Home is Home...

It's mid-week now, nearly two days since we returned from our wonderful, two-week trip to Florida, and it's definitely good to be back in our own little corner of the world. All of the miles, down and back, seemed to fit into the whole vacation "picture," whether they were through the Indiana flatlands or the winding, steep, and often-scary Smoky Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee, or the foothills of Kentucky. There always seemed to be something very worthwhile to observe as the wheels turned southward. 

I must be getting older and more comfortable with many things, as not once did I find myself bored or restless and wanting to be out of the car. The first part of the trip--the "getting there" portion--is always filled with anticipation and eagerness to what lies ahead. Just the opposite is usually the case when the inevitable time arrives to turn the car the other way and begin the long drive to home. Perhaps, because we had a couple of stops in Waynesville, North Carolina, and Tellico Village, Tennessee, for a few days that broke up the return trip, there was absolutely no boredom or discomfort as the many miles clicked off.

And there's nothing quite like finally pulling into the driveway following so many days away. Even the snow that fell in a storm a few days previous was all but gone, and there was a sense of a warmup on the way. For one moment, I actually felt that we somehow had brought the temperate climate with us from Tennessee and Kentucky! (I often have fleeting thoughts such as that.)

Getting home at a decent hour is yet another good thing. With a hint of daylight still showing, we unloaded the inside and trunk of our Monte Carlo in record time and felt very good about getting things unpacked, put away, or into the clothes hamper. MacBooks were liberated from their travel cases, plugged in, and booted up for the all-important checking of the e-mail and Facebook posts, followed by a quick visit to my blogs. Nothing like the instant connection to our home network once again--no occasional mysterious glitches like those experienced in Florida--and all seemed good. And soon, Carolyn had a load of "road laundry" going, and I knew that we were, in fact, HOME!

As our Florida tans begin to fade just a bit, there is hope in the air. At this writing, the temperature here in northern Illinois is nearing 60° and there is a Florida-like sky and brilliant sunshine. Maybe I'm not so far off in believing that  maybe, just maybe, this weather came home with us. Regardless, the excellent memories from the last two weeks will carry us right on into March and the good days yet to come...MLA

"home is home
nothing else
its your safe place
the place you sleep at
it has good times and bad times
but with out you home is nothing
home is home "

(Richmoo Silverstein)