders (I’ve never heard of those two), and “brown recluses do not live in our state”. Ha!
Glad Gary is feeling better.
LikeLike
I don’t kill bugs outside, not counting termites which I will kill for obvious reasons. Otherwise, if they leave me alone, I leave them alone. It’s the ones that invade my territory I kill. Unfortunately, the one that bit Garry was just doing what came naturally.
The range of brown recluse spiders, experts notwithstanding, is that their range has hugely expanded and the information they give about it needs serious updating. You can’t argue with the experts. That’s why they are experts. They are indisputable!
LikeLike
We had a hornet’s nest forming just outside and several people told me to “Kill them now!” I waited a bit. The birds ate them. Problem solved. I figure it will be the same with the spiders. Where there’s food, there will be something to eat them. After all, the spiders are eating the bugs in my garden, so I leave them be. I think that people are way too trigger happy with the bug spray these days. (not directed at you by a long shot)
LikeLike
We ignored the hornet’s nest and had to have a professional come and remove it. It was HUGE and dangerous. Sometimes you really do need to do something. My first husband ignored the nest of carpenter bees for many years. The back porch fell off and landed in the neighbor’s yard. It was a costly lesson.
LikeLike
I’m with you, Marilyn. When I was in my 20s, I thought nothing of hopping a plane or driving 10 hours each way over a weekend. Now I get nervous if a travel destination includes a 2-hour drive – and forget about planes.
BTW, the photo of the light rays coming down from the clouds is awesome! It seems Garry can give you some competition in the photography department.
LikeLike
He has a great eye. He isn’t as good as he could be on the technical stuff, but he sees and knows how to frame a shot. I keep urging him to shoot more pictures. He never takes enough of them 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
I hope that Garry will recover soon. These photos and scenes are unbelievably beautiful and very suitable for virtual travel or reminiscence in your case. Maybe you can go there some other time soon. This long weekend hubby and I were supposed to go to beautiful mountains near here, but I got sick with a viral throat infection, fever and all and I had to cancel the trip we had been very excited about, so I know how you feel.
LikeLike
It happens. It isn’t the first time and probably won’t be the last. Life gets in the way of plans. Feel better soon!!
LikeLike
I can imagine you will miss your holiday but on the other hand home is also fine. Since we have been living in our little Swiss village where the cows and fox say good night to each other, I don’t need holidays. We used to drive off to the mountains every year and now and again make a holiday in another European country, but no longer. We don’t need the stress of packing and getting there. We stay at home, might make a trip somewhere, but the food is good and so is the company. I go once a year to London to see dad for a week, and otherwise we are two happy golden oldies doing our own thing. I am glad to see Garry is on the way to a mended leg and spiders are everywhere. If you have to have an accident, then better at home. I remember Mr. Swiss being in holiday somewhere in the Bernese Overland once having an operation when it was supposed to be holiday. And who broke their arm in London on tower Bridge – yes me. So have fun at home, it’s safer.
LikeLike
We have some traveling plans this year, but the whole thing makes me really nervous. I was a great traveler when I was younger, but these days, it’s too much like work. And with a pacemaker, I keep wondering if someone at a security checkpoint will use something that has a magnet and stop my heart. Not a happy thought. We are going to do this little bit of traveling this year because I doubt we’ll want to keep doing it after this. We really ARE getting too old to haul ourselves and our stuff anywhere … especially because home is perfectly pleasant and we live in the country anyway 🙂
LikeLike
Oh what a shame. You do like going there but I think you made the right decision. Nothing worse than not being able to enjoy the trip because you can’t get around. I know you said it is a long tiring drive too. However I am glad to hear that Garry’s leg is healing even if it is slow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The venom did a number on his calf muscle. It IS better, but it isn’t back to normal and I couldn’t imagine that a long ride in the car was going to make anything better. And home is not a punishment. It’s beautiful here too. And comfortable.
LikeLike
Tas, I am just beginning to walk around “normally” but the left leg is still stiff when I get up in the morning. I am glad we decided to cancel the Maine trip. For once, we did the right thing, recognizing we ain’t who we used to be. Thank you.
LikeLike
Bummer. Must be something else you can do closer?
I had a spider on my desk the other day – looked just like that pic you had – and same size. Don’t know if it was the same or not, but I squished him anyway. Hope there’s no more.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I do hope there are no more spiders. Garry and I are — not surprisingly — pretty twitchy about spiders these days.
This area in which we live used to be where I came on vacation when I lived in New York. It’s lovely this time of year. We are limited by Garry’s leg, but it’s relatively easy to get around here. And there are things to do, mainly because we live here and we just know what’s going on. It’ll be okay. Disappointing, but not the end of the world.
LikeLike
I watched “The Swarm” again late last night (Marilyn was reading). I just want those jokers to know they got me good but they can’t mess with my head.
LikeLike
I am SO glad I didn’t know it was on the tube. Ew.
LikeLike
We don’t get those killer bees up here. Yet. Right now we’ve got no bees at all it seems. Something killed off all the honey bees. They’re trying to fix that.
“The Swarm” … lots of good actors in that movie.
LikeLike
The absence of bees is a very serious problem. We are short of bees around here, too. But plenty of spiders. No worries on that score.
LikeLike
I’m sorry to hear your plans have been doused. I am wishing you two fun in the sun, somehow, nonetheless!
LikeLike
We will find a way. And we are, at least, comfortable at home.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hopefully, you will have a good time at home.
LikeLike
We will be fine. We waited as long as we could, but Garry wasn’t getting better fast enough. He IS better, just not completely. The weather has been gorgeous, so we’ll do local stuff. Check out the new diner … maybe take a day to go to Boston. We have a little vacation scheduled in September and a big one in January, so we won’t be so very deprived. It’s just Jackmanis one of those places where walking is the primary thing (Maine thing?) to do. If you can’t waik, there is nothing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Even local guy Walter Brennan is sending down messages for me to stop imitating him and his walk. Did I mention the fella at the supermarket who asked who Walter Brennan was? Funny thing is this fella grew up watching me on TV.
LikeLike
Maybe he’s losing his memory? Anyone who grew up watching you is no spring chicken either 🙂
LikeLike
Bummer! Maybe you guys can make short trips and do something extraordinary around home?
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’ll be fine. We have Cooperstown in September and Arizona in January. And in between, a couple of weekend visits to friends. Just this year, not Maine.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ladybug, we have to visit Petsmart. Maybe, we’ll take our cameras.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just don’t come home with another dog, this place brings me in trouble when they have the adoption events.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, no. We have quite enough dogs already!
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, no more dogs! 4 is quite enough!!
LikeLike
Have a great Staycation!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe take a sentimental journey to Boston or check out one of the Audubon preserves. The weather couldn’t be nicer, so it isn’t exactly punishment 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
What rotten luck, but I can see the sense in it. The exploding coffee pot and third degree burns stopped my holiday to Scotland a couple of years ago. I resisted the cancellation right till the last minute, but oddly enough, the ‘replacement’ few days away turned out to be one of the bext weeks ever.
LikeLike
If we had nothing else on the schedule, it would feel a lot worse, but we have a weekend in July and another in August with friends in other States … and a week in Cooperstown in September and two weeks in the southwest in January. There are, at least, other things to look forward to and this is a pretty good place to be in the summer 🙂
LikeLike
Well that makes me feel better for you 🙂 Lousy to miss the holiday… though good that Garry is on the mend.
LikeLike
I will miss it and miss visiting Bette too, because it’s the only time we get to meet. With luck, next year.
LikeLike
I know the feeling. My dearest friend is in the States… she comes but once a year to England (no chance of me affording a visit to California!). This year she couldn’t make it… I miss her.
LikeLike
It gets harder and harder to travel — especially very long drives — as the years pass. A lot of people I know do not travel any more. We don’t travel much, but we still get out some. This year is going to be a busy one and I hope next year will be too. We aren’t ready to pack it in just yet.
LikeLike
Don’t blame you. I would hate to be stuck without choice again.
LikeLike
Eventually, we’ll give up. Not too far in the future, either. Just … not yet. At least not the idea of being able to, regardless of whether or not we do anything.
LikeLike
That’s the thing. Choice. I would hate to be choiceless.
LikeLike
Wish you a nice time anyway 😉
LikeLike
I think we will be just fine. Minus the usual photographic binge we take in the north 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good to hear 🙂
LikeLike
I am anti-misery. There are always reasons to be unhappy. And I’m sure they are waiting for me around the corner.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy to hear that you are so positive 😉
LikeLike