Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Company picnic

My husband and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary a day early this year. We went out of town, to our favorite restaurant for lunch. The meal was fabulous. No fancy-schmancy food for us, the portions were generous and the overall feel to the food was Sunday dinner at Grandma's- if Grandma was a hefty German woman... who happened to live in a microbrewery.

Afterwards, we drove to the cabin owned by my husband's boss, Gale. It was the first time we had ever been there and my husband had left the directions at home. The drive took a bit longer than necessary and involved more frustration than I really wanted to experience on the eve of a monumental day, but oh, it was worth it.

I was too awestruck to take pictures and for that, I apologize. We turned off the highway onto a well-traveled path through a corn field. After a low clearance water-crossing, we found ourselves in a completely different world. I really didn't think we were in Kansas anymore! Acres of sunflowers guarded large hills. The gravel road curved along the edge of one such, limestone filled hill. Cattle grazed contentedly at the top and despite the beauty of the scene, I was frustrated and beginning to think the cabin didn't exist. Suddenly, on our way down the opposite side of the steep hill, the hidden valley came into focus.

My words can't express the awe I felt. A small, lovely cabin and matching garage seemed right at home surrounded by trees and lush grass. The large deck on the cabin's front stood sentinel overlooking a small pond festooned with paddleboats. The cabin itself had plenty of storage, yet was no more than a small family needed. Clearly, it was a get-away in the truest sense of the word. My husband was most pleased about the pool tables in the (heated and air-conditioned) second story of the garage. This was truly a place for resting, relaxing and entertaining. It had everything we needed and it brought all of us a little closer together.

I have never seen a more compelling argument for downsizing belongings and living a richer life and I look forward to future visits.

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