Another Thanksgiving, another long post.

 We pulled out right on time Wednesday, amidst gusty (literally up to 50 mph) winds and grey skies.

Driving in the high winds was hard on Dave, but we got there right at the anticipated time, and loaded in before it rained.

They gave us cabin #12, the only lake view cabin that doesn't have a screened in front porch.  They'd recently made changes to the cabins and the cabin area, and the old concrete picnic benches were gone, and replaced with resin ones.  

Ours was placed at an odd, steep angle, making it uncomfortable and useless for most everything.  Even placing a cup on it, the cup would slide away from you.

To sit on it, I had to sit sideways, so my hips weren't at an angle.

The firepit had also been relocated, and was also on a slope instead of on the flat ground, where it had previously been.  These were not good changes.

They'd also done asphalt and curbing all around the cabin area, recently, from the look of it.

Inside, the shower had been re-done, and was REALLY nice, and the sinks had been replaced.  There was much newer furniture, new fireplace screen and glass doors, and a new ceiling fan.  All good improvements!

Dave went back to the little town and bought firewood and cheese for the casserole, because I had left the special cheese I got for it back at home.  It's always something!  HAHA!

While he was gone, I started to put stuff away, and get settled in for our stay.  He came back with beautiful firewood bundles that included pine sticks for kindling.  We had brought a bag of kindling paper and fat wood, so we were all set!

While I was continuing to "nest," Dave laid the first fire into the fireplace, and got it going.  

The cabin immediately filled with thick smoke, so we closed the new glass doors to the fireplace, and the fire was out within a couple of minutes.

Dave thought he had done something wrong (I am the expert at fire building and maintenance, after all), but he had not.  I had coached him through the set up, and he did it all perfectly.

I assured him he'd done nothing wrong, and we would try again shortly.  It was chilly in the cabin, but not cold.  There's a loud forced air heater, too, but we try to avoid using it because it's so noisy.

When I was finished getting the boxes emptied, and things organized, I sat down on the floor to investigate the fireplace.  The first thing I noticed was that the bricks from the back of the hearth were collapsed.  

Uh oh.

I wasn't going to lie down inside the fire place to look up the chimney, but I had a bad feeling....

I moved the scorched wood out of the way, and tried again.  Same thing happened.  I did it a third time, and the same thing happened..... The fireplace in this cabin was not usable. 

This made me SO angry that I almost cried. Why didn't they tell us at check in??

Having the fireplace is one of the main reasons we do this every year.  The office was closed, though, and the next day was Thanksgiving, so no one would be around.

But... I managed to calm and center myself by setting up my little altar on the beautiful stone slab of a mantel piece, and I lit my candles, and made dinner.  At dusk, I stepped outside and saw two deer down the power pole line in the valley below the cabins.  There is tall grass there, and they were almost invisible.

The wind was brisk, and there were tiny waves on the lake.  The sky was a swirl of different greys, and was so pretty.

We turned the heater on, and the electric oven, to warm the cabin.

That night, the rain and thunder came, just as predicted, and I SO wished we could be sitting by a cozy, crackling fire, listening to the rain on the roof (which we can't hear when at home), but it was not to be.

The next morning dawned very cold and frosty.  There was mist rising up off of the water, and I saw two more deer down in the valley.... I am pretty sure they were bucks this time, because they were facing each other, and standing stock still for the longest time.  They were too far away, and the light was too low, to see antlers, so I was merely guessing based on their behavior.

Then, they lunged at one another, just once, and one of them turned and walked out of sight.  I had hoped to see them fight, but that didn't happen. 

There was frost and ice on the picnic bench out by the fire pit, so I went back inside and got a blanket, and my coffee, and sat outside watching the mist move over the water.

One of my favorite things to do on this trip is to go out around sunrise and just watch the light change, and the color of the water.  At sunrise and sunset, it's silver.  Any remaining color on the trees on the far side of the lake waxes and wanes, too, with the sunlight. 

By the time Dave got up and discovered me gone, I was chilled to the bone, and needed to go back inside.

After breakfast, and clean up, I showered, and then started on my pumpkin pie.  I make the crust from scratch, chopping pecans by hand, and making it into a bit of a ritual.  I love it so!  

It sure would have been nice to have a fire crackling away in the fireplace.... ugh.  The heater and the oven made the cabin cozy, though.

