I'm lovin' it
Exeter, ON, August 2011
Your turn: Thematic. Edible. Here.It had been a grand day at the beach. We took our kids and our daughter's friend to Grand Bend not because we had any kind of plan, but because we had an unscheduled day and this seemed like the ideal way to spend it.
I spent most of the day hovering over the kids - partly my old lifeguard legacy kicking in, and partly because watching them reminds me that the things that really matter to a kid should matter to me, too. They played so well together, the two older girls seamlessly accepting our youngest son into their day, that I found myself wishing I could somehow stuff the day into a bottle. It might come in handy on a cold, sad winter's day, I thought.
Soon enough, the shadows on the footprinted sand grew longer and it was time to head home. We reluctantly packed our gear up and walked over to the boardwalk, little wisps of sand stubbornly sticking to our feet as we stepped onto the wood and slowly meandered back to the car.
We drove through the spectacular agricultural hinterland between the lakeside resort town of Grand Bend and London, the car quiet with the kind of contentment I wish we could experience more often. As we approached a small town called Exeter, the golden arches loomed in the distance. I'm hardly a fan of fast food, and am counting the days until our kids are old enough to leave this nasty excuse for food behind. But at that moment, it seemed like the right thing to pull in and grab something to eat.
We took our time eating, enjoying the spectacle of this icon of urban existence planted right next to farmer's fields and a line of tractors. On the surface, I think we were all a little bit hungry. A little deeper down, I think we all wanted to prolong the day just a little bit.
Your turn: What does a perfect day look like to you?
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4 comments:
A day with no commitments and no clocks to watch. As far as getting past the fast food phase of child rearing, there will be a time you will miss those jaunts and dives and hours of chatter--sooner than you think. Try to enjoy it. Vodka and Sprite helped after a day on the road with the little ones.
One of happy thoughts, good music,the smell of a great cup of coffee in my hand, and the sight and sounds of waves playing catch with our toes as we cherish just being alive....and together!
Oh yeah and the gentle song of sea gulls flying (safely) over our heads....
One of happy thoughts, good music,the smell of a great cup of coffee in my hand, and the sight and sounds of waves playing catch with our toes as we cherish just being alive....and together!
Oh yeah and the gentle song of sea gulls flying (safely) over our heads....
It is funny, sometimes fast food is all that's available in some small towns. When my Mom used to live in East Texas, when I visited her I had to drive some 5 hours up route 59. There are a string of little towns along the route, and farmland between. Halfway up, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, there's a Sonic Burger. I'd almost salivate anticipating it, each time I went to visit her!
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