A deer encounter

A young buck

M and I had a good trip east, visiting with family and friends.  On our way home yesterday, we stopped at the Simon B. Elliott State Park in Pennsylvania for a picnic lunch.  Unfortunately, it was bad timing.  The 24th Annual High Country Arts and Craft Fair was in full gear so the place was packed with people and the parking area was just about full.  That would have been fine (and maybe fun) if we’d been there for the fair, but the goal was a quick lunch so we could resume our journey home.  We were both ready to be finished with this road trip.  We have added another 1,000 miles to our summer travels, bringing it up to 3500.  That’s a lot of car time.

Anyhow. We hightailed it out of the fair area, drove down a gravel road a bit, and found a nice little spot off the side of the road to have our lunch.  It turned out to be quite popular, but not with people.  There were several deer having their own picnic lunch, and they didn’t seem to mind us sharing the area and the view with them.

I think he’s sticking his tongue out at me.

The young buck, in particular, seemed more curious about us than afraid.  That attitude won’t serve him too well come deer season.

It is great to be home.  We’ll be staying put for a little less than two weeks, then it’s off on another short adventure.  After that, I think (and hope) we’ll be settling in here at home for a while. I’m tired of spending lots of time inside a car.  Ugh.

Prior to leaving for this last trip, M and I watched a movie called The Way with Martin Sheen.  I hadn’t heard of it before.  (Thank you, Kel, if you’re reading, for recommending it!)  Without giving too much away (and in the interest of brevity), the film is about a man who travels the Camino de Santiago.  I have heard of the Camino de Santiago, but this is the first time I actually learned a little something about it.  While watching the film, M said to me, “We ought to do that!” and I responded, “I was just thinking the same thing!”

We will have to save our pennies for a long time to accomplish such a goal.  I don’t know if it’s something we’ll do or not, but the idea of a pilgrimage has always appealed to me.  Walking, it has always seemed to me, is a pilgrimage in and of itself if you do it mindfully.

My daily walks are a pilgrimage of sorts, and I’m thinking of extending them on all levels.  Our visit east with family and friends has me once again reevaluating my lifestyle and some of the choices I make.  As you might recall, I’ve been working on getting those health indicators (numbers) down to levels my doctor will appreciate.  Travel has, as usual, set me back a bit.

Fireworks in the meadow

I have no wish to start a weight loss or health blog where I’m recording food and numbers.  However, I do think it might be helpful for me to start my own pilgrimage blog, one that leads me towards my goals but like all pilgrimages, continues beyond the goals.  I’d like to start thinking of the choices I make in terms of a pilgrimage, seeing some of those temptations as arriving at a crossroads where I can take the easy route now and pay for it later, or do the work now so I can coast afterwards.  I suspect working with the pilgrimage theme will give me plenty of metaphors along the way.

And who knows?  Perhaps M and I will walk the Camino de Santiago someday.  I’ve added it to my unofficial bucket list.  I don’t have an official bucket list.  Only an unofficial bucket list.  I’m not a big fan of the bucket list.  It feels a lot like turning what should be great experiences into a chore list to get through so I can tick things off.

As for the new blog possibility, I’ll let you know when I have things decided and worked out.  It’s possible I won’t need a new blog at all.  I’ve changed direction a few times here at the Bogs blog, and that may be all that’s needed.  The advantage to a new blog would be less posting here (switching to three times per week), and a new place (blog) that will be nothing except daily walks, hikes, or bike rides.

Prickly

That’s about it from the Bogs for today.  Thanks for dropping by.  We’re having a lovely day here.  Seasonable with highs in the 80s, and low humidity.  Wear a hat if you go for a walk around the pond.  The deer flies are bad and like to buzz around the face and head.  Apparently they have thrived in the heat.

This morning’s view of the pond.

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