The pie was made and baked before it was warm enough to get outside (above freezing). The wind was still gusty, though, and we hadn't thought we'd need heavy winter coats this time, so we waited a bit longer.

I went ahead and assembled the casserole.  Dave got the turkey breast unwrapped, rinsed, and placed into the roasting pan.  I'd discovered at breakfast that the oven temperature was very unpredictable, being below the set temp is set at 350, and above the set temp if set at 375.  Add to list for cabin camping box: oven thermometer!  But, I took my chances, draped the breast with raw bacon, and we got it into the oven.

(One of the burners on the stove didn't work, either.  Another thing to report to management..... as well as the WASP NEST above the false ceiling in the bedroom area!!  Yikes!)

We usually like to go for a hike while the turkey bakes, and this year was no exception.    Up the ridge behind the cabins we went, along an unmarked trail where we'd never seen other humans before.

We noticed a huge flock of turkey buzzards circling, and as we stood silently up the ridge, we heard some strange sounds, and turned to find that many of the flock had come to roost in a huge bare tree up behind us.  It was them making their weird chuffing noise!  

We walked on, and enjoyed the view from high above the lake....until we heard voices.  Loud, teenage voices.

My "secret" path was no longer secret, and along came a group of kids, and a dad....

They expected US to move off of the trail out of their way (as is the case with most Okies we encounter while hiking...no respect or regard for others). The dad brought up the rear, and said nothing to the kids to move aside for us on the very narrow path.

This totally ruined the vibe for us, so we turned back, went past the cabin area, and walked down the road toward the campground, where we also usually walk.  

Even though it's less peaceful, and there are always campers down there, this is usually part of what we do while the turkey bakes.

During other parts of this day, we saw HUGE flocks of turkey buzzards, forming unimaginably huge "tornadoes" as they flew in circles, reaching very high up into the sky.  It was pretty cool.

It was a pretty day, but still cold, so we headed on back and laid out a tray of crackers, apples, olives, and cheese for our light "snacky" lunch.

Then, I took a nap, because had had not slept at all, literally, on Wednesday night.  That heater was so loud, it kept me awake.

The feast turned out perfectly, and I lit my candles again, and put them in front of the fireplace doors.  Sigh.  The cranberries that I got from the farm bag made the most exquisite compote I think I have EVER made, and the impromptu cheese in the casserole was great!

We played dominoes, and drank really good wine, and had a lovely holiday....as usual.

I slept MUCH better on Thursday night (we left the heater off, and just left the oven on all night), but slept past sunrise, so I missed my morning meditation.  Oh well.... no sunrise deer spotting.

Friday was much warmer, and bright and sunny, so after breakfast, we cleaned up, and went by car to the other side of the park, where there's another rustic hiking trail.

We used to walk over there, but we are no longer as spry as we once were, in the years before.  Especially me, with all of the various joint and tendon pains my hormone blockers have caused over 7 years of treatment.

This trail is marked, and much used, unlike the one behind the cabins which is actually a deer trail through the woods.  

There was another car at the trail head when we got there, but we didn't see any other hikers-- until we were coming back.

Once again, a group of loud mouthed teens, who forced us off of the trail, walking abreast and heedless of the fact that we were there first.

The very last one, stepped aside for us, and I looked him in the eye, and said THANK YOU.  He said "Yes, ma'am."  

At least one of them was raised right, HAHA!

Back at the cabin, it was time to build the fire in the fire pit. Dave went into town to get some beer, while I moved all of the firewood, three legged camp stool, and fireplace tools outside.

By the time he got back, I had a good blaze going, and he watched it while I heated up our left over Wednesday night dinner for lunch.

I kept that fire going all afternoon and into the night.... we had 5 bundles of beautiful hardwood to burn, after all... we'd purchased it in anticipation of having a fire going in the fireplace all day on Thanksgiving, because we knew it was supposed to be cold.   Again...Sigh.

Anyway, I spent almost the entire day on Friday outside, hiking, and then working that fire until well past 9.

My feet got cold, but the rest of me was warm and happy, in my dirty jeans, my work gloves, and my hiking boots.  I really felt like myself again...for the first time in a very long time.

Dave sat inside much of the day, reading.  

Around dusk, I poked my head into the cabin and told him I was going up the ridge.  I had a feeling that it was just time for me to be in the woods with the deer.

The instant I came around the end of the cabin, I saw two up the pole line, in the tall grass behind the cabins, toward the ridge.  I stood still and watched them forage before I moved off to the trail.  Up there, I met two more pretty ladies, and we all eventually moved back toward the cabin area.

There was no one else around.  Most of the cabins were empty, and no one else was outside.  It was like it was supposed to be my special time.  I walked along the upper road, and the deer were behind the top row of cabins, and we just walked along and stood together....they seemed completely comfortable with my being so close.

It got darker and darker, though, and eventually, I thought I'd figured out that they were going to come down from above, and cut through in front of our cabin area, basically making a big circle, so I headed back to my fire.

Just then Dave was coming outside, wondering why I wasn't back yet (I'd been off on my own for quite a while).

Just as we settled (uncomfortably) on the picnic bench, the pretty ladies stepped out of the brush, and headed toward our area, foraging on the abundance of acorns on the ground. Just as I had predicted.

We watched them come closer, and closer, and the sky got darker and darker.....and suddenly, white tails high, the deer bolted out of sight.

There was a man, walking noisily and quickly, down the side road that leads from the cabins to the camp ground.  

Once again, our moment of peace was ruined by another person.

As night fell, more people came to the cabins.  Bright pick up truck lights were shined in our faces, and noisy campers yelled, and made a general ruckus, as they loaded in.  Ugh.

Clearly, the secret of our Thanksgiving get away has gotten out, and there are far more people there every year now.... Rude, noisy people, with noisy vehicles, and no respect.  We even saw a guy come from one cabin, and steal the firewood that had been collected and laid next to the firepit of another cabin.  UNBELIEVABLE.  

It used to be that the other folks in the cabins were basically well behaved, and quiet....not so this year.  

Part of the day on Friday, there was even a back hoe and a crew working nearby on a big hole in the ground, and the maintenance people zipping around, even into the valley below the cabins, in their noisy golf cart.

Again.... sigh..... 

BUT, all in all, it was what I needed it to be, and we had a lovely time.  The time spent by the fire on Friday made up, at least in part, for the lack of the fireplace.  I sat and sang songs, and watched the light change, and welcomed the vast array of stars, mostly in solitude.

At check out on Saturday, we lodged our list of complaints, and asked that they REALLY BE passed on to managers.  The broken fireplace is a BIG DEAL this time of year, when it's cold, and people pay the price to come stay in a cabin with a FIREPLACE.  The lady behind the counter seemed to understand that this was a big deal, and promised to pass the complaint on to managers.

The wasps were also a major big deal, as Dave is allergic to bee stings.

We are hoping that we will hear from someone next week, and that maybe we might even get a partial refund. Not likely, but hoped for.

The wasps weren't bad until Friday night, probably because it was a warmer day on Friday.  They gave Dave a lot of anxiety.  Once we shut off all of the lights, though, they stopped emerging from behind the ugly white drywall on the ceiling.

If the management plans to continue to improve the cabins, that ugly ceiling needs to come down, the wasps removed, and a nicer fix applied.  (Our guess is that the roof must have leaked at one point, and the pretty wood ceiling that we have seen in other cabins was ruined.   One of the cabins we've had over the years also has the ugly drywall false ceiling.  Yuck.)

Got home yesterday afternoon, unpacked, did laundry, and that was about all there was time for before crawling into our hot tub, and then going to bed.

Today, there will be grocery shopping, and list making of the things we should add to our cabin camping kit, now that NOTHING is provided in the kitchen except the appliances.

I hope that my gentle readers enjoyed a wonderful holiday, if they celebrate Thanksgiving, and I pray, most earnestly, that I will continue to respond well to treatment, and will enjoy many more cabin trips to come.  

Getting ready!

 We leave for our cabin trip on Wednesday.

The weather is supposed to be wet when we are packing in, but that will make for a nice first night by the fire.

It's supposed to be rainy Thanksgiving morning, but should clear out by afternoon, so we can hike while the turkey breast bakes, as usual.  

In the morning, I can make my pecan crusted pumpkin pie! 

It will be cold (29) for star gazing Thursday night, but if it's cold, that usually  means the sky will be crystal clear. 

Friday will be chilly, but clear, and warm and sunny on Saturday for packing out.

They are giving us cabin #10.  We can't remember if we have had that one before.  

