We spent two summer vacations in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. One of those years we rented a room at the newly built Hampton Inn & Suites in Corolla. This was the nightlight glow from our balcony.

Huffington post shares a video of Ellen discussing funny real estate ads. Thanks to David Childress for sharing this gem!

Overhead Signal Light Work Commerce Twp, originally uploaded by cletch.

Working on the traffic lights at Commerce Rd and Carroll Lake Rd.

On my recent drive home from Florida, I bought some fresh citrus and stored them in the refrigerator drawer. This morning I took out a grapefruit, sliced it open and found a tiny new sprout magically growing inside!

I’ve lived in the USA for 11 years as of this month. Although I’ve been back to Wasaga a few times since my move, this most recent visit caught me by surprise. I found myself longing for the simplicity of sitting in my beach chair until the sun set unobstructed in the infinite distance that is Lake Huron.

I miss the seasonal berry picking and subsequent jam making. The ice skating. I miss the snowmobile trails I annually walked for three seasons – pushing a stroller or pulling a wagon – and the trails I cross country skied in the fourth season.

I miss my friends.

There was so much about Wasaga Beach that was crazy busy when I had babies who grew into preschoolers. Childcare, volunteering, socializing. So much activity was centered around recreational fun that kept the children tired enough for afternoon naps and 8 o’clock bedtimes.

I miss that simplicity in my life. I haven’t made jam, or designed new gardens since moving to the USA. I don’t even compost! Daily fun has all but disappeared from my life which is now punctuated by a merry-go-round of work, house cleaning, grocery shopping, appointments and landscape maintenance. I haven’t even kayaked yet this year and I live on water!

My creativity is being stifled. There’s little time for it. When I do sit still, that’s all I can do. Sit. Still. I barely socialize anymore.

Going back to the beach made me long for my old way of living. Afternoon tea play dates, evenings with neighbors on the deck. A constant stream of other-mother companions and discussions of raising children, husbands, recipes, and saving money.

I was just as tired back then but I had an incredible group of neighbors to share it with. Most have moved in different directions, and although I continue to love each and every one of them, it’s not quite the same. We’ve all migrated onto other important matters and the daily contact has long subsided into several-month-long stretches.

The children who brought us together, and were the focal points of our chatter, are getting ready to make their own way in the world. They’re all beautiful, intelligent young adults with bright futures ahead of them. I hope they find themselves blessed with friendships as special as the ones they gave birth to in Wasaga Beach.

We took the back roads when driving to Wasaga Beach so my new drivers could practice. As we approached Shelburne, Ontario we were greeted with a “never before seen sight.” A wind farm! It was alarming and beautiful at the same time. The turbines dwarfed the trees and farms they loomed over. They spread as far as the eye could see.

Here’s a video with some basic (unconfirmed) information on the wind plant. Even the video does not do the overwhelming view of the generators proper justice.

There has been some concern by those who live underneath them:

For me it’s the ultimate freedom. Yesterday I left home with my 15 and 16 year old for a 20 hour drive to Orlando. It’s been years since the three of us have traveled together and I suspect this might be the last one for a long, long while. They’ve hit the age where jobs and girlfriends have become more important than hitting the open road with their mom.

I’ve taken them many places, some with their dad and many without. We’ve driven to Georgia, the Florida Keys, the Outer Banks, Memphis, New Orleans, and many places in between. We’ve also covered territory throughout Ontario and Quebec. All by car.

Yesterday’s drive began with my youngest flexing his new driving skills until the interstate. Then all was quiet as heads were buried in their technology of choice. Then the mood changed. We passed the sign for “Big Bone Lick State Park” and giggled remembering the comedic conversation that ensued when we had been on our way to camp at Jenny Wiley State Park. That discussion led to other road trip memories. All wonderful, all smiles and laughter. We reminisced about the games we played, sights we saw, and the road trip journal they wrote daily. We can’t wait to get home and read it again.

This trip is symbolic in many ways. They’re older; my eldest is planning his own graduation road trip with a friend next year. It’s our first trip since the divorce and we’re staying with another family in which the father has a special place in my heart. Time is moving on. The scenery is changing.
I LOVE road trips.

Photo Credit: Craig Stanton on Flickr

Happy Hour at Roast – Book Cadillac Building, originally uploaded by cletch.

Absolutely love the Perfect Pear!
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CyberCletch LLC
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Friday night dinner, originally uploaded by cletch.

Love the patio dining at a Matter of Taste. Thank you Naomi for a wonderful birthday dinner!

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CyberCletch LLC
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Ohio River, originally uploaded by cletch.

I think the name of the viewing area is Caydash Point.
Pat Williams 248-842-5527
CyberCletch LLC
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry