A Weekend in the Mountains
I always say “everywhere has something and no where has everything” and it’s remained true so far in my life. I miss something about everywhere I’ve lived. When I left New England for coastal Virginia I missed mountains, hiking, mountain biking, cross country skiing (although not winter) and the sound of natural running water. In moving, while I lost most of those things I gained the beach and new hobbies like paddle & body boarding not to mention the beach lifestyle which was a great fit for us. I also learned the value of car-free living in our neighborhood there and experienced living in a small, tight-knit community, two things I’ll want out of future homes.
In moving to the keys, I gained things that I didn’t have anywhere before: a year-round outdoor lifestyle, amazing paddling in clear water, mangrove tunnels instead of trails on land, diving 5 minutes from my house and tons of opportunities to get involved in ocean conservation efforts. I love how life here revolves around the ocean. The keys are a unique place and I’m happy to have the chance to experience living here.
My dad still lives in Massachusetts about an hour from where I grew up so we used the long Memorial Day weekend to go for a visit and spend some in the woods. It rained almost the whole time but we got out when we could during the breaks. It was great to be back “home” too and to see my dad. I haven’t been back to New England much the past few years, just once in the last four so it was overdue.
Here are some of my favorite pics from the weekend:
From the top of Mount Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts – elevation 3,491 feet. Even on a cloudy day the view was gorgeous!
Everything looked so green when the sun finally came out – the top right pic is one of my favorites from the weekend, I love how the sun is making the rocks look like gold.
Left: a lilac, my absolute favorite flower! If there’s one scent that brings me back to childhood in New England, it’s the lilac. We used to have a row of them bordering our yard. Right: a pretty pink flower we saw in the woods, beautiful and smelled wonderful! I’m not sure what it is, if you do, left me know.
This little one was just adorable! Alternating between peeking out of its house at us and hiding, all the while making the sweetest little squeaking sounds. I’ve missed seeing chipmunks since I left New England so we spent some quality times with the ones we saw.
What do you love about where you live now? If you find that question hard to answer it might be time to make a move! As Timber Hawkeye says: “if you don’t like where you live, why do you live there?”
Until next time …
Stay warm friends!