Car Trips and Cranberries

We arrived at the cabin much later than we had originally planned. Mainly because we left about four hours later than we expected, but it wasn’t all our fault, Tam’s ex wasn’t going to be home until late and we needed to drop Li’l Red at his place.

But the ride was decent, despite the usual number of idiot drivers making it their business to annoy the hell out of me.

Cell phone coverage at the cabin is spotty at best, and the neighbor’s unsecured wi-fi signal is only good at certain times of day, so if I want to browse the great wide web, we’d have to head into town.

Darn.

Actually, we love the little city and make an effort to tour it every time we’re here. This time, there is a festival celebrating the lovely, lowly cranberry, so we have lots to do. Plus visit the shop owner…

The drive over here is three hours long, but it’s usually a pleasant drive, no matter what time of day or night. I’ve made the trip in late afternoon, when the setting sun makes it difficult to navigate the wild, twisting road, as well as in the wee hours of the morning, after the bars have closed and the roads are clear. That’s the best time, but it sure makes for a sleepy morning.

It’s a trip that we’ll both be taking a lot once we purchase the shop. I’m thinking in positive terms here, it’s just got to happen.

Car trips are a favorite of mine, but they kill Tam’s hip. She fusses and complains, and because I won’t let her smoke in my car, she has even more to fuss and complain about. Plus, she’s a captive audience and must listen to me prattle on about whatever is on my mind at the time. A tossed salad of brain drivel, with a side of scattered thoughts seasoned with anecdotes and contemplations. Don’t worry, she has ample opportunity to toss a few things into the pot as we go along.

We rolled through town at 10:30 last night and the place was closed. They don’t have any 24 hour stores, except for one gas station that might be open past 11 p.m. The first thing we have to do is purge the hot water tank, as the water here is rather pungent, reminiscent of sulfur and some nasty bog water. If you don’t purge the tank before turning it on, that smell gets REALLY strong and will stain your body and your nostrils with the stench for a long, long time.

Morning came early, especially since the bed is atrociously uncomfortable. I watched the sun come up and sipped my coffee. Tam rolled out of bed about an hour later and we lazed about for a while before we headed into town. Looking at the clock, I realized that when we own the shop, it would be about that same time that one of us would be leaving to open up for the day. The thought left me feeling a little giddy, to be honest with you.

The cranberry festival is spread out over the entire area, so we started at one end, and wore ourselves out. Old knees and hips just weren’t going to cooperate for long periods of wandering. We headed to one of our favorite restaurants where Tam had her beloved oyster burger. While I had to admit, it sounded good, I went for a burger with bacon, cheese, mushrooms, onions, tomato and lettuce on it. Served with a side of batter-dipped onion rings, it is a meal perfect for the “big splurge.” Hey, even if you’re scrimping and saving to achieve your dream, there are times you just gotta get something extraordinary, you know?

After that, we headed over to the shop and talked to the proprietor. He let us know that we’re the only ones who have been serious enough about buying to keep coming in and talking to him about it. I told him that we’ve made our decision and we’ll be doing our best to come up with enough capital to convince a bank to lend us the rest. “This is our dream,” I said, and I meant it.

Back at the cabin, Tam took some time measuring the length of the couch and compared it to the length of her body (she took a snooze). I attempted to scoot in on the neighbors’ wi-fi, but they left early this morning and turned the damn thing off. Fortunately, there are enough places with free connectivity that we’ll just pack up and head for the nearest one. Another outing, and I’m pleased as punch about it.

There is a deep peace here, and we both feel it. While my heart and soul are connected to the mountains, this place feels like home to me.

Note: the library has free wi-fi! Wheeeeee! Yay for public libraries. Do everyone a favor, support your local library and go check out a book or three.