Unfortunately, the independent management company that has taken over the cabins and the marina changed the scheduling rules between the year that we missed because they screwed up our reservation, and last year.  We now have to wait a month after checking out to then go ON LINE and book a cabin. 

All we are able to tell them is which floor plan we prefer.  THEY tell us which cabin we are getting about a month before our check in date.

That sucks.  BUT..at least we know we will have a fire place, and a separate bedroom from the kitchenette/living area.

They also permanently removed all kitchen equipment other than the appliances, so, going forward, we will have to continue to pack all of our dishes, pots, pans, etc.  What a pain in the butt.

Oh well, despite those things, we are really looking forward to this, as usual.

I have been under a lot of stress at work, and feel that I am being scrutinized, and possibly that they are trying to force me out again.  This has happened before, but what surprises me is that the people I THOUGHT were responsible in the past are now GONE.

My current boss declined my request to take off ONE DAY the week before Christmas, like I always have.  This is the first time in my history of employment that my request has been denied.

I put in for that day off (Winter Solstice) on JANUARY 4th.  BUT, she gave it to other people who requested it after I did, and who have FAR less seniority.

This REALLY PISSED ME OFF last week... I am SO sick of this bullshit.

SO... I need to get away, and find my center again. I need my inner peace back!!

This morning, we were supposed to meet a friend for breakfast, but there was a HUGE miscommunication and disconnect.

Dave told me 9 am, so I was up and dressed, and ready to be out the door by 8:45... I even put on earrings and MAKE UP.

He'd said that our friend was to get there first (based on the time Dave had told me I had imagined her getting there at maybe 8:30), and put in for a table for us, and then text us when it was ready, as we are only 10 minutes away. 

I was hungry when I got up, and at about 9, as Dave was doing a crossword puzzle, and drinking his coffee....I asked about the friend--if he'd heard from her yet.... because it was 9.

He said yeah, he'd heard from her...but said nothing else... .... ...  and I was like..."uh....okay..so what's the plan? You said 9:00! We're still sitting here..."

Ultimately, an HOUR later than I thought we were going to be there, we were finally summoned to the restaurant.

We got there, only to find out that we would have to wait another hour to be seated, and probably another 45 minutes to get our food.

I'm not sure why she said "come now," when there was at least another hour to go.... It was a big communication fiasco. 

SO...we are back home, microwaving oatmeal.  What a total waste of time and effort, and such a disappointment.  I was really looking forward to the pineapple bourbon pancakes, and a nice mimosa!

Have a lovely Sunday and a good week. Happy Thanksgiving!!

2021 Crane Spotting

 When my friend had said that the trailer we stayed in last year wasn't available to us this year for our Crane Spotting trip, we decided not to go at all.

That never really felt right to me, though.... and then.... about 10 days ago, I saw a Facebook post that there were 28 Whooping Cranes, along with 37K Sandhill Cranes at the Salt Plains Wildlife Refuge that week.

I instantly changed my mind about not going, and we booked an Air BnB for last night.

The chance to see a Whooping crane in the wild was enough impetus to get me going!!

The plan was to go up Saturday, to check in at the  property by 3:00, relax a little, then go to the refuge for sunset.

Well, fate changed those plans for us.

Dave had gone out to do an errand, and to grab us some lunch to bolt down before we were to leave....but while he was gone, I was outside watering the plants on the front porch, when a young African American man, who had been walking up our street, called out to me.

"Can I ask you a question?  You seem really wise."  I was taken aback, and thought, oh great, what's he going to try to sell me?  I couldn't just dash into the house and lock the door, that would be totally rude... so I acknowledged him, and he walked up the driveway toward me.

He didn't really have a question that I could answer.... it was something about what do you do when the people you live with are terrible people?

And the next thing I knew, he was sitting on the ground, having a total mental health break down.  He said they were talking to him about awful, "gross" things, and that he felt it in his body, and he couldn't get rid of it.

He was crying, and flailing his arms about, and yelling.... and I was, quite frankly, a little nervous.... but mostly, I just felt calm.

I sat on my front step, and listened to him, and talked to him.... and he just kept going on about how those people have this awful energy, and he can't get it out of his head or his body.

Fortunately, the neighbors who moved out have a friend helping get the house ready to rent, and she came out and saw what was happening.

She came over and sat down, too, and between the two of us, we got him to calm down, stop crying, and take some deep breaths.

