We spent a few days in the mountains. The temperatures were nice, the scenery beautiful, a delightful getaway. One of the things we got away from was internet access. At the top of the mountain, you were in touch with the world. But our cabin was at the foot of the falls, so we were off the internet pipeline.
That was a good thing.
We did have a television in the cabin, but saw no need to see if it worked. A bubbling stream was entertainment enough.
One purpose for this annual getaway is to reconnect with my husband’s family. Their reunion has been held at a state park for many years; we go to see the cousins and catch up.
I have come to know most of these people by name over the years, but I don’t share a history with them. I can’t engage in the “we would go visit…” and “I remember when he…” conversations.
But I do have some history with Charlie. He is my cousin-in-law, I guess. When we first saw each other at this gathering some years ago, we shared one of those, “don’t I know you somewhere?” moments. A few minutes of conversation led one of us to say, “I was a math teacher.” “Oh, Rock Eagle.”
We had seen each other at professional conferences over the years, but had never had the occasion to realize we shared the same last name and make sense of that. Now we did.
As the years went by and conversations grew longer, we learned that not only did we share the same profession and know many common colleagues, but that a cousin of mine had been Charlie’s mentor teacher early in his career. And that another cousin of mine had been his teacher in high school.
Our most recent conversation revealed more commonalities. We are both married to spouses who always see life through the lens of a camera, both couples enjoy traveling the backroads and exploring the unexpected side trip, and we take pleasure in enjoying every experience that presents itself.
One of the nice things about getting older is that you have had more opportunities to meet people who share the things you do, it’s easy to validate the joys in life, and those connections to the past are treasures. Whether sharing war stories from teaching, a love of the outdoors, or simply the appreciation of traveling a back road, it’s always fun to reconnect with friends like Charlie.
My sewing basket does not need wifi, so it got its normal workout on this tri
p. There were some antique stores, and I did rescue some linens. Some of the green napkins you see in the center have already been cut up and sewn to something else.