Thick Fog and Peeper Arias

Marisa visits Hayden and Halle in VA

We went back to Pine Junction, a restaurant we went to a couple of weeks ago, off in the farmlands just outside of Findley Lake.  There motto "The best part is trying to find us" holds true if you don't know the area.  It's supposedly very popular in the winter with snow mobilers, as it literally is right next to a main trail and in the summer, bikers.  It's set off the road about 100 yards and is nothing to look at, three or four buildings, one a barn, one the owner's house, then the restaurant and a new building, which will hold wedding receptions.  The restaurant is very eclectic, wood paneled, lots of signs, knick knacks, a great bar, and windows that look out over their backyard, with a huge wood pile in the center, for a fire and a dense forest of pines in the background.  There's a huge porch to sit on in the warmer weather.  We all had burgers, though they had ribs and fish as well.  We liked the deep fried pickles and reuben balls for appetizers.  At 9:00, there was music, a woman singer with a guitarist and she was really quite good.  Most Saturdays they have music and it could be lots of fun in the summer.  There were about 25 people there as we left, mostly listening, all locals.  It was full when we entered around 7:30, and we got the last table though no one seemed to have to wait.

Our ride home through lonely roads through farmlands was very different, reminding of the old days at OU when we came back from the Club 33, utter darkness, no traffic, just a road seemingly to no where.  As we were driving, I thought I heard crickets but realized the serenade was from the peepers, or small frogs that come out in the spring and sing at night.  It was amazing to hear and when I got home to the lake, I could also hear them in our woods.  I don't think I have ever heard them  before last night, probably because I didn't listen carefully or pay attention.  We miss so much because we don't look or listen carefully, mostly because we are so wrapped up in our lives, in what we have to do tomorrow.  Retirement gives me a chance to listen and think and pay attention, especially to the natural world.