Non-Writing Highlights and Some Photos from My Mountain Trip

Isn't the Cuban landscape supposed to shred hurricanes?  Well, that hasn't happened with Hurricane Sandy.  I felt jittery all day yesterday, with the shrieking winds and the fact that yesterday was the anniversary of Hurricane Wilma's crossing over us.

So, to keep my mind off this hurricane to our south, let me note some other highlights of our trip to the mountains.

--Along the way we stopped at the South Carolina Artisans' Center in Walterboro.  What a neat place!  I got great photos and will post a photo essay at a later point.  But here's a photo to whet your appetite:

--I noticed a wide variety of prices.  I'm fairly sure that the artists set their own prices.  Not for the first time, I wondered how artists decided on prices.

--I also wondered how many other venues these artists had.  At some point, do they quit going to craft shows, or does an artisan always need to do that?

--Lutheridge was jam packed this week-end.  Hurrah!  We got to stay at the newish Lakeside cabins.  Yes, on the field where we played Capture the Flag during my camper days in the 1970's, now sit these cabins:

--Inside there are two bedrooms with a double bed and 3 single beds in each bedroom.  Each bedroom has its own shower, sink, and toilet.  The shower and toilet are in separate rooms--brilliant!  There's a living area that has a sofa and small dining table and a kitchenette:  sink, microwave, coffee maker, small fridge.

--If we got serious about downsizing, we could live in this kind of space.  We'd need a better kitchen, though, with a stove and full-size fridge.

--My spouse and I spent much of our time playing cards (no T.V.!).  It took a surprisingly long time to remember the rules of card games that once consumed our childhood.  How do you play Old Maid again?

--The first night, as we played cards, we had an excellent supper of wine, cheese, crackers, a surprisingly good trail mix, and a Cadbury fruit and nut candy bar.  Such a simple meal and so unbelievably satisfying.

--We went on an apple expedition. 

--I'm always tempted to buy bushels of apples, but I have to remind myself that there's only 2 of us, and the trip home isn't always easy on produce.

--We shared the camp with a music and healing group.  When we first got to camp, we saw lots of people walking with instruments.  I thought, "I'm home!"

--At breakfast, I thought wow, what an interesting collection of colors and textures.  Almost every woman wore a scarf of some kind.  Many participants had fascinating socks.  A few sported jaunty headware.  A very nubbly group.

--I didn't get a picture of anyone, but they reminded me of fiber collections of all sorts:

--I walked the labyrinth, which is laid out on an old tennis court.  In fact, my mom, who was one of the first camp counselors 60 years ago, used to play tennis there.  I love walking the labyrinth on a space where my mom played tennis and yearned for a future she could barely glimpse yet.  It seems appropriate.

--Walking the labyrinth with autumn leaves scudding about; that, too, seems appropriate in so many ways.

--I spent a lot of time walking. It's a very muted scene, colorwise.  Still lots of green.  Lots of yellows.  Often on the same tree. 

--The reds are rusty:

--In the autumnal landscape, it's not hard to remember that Halloween is just around the corner: