Virginia - Family, Wedding, Sublime Retirement? and a Wilderness War

Civil War Wilderness 1864 Battle Site

Virginia is a mottled landscape surrounding D.C.  Hints of the peaceful woods that enveloped civil war villages beckon, but are drowned out by the expanding suburbs and highways.  Here my daughter and granddaughter can go outside to play (after I've fed them my delectable salmon pasta) surrounded by beautiful hardwood forest, but always within earshot of ubiquitous pulsing highways. 



Just north in Gaithersburg hotel friends tied the knot in a simple, but elegant ceremony and danced the night away with friends and family. The minister's message didn't resonate.  All I can say is Buona fortuna...

Ninety miles to the south lies Frederiksberg, Virginia. And 18 miles west dense woods with beautiful autumn foliage envelope the Civil War Wilderness battlefield where trenches and buried bullets still speak silently to the historic battle that occurred 168 years ago.
  
Not far away, my old friend Dan and his bride have staked a claim on their retirement paradise. A gorgeous home on a serene lake dotted with mansions affords the opportunity to relax, sail, fish, hike, entertain, and reflect.  No sounds of traffic and plenty of wildlife.   


Forty-two years ago Dan and I went through USAF flight training together.  It couldn't have been that long ago!?   But in the long years since Dan earned his military retirement in spades, flying his F-111 from the UK to Libya to strike Khadafi, serving as a liaison in Europe and helping run the air war during our never ending middle east conflicts. Gracias amigo.  

Today he serves still, helping to keep his lake community running and bonding with his golden retriever as they train together daily to be a team that finds and rescues lost souls in the Virginia woods.  The beautify and serenity of his abode combined with his retirement rescue 'vocation' gave me pause.  Living in a big home with a panoramic view of nature all around me.  Having a "mission" that gets one outside every week.   Is that a better path than my minimalist one?  But there is never such things as a "free lunch". Our time together revealed that this "serenity" comes with costs.  House maintenance, dam maintenance, toy maintenance, contentious neighborhood committees with "entitled" neighbors, limited culinary options, frequent long drives.  Still if the right opportunity beckons, maybe I'll spend a few years bonding with furry companion hiking through the mountains somewhere.  Time will tell... As for the bigger place, eh. I'm with the Avett Brothers being "Happier with Nothing" 


Location: Virginia, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sunrise Sunset - Marriage in Lynchburg, Virginia

Image
  Lynchburg, Virginia.  The place of marriage for my oldest son.  The first time all four of my children have gathered together in years. I was expecting Lynchburg to be a backwater, but was pleasantly surprised with what I experienced. The little turn-of-the-century downtown with classic front porches set in the hills above the James River exuded historic Americana.   But Lynchburg also has two of the most authentic Indian restaurants I've experienced outside India itself and a great jazzy pub.  Not bad for a dry county. You can ride the railroad to Lynchburg from Washington D.C. and I recommend you do especially in the fall.  For me a week of preparation with my son including yoga on the river and getting acquainted with the new family made this a very special time. As the ceremony progressed the scene from "Fiddler on the Roof" where they sang " Sunrise Sunset " came to mind. Take a listen.  
Read more

Glaciers and Yoga- Bettmeralp Round 2

Image
A three day weekend afforded me the opportunity to return to Bettmeralp Switzerland, and this time experience trekking over the Alps and down to the Aletsch glacier. It a word WOW! But this Italian phrase says it better. “Non ci sono parole per descrivere questa esperienza.” But I will try.  My challenging treks were punctuated with wonderful yoga and meditation sessions. The glacier is 14 miles long and over a 1/2 mile wide. The crevices are huge and are only traversed with ropes and crampons. Blow up the pictures  down by the glacier and find the people. It will give a little perspective. The glacier's grandeur can only be fully appreciated in person.   Beyond the glacier, the silence and solitude are so cathartic. Winston Churchill thought so as well. My picture  link has a foto of his cabin overlooking the glacier. Still my experience wasn’t all bliss.  I must admit the 2nd day was not only arduous, but challenged me to overcome a primal fear. I had chosen to take the
Read more

Mendocino Coast, Accordians & Ecclesiastes

Image
Hopped a flight to San Francisco to visit family near the Mendocino coast, close an open book, and attend the world famous Cotati Accordian Festival. The redwoods are so big, strong and SILENT. You feel their presence. Something to learn from this. I stayed in my Aunt Lil's old cabin. I drove up on a moonlit, foggy nite to the remote cabin. Such wonderful solitude to reflect or shoot a haunted movie. 👀🌙I shared a meravigliosa Italian meal with family. Great grandchildren to Aunt Lil. Dinner was a plethora of home grown vegetables and homemade gnocchi. Aunt Lil worries that the farm is running down. You can see it and is a vivid reminder that nothing on the earth stays the same. Visiting my 92 year old Aunt and her 89 year old "baby bro", I pondered the question again, what to do and where to live when one's working career is over? Their lives center around extended family, living in nature, and growing. Can that be enough? On this trip I closed one chapter in life.
Read more