After a few minutes, we just talked amongst ourselves as though nothing weird had just happened....him, still sitting in the middle of my driveway, drinking out of his water bottle.  

She had to go get ready for work, though, so she said, "do you have my number?"

We'd only met once, and never talked to each other before, so I obviously didn't have her number...but...I said "no, I don't think so, let me go get my phone..." which gave me the perfect opportunity to text Dave and tell him to COME HOME NOW PLEASE.

I think that might have been her motive...but now, I have a new friend, too!  I was so grateful that she came along.... I was doing okay just being with him, but there was definitely some potential for volatility before we were able to get him calmed down.

My neighbor to the west was outside in his front yard, too, so if anything had gotten really bad, I would have yelled for him.

Anyway, she had to leave, and the young man and I continued to just chat while I knew Dave was making a bee line for the house.  I tried to find out where he was living, but he said "I just live everywhere...wherever this vessel is," indicating his body.

Dave arrived, and pulled into the driveway, but the young man didn't move, so Dave parked down at the end and got out.

I smiled at him, and said hi, and said to my visitor that this was my husband.  He then got up off of the ground, and asked if he could shake Dave's hand.  He told DAVE that his name was Michael.  
Dave offered a fist bump instead.

Our names were not offered to Michael.

The three of us talked a little more... I told Dave that Michael was having a hard time with the people he lived with, and that he had just needed to talk.  

Dave said something like, "Well, we have some stuff we need to do," and while I refilled Michael's water bottle, he gathered up his jacket, and the dvds he was carrying.  I brought the water bottle out, and he just walked off again.

Dave and I went inside, and THEN I melted down. 

I've never had a complete stranger have a mental health crisis in my freaking driveway when I was home alone before, after all.

I'm pretty sure that Michael is mentally ill, and possibly homeless, or at least in a group home.  I really felt badly for him, but he seemed to be very sweet at heart, and ultimately harmless.

He just wanted to talk to someone, and he thought I looked wise.  

Must be my grey hair. HAH!

ANYWAY.... Dave got my text before he got our lunch, so after I calmed down, and we ascertained that Michael was truly out of the area, I returned to packing for the overnight trip, and Dave went back out to get that lunch.

SO, we were delayed by about an hour.

The weather was perfect, and, though we got up to the area later than intended, we still made it out to the refuge before sunset.  There was just no relaxation time in between checking in at the property and going out to see the cranes.

Our hostess was a really sweet young woman, and her husband and baby were there, too.  She even provided us with a special local beer that was named after the wildlife refuge.

We got out there at the perfect time.  There was another person there, whose name was Tina, and she was a wonderful person!   She is retired, and lives in her camper, which she takes all around the country...right now, following crane flocks!  She was so friendly, and helpful!  I wished that she would stay there with us, but she left before we did.

Sadly, we THOUGHT that we might have heard at least one or two Whooping cranes, but we never saw them.

I got some absolutely stunning pictures of the sunset, and some good video sounds of the cranes coming in to land for the night.  

We left as it was getting almost too dark to see the trail, and we were the only humans there.

There were two great horned owls hooting in the woods as we left, and as we were driving out of the refuge, we saw several deer.  My heart was SO FULL!!

Next order of business was to drive over to Enid to find some dinner. That was about an hour away, and we ended up at Chili's. 

They have SURPRISINGLY great steaks!  I had a craving for steak and potatoes, and was very happy with my dinner!

We finally made it back to our Air BnB at about 8:30 pm, along pitch dark roads in the country.  There was another great horned owl, hooting outside of our place. 

The property is a newly converted metal workshop type building, lined with antlered deer skulls.  That sort of freaked me out at first, but I did a little Priestessing, and felt a lot better.

It's possible that we were among the first guests to stay in this property, because it sure seemed that everything was BRAND new.  The coffee tasted like plastic, and the toaster had never been used before...and the towels even left us coated with lint when we showered, HAHA!

We settled down on the really luxurious couch with some of that special beer, and watched a movie before finally going to bed at almost midnight.  Actually, Dave fell asleep on the couch, and I crawled into the bed.

The alarm was set for 6 am, with the plan being to return to the refuge for the full impact of the full flock being in residence.  Sunrise is supposed to be when the most birds are present.

