It has been a full summer with house remodeling and time with Willa and Hazel as Mike and Tracy try to fit in their work schedules while Willa is off school for the summer and Hazel plays the typically demanding infant. It is a gift; rewarding, fulfilling and joyous, to be able to share in their lives. Beyond the everyday, we fit in a trip to the Fair, some hiking, concerts in the park, tried a few new restaurants, plus shared a week in July with Brian, Johnna and RJ.
Today is the day and at 3 in the afternoon we load up. Kent in the motorhome and I in the car we head out in a flurry of waves and shouted goodbyes from, and back to, the front porch at 18 1st Avenue. We are excited to get out on the road on our own for a bit; but still, tears well up in my eyes as we pull away. We will stop back for Hazel’s birthday in just a few weeks before we actually head out for the winter.
Today, stop 1 is less than an hour from Kingston at a quiet campground in Kenneth Wilson SP near lots of trails and some lovely Catskills scenic drives. Enroute, I stop to let several flocks of turkeys cross the road. Just as we settle in our site we are greeted by a handsome buck. Nice start to the wildlife viewing. Camp is nearly empty and the air filled with the sounds of the forest…and the occasionally passing car. We are still in NY after all!