No drought about it

the porch of our cabin

This is how I spent my weekend! I am so blessed!

We headed for the mountains at 6AM on Friday. My girlfriend, Nancy, rented us a cabin that was incredible! It was almost to the top of a mountain and the road that led us up to it was no more than a side winding bicycle path. Our resident excellent driver, Mr. Glen, had to take over the wheel. I get so nervous when I am not in control of the vehicle but this is one time I was glad not to be in control. The cabin was in the midst of a stunning autumn setting. The scenery and the chance to get away with our best friends and spend some quality time was just what the doctor ordered. We drove all over the place, ate out, played pinochle, cooked breakfast, the guys washed the dishes, we had devotions together and prayed together, went to a dinner theater, slept til 9AM, went to the farmers market and stopped by the apple ladies farm on our way home. And we are still best friends. Oh yeah, we saved the life of a box turtle by stopping the car and kicking, um... nudging it with my foot.. off the side of the road

What about those bikes in the picture, you ask? Well, first let me tell you that the monument sign behind us informs us that we are at the highest peak of the Blue Ridge Pkway. It was exhilarating and left us breathless in more ways than one. As we were taking the scenic photo above, I saw the look in my girlfriends eye. She gets this little twinkle that reminds me of a little kid when she is up to something . She was looking over my shoulder at these guys who had just pulled their bikes into perfect formation in front of the sign. (Probably so they could take a lovely photo.) Before they had their helmets all the way off, my girlfriend walked right up and asked them if we might be able to pose with their bikes. I would have loved the ability to read minds at that moment. They were great sports and took the pics for us.

This is what has captured my mind from this weekend. A resident of Bryson City told us that some of the old timers from that region say that it is a fallacy to believe that the foliage is not vibrant when there are drought conditions. They say that it is actually just the opposite. The lack of water forces the leaves to change, making them more vibrant than usual. I don't have any idea if that is correct or wives tale. But, here is my thought: Can it be that when people go through times of distress, hardships and sorrows, those circumstances force them to be more vibrant and alive? I think there is a sermon in there somewhere. For now, I will just ponder that.