I slept a little, but not very much,  but we got up, made coffee, ate the breakfast we had brought along (Air BnB properties RARELY provide the "second B"), cleaned up, and got out before 7 am.

The sunrise was really pretty, but it was while we were in the car, and it was not nearly as spectacular as the sunset the night before, so I didn't get any pictures of it.

When we arrived at the refuge, and got out of the car, the sound was astonishing.  I had NEVER heard that many cranes all in one place ever in my life-long pursuit of "crane spotting."  I was SO excited, I headed down the trail even though Dave wasn't ready for the hike yet.  

He eventually caught up with me, and we stayed for about an hour and a half, until we were pretty much frozen through! It was in the upper 30's out, and clear.

Big flocks were coming and going, and flying RIGHT over our heads.

My videos of the cranes were not so much for what we could see, though, as for what we could HEAR.  Tens of thousands of cranes...all in one place.  It was magical, and powerful, and I was SO happy and excited!

Again, no Whooping cranes.  They continue to elude me!!

I could easily still be standing there, but we were cold, and what little we brought to eat was already burned off from being there in the cold for so long, so, hesitantly (on my part), we left.

Back over to Enid for an IHOP breakfast, which we ate with great gusto, and now we're home.

I need a nap!!

What a wonderful Crane Spotting adventure this one was.  Truly, my best one yet, with the most beautiful sunset, and the most populated morning view. 

I am content. 

Have a good week!

Following the deer

 Yesterday, I was consecrated as a Priestess in the nature Spirituality I practice.

I completed a year long course in August, and was able to make my "graduation" at this turning of the year from old to new, according to the old Celtic calendar.

My practice encompasses connecting with the cycles of nature, the wild edges, the deer, specifically, but all of wildlife as well.

I still have to learn how to describe and explain what being a Priestess means, but, in a nut shell, it has to do with healing through nature, and ancient modes of connecting with nature, spiritually, and, eventually, helping others to find their own healing through those connections.

To celebrate this big accomplishment, Dave and I went back to Roman Nose state park, and booked a room at the lodge.  

We hiked last night before dusk, had dinner at the restaurant, on the patio, then had a very relaxing evening reading and sipping wine. Then, a long night of rest, thanks to the time change.

It was nice and quiet, despite there being lots of people at the lodge.

I really needed the rest, as the excitement leading up to my consecration had me sleeping badly last week.

This morning, the sun came up an hour earlier (thanks to the return to standard time overnight), and I got up and took my shower right away, anxious to get out and hike at sunrise.

It took Dave another hour and a half to get moving, so we missed my goal of a sunrise hike, BUT.... the moment that I opened the curtains, there was a doe and her yearling standing directly outside.

That was a very significant moment for me, as we have visited this park numerous times, and have seen deer tracks, but never the deer themselves.

Since the restaurant is closed on Sundays (which we had no idea about when we booked the room),  we were going to have to hike on empty stomachs to at least fulfill part of my plan to spend significant time in nature.

We headed out, and the trail that we took, which we had never completed before, turned out to be far more challenging than anticipated.  After an hour of pretty intense hiking, with difficult footing, and LOTS of ups and downs, I "called it," and we turned back.

Once back down, we found that the cafe` at the gift shop WAS open, and we were truly starving, so we got some breakfast before heading to the other side of the park to take my favorite hiking trail.

I'm thinking we would have made it to the top of the hill if we'd been able to eat first!

Anyway, after a substantial breakfast, we went and did my favorite trail, and enjoyed being the only humans down by the springs.  It was so quiet, and peaceful.  We stood in silence, HOPING to see more deer, but it was not to be.

Coming back up, we both discovered that we were sore and quite fatigued.  That earlier hike, with no fuel in our bellies, was really taxing.

We got in the car, and pointed it toward home.

Around 1, almost home, we decided to stop for lunch before getting all the way home.  By that time, my body had recovered, but Dave was still feeling quite stiff and sore.

I am pretty sure we we will be getting into the hot tub later!

In other news, my dental exam went fine, but I have to get a filling replaced, and will do that next Thursday, when I am off for Veterans' Day.  I also have my annual well woman appointment later the same morning.

Whee.

Then, next Friday, we are leaving town again, and heading up north for our annual overnight Crane Spotting trip! 

Can't wait.

Right now, I need to get laundry going, and I think a little nap is in order!

Have a lovely week.