The next day began with playing hookie from my ward and going to sacrament meeting in the Union Square building since I needed to catch a train up to Meadow Farm in Duchess County. I got a few strange looks in the chapel carrying two bags with a tennis racket sticking out of one, but I gave them no heed and quickly slipped out afterwards to catch an Amtrak train north to Rhinecliff. The ride up was beautiful:
Unfortunately, there was no one with whom such a great train ride was shared. Alas,...
Upon arrival, I had to pass by the Beast:
There was also much excitement about the alcohol-powered stove that WD made out of Diet Coke cans. No picture here, folks, but I can assure you that I saw it with my own eyes and foolishly waved through its flame my own fingers.
After reading, working on crossword puzzles, and some Frisbee, a roaring campfire was made. I found myself contemplating the meaning of life and whether or not my leg hair would spontaneously burst into flame from sitting too close:
I was the Firestarter, JB (watched by his wife, LB) was the Keeper of the Flame:
PS was also a co-fireperson, but this was overshadowed by his role as right-hand man to WD (also pictured: LM, me, and RM singing our hearts out):
Cooking hot dogs and marshmallows-
After letting the fire die down, we walked out into a nearby meadow to enjoy the night sky. The Big Dipper hung low just beneath the horizon and the Milky Way was bright enough that you could make out the dark band that runs through the middle of it. The stars and the night sky are among the most humbling things to watch (right next to babies). I found myself thinking how strange it would have been to have lived eons ago and spent every night looking up at the stars and to die without ever knowing what they were and what was up there.
The next morning found me sleeping in on the floor of the pool house where I'd spent the night as the rest of the beds and couches were full. I slept surprisingly well. I could have woken up earlier when little JS and RS came pounding on the windows, but I was able to feign sleep long enough for them to become distracted. I knew I was really just delaying my promised Pokemon card game with them, but it bought me a few extra hours of precious sleep in a nice and quiet room lit with sunlight coming off the pool.
Waking up, I decided to go for a run (LM had already gone without me). Having gone west during my last visit, I chose to explore the roads to the east. Feeling an obligation to provide some documentation of my journey for my blog, I took my camera with me. Surprisingly, I found that I was actually much more energetic as I occupied my mind with thoughts of interesting pictures and witty observational comments. Such opportunities were not a few:
An honor system vegetable stand with vegetables and money jar still in-place:
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Interesting. Nothing is left under the "Free" sign in front of someone's house -
I didn't notice this hill when I was running down it. Going back was a different story:
One of the more polite signs warning you that you weren't welcome, although I took this picture mostly to capture an image of the beautiful scenery that surrounded me wherever I turned:
Not pictured: wild turkeys, rumored long-haired cows, way too much roadside trash, and a nice old lady in front of a barn who said Hello.
Well, I'm actually boring myself typing this and need to get to work on some things. Highlights of the remainder of the trip:
1. I finally learned how to dive.
2. No one was seriously sunburned.
3. A delicious steak dinner was served with corn on the cob, pineapple-flavored coleslaw, and cobbler (for dessert).
After getting back to the city, LM headed back to D.C., RM had to work that night, and PS, WD, and myself did whatsoever we would with our time before closing the book on a great weekend.
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