I am sitting in Malaprops bookstore in Asheville, NC. Malaprop's is a "proper" bookstore with a great little cafe, and a bag-check system. The latter being important for folks like me who seem to find it necessary carry around all of their belongings any time they leave the car for more than 30 seconds. The former quality is only important so there is somewhere to sit. I have found, lately, that café's only really are good for that and free hot water. Everyone I know drinks coffee, and has it available at home, and eating gluten-free and being wary of refined carbs, there isn't really much else for me to partake it. Ok, every once in awhile I indulge in a decaf latté or cappuccino, but this morning I was treated to delicious home-brewed decaf with powdered goat milk. I remember when my mom discovered that Meyenburg stuff and my favorite application of the white powder was to stir it into hot, blackberry-sage tea with a little bit of honey. Yum!
I left Kripalu and Western Mass on a gorgeous, sunny day in the early afternoon. I had considered camping in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and had a vision of pitching my tent and sitting on a picnic table, playing my guitar while the sun went down. I probably would have manifested that part of the vision quite easily, but I wasn't prepared to deal with the country's manifestation of snow the following morning. So, I kept on driving. It was a pretty drive down, though most of the foliage was way past prime.
I made it to Harrisburg, PA late that evening, and it was so good to see Yasmin. I wasn't sure how it would feel since I haven't been in touch lately with her son, my ex-boyfriend, but it was like no time had past. We had fun catching up about all that had happened in the four years since I had seen her last, and then I retired to the coziest bed I had yet encountered on my journey. I have always loved sleeping in beds that are "gemutlich" (a german word that is sort of like cozy, but even better), and this one fit the bill perfectly with its feather quilt and pillows and the addition of my duo of hot water bottles.
The snow had begun by the time I awoke the next morning, and even though the timing was slightly off, with leaves and grass still green, and halloween still ahead, it was delightful to sit around the kitchen table and visit with old friends while the white stuff fell thickly, and the power came and went. I have always enjoyed spending time in families with multiple siblings - there is something about the happy chatter and bickering that occurs in large families that just doesn't in mine. I was in heaven with nothing to do but laugh and chat and drink hot tea, and felt touched that my ex's siblings would take the time to come by and visit.
That evening we ventured out into the wild world of white and had a fantastic dinner at the restaurant where Yasmin's youngest son, Daniel, is a cook. We sat at the "chef's table", which is a rounded counter that butts right up to the kitchen, and got to watch as dinner was prepared. The food was all divine, with plenty of leftovers for the following day. My last day consisted of more visiting, and a beautiful hike in the woods outside of town, catching up with computer work in a cute coffee shop, and a dinner of leftovers in a warm house. The power had finally come back on while we were out and about. I left PA the following morning, and headed south for Virginia!
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