The idea was to take a camping trip in the Shenandoah Valley along the river in early October when the leaves were turning colors. We booked our favorite campground in the area—Low Water Bridge Campground—about a month earlier to make sure we got a good spot. Between then and the October date, the river rose some 8 to 9 feet because of Hurricane Helene and some of the campsites were underwater and just draining out when we arrived. Ours, however, remained above the floodplain on mostly dry ground. We settled in after a day of hiking in anticipation of the next day.
Chris and I were up early in the morning as the sun rose over the treetops, casting its brilliant reflection that seemed to follow you along the river. It was a particularly cool morning and some steam was starting to rise off the river as I took Service Dog Charlie for his early morning walk and constitutional. When we got back and had some coffee and a light breakfast, it was Chris who took her turn. She bundled up—neither of us are good in the 40 degree range, but the sun was warming things up–gathered up her portable easel, paint pallet, brushes, and camp chair, and headed out to pick a picturesque spot to paint along the riverbank. Finding one, she set up and began creating.
That’s when I got the brilliant idea of sneaking up on her and taking a video of her work. Now, Chris is a private person. All through the years when I was involved with the public, she preferred to stay in the background. But I have to tell you, she is very congenial and witty, quite engaging and articulate when put on the spot. I walked up and casually asked her how it was going and we engaged in a great conversation about how she loved painting on site so much better than in the studio. She was really engaged, then she happened to look up and see that I was using my phone to video our discussion. Well, that came to an abrupt end. All in good fun. Right?
After things warmed up a bit, we decided to go into Front Royal, Va for a walkabout and lunch. It was our first try on a highway with our scooter. Earlier in the week, I had passed the driving test and earned my license. Expert right? What could go wrong? I would have to say we were both nervous about the 20 mile round trip. We hopped on and started out. Within minutes, my driving skills were challenged by a big truck passing us and, “What was that jumping out of the side of the road?” A deer. I slowed down. The deer trotted across the road ahead of us. And we settled in for the rest of the ride. It wasn’t so bad. A little chilly. But a good trip and a good time. As King Solomon once wrote it is a blessing from God to enjoy the good of our labor! Indeed, this camping trip ended all too